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US-12620946-B2 - Outphasing amplifier and signal processor for outphasing amplifier

US12620946B2US 12620946 B2US12620946 B2US 12620946B2US-12620946-B2

Abstract

An outphasing amplifier includes a first amplifier, a second amplifier, a first coupler coupling a first signal and a third signal, a second coupler coupling a second signal and a fourth signal, a first impedance converter inputting the first signal coupled with the third signal, a second impedance converter inputting the second signal coupled with the fourth signal, a combiner combining the first and the second signals output from the first and the second impedance converters and outputting an output signal, and a signal processor outputting the first signal having a first phase to the first amplifier, outputting the second signal having a second phase to the second amplifier, outputting the third signal having at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude to the first coupler, and outputting the fourth signal having at least one of a fourth phase and a second amplitude to the second coupler.

Inventors

  • Takashi Sumiyoshi

Assignees

  • SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20230223
Priority Date
20220609

Claims (9)

  1. 1 . An outphasing amplifier comprising: a first amplifier that amplifies a first signal; a second amplifier that amplifies a second signal; a first coupler that couples the first signal as amplified by the first amplifier and a third signal; a second coupler that couples the second signal as amplified by the second amplifier and a fourth signal; a first impedance converter to which the first signal coupled with the third signal is input; a second impedance converter to which the second signal coupled with the fourth signal is input; a combiner that combines the first signal as outputted from the first impedance converter and the second signal as outputted from the second impedance converter into a combined signal and that outputs the combined signal as an output signal; and a signal processor that generates a phase difference comprising an outphasing angle of ninety degrees (90°) or one-hundred eighty degrees (180°) between the first phase and one of a second phase, a third phase, and a fourth phase, wherein the signal processor: sets the first phase of the first signal to a value associated with first information relating to a power of the output signal, and outputs the first signal in which the first phase is set to the first amplifier, sets the second phase of the second signal to the value associated with the first information, and outputs the second signal in which the second phase is set to the second amplifier, sets at least one of the third phase and a first amplitude of the third signal to the value associated with the first information, and outputs the third signal in which the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude is set to the first coupler, sets at least one of the fourth phase and a second amplitude of the fourth signal to the value associated with the first information, and outputs the fourth signal in which the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude is set to the second coupler, sets the first phase to a value associated with the first information and second information relating to a frequency of the output signal, sets the second phase to the value associated with the first information and the second information, sets the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, and sets the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, wherein the first impedance converter and the second impedance converter are transmission lines each having an electrical length of λ/4, where λ is a wavelength at a center frequency of an operating frequency band of the outphasing amplifier, and wherein the signal processor adjusts an impedance viewed from the first amplifier to the first impedance converter and an impedance viewed from the second amplifier to the second impedance converter by controlling the third phase, the first amplitude, the fourth phase, and the second amplitude.
  2. 2 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor sets the third phase and the first amplitude to the value associated with the first information, and sets the fourth phase and the second amplitude to the value associated with the first information.
  3. 3 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein the first signal, the second signal, the third signal, and the fourth signal have a same frequency.
  4. 4 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor includes a memory that: stores a first table in which the first information and the first phase are associated with each other, stores a second table in which the first information and the second phase are associated with each other, stores a third table in which the first information and the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude are associated with each other, and stores a fourth table in which the first information and the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude are associated with each other, and wherein the signal processor sets the first phase based on the first table, sets the second phase based on the second table, sets the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude based on the third table, and sets the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude based on the fourth table.
  5. 5 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein the combiner is a Chireix combiner.
  6. 6 . An outphasing amplifier comprising: a first amplifier that amplifies a first signal; a second amplifier that amplifies a second signal; a first coupler that couples the first signal as amplified by the first amplifier and a third signal; a second coupler that couples the second signal as amplified by the second amplifier and a fourth signal; a first impedance converter to which the first signal coupled with the third signal is input; a second impedance converter to which the second signal coupled with the fourth signal is input; and a combiner that combines the first signal as outputted from the first impedance converter and the second signal as outputted from the second impedance converter into a combined signal and that outputs the combined signal as an output signal; wherein a first phase of the first signal input to the first amplifier is a value associated with information relating to a power of the output signal, a second phase of the second signal input to the second amplifier is the value associated with the information, at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude of the third signal input to the first coupler is the value associated with the information, and at least one of a fourth phase and a second amplitude of the fourth signal input to the second coupler is the value associated with the information, and a signal processor that generates a phase difference comprising an outphasing angle of ninety degrees (90°) or one-hundred eighty degrees (180°) between the first phase and one of the second phase, the third phase, and the fourth phase, wherein the signal processor, wherein the signal processor: sets the first phase to a value associated with the first information and second information relating to a frequency of the output signal, sets the second phase to the value associated with the first information and the second information, sets the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, and sets the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, wherein the first impedance converter and the second impedance converter are transmission lines each having an electrical length of λ/4, where λ is a wavelength at a center frequency of an operating frequency band of the outphasing amplifier, and wherein the signal processor adjusts an impedance viewed from the first amplifier to the first impedance converter and an impedance viewed from the second amplifier to the second impedance converter by controlling the third phase, the first amplitude, the fourth phase, and the second amplitude.
  7. 7 . A signal processor for an outphasing amplifier comprising: a first processor that acquires information relating to a power of an output signal, sets a first phase of a first signal to a value associated with the information, and outputs the first signal in which the first phase is set to a first amplifier amplifying the first signal; a second processor that acquires the information, sets a second phase of a second signal to the value associated with the information, and outputs the second signal in which the second phase is set to a second amplifier amplifying the second signal; a third processor that acquires the information, sets at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude of a third signal to the value associated with the information, and outputs the third signal in which the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude is set to a first coupler coupling the first signal amplified by the first amplifier and the third signal; a fourth processor that acquires the information, sets at least one of a fourth phase and a second amplitude of a fourth signal to the value associated with the information, and outputs the fourth signal in which the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude is set to a second coupler coupling the second signal amplified by the second amplifier and the fourth signal; and wherein the output signal is a signal in which the first signal as outputted from a first impedance converter to which the first signal coupled with the third signal is inputted and the second signal as outputted from a second impedance converter to which the second signal coupled with the fourth signal is inputted are combined with each other, a signal processor that generates a phase difference comprising an outphasing angle of ninety degrees (90°) or one-hundred eighty degrees (180°) between the first phase and one of the second phase, the third phase, and the fourth phase, wherein the signal processor: sets the first phase to a value associated with the first information and second information relating to a frequency of the output signal, sets the second phase to the value associated with the first information and the second information, sets the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, and sets the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude to the value associated with the first information and the second information, wherein the first impedance converter and the second impedance converter are transmission lines each having an electrical length of λ/4, where λ is a wavelength at a center frequency of an operating frequency band of the outphasing amplifier, and wherein the signal processor adjusts an impedance viewed from the first amplifier to the first impedance converter and an impedance viewed from the second amplifier to the second impedance converter by controlling the third phase, the first amplitude, the fourth phase, and the second amplitude.
  8. 8 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler includes a first transmission line through which the first signal or the second signal passes, and a second transmission line that is separated from the first transmission line and electromagnetically coupled to the first transmission line, wherein the third signal or the fourth signal is input to a first end of the second transmission line, and a second end of the second transmission line is grounded via a terminating resistor.
  9. 9 . The outphasing amplifier according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler includes an isolator through which the third signal or the fourth signal passes before being coupled with the first signal or the second signal.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-093857 filed on Jun. 9, 2022, and the entire contents of the Japanese patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates to an outphasing amplifier and a signal processor for the outphasing amplifier. BACKGROUND There is known an outphasing amplifier as an amplifier for amplifying a high frequency signal such as a microwave. The outphasing amplifier includes a signal processor that outputs two signals from an input signal as two signals having different phases with a constant amplitude depending on the amplitude of the input signal, two amplifiers that amplify the two signals output from the signal processor, respectively, and a combiner that combines the two output signals amplified by the two amplifiers as a single output signal. It is known that a Chireix combiner is used as the combiner (for example, Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-156023). SUMMARY An outphasing amplifier according to the present disclosure includes: a first amplifier that amplifies a first signal; a second amplifier that amplifies a second signal; a first coupler that couples the first signal amplified by the first amplifier and a third signal; a second coupler that couples the second signal amplified by the second amplifier and a fourth signal; a first impedance converter to which the first signal coupled with the third signal is input; a second impedance converter to which the second signal coupled with the fourth signal is input; a combiner that combines the first signal output from the first impedance converter and the second signal output from the second impedance converter and outputs a combined signal as an output signal; and a signal processor that sets a first phase of the first signal to a value associated with first information relating to a power of the output signal, outputs the first signal in which the first phase is set to the first amplifier, sets a second phase of the second signal to the value associated with the first information, outputs the second signal in which the second phase is set to the second amplifier, sets at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude of the third signal to the value associated with the first information, outputs the third signal in which the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude is set to the first coupler, and sets at least one of a fourth phase and a second amplitude of the fourth signal to the value associated with the first information, and outputs the fourth signal in which the at least one of the fourth phase and the second amplitude is set to the second coupler. An outphasing amplifier according to the present disclosure includes: a first amplifier that amplifies a first signal; a second amplifier that amplifies a second signal; a first coupler that couples the first signal amplified by the first amplifier and a third signal; a second coupler that couples the second signal amplified by the second amplifier and a fourth signal; a first impedance converter to which the first signal coupled with the third signal is input; a second impedance converter to which the second signal coupled with the fourth signal is input; and a combiner that combines the first signal output from the first impedance converter and the second signal output from the second impedance converter and outputs a combined signal as an output signal; wherein a first phase of the first signal input to the first amplifier is a value associated with information relating to a power of the output signal, a second phase of the second signal input to the second amplifier is the value associated with the information, at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude of the third signal input to the first coupler is the value associated with the information, and at least one of a fourth phase and a second amplitude of the fourth signal input to the second coupler is the value associated with the information. A signal processor for an outphasing amplifier according to the present disclosure includes: a first processor that acquires information relating to a power of an output signal, sets a first phase of a first signal to a value associated with the information, and outputs the first signal in which the first phase is set to a first amplifier amplifying the first signal; a second processor that acquires the information, sets a second phase of a second signal to the value associated with the information, and outputs the second signal in which the second phase is set to a second amplifier amplifying the second signal; a third processor that acquires the information, sets at least one of a third phase and a first amplitude of a third signal to the value associated with the information, and outputs the third signal in which the at least one of the third phase and the first amplitude is set to a first coupler c