US-12627267-B1 - Hybrid power management integrated circuit

Abstract

A hybrid power management integrated circuit (PMIC) is provided. The hybrid PMIC is configured to generate a modulated voltage. In an embodiment, the hybrid PMIC includes a carrier voltage amplifier and a peak voltage amplifier. The carrier voltage amplifier operates based on a lower supply voltage and is always active to generate the modulated voltage up to a threshold voltage. In contrast, the peak voltage amplifier operates based on a higher supply voltage and is only active when a peak of the modulated voltage is above the threshold voltage. Given that the peak of the modulated voltage can be lower than the threshold voltage most of time, the hybrid PMIC will be able to generate the modulated voltage primarily based on the carrier voltage amplifier that operates based on the lower supply voltage. As a result, the hybrid PMIC can achieve a higher operating efficiency.

Inventors

• Nadim Khlat

Assignees

• QORVO US, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230328

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A hybrid power management integrated circuit (PMIC) comprising: a voltage merging node coupled to a voltage output that outputs a modulated voltage; a voltage generation circuit comprising: a carrier voltage amplifier configured to generate a first modulated voltage based on a modulated target voltage and a first supply voltage; and a peak voltage amplifier configured to generate a second modulated voltage based on the modulated target voltage and a second supply voltage higher than the first supply voltage; and a control circuit configured to: cause the voltage generation circuit to generate an initial modulated voltage comprising the first modulated voltage at the voltage merging node when a peak of the modulated voltage is lower than or equal to a threshold voltage; and cause the voltage generation circuit to generate the initial modulated voltage comprising the first modulated voltage and the second modulated voltage at the voltage merging node when the peak of the modulated voltage is higher than the threshold voltage.
2. 2 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 1 , wherein the threshold voltage is equal to an average of the modulated voltage.
3. 3 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 1 , wherein: the carrier voltage amplifier is coupled to the voltage merging node via an impedance inverter circuit; and the peak voltage amplifier is coupled directly to the voltage merging node.
4. 4 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 3 , further comprising: an offset capacitor coupled between the voltage merging node and the voltage output and configured to raise the initial modulated voltage by an offset voltage to thereby generate the modulated voltage at the voltage output; and a supply voltage circuit configured to provide the first supply voltage to the carrier voltage amplifier and provide the second supply voltage to the peak voltage amplifier.
5. 5 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 4 , further comprising a switcher circuit comprising: a multi-level charge pump (MCP) configured according to a selected duty cycle to generate a low-frequency voltage as a function of a battery voltage; and a power inductor configured to induce a low-frequency current at the voltage output based on the low-frequency voltage.
6. 6 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 4 , wherein: the carrier voltage amplifier is always activated to generate the first modulated voltage at a constant level at the voltage merging node; and the control circuit is configured to: activate the peak voltage amplifier to generate the second modulated voltage at the voltage merging node when the peak of the modulated voltage is higher than the threshold voltage; and deactivate the peak voltage amplifier when the peak of the modulated voltage is lower than or equal to the threshold voltage.
7. 7 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 3 , wherein the carrier voltage amplifier is further configured to: generate a first modulated current at the voltage merging node; and dynamically adjust the first modulated current based on feedback of the modulated voltage.
8. 8 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 3 , wherein the peak voltage amplifier is further configured to: generate a second modulated current at the voltage merging node; and dynamically adjust the second modulated current based on an analog lookup table (LUT).
9. 9 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 3 , wherein the carrier voltage amplifier and the peak voltage amplifier are further configured to generate the first modulated voltage and the second modulated voltage, respectively, in a baseband frequency that falls within a modulation bandwidth of the hybrid PMIC.
10. 10 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 9 , wherein the impedance inverter circuit is configured to operate in the baseband frequency.
11. 11 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 9 , wherein the impedance inverter circuit is configured to operate at a modulated frequency higher than the baseband frequency.
12. 12 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 11 , wherein the impedance inverter circuit comprises: a high-frequency clock generator configured to generate a high-frequency reference clock higher than the baseband frequency; and a pair of mixers configured to operate based on the high-frequency reference clock to convert the first modulated voltage and the second modulated voltage from the baseband frequency to the modulated frequency.
13. 13 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 1 , wherein: the carrier voltage amplifier is coupled to the voltage merging node via a first offset capacitor and an impedance inverter circuit; and the peak voltage amplifier is coupled to the voltage merging node via a second offset capacitor.
14. 14 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 13 , further comprising a supply voltage circuit configured to provide the first supply voltage to the carrier voltage amplifier and provide the second supply voltage to the peak voltage amplifier.
15. 15 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 14 , wherein: the carrier voltage amplifier is always activated to generate the first modulated voltage at a constant level at the voltage merging node; and the control circuit is configured to: activate the peak voltage amplifier to generate the second modulated voltage at the voltage merging node when the peak of the modulated voltage is higher than the threshold voltage; and deactivate the peak voltage amplifier when the peak of the modulated voltage is lower than or equal to the threshold voltage.
16. 16 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 13 , wherein the carrier voltage amplifier is further configured to: generate a first modulated current at the voltage merging node; and dynamically adjust the first modulated current based on feedback of the modulated voltage.
17. 17 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 13 , wherein the peak voltage amplifier is further configured to: generate a second modulated current at the voltage merging node; and dynamically adjust the second modulated current based on an analog lookup table (LUT).
18. 18 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 13 , wherein the carrier voltage amplifier and the peak voltage amplifier are further configured to generate the first modulated voltage and the second modulated voltage, respectively, in a baseband frequency that falls within a modulation bandwidth of the hybrid PMIC.
19. 19 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 18 , wherein the impedance inverter circuit is configured to operate in the baseband frequency.
20. 20 . The hybrid PMIC of claim 19 , wherein the impedance inverter circuit is configured to operate at a modulated frequency higher than the baseband frequency.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/334,301, filed on Apr. 25, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The technology of the disclosure relates generally to a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). BACKGROUND The fifth generation (5G) system has been widely regarded as the next generation wireless communication system beyond the current third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) systems. In this regard, a 5G-capable wireless communication device is expected to achieve higher data rates, improved coverage range, enhanced signaling efficiency, and reduced latency. The 5G-capable wireless communication device typically includes multiple transmitters to simultaneously transmit multiple 5G radio frequency (RF) signals under such schemes as Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Evolved-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) New Radio (NR) Dual Connectivity (DC) (ENDC). Since the transmitters typically transmit the 5G RF signals in a millimeter wave spectrum, the RF signals can be more susceptible to propagation attenuation and interference. To help mitigate propagation attenuation and maintain desirable data throughput, the 5G-capable wireless communication device typically employs multiple power amplifiers to amplify the RF signals to desired power levels before transmitting the RF signals from the transmitters. As such, it is desirable to ensure that the power amplifiers can operate with optimal efficiency, especially when the RF signals are transmitted with different peak-to-average ratios (PARs). SUMMARY Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a hybrid power management integrated circuit (PMIC). The hybrid PMIC is configured to generate a modulated voltage that may correspond to different peak-to-average ratios (PARs). In an embodiment, the hybrid PMIC includes a carrier voltage amplifier and a peak voltage amplifier. The carrier voltage amplifier operates based on a lower supply voltage and is always active to generate the modulated voltage up to a threshold voltage. In contrast, the peak voltage amplifier operates based on a higher supply voltage and is only active when a peak of the modulated voltage is above the threshold voltage. Given that the peak of the modulated voltage can be lower than the threshold voltage most of time, the hybrid PMIC will be able to generate the modulated voltage primarily based on the carrier voltage amplifier that operates based on the lower supply voltage. As a result, the hybrid PMIC can achieve a higher operating efficiency. In one aspect, a hybrid PMIC is provided. The hybrid PMIC includes a voltage output that outputs a modulated voltage. The hybrid PMIC also includes a switcher circuit coupled to the voltage output. The hybrid PMIC also includes a voltage merging node that represents an initial modulated voltage. The hybrid PMIC also includes an offset capacitor coupled between the voltage merging node and the voltage output. The hybrid PMIC also includes an impedance inverter circuit coupled to the voltage merging node. The hybrid PMIC also includes a carrier voltage amplifier coupled to the impedance inverter circuit. The hybrid PMIC also includes a peak voltage amplifier coupled to the voltage merging node. The hybrid PMIC also includes a supply voltage circuit coupled to the carrier voltage amplifier and the peak voltage amplifier. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary hybrid power management integrated circuit (PMIC) configured according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to generate a modulated voltage; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary equivalent electrical model of a voltage generation circuit in the hybrid PMIC of FIG. 1; FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an impedance inverter circuit in the voltage generation circuit in the hybrid PMIC of FIG. 1 configured according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to operate at a baseband frequency; FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of an impedance inverter circuit in the voltage generation circuit in the hybrid PMIC of FIG. 1 configured according to another embodiment of the present disclosure to operate at a modulated frequency; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary hybrid PMIC configured according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary user element wherein