Patent US6480061B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6480061B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Amplifier having digital micro processor control apparatus
Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
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Filing: 2000-01-10
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Granted: 2002-11-12
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Expires: 2020-01-10
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates to an amplifier having digital micro-processor control apparatus and, in particular, to a high frequency power amplifier that includes a micro-processor control system to accurately regulate the operating point of the various amplifying elements in the high frequency power amplifier. The basic amplifier circuitry consists of a micro-controller, a variable voltage attenuator (VVA), a digital to analogue converter and an EEPROM. The EEPROM provides a lookup table which is read by the micro-controller, which then writes to the digital to analogue converter to set the control voltage to the variable voltage attenuator.
Inventors
- 👤 Graham Dolman
- 👤 Peter King
- 👤 Andrew John Booth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 14:38
CPC Classifications
H; H03; H03G; H03G3/00; H03G3/001
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
An amplifier circuit having an amplifying element, a bias circuit coupled to an input of said amplifying element, and a microcontroller arranged to control the bias circuit according to predetermined criteria and determined input power to the element in order to control the amplifying element gain in order to compensate for the internal heating effects of said amplifying element, the compensation taking into account thermal lag in the amplifying element to provide more accurate control during dynamic changes in thermal effect.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
An amplifier circuit having an amplifying element, a bias circuit coupled to an input of said amplifying element, and a microcontroller arranged to control the bias circuit according to predetermined criteria and determined input power to the element in order to control the amplifying element gain in order to compensate for the internal heating effects of said amplifying element, the compensation taking into account thermal lag in the amplifying element to provide more accurate control during dynamic changes in thermal effect.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 1 wherein the microcontroller comprises a memory device and the predetermined criteria are a number of bias control settings stored in the memory which correspond to predetermined input power values such that the microcontroller controls the bias circuit according to the setting corresponding to the determined input power.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifying element gain is further dependent on: measured temperature; input frequency; specific batch dependent characteristics of the amplifying element; a combination of these.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifying element is a bipolar transistor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the memory device is an EEPROM.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 4 , wherein the microcontroller is arranged to control the bias circuit in order to control the Quiescent Collector Current (Icq) dependent on output power of the amplifier circuit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the microcontroller is arranged to implement an interpolation algorithm for measured values of input power between those stored.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the bias control settings are derived from previously measured operational parameters of the amplifier circuit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
An amplifier circuit according to claim 1 wherein the determined input power is measured in regular time slots.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
An amplifier comprising the amplifier circuit according to claim 1 and further comprising a gain control device coupled to an input of the amplifying element in order to control the input power to the amplifying element, the gain control device being controlled by the microcontroller dependent on measured input power to the amplifying element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
An amplifier according to claim 10 wherein the gain control device is a variable voltage attenuator.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
53 words
An amplifier comprising the amplifier circuit according to claim 3 and further comprising a variable voltage attenuator coupled to an input of the amplifying element in order to control the input power to the amplifying element, the attenuator being controlled by the microcontroller dependent on the determined input power to the amplifying element.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
An amplifier comprising a number of amplifying circuits according to claim 1 each of said amplifying circuits comprising different predetermined criteria.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of operating an amplifying element in order to compensate for internal heating effects for different input signal levels, said method comprising: determining input signal level to said amplifying element; and controlling bias conditions of said element dependent on said input level and predetermined criteria while taking into account thermal lag in the amplifying element to provide more accurate control during dynamic changes in thermal effect.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of operating an amplifying element in order to compensate for internal heating effects for different input signal levels, said method comprising: determining input signal level to said amplifying element; and controlling bias conditions of said element dependent on said input level and predetermined criteria while taking into account thermal lag in the amplifying element to provide more accurate control during dynamic changes in thermal effect.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method according to claim 14 wherein said predetermined criteria are a number of bias control settings which correspond to predetermined input power values such that a microcontroller controls the bias conditions according to setting corresponding to determined input power, and/or an algorithm which is dependent on the determined input power.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 14 further comprising controlling the input signal level to the amplifying element dependent on the determined signal input level.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-11-11 | 2006-05-13 | 2006-11-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-11-11 | 2010-05-13 | 2010-11-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-11-11 | 2014-05-13 | 2014-11-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |