CA2638549C - Transmitting rf signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier - Google Patents

Transmitting rf signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2638549C
CA2638549C CA2638549A CA2638549A CA2638549C CA 2638549 C CA2638549 C CA 2638549C CA 2638549 A CA2638549 A CA 2638549A CA 2638549 A CA2638549 A CA 2638549A CA 2638549 C CA2638549 C CA 2638549C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
signal
amplifier
set forth
digital
envelope
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA2638549A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2638549A1 (en
Inventor
Geoffrey Norman Mendenhall
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Gatesair Inc
Original Assignee
Harris Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Harris Corp filed Critical Harris Corp
Publication of CA2638549A1 publication Critical patent/CA2638549A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2638549C publication Critical patent/CA2638549C/en
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03GCONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION
    • H03G3/00Gain control in amplifiers or frequency changers without distortion of the input signal
    • H03G3/20Automatic control
    • H03G3/30Automatic control in amplifiers having semiconductor devices
    • H03G3/3036Automatic control in amplifiers having semiconductor devices in high-frequency amplifiers or in frequency-changers
    • H03G3/3042Automatic control in amplifiers having semiconductor devices in high-frequency amplifiers or in frequency-changers in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03FAMPLIFIERS
    • H03F1/00Details of amplifiers with only discharge tubes, only semiconductor devices or only unspecified devices as amplifying elements
    • H03F1/02Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
    • H03F1/0205Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation in transistor amplifiers
    • H03F1/0261Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation in transistor amplifiers with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A
    • H03F1/0266Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation in transistor amplifiers with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A by using a signal derived from the input signal
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03FAMPLIFIERS
    • H03F1/00Details of amplifiers with only discharge tubes, only semiconductor devices or only unspecified devices as amplifying elements
    • H03F1/02Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
    • H03F1/04Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation in discharge-tube amplifiers
    • H03F1/06Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation in discharge-tube amplifiers to raise the efficiency of amplifying modulated radio frequency waves; to raise the efficiency of amplifiers acting also as modulators
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03FAMPLIFIERS
    • H03F3/00Amplifiers with only discharge tubes or only semiconductor devices as amplifying elements
    • H03F3/20Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers
    • H03F3/24Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers of transmitter output stages
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03FAMPLIFIERS
    • H03F3/00Amplifiers with only discharge tubes or only semiconductor devices as amplifying elements
    • H03F3/20Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers
    • H03F3/24Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers of transmitter output stages
    • H03F3/245Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers of transmitter output stages with semiconductor devices only
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L27/00Modulated-carrier systems
    • H04L27/32Carrier systems characterised by combinations of two or more of the types covered by groups H04L27/02, H04L27/10, H04L27/18 or H04L27/26
    • H04L27/34Amplitude- and phase-modulated carrier systems, e.g. quadrature-amplitude modulated carrier systems
    • H04L27/36Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
    • H04L27/361Modulation using a single or unspecified number of carriers, e.g. with separate stages of phase and amplitude modulation
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03CMODULATION
    • H03C5/00Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03FAMPLIFIERS
    • H03F2200/00Indexing scheme relating to amplifiers
    • H03F2200/18Indexing scheme relating to amplifiers the bias of the gate of a FET being controlled by a control signal

Abstract

Apparatus is presented for broadcasting an RF signal. This includes a signal divider that receives a composite RF signal and provides therefrom first and second signals each having digital and analog components. A phase extractor receives the first signal and provides therefrom a phase modulated RF signal for application to an amplifier. A gain controller varies the gain of the amplifier in accordance with amplitude variations of the second signal.

Description

TRANSMITTING RF SIGNALS EMPLOYING BOTH DIGITAL AND
ANALOG COMPONENTS WITH A COMMON AMPLIFIER

The present invention relates to broadcasting RF signals and, more particularly, to improvements permitting both analog and digital components to be transmitted employing a common amplifier.

The introduction of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) and other forms of vector modulation require simultaneous amplitude and phase modulation of the RF
carrier. Conventional FM broadcast transmitters utilize nonlinear RF power amplifiers that cannot convey the amplitude variations needed to accurately replicate the vector modulation.

In the prior art, it is known to employ separate amplification of the vector modulation signal and of the analog FM signal. An example of this is disclosed in Fig. 1 herein. In this example, the output V2 of an existing FM
transmitter 10, illustrated as a main FM transmitter, is combined with the output V3 from a digital transmitter referred to as a digital TX (linear) transmitter.
The input to the main transmitter 10 is obtained from a conventional FM signal source 14 while the input to the digital transmitter 12 is obtained from a conventional IBOC
source 16.
The outputs V2 and V3 of these transmitters are combined in a conventional coupler C, which typically is a 10 dB coupler. The coupler, which is sometimes known as an output coupler, provides an output V, that is supplied to a transmitting antenna 20 for broadcasting the composite signal. The coupler C has ports 1, 2, 3 and 4 with the voltages V2 and V3 being applied to ports 2 and 3. The output at port 1 is supplied to the antenna 20. Port 4 is coupled to a reject load RL.

Because the outputs V i and V2 are combined only after they have reached a high level of amplitude (because they have already been amplified by separate amplifiers) this is referred to in the art as "high-level combining"
or "separate amplification". This type of combining results in high losses because the two signals are not correlated. This may be viewed as the penalty paid for the simplicity involved. In a 10 dB coupler, some of the problems noted include the following: the main FM transmitter needs to have enough headroom in order to increase its output power to overcome the combiner insertion loss. This can be very problematic in specific installations without additional headroom to spare.
Major hardware upgrade could be necessary to overcome this issue, such as by replacing the existing main FM transmitter with a more powerful transmitter. A second problem with this type of system is that the overall dissipation increases. Besides the power dissipated by digital transmitter 12, additional energy is wasted at this reject load RL
where up to 10% of the main transmitter FM output and up to 90% of the output of the digital transmitter will be dissipated. This inefficiency creates additional heat load for the air-conditioning equipment.
Other prior art examples include the U.S. patents to Murphy et al.
5,315,583 and Papadopoulos et al. 6,144,705. It will be noted that the example in Fig.
1 requires a separate linear power amplifier to add the vector modulator signal to the existing analog FM signal. This technique, therefore, requires a second transmitter and inefficient RF combining of the two RF signals. Alternatively, the combined analog and digital signals provided in the composite signal, can be amplified together in a single, linear RF amplifier, with low efficiency. This technique is known as linear, common amplification.
It is desired to add the vector modulation amplitude and phase components to the same nonlinear amplifier used to simultaneously amplify the constant amplitude, analog FM signal. This is the subject of the invention herein to be described below. This invention will allow the existing FM broadcast transmitter to add vector modulation to the existing FM signal without the need for a second transmitter and inefficient RF combining equipment.
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided for broadcasting an RF signal. This apparatus includes a signal splitter or divider that receives a composite RF signal and provides therefrom first and second signals each having both digital and analog components. A phase extractor receives the first signal and provides therefrom a phase modulated RF signal for application to an amplifier.
A gain controller varies the gain of the amplifier in accordance with the amplitude variations of the second signal.
-2-In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the composite RF signal includes both digital and analog components and wherein the digital components include vector modulated signals.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, the gain controller includes an envelope extractor that extracts envelope variations of the vector modulated signal.

The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon consideration of the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustration of a prior art combining circuit;

Fig. 2 is a schematic-block diagram illustration of one embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a schematic-block diagram illustration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Existing high power FM broadcast transmitter normally employ a vacuum tube in the final RF power amplifier, such as that in the transmitter 10 of Fig.
1, and which is operated in a saturated Class-C mode. It is difficult to add a second vector modulated signal to the input of this nonlinear amplifier without creating large amounts of RF intermodulation products and excessive distortion to the vector modulated signal. Another approach is to break the vector modulated signal into its polar components representing the instantaneous amplitude of the vector modulated signal and the instantaneous phase of the RF carrier of the vector modulated signal.
The complete vector modulation can be reproduced at the output of the nonlinear amplifier by adding the phase information to the existing FM modulation and simultaneously allowing the amplitude component of the vector modulated signal to instantaneously change the gain of the nonlinear amplifier. As will be seen below, it is proposed herein that the amplitude information representing the envelope variations of the vector modulation signal be applied to the screen grid or control grid of the
-3-vacuum tube amplifier or to the gate electrode of a MOS-FET. This is achieved by superimposing a wide bandwidth analog baseband voltage representing the instantaneous amplitude of the vector modulation on top of the DC bias normally applied to the screen or control grid or gate electrode.

Reference is now made to Fig. 2. The circuit of Fig. 2 presents one embodiment of circuitry to achieve the foregoing objectives. Here a DAB signal is supplied to an RF splitter-divider 100 where the input signal is evenly split in terms of its signal make-up including both digital and analog components and a first portion is supplied to an envelope extractor 102 and a second portion is supplied to a phase extractor 104. The envelope extractor supplies a signal including the amplitude information representing the envelope variations of the vector modulated signal to a modulated positive screen grid bias supply 106. The output of the positive grid and bias supply 106 and the negative version thereof from supply 108 are supplied by way of inductors RFC-1 and RFC-2 to the screen grids 110 and/or the control grid 112 of a tetrode power amplifier 120. In this manner, a wide band analog baseband voltage signal that represents the instantaneous amplitude of the vector modulation is supplied on top of the DC bias normally applied to the screen or control grids of the tube 120.
The tube 120 is also connected at its plate to a plate power supply B+ by way of a third inductor RFC-3. Additionally, a filament supply 140 is connected to the filament of the tetrode. The control grid 112 is connected by way of adjustable inductors 142 and 144 and capacitors 146 and 148 to ground. The output from the tetrode tube is applied by way of capacitor 160 and a typical RF output network 162 to a broadcasting antenna 164.

The phase information is extracted from the composite signal by way of the phase extractor 104 and this information is supplied by way of an RF
driver 170 and capacitor 172 to the control grid 112 of tube 120.

Reference is now made to Fig. 3 that illustrates a second embodiment of the invention which is quite similar to that illustrated in Fig 2 and, consequently, corresponding elements are identified with the same character references to simplify
-4-the description. Only the differences between the embodiment of Fig. 3 from that of Fig. 2 will be described in detail hereinbelow.

In this embodiment, the output of the modulated positive gate bias supply is supplied by way of RFC inductors 200 and 202 to the gate electrodes of MOS-FET transistors 204 and 206, respectively. The output of the gate driver 170 is supplied to a gate RF input network 208 and the outputs of this network are supplied to the gates of MOS-FETs 204 and 206 and then to network 210 to be broadcasted by antenna 164.

It is to be noted that if the vector modulated signal is small (1/100) in comparison to the analog FM signal, the overall crest factor of the combined signals will be small enough to be accommodated by a gain control range of less than 2dB.
This gain control range can be accomplished through modulation of the grid voltage as described hereinabove.

The method of injecting the analog baseband signal representing the amplitude modulation should maintain a low RF AC impedance for the screen and control grid DC bias supplies and from the screen grid to ground. A wide bandwidth analog operational power amplifier may be inserted in series with the ground return of the grid bias supply. The instantaneous analog voltage adds to and subtracts from the DC grid voltage, thereby changing the gain of the amplifier tube in proportion to the amplitude of the vector modulated signal.
Varying the voltage on the grid of the power amplifier does not cause a change in gain that is exactly proportional to this voltage variation. Pre-correction of the modulating signal is required to compensate for this non-linearity.
-5-

Claims (7)

1. Apparatus for broadcasting a composite radio frequency (RF) signal comprising:
a signal divider that receives a composite RF signal and provides therefrom first and second signals each having a digitally modulated In-Band, On-Channel (IBOC) component and a frequency modulated (FM) analog component;
an amplifier;
a phase extractor that receives said first signal and provides therefrom a constant envelope, phase modulated, RF signal for application to said amplifier;
an envelope extractor that receives said second signal and extracts an envelope content of said second signal; and a gain controller that varies the gain of said amplifier in accordance with the extracted envelope content of said second signal.
2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said composite RF signal includes digital and analog components.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said amplifier includes a control input.
4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said envelope content is provided to the amplifier by superimposing a wide bandwidth signal representing the envelope content onto a direct current (DC) voltage to said control input.
5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said amplifier includes a vacuum tube and wherein said control input includes the control grid of said tube.
6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said amplifier includes a vacuum tube and wherein said control input includes a screen grid of said vacuum tube.
7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said amplifier is a MOS-FET
transistor and wherein said control input includes a gate electrode of said transistor.
CA2638549A 2007-08-07 2008-08-07 Transmitting rf signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier Expired - Fee Related CA2638549C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/890,573 2007-08-07
US11/890,573 US7929926B2 (en) 2007-08-07 2007-08-07 Transmitting RF signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2638549A1 CA2638549A1 (en) 2009-02-07
CA2638549C true CA2638549C (en) 2012-10-16

Family

ID=40339658

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA2638549A Expired - Fee Related CA2638549C (en) 2007-08-07 2008-08-07 Transmitting rf signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US7929926B2 (en)
CA (1) CA2638549C (en)

Family Cites Families (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3585530A (en) * 1969-02-27 1971-06-15 Rucker Co Induction coupled amplitude modulation system
US3800226A (en) * 1971-01-07 1974-03-26 Magnavox Co Multiple frequency fm detector
FR2670966B1 (en) * 1990-12-21 1995-04-14 Prana Rech Dev WAVE PROPAGATION SIGNAL TRANSMISSION DEVICE AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF FOR AMPLIFICATION OF SUCH SIGNALS.
US5315583A (en) 1991-04-11 1994-05-24 Usa Digital Radio Method and apparatus for digital audio broadcasting and reception
US5420536A (en) * 1993-03-16 1995-05-30 Victoria University Of Technology Linearized power amplifier
US6144705A (en) 1996-08-22 2000-11-07 Lucent Technologies Inc. Technique for simultaneous communications of analog frequency-modulated and digitally modulated signals using precanceling scheme
US6049703A (en) * 1997-11-28 2000-04-11 Motorola, Inc. Amplifier circuit and method for increasing linearity of the amplifier circuit
DE19944558C2 (en) * 1999-09-17 2002-10-10 Bosch Gmbh Robert Method for sending radio signals and transmitter for sending a radio signal
DE10112025A1 (en) * 2001-03-06 2002-09-19 Deutsche Telekom Ag Method for reducing the out-of-band radiation in AM transmitters for digital transmission
DE10127571A1 (en) * 2001-05-30 2002-12-05 Deutsche Telekom Ag Method and arrangement for digital transmission with AM transmitters
JP4230238B2 (en) * 2003-02-06 2009-02-25 パナソニック株式会社 Transmitting apparatus and adjustment method thereof
US7139534B2 (en) * 2003-03-05 2006-11-21 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Transmission circuit
US7092683B2 (en) * 2003-04-01 2006-08-15 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Transmission circuit
US7043213B2 (en) * 2003-06-24 2006-05-09 Northrop Grumman Corporation Multi-mode amplifier system
US7408401B1 (en) * 2007-02-23 2008-08-05 Roberts Retrovalve, Inc. Vacuum tube replacement device, circuit and system
US7391261B2 (en) * 2005-12-16 2008-06-24 Harris Corporation Enhanced bandwidth envelope elimination and restoration
US7593698B1 (en) * 2006-07-11 2009-09-22 Rf Micro Devices, Inc. Large signal polar modulated power amplifier
US20090011730A1 (en) * 2007-07-05 2009-01-08 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Methods and Apparatus for Controlling Power in a Polar Modulation Transmitter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US7929926B2 (en) 2011-04-19
US20090040958A1 (en) 2009-02-12
CA2638549A1 (en) 2009-02-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
KR100887116B1 (en) Class e doherty amplifier topology for high efficiency signal transmitters
DK2777151T3 (en) HIGH-EXPENSED WIDE-BAND AMPLIFIER SYSTEM WITH DYNAMIC LOAD IMPEDANCE MODULATION
US7411449B2 (en) Composite power amplifier
US20080111622A1 (en) Hybrid Doherty Amplifier System and Method
JP2002076781A (en) High frequency amplifier, feed forward amplifier and distortion compensated amplifier
JP5217182B2 (en) High frequency amplifier circuit
US8670732B2 (en) Broadband amplifier system using a 3dB quadrature combiner to dynamically modulate load impedance
SE541265C2 (en) Extended bandwidth digital doherty transmitter
US9219444B2 (en) Broadband high efficiency amplifier system and a method of constructing high power amplitude modulated RF signal
JP6612910B2 (en) Switched amplifier
KR102075813B1 (en) Amplifier assembly
US8300728B1 (en) Complex envelope elimination and restoration transmitter
CA2569387C (en) Modified doherty amplifier
CA2638549C (en) Transmitting rf signals employing both digital and analog components with a common amplifier
JP2007243491A (en) Amplifier circuit
EP3772819A1 (en) Wide band doherty power amplifier
US20090042520A1 (en) Envelope tracking RF amplifier
Atanasković et al. The linearization of Doherty amplifier
WO2007084033A1 (en) Linc out-phasing amplifier system
JP2007243492A (en) Amplifier circuit for broadcast
Yamaoka et al. A Study on Highly Efficient Dual-Input Power Amplifiers for Large PAPR Signals
US20230179222A1 (en) Radio transmitter providing an analog signal with both radio frequency and baseband frequency information
KR101500570B1 (en) Asymmetric Doherty Amplifier
WO2016071888A1 (en) An amplifier system for amplifying an rf signal
Nakatani et al. High Efficiency GPS Block-III RF Front-End Supporting Multi-Code and Multi-Carrier Waveforms

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
MKLA Lapsed

Effective date: 20220301

MKLA Lapsed

Effective date: 20200831