CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/458,104 filed Apr. 8, 2023, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED MULTI-MODE POWER MANAGEMENT FOR UPLINK CARRIER AGGREGATED TRANSMITTER. The content of the above-referenced application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND
Field

The present disclosure generally relates to power management of power amplifiers and front-end circuitry used in electronic devices.

Description of the Related Art

Carrier aggregation is one of the most heavily relied upon design techniques to enable evolution of mobile communications. As carrier aggregation becomes more heavily relied upon in electronic devices, power management of power amplifiers and other front-end circuitry for various frequency bands must keep up with the need for simultaneous communications over more than one band at a time. However, existing techniques for meeting this need typically require large component counts and inefficient implementations of circuitry.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some implementations, the present disclosure relates to a power management device. The power management device comprises a first DC-DC converter coupled to a first output voltage line and a second output voltage line, a second DC-DC converter coupled to the second output voltage line and a third output voltage line, a first set of switches associated with the first DC-DC converter, and a second set of switches associated with the second DC-DC converter.

In some embodiments, the first DC-DC converter is a boost converter, and in some embodiments, the second DC-DC converter is a buck/boost converter.

In some embodiments, the power management device further comprises a controller configured to toggle one or more switches of the first set of switches and one or more switches of the second set of switches. In some embodiments, the controller is configured to receive feedback from the first output voltage line, the second output voltage line, and the third output voltage line. In some embodiments, the controller toggles the one or more switches of the first set of switches and the one or more switches of the second set of switches based on the feedback received from the first output voltage line, the second output voltage line, and the third output voltage line.

In some embodiments, the power management device further comprises a multi-mode radio-frequency front-end block communicatively coupled to the controller. In some embodiments, the multi-mode radio-frequency front-end block includes a plurality of registers defining a set of output voltages on the first output voltage line, the second output voltage line, and the third output voltage line.

In some embodiments, the first DC-DC converter, the second DC-DC converter, the controller and the multi-mode radio-frequency front-end block are all implemented on a single semiconductor die.

In some embodiments, the power management device further comprises a third set of switches coupled to the first output voltage line and the second output voltage line.

In some embodiments, the second DC-DC converter is configured to supply a voltage at the first output voltage line via the third set of switches. In some embodiments, the second DC-DC converter is configured to boost an output power level supplied by the first DC-DC converter at the first output voltage line and to boost an output power level supplied by the first DC-DC converter at the second output voltage line.

In some embodiments, the first output voltage line is configured to be coupled to a first front-end power amplification block, the second output voltage line is configured to be coupled to a second front-end power amplification block, and the third output voltage line is configured to be coupled to a third front-end power amplification block.

In some embodiments, the first DC-DC converter is coupled to a first inductor, and the second DC-DC converter is coupled to a second inductor. In some embodiments, the first inductor is coupled to a supply voltage and the second inductor is switchably coupled to the supply voltage. In some embodiments, one or more switches of the first set of switches and second set of switches are field-effect transistors.

The present disclosure also relates to a method for converting voltage. The method includes implementing a first DC-DC converter in a power management unit, implementing a controller communicatively coupled to a first output line and a second output line of the first DC-DC converter and communicatively coupled to a third output line of the second DC-DC converter, coupling the power management unit to a supply voltage, and providing one or more output voltages on the first output line, the second output line, and the third output line.

In some embodiments, providing the one or more output voltages includes toggling one or more switches of a first set of switches in the first DC-DC converter and toggling one or more switches of a second set of switches in the second DC-DC converter. In some embodiments, providing the one or more output voltages includes providing output voltages on at least two output lines of the first output line, the second output line, and the third output line simultaneously.

The present disclosure also relates to a power management integrated circuit. The power management integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate, a first DC-DC converter with a first set of switches formed on the semiconductor substrate, a second DC-DC converter with a second set of switches formed on the semiconductor substrate, a third set of switches configured to couple an output of the first DC-DC converter to an output of the second DC-DC converter formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a controller formed on the semiconductor substrate, the controller configured to toggle one or more switches of the first set of switches, toggle one or more switches of the second set of switches, and toggle one or more switches of the third set of switches.

In some embodiments, the power management integrated circuit includes a silicon substrate. In some embodiments, the power management integrated circuit includes a silicon-on-insulator substrate.

The present disclosure also relates to a packaged module for processing a signal. The packaged module comprises a packaging substrate configured to receive a plurality of components, a first DC-DC converter with a first set of switches, a second DC-DC converter with a second set of switches, a third set of switches configured to couple an output of the first DC-DC converter to an output of the second DC-DC converter, and a controller configured to toggle one or more switches of the first set of switches, toggle one or more switches of the second set of switches, and toggle one or more switches of the third set of switches.

In some embodiments, the first DC-DC converter, the second DC-DC converter and the controller are implemented on a common semiconductor die.

The present disclosure also relates to a wireless device. The wireless device comprises an antenna configured to receive a signal, an amplifier assembly in communication with the antenna and configured to amplify the signal, a power management device comprising a first DC-DC converter coupled to a first output voltage line and a second output line, a second DC-DC converter coupled to a third output voltage line, a first set of switches associated with the first DC-DC converter and a second set of switches associated with the second DC-DC converter, and a transceiver in communication with the amplifier assembly and the power management device and configured to process the amplified signal.

In some embodiments, the wireless device is a cellular phone configured to operate in one or more cellular bands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a power management system configured to provide three or more regulated output voltages, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a power management device with three output voltage lines, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a table showing examples of various modes representing cellular bands, and including carrier-aggregated examples, as implemented by an example power management device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation system supported by a power management device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a packaged module comprising a power management device with three output voltage lines, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a power management unit, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a packaged module comprising a power management unit, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a wireless device having one or more features as described herein.

DESCRIPTION

The headings provided herein, if any, are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a power management system 100 configured to provide three (or more) regulated output voltages. In some embodiments, power management system 100 is configured to simultaneously provide multiple regulated output voltages, for instance to support front-end circuitry for multiple operating frequency bands of a radio-frequency (RF) communication system. As shown in FIG. 1, a power management unit (PMU) 104 may be coupled within a power management system 100 to a voltage source 102 (e.g., a battery), and one or more control signals 106. In some embodiments, voltage source 102 provides a DC voltage. In some embodiments, voltage source 102 provides an AC voltage. In some embodiments, a voltage source 102, such as a battery, does not provide a constant voltage level, and PMU 104 converts the input voltage to a desired output voltage level.

The PMU 104 may also be connected to one or more front-end circuit blocks 108, 110, and 112, as shown in FIG. 1, where a respective front-end circuit block is assigned to support one or more frequency bands or one or more sets of frequency bands. For example, front-end circuit block 108 may be configured to support transmission and reception of high-band signals (e.g., signals with a frequency of 2300 MHz or higher), while front-end circuit block 110 may be configured to support transmission and reception of mid-band, mid-low band, and ultra-high band signals (e.g., signals from 700 MHz up to 1700 MHz and over 2500 MHz) and front-end circuit block 112 may be configured to support transmission and reception of low-band signals (e.g., signals below 700 MHZ). Although not shown in FIG. 1, PMU 104 may be configured to provide regulated output voltages to any number of front-end circuit blocks, each supporting different signal frequency bands.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a unique power management system 100 for an RF communications system, implementing a single PMU 104 configured to support a plurality of front-end circuit blocks in simultaneous operation. Power management system 100 allows for a reduction in components and circuitry, compared to traditional power management solutions that require a dedicated power management unit for a respective front-end circuit block. In some implementations, a front-end circuit block 108, 110, and/or 112 includes components such as, but not limited to power amplifiers, filters, switches and diplexers. Alternatively, traditional power management solutions implementing a single PMU tied to a plurality of front-end circuit blocks 108, 110, 112 do not allow for simultaneous operation of a plurality of front-end circuit blocks.

Power amplifier systems are often powered using a supply voltage 102 (e.g., from a battery). In some implementations, the voltage from the battery is regulated (e.g., with a buck converter or a boost converter) to a fixed value to compensate for variations in the voltage output from the battery due to manufacturing variation, age, temperature, discharge or other effects. Failure to employ such a regulator can result in a change in the compression characteristics of the power amplifier and degrade its linearity. Failure to employ a buck converter can result in undesirable current leakage and faster discharge of the supply voltage 102. However, use of a regulator can increase the overall cost of the system. In some embodiments, PMU 104 includes one or more voltage regulators configured to provide a higher or lower voltage than an available supply voltage 102.

Power management using regulators and/or power management units is widely used in wireless devices, such as smartphones and other mobile devices, to increase the power amplifier (PA) efficiency and linearity. Certain protocols and wireless standards use relatively high bandwidths and therefore, improvements to typical power management strategies would be advantageous. For example, LTE advanced uses higher modulation bandwidth (e.g., about 40 MHz) than previous standards (e.g., less than or equal to about 20 MHZ). In another example, high power user equipment (HPUE) support requires an increase in current over existing requirements for low, mid and high-band communications. In addition, uplink carrier aggregation of two or more cellular bands results in the need for increased power to be delivered by the PA. A typical front end module designed to handle these protocols (e.g., LTE Advanced) generally includes filters and switches that may not have been previously used or necessary. This increase in components can result in additional losses in the transmission path. Accordingly, there is a need to increase the power delivered to the antenna port to accommodate these additional losses and increases in power requirements for updated communication standards. Another driving design principle is to reduce the overall area usage of modules and components in a device implementing such an RF communication system (e.g., a wireless device).

Disclosed herein are various examples of circuits, devices and methods that can be configured to, among other things, address the foregoing challenges associated with power management systems. In some implementations, a power management system includes a single power management unit 104 coupled to a set of one or more power amplifiers (e.g., within respective front-end circuit blocks such as blocks 108, 110, 112). The PMU 104 is configured to efficiently boost or lower a received input voltage (e.g., battery voltage 102) while supplying a DC-DC regulated output voltage to each of a set of one or more front-end circuit blocks (e.g., blocks 108, 110, 112), each front-end circuit block comprising a set of one or more power amplifiers. Internal switching within the PMU 104 eliminates undesired losses that would be present from external switches between the PMU 104 and front-end circuit blocks (e.g., blocks 108, 110, and 112). Wireless communications configurations with such power management systems can provide uplink carrier aggregation and/or cellular signals based on standards and protocols that require increased bandwidth (e.g., at least about 40 MHZ) and/or power (e.g., at least about 31 dBm), such as LTE-Advanced.

As an example of increased power requirements, LTE power delivered at an antenna as required by the 3GPP standard is 23 dBm. Assuming a 5 dB-loss due to filters, duplexers, switches, diplexers, board losses, and the like, the PA should be configured to deliver at least about 28 dBm at a bandwidth of about 20 MHz. For LTE Advanced, the modulation uplink bandwidth is increased from 20 MHz to 40 MHz. To achieve the same or similar signal to noise ratio (SNR) with the higher modulation bandwidth (assuming the same propagation environment), the output power of the PA should be increased to about 31 dBm for the output power delivered by the PA for an increase from 20 MHz to 40 MHz. Traditional solutions for an increased power requirement included incorporating larger passive devices such as larger inductors, and larger switch devices. Both of these design strategies result in undesirable compromises regarding an increase in die area and module area. These larger components may also degrade performance for lower current operation.

As described herein, a power management system 100 can be configured to provide carrier-aggregation (CA) functionality within an RF communications system, such that a plurality of input signals can be processed and combined into a common signal path. Various examples are described herein in the context of RF amplifiers; however, it will be understood that one or more features of the present disclosure can also be implemented in other types of amplifiers.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a power management unit 200, in accordance with some implementations as described herein. In the example of FIG. 2, a power management chip (PMIC) 202 (e.g., integrated circuit, semiconductor die) includes at least some of the circuitry of PMU 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, in some implementations, a PMIC 202 includes a set of DC-DC converters, such as DC-DC converter 208 (e.g., boost converter) and DC-DC converter 210 (e.g., buck/boost converter). In some implementations, a PMIC 202 and/or PMU 200 includes a controller block 206, configured to open and close (e.g., toggle) one or more switches corresponding to each DC-DC converter. In some implementations, a PMIC 202 and/or PMU 200 includes a multi-mode radio-frequency front-end (RFFE) block 204. In some implementations, RFFE block 204 includes registers corresponding to output voltage settings for one or more frequency bands that define a set of output voltages for VCC1, VCC2, and VCC3. In some implementations, the RFFE block 204 conforms to the MIPI RFFE standard.

PMU 200 includes a first set of switches corresponding to DC-DC converter 208 (e.g., a high performance boost converter), and a second set of switches corresponding to DC-DC converter 210 (e.g., a buck/boost converter). In the example of FIG. 2, the switches of the PMU 200, including the switches of the one or more DC-DC converters, may be implemented as diodes, field-effect transistors (FETs), bipolar-junction transistors (BJTs) or any other comparable switching device.

DC-DC converter 208 includes a first set of switches to enable conversion of an input DC voltage to a desired output DC voltage. In the example of converter 208, there are three switches, S1, S2, and S3 in the first set of switches, to enable converter 208 to boost an input voltage. For example, during a charging phase, S3 is closed (e.g., in response to receiving a signal from controller 206), allowing the inductor L_boostto store power. During a discharging or boost phase, S3 is opened (e.g., in response to receiving a signal from controller 206) and S1 or S2 is closed, effectively boosting the voltage seen at the VCC1 output or the VCC2 output, respectively, over the input voltage. Switch S10 is also closed, and controller block 206 receives feedback about the voltage seen at the VCC1 output or the VCC2 output, and uses this feedback to adjust the charging and discharging phases (e.g., duration of time S1, S2, and S3 are open/closed), in order to achieve a desired output voltage.

In some embodiments, DC-DC converter 210 may be used to increase, or boost, the input voltage just as described above, with respect to DC-DC converter 208. In the example shown in FIG. 2, converter 210 is a buck/boost converter comprising a second set of switches, namely S4, S5, S6, S7, and S8. In some implementations, S6 is a single switch and in some implementations it is a pair of switches as shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, DC-DC converter 210 may be used to provide a lower output voltage than the input voltage. For example, controller 206 sends signals to open or close (e.g., toggle) one or more switches of the second set of switches to configure DC-DC converter 210 as a buck converter to provide a lower output voltage or as a boost converter to provide a higher output voltage.

In some embodiments, DC-DC converters 208 and 210 (or an additional DC-DC converter within PMIC 202) are coupled to multiple output voltage lines to provide a range of output voltages. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, DC-DC converter 208 is tied to the VCC1 line when S1 is closed and the VCC2 line when S2 is closed. Also, DC-DC converter 210 is tied to the VCC1 line when switches S7 and S9 are closed, the VCC2 line when S7 is closed, and the VCC3 line when S8 is closed. That is to say that DC-DC converters 208 and 210 are configured to be switchably coupled within PMU 200 (e.g., within the PMIC 202) to more than one output voltage port, pin or line.

This architecture for PMIC 202 allows for a highly versatile set of operating modes, where DC-DC converter 210 can be used to provide a lower output voltage than the supply voltage (V_BATT) on the VCC2 output voltage line or the VCC3 output voltage line. DC-DC converter 208 can be used to provide a higher output voltage than the supply voltage (V_BATT) on the VCC1 output voltage line or the VCC2 output voltage line, and DC-DC converter 210 can be used to provide a higher output voltage than the supply voltage (V_BATT) on the VCC1 and VCC2 output voltage lines.

Accordingly, both DC-DC converters 208 and 210 (e.g., a plurality of converters) can be used to provide higher output power on the VCC1 output line or the VCC2 output line than can be provided for by either DC-DC converter alone. For example, both DC-DC converters 208 and 210 can be configured to operate as boost converters by having corresponding switches opened or closed. In this example, as S3 is closed in the charging state of L_boostof DC-DC converter 208 and S1 and S2 are opened, S7 of DC-DC converter 210 can be closed in order to discharge L_buck/boostand provide an additional source of current to boost the VCC2 output power level and S9 can be closed in order to provide an additional source of current to boost the VCC1 output power level.

Applications of the power management units and systems described herein are particularly useful for RF communications activities, such as carrier aggregation. It should be noted that various cellular bands, including those disclosed herein, can be carrier-aggregated, assuming that within a given group the corresponding bands do not overlap. While FIG. 2 refers to a PMIC and PMU implementing two DC-DC converters, it should be understood that additional DC-DC converters can be implemented within a single PMU and/or PMIC, each additional DC-DC converter providing an additional output voltage line and the potential for augmenting existing output voltage lines.

FIG. 3 is a table 303 showing examples of various modes representing cellular bands, and including carrier-aggregated examples, as implemented by the power management units and systems described herein. For instance, each mode represents a single cellular band or an aggregation of multiple cellular bands. As shown in the table 303, each mode can be supplied with the corresponding DC power by connection to one or both of the DC-DC converters 208 and 210, at one or two of the power outputs VCC1, VCC2, and VCC3 at a given time. In the table 303, example modes are given with the associated connections (or NC for not connected) to the power outputs VCC1, VCC2, and/or VCC3. The abbreviations for the modes include: LB for low-band, MB for mid-band, MLB for mid-low-band, ULMB for uplink carrier aggregation mid-band, HB for high-band, UHB for ultra-high-band, ULHB for uplink carrier aggregation high-band, and HPUE for high power user equipment. In the table 303, a reference to “PMU1” refers to DC-DC converter 208 and a reference to “PMU2” refers to DC-DC converter 210.

For example, in the table 303 at FIG. 3, the mode “LB+MB” refers to low-band plus mid-band power output from the PMU 200. In this example, the DC-DC converters 208 and 210 are each supplying power to a different output voltage line. The associated connections include: no connection to VCC1, one connection to VCC2 by DC-DC converter 208 (supplying the mid-band power), and one connection to VCC3 by DC-DC converter 210 (supplying the low-band power). In another example from the table 303, the mode “HB HPUE” refers to high-band high power user equipment power output from the PMU 200, where both DC-DC converters 208 and 210 (in boost mode) alternate to supply power to two of the same output voltage lines. The two DC-DC converters 208 and 210 are operated in parallel, out of phase from each other. For example, while the inductor from one DC-DC converter charges, the inductor from the other DC-DC converter is discharging to charge the capacitor of the target output voltage line. The controller 206 toggles the appropriate switches to alternate the DC-DC converters in this manner on the target output voltage line. The associated connections include: a connection at VCC1 including a connection by DC-DC converter 208 and a connection by DC-DC converter 210 and a connection at VCC2 including a connection by DC-DC converter 208 and a connection by DC-DC converter 210, and no connection at VCC3.

While a number of specific modes are shown at the table 303, other modes are also possible using other combinations not shown. Since the PMU 200 includes two DC-DC converters (208 and 210), and due to the connectivity, layout and the integrated switching within the PMU 200, any two of the three output voltage lines VCC1, VCC2, and VCC3 can be active at a given time, which can be supplied by one or both of the DC-DC converters. Additional modes are also contemplated with one or more additional DC-DC converters within the PMU 200 and associated connectivity and internal switching.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation system 40 supported by a power management device 42, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen in FIG. 4, a PMU 42 can support multiple output voltages and output voltage lines (e.g., VCC1, VCC2, VCC3), and have a corresponding controller and RFFE to support various front-end circuit blocks for UHB (ultra-high-band), HB (high-band), MB (mid-band), MLB (mid-low-band), LB (low-band), MB/HB ULCA and also 2G carrier circuitry in a system powered by a DC voltage source 102 as shown. Various combinations of output voltages can therefore be supported by the single PMU 42. Integrated internal switching within the PMU 42 (re the multiple output voltage lines) reduces undesired losses that would otherwise be caused by using external switches between the PMU 42 and the front-end circuit blocks. Separation between the multiple output voltage lines (e.g., VCC1, VCC2, VCC3) due in part to the internal switching, allows multiple combinations of aggregated outputs using paired combinations of the lines and provides electrical isolation that reduces or removes leakage between the outputs.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a packaged module comprising a power management device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates an example physical layout of a PMU 300, implemented on substrate 302. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, PMU 300 includes a PMIC 306 implemented as a semiconductor die with a flip-chip packaging interface mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). Passive components such as inductors 404 and 406, as well as capacitors 408a, 408b, 410a, 410b, 412a, 412b, 414a, and 414b are implemented on substrate 302 of PMU 300. In some embodiments, capacitor 408a is an input capacitor for a primary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, and is tied to V_IN(i.e., V_BATT) and a first common ground. In some embodiments, capacitor 408b is an input capacitor for a secondary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, and is tied to V_INand a second common ground.

In some embodiments, inductor 404 is an inductor for the primary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, such as L_boostdescribed with respect to FIG. 2. In some embodiments, inductor 406 is an inductor for the secondary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, such as L_buck/boostdescribed with respect to FIG. 2. In some embodiments, capacitors 410a and 410b are output capacitors for the VCC1 output (e.g., HB_VCC) of the primary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, capacitors 412a and 412b are output capacitors for the VCC2 output (e.g., MB_VCC) of the primary DC-DC converter of PMU 300, and capacitors 414a and 414b are output capacitors for the VCC3 output (e.g., LB/UL_VCC) of the secondary DC-DC converter of PMU 300.

FIG. 5 illustrates the significant area savings achieved by implementing multiple DC-DC converters (and corresponding sets of switches) in a single PMU 300. As can be seen from footprint 416, a single PMU would require the majority of passive components and size of the PMIC in order to support a single DC-DC converter. Furthermore, traditional PMUs only implement a boost converter, resulting in a wastage of power to provide a lower output voltage than the one provided as a supply voltage (e.g., V_BATT). As a result, PMU 300 offers a more versatile power management design, as well as a reduction in area required to implement it on package substrate 402 of package 400.

FIG. 6 shows that in some embodiments, some or all of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 306 having one or more features as described herein can be implemented on a semiconductor die (e.g., substrate 302). Additionally, a PMU 300, as described herein, may implement a die 304 with a PMIC 306. Such a PMU 300 can include a substrate 302 configured to implement some or all of one or more components such as inductors, capacitors, switches, resistors, filters, pins, ports, and/or other interfacing parts.

In some embodiments, some or all of the switches, capacitances, and inductances utilized by PMIC 306 within PMU 300 can be implemented on the foregoing substrate 302. For example, a capacitance can be implemented as a MIM (metal-insulator-metal) capacitor, a MIS (metal-insulator-semiconductor) capacitor, a modified form of transistor, etc. An inductance can be implemented as a metal trace, a portion of a conductor, or some combination thereof.

Additionally, die 304 may also have a semiconductor substrate. In the context of the example switches described herein in reference to FIG. 2, the semiconductor substrate 302 can be, for example, a silicon substrate, a silicon-germanium substrate, or a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, if the switches are implemented as field-effect transistors (FETs). In another example, where bipolar-junction transistors (BJTs) are utilized in the PMIC 306, the semiconductor substrate can be, for example, a silicon substrate or a gallium arsenide substrate.

FIG. 7 shows that in some embodiments, some or all of a PMU 300 having one or more features as described herein can be implemented on a packaged module 400. Such a module can include a packaging substrate 402 configured to receive a plurality of components such as one or more die, one or more modules and one or more passive components.

In some implementations, an architecture, device and/or circuit having one or more features described herein can be included in an RF device such as a wireless device. Such an architecture, device and/or circuit can be implemented directly in the wireless device, in one or more modular forms as described herein, or in some combination thereof. In some embodiments, such a wireless device can include, for example, a cellular phone, a smart-phone, a hand-held wireless device with or without phone functionality, a wireless tablet, a wireless router, a wireless access point, a wireless base station, etc. Although described in the context of wireless devices, it will be understood that one or more features of the present disclosure can also be implemented in other RF systems such as base stations.

FIG. 8 depicts an example wireless device 500 having one or more advantageous features described herein. In some embodiments, a power management unit having one or more features as described herein can be implemented in each of one or more places in such a wireless device. For example, in some embodiments, such advantageous features can be implemented in a module such as a power management module 506 having one or more power management units (PMUs).

In the example of FIG. 8, power amplifier (PA) assemblies in a PA module 512 can receive their respective RF signals from a transceiver 510 that can be configured and operated to generate RF signals to be amplified and transmitted, and to process received signals. The transceiver 510 is shown to interact with a baseband sub-system 508 that is configured to provide conversion between data and/or voice signals suitable for a user and RF signals suitable for the transceiver 510. The transceiver 510 is also shown to be connected to a power management module 506 that is configured to manage power for the operation of the wireless device 500. Such power management can also control operations of the baseband sub-system 508 and/or other components of the wireless device 500. In some embodiments, a PMU 300 is implemented within power management module 506, while in some implementations, a PMU 300 is implemented as a distinct module within wireless device 500. In some implementations, power management module 506 and/or PMU 300 are directly connected to the PA module 512.

The baseband sub-system 508 is shown to be connected to a user interface 502 to facilitate various input and output of voice and/or data provided to and received from the user. The baseband sub-system 508 can also be connected to a memory 504 that is configured to store data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of the wireless device, and/or to provide storage of information for the user.

In the example of FIG. 8, the DRx module 600 can be implemented between one or more diversity antennas (e.g., diversity antenna 530) and the antenna switch module (ASM) 514. Such a configuration can allow an RF signal received through the diversity antenna 530 to be processed (in some embodiments, including amplification by an LNA) with little or no loss of and/or little or no addition of noise to the RF signal from the diversity antenna 530. Such processed signal from the DRx module 600 can then be routed to the ASM 514 through one or more signal paths.

In the example of FIG. 8, a main antenna 520 can be configured to, for example, facilitate transmission of RF signals from the PA module 512. In some embodiments, receive operations can also be achieved through the main antenna.

A number of other wireless device configurations can utilize one or more features described herein. For example, a wireless device does not need to be a multi-band device. In another example, a wireless device can include additional antennas such as diversity antenna, and additional connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

One or more features of the present disclosure can be implemented with various cellular frequency bands as described herein. Examples of such bands are listed in Table 1. It will be understood that at least some of the bands can be divided into sub-bands. It will also be understood that one or more features of the present disclosure can be implemented with frequency ranges that do not have designations such as the examples of Table 1.

TABLE 1

Band
Mode
Tx Freq Range (MHz)
Rx Frequency Range (MHz)

B1
FDD
1,920-1,980
2,110-2,170

B2
FDD
1,850-1,910
1,930-1,990

B3
FDD
1,710-1,785
1,805-1,880

B4
FDD
1,710-1,755
2,110-2,155

B5
FDD
824-849
869-894

B6
FDD
830-840
875-885

B7
FDD
2,500-2,570
2,620-2,690

B8
FDD
880-915
925-960

B9
FDD
1,749.9-1,784.9
1,844.9-1,879.9

B10
FDD
1,710-1,770
2,110-2,170

B11
FDD
1,427.9-1,447.9
1,475.9-1,495.9

B12
FDD
699-716
729-746

B13
FDD
777-787
746-756

B14
FDD
788-798
758-768

B15
FDD
1,900-1,920
2,600-2,620

B16
FDD
2,010-2,025
2,585-2,600

B17
FDD
704-716
734-746

B18
FDD
815-830
860-875

B19
FDD
830-845
875-890

B20
FDD
832-862
791-821

B21
FDD
1,447.9-1,462.9
1,495.9-1,510.9

B22
FDD
3,410-3,490
3,510-3,590

B23
FDD
2,000-2,020
2,180-2,200

B24
FDD
1,626.5-1,660.5
1,525-1,559

B25
FDD
1,850-1,915
1,930-1,995

B26
FDD
814-849
859-894

B27
FDD
807-824
852-869

B28
FDD
703-748
758-803

B29
FDD
N/A
716-728

B30
FDD
2,305-2,315
2,350-2,360

B31
FDD
452.5-457.5
462.5-467.5

B33
TDD
1,900-1,920
1,900-1,920

B34
TDD
2,010-2,025
2,010-2,025

B35
TDD
1,850-1,910
1,850-1,910

B36
TDD
1,930-1,990
1,930-1,990

B37
TDD
1,910-1,930
1,910-1,930

B38
TDD
2,570-2,620
2,570-2,620

B39
TDD
1,880-1,920
1,880-1,920

B40
TDD
2,300-2,400
2,300-2,400

B41
TDD
2,496-2,690
2,496-2,690

B42
TDD
3,400-3,600
3,400-3,600

B43
TDD
3,600-3,800
3,600-3,800

B44
TDD
703-803
703-803

It is noted that while some examples are described herein in the context of carrier aggregation of two bands, one or more features of the present disclosure can also be implemented in configurations involving carrier aggregation of different numbers of bands.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

While some embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.