JP2006353059A - Power supply controller for wireless portion, and mobile radio communications system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive and compact power supply controller for a wireless portion which reduces current consumption of a battery when receiving. <P>SOLUTION: A receiving power supply switching circuit 101 switches between a path 1 and a path 2, wherein the path 1 supplies an output of a stepdown variable DC/DC converter 116 used for power supply for a power amplifier 115, to a low-voltage receiving circuit 111 via a low-voltage fixed regulator 112, and the path 2 supplies the output of the battery 118, as it is, to the low-voltage receiving circuit 111 via the low-voltage fixed regulator 112. A receiving power supply switching portion 105 discriminates whether it is transmission time by a transmission start set signal; and when transmission is not being conducted, a power supply switching control signal is output to instruct to switch a path of the receiving power supply switching circuit 101 to the path 1, and at that time, a voltage setting portion 117 sets an output voltage value so that an output voltage of the stepdown variable DC/DC converter 116 becomes the operating voltage of the low-voltage receiving circuit 111. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio power supply control device used in a mobile radio communication device such as a mobile phone and the mobile radio communication device.

  In mobile radio communication devices such as mobile phones, components operating at low voltage have been developed for lower power consumption. Circuits with different operating voltages require a dedicated regulator for supplying each operating voltage.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a radio unit power control device in a mobile radio communication device equipped with a conventional low voltage receiving circuit. This conventional radio power supply control device includes a low voltage receiving circuit 601 that amplifies, removes, and demodulates a high frequency received signal to obtain a received baseband signal, and a low voltage that supplies a power supply voltage to the low voltage receiving circuit 601. A fixed regulator 602, a transmission circuit 603 that modulates, amplifies, and removes interference waves from the transmission baseband signal, a fixed regulator 604 that supplies a power supply voltage to the transmission circuit 603, and power that greatly amplifies the output power of the transmission circuit 603 An amplifier 605, a step-down variable DC / DC converter 606 that variably supplies a power supply voltage of the power amplifier 605 according to transmission output power in consideration of distortion characteristics, and an output voltage of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 606 for each transmission output power A voltage setting unit 607 that stores the set value, reads the set value by a transmission start setting signal, converts the set value into an analog voltage, and outputs the analog voltage; It is constituted by a Terry 608.

  In this radio power supply control device, by using the step-down DC / DC converter 609 instead of the low voltage fixed regulator 602, compared to the battery current consumption of the low voltage receiving circuit 601 when the low voltage fixed regulator 602 is used, It is known that current consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, in a step-down DC-DC converter for supplying power to an LSI or the like, a step-down DC-DC converter mode for stepping down an input voltage to reduce current consumption when the LSI is not operating, and an input voltage Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-242387 A

  However, in the conventional configuration as described above, since a step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit is provided, it is more expensive than a low-voltage fixed regulator and its peripheral circuit becomes large. As a result, there has been a problem that the cost and mounting area of the apparatus are greatly increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not provide a new step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit, and reduces the battery current consumption of the receiving circuit at the time of reception, and is small and inexpensive with low battery consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a radio power supply control device and a mobile radio communication device capable of constituting a current circuit.

  A radio power supply control apparatus according to the present invention includes a first power supply circuit that supplies power to a receiving circuit based on an output voltage of a battery, and supplies power to a power amplifier for transmission. Power supply switching for identifying the operation state of the circuit including the second power supply circuit including whether or not the transmission is being performed, and switching the power supply so as to supply the reception circuit using the output of the second power supply circuit when the transmission is not performed Means.

  As a result, the battery current consumption of the receiving circuit during reception can be reduced without providing a new step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided the wireless unit power supply control device, wherein a voltage setting value for setting an output voltage of the second power supply circuit is stored for each operating voltage of the circuit including the power amplifier. It is assumed that setting means is provided.

  As a result, the output voltage of the second power supply circuit can be set for each operation voltage of the circuit, such as the transmission output power during transmission and the power supply voltage of the reception circuit during reception.

  Further, the present invention is the above-described radio power supply control device, wherein the second power supply circuit stores each of the voltage setting values corresponding to the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the operating voltage of the receiving circuit, and each transmission output power Voltage setting value comparison means for comparing with the output voltage setting value of the second power supply circuit, and the power supply switching means transmits when the output voltage of the second power supply circuit is within the operating voltage range of the receiving circuit. Even when the output of the second power supply circuit is used, the signal is supplied to the receiving circuit.

  As a result, if the output voltage of the second power supply circuit is within the range of the operating voltage of the receiving circuit, the output of the second power supply circuit is used for power supply of the receiving circuit even at the time of transmission. Can be reduced.

  Further, the present invention provides the above wireless unit power supply control device, wherein the battery voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the battery is compared with the detected battery voltage detection value and a preset switching voltage setting value. Voltage setting value comparison means for performing power supply switching when the battery voltage detection value is smaller than the switching voltage setting value, the power supply switching means supplies the power of the receiving circuit to the first power supply even when not transmitting. Assume that power is supplied by a circuit.

  Thereby, when the battery voltage detection value is smaller than the switching voltage setting value, for example, when the battery voltage decreases and becomes lower than the voltage that exceeds the power consumption at the time of power supply by the first power supply circuit, By using the power supply by one power supply circuit, it is possible to prevent the battery consumption current from becoming larger than when the first power supply circuit supplies power, and the battery consumption current of the receiving circuit can be reduced.

The present invention also provides a mobile radio communication device including any one of the radio unit power control devices described above.
As a result, it is possible to realize a mobile wireless communication apparatus having a wireless power supply control apparatus that is small and inexpensive and has low battery consumption current.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the battery current consumption of the receiving circuit at the time of reception without providing a new step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit, and to form a small and inexpensive low battery consumption current circuit. A possible wireless unit power supply control device and mobile wireless communication device can be provided.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a mobile radio communication apparatus in which a radio unit power control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

  The radio unit power control device includes a low voltage reception circuit 111 that obtains a reception baseband signal by performing amplification, interference wave removal, and demodulation of a high frequency reception signal, and a first power supply circuit that supplies a power supply voltage to the low voltage reception circuit 111 A low-voltage fixed regulator 112 corresponding to an example, a transmission circuit 113 that obtains a high-frequency transmission signal by modulating, amplifying, and removing a jamming wave of a transmission baseband signal, and a fixed regulator 114 that supplies a power supply voltage to the transmission circuit 113 And a power amplifier 115 that greatly amplifies the output power of the transmission circuit 113. In addition, a step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 corresponding to an example of a second power supply circuit that variably supplies a power supply voltage of the power amplifier 115 according to transmission output power in consideration of distortion characteristics, and step-down variable for each transmission output power A voltage setting unit 117 that corresponds to an example of a voltage setting unit that stores an output voltage setting value of the DC / DC converter 116, reads the setting value by a transmission start setting signal, converts the setting value into an analog voltage, and outputs the analog voltage, and a battery 118 are provided. ing.

  Further, the radio unit power control device includes a reception power switching circuit 101 that can switch and apply the output voltage of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 for the power amplifier 115 to the low voltage reception circuit 111 during reception, and transmission start. And a reception power source switching unit 105 that supplies a power source switching control signal to the reception power source switching circuit 101 based on the setting signal. The reception power switching circuit 101 and the reception power switching unit 105 realize the function of the power switching unit. The reception power supply switching circuit 101 includes a switching transistor 102 that turns on and off a connection between the output of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 and the input of the low voltage fixed regulator 112, and the battery 118 and the input of the low voltage fixed regulator 112. The switching transistor 103 for turning on / off the connection between the switching transistor 103 and the inverter 104 provided at the control input (gate input) on the switching transistor 103 side is configured.

  The reception power switching circuit 101 is controlled by a power switching control signal from the reception power switching unit 105. The power switching control signal is output at the time of transmission or simultaneous transmission / reception based on the transmission start setting signal, and is not output at the time of reception. The voltage setting unit 117 also sets and stores the output voltage setting value so that the output voltage of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 at the time of reception becomes the operating voltage value of the low voltage receiving circuit 111.

  When a mobile radio communication apparatus including the radio unit power control apparatus of the first embodiment performs a reception operation, the transmission start setting signal is at a low voltage (low level). When the transmission start setting signal is a low voltage, the voltage setting unit 117 reads a voltage setting value corresponding to the operating voltage of the low voltage reception circuit 111 stored in advance, converts the voltage setting value into an analog voltage, and steps down variable DC / DC Output to the converter 116. The step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 steps down the voltage of the battery 118 to a voltage corresponding to the magnitude of the input analog signal and outputs the voltage.

  Further, when the transmission start setting signal is a low voltage, the low voltage is output as the power supply switching control signal that is the output of the reception power supply switching unit 105. The power switching control signal is inverted by the inverter 104 of the reception power switching circuit 101 to become a high voltage (high level) and is supplied to the control terminal (gate) of the switching transistor 103. By turning off the switching transistor 103 by this high voltage control signal, the path 2 between the battery 118 and the low voltage fixed regulator 112 is cut off.

  At the same time, the power supply switching control signal is supplied to the control terminal (gate) of the switching transistor 102 of the reception power supply switching circuit 101 with a low voltage. The switching transistor 102 is turned on by the low voltage control signal, and the path 1 between the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 and the low voltage fixed regulator 112 is conducted by turning on the switching transistor 102. As a result, the output of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 is supplied as a power supply voltage to the low voltage receiving circuit 111 via the low voltage fixed regulator 112. At this time, the output of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 is also connected to the power amplifier 115, but since the power amplifier 115 is turned off at the time of reception, almost no current flows.

  When transmission or simultaneous transmission / reception is performed, the transmission start setting signal is at a high voltage (high level). When the transmission start setting signal is a high voltage, the voltage setting unit 117 reads out a voltage setting value corresponding to the power supply voltage of the power amplifier 115 stored for each transmission output power stored in advance, converts the voltage setting value into an analog voltage, and changes the voltage step-down. Output to the DC / DC converter 116. The step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 steps down the voltage of the battery 118 to a voltage corresponding to the magnitude of the input analog signal and outputs the voltage.

  When the transmission start setting signal is a high voltage, a high voltage is output as a power supply switching control signal that is an output of the reception power supply switching unit 105. This high-voltage control signal is supplied to the control terminal of the switching transistor 102 of the reception power supply switching circuit 101 to turn off the switching transistor 102. By turning off the switching transistor 102, the path 1 between the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 and the low voltage regulator 112 is cut off. At the same time, the power supply switching control signal is inverted by the inverter 104 of the reception power supply switching circuit 101 to become a low voltage and supplied to the control terminal of the switching transistor 103 of the reception power supply switching circuit 101. The switching transistor 103 is turned on by this low voltage control signal, and is turned on, whereby the path 2 between the battery 118 and the low voltage fixed regulator 112 is conducted. As a result, the power supply voltage of the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is supplied from the battery 118 via the low voltage regulator 112.

  Here, how much the current consumption of the battery can be reduced will be described with an example. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between voltage and current consumption in the radio power supply control device of the present embodiment. The relationship between the battery 118, the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116, the low voltage fixed regulator 112, and the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is shown. Voltage and current are shown.

In FIG. 2, the voltage and current consumption of the battery 118 are Vb and Ib, respectively, and the output voltage and output current of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 are Vdc and Idc, respectively, and the power supply voltage supplied to the low voltage receiving circuit 111 The current consumption is Vc and Ic, respectively. The efficiency η of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 at this time is expressed by the following equation (1).
η = (Vdc * Idc) / (Vb * Ib) (1)

From this equation (1), the consumption current Ib of the battery 118 can be obtained from the following equation (2).
Ib = (Vdc * Idc) / (Vb * η) = (Vc * Ic) / (Vb * η) (2)

  FIG. 3 is a specific diagram showing an example of characteristics of efficiency versus output current of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116. As an example, assuming that the power supply voltage Vc and the consumption current Ic applied to the low voltage receiving circuit 111 are Vc = 1.8 V and Ic = 30 mA, respectively, and the voltage of the battery 118 is Vb = 3.7 V, the step-down variable DC is obtained from FIG. The efficiency η of the DC converter 116 is 90%.

  Therefore, when Vc = 1.8 V, Ic = 30 mA, Vb = 3.7 V, and η = 0.9 are substituted into the above equation (2), the consumption current Ib of the battery 118 is 16.2 mA. Thus, the current consumption of the battery 118 when the power supply voltage is supplied from the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 to the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is the same as that when the regulator supplied from the battery 118 directly through the low voltage fixed regulator 112 is supplied. Compared to the current consumption of 30 mA, the reduction is about 14 mA.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the reception power supply switching circuit 101 is provided, and the voltage input path of the low voltage fixed regulator 112 is selected as the battery-side path 2 at the time of transmission or simultaneous transmission / reception, and the voltage is reduced at the time of reception. The reception power supply switching circuit 101 is controlled to be switched to the variable DC / DC converter 116 side. With this configuration, the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 that supplies power to the power amplifier 115 can be used for the low-voltage receiving circuit 111, and it is inexpensive without newly providing a step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit. And with a small mounting area, battery current consumption during reception can be greatly reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the radio unit power control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the same components as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the voltage setting unit 207 has a function of outputting a voltage setting value for each transmission output power every time the transmission output power value is updated. In addition, the upper limit setting value and the lower limit setting value of the predetermined low voltage receiving circuit power supply voltage range are stored, and the comparison result is compared every time the transmission output power value is updated with the voltage setting value for each transmission output power. Is provided with a voltage set value comparison unit 201 corresponding to an example of a voltage set value comparison unit that outputs to the reception power source switching unit 205. The reception power source switching unit 205 has a function of outputting a power source switching control signal to the reception power source switching circuit 101 based on the comparison result of the voltage setting value comparison unit 201.

  The reception power switching unit 205 updates the transmission output power with the voltage setting value for each input transmission output power and the upper limit setting value and the lower limit setting value of the power supply voltage range of the low voltage reception circuit 111 stored in advance. Compare each time it is done. When the voltage set value is not more than the upper limit set value or not less than the lower limit set value, the power switch control signal is set to a low voltage so that the path 1 is conducted and the path 2 is shut off. When the voltage setting value is outside the power supply voltage range, the power supply switching control signal is set to a high voltage to cut off the path 1 and make the path 2 conductive.

  Thus, even during transmission or simultaneous transmission / reception, if the output voltage of step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 is within the power supply voltage range of low-voltage receiving circuit 111, low voltage reception from step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 is possible. A power supply voltage is supplied to the circuit 111.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when the output voltage of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 is within the power supply voltage range of the low-voltage receiving circuit 111 even during transmission or simultaneous transmission / reception, the step-down variable DC The power supply voltage can be supplied from the / DC converter 116 to the low voltage receiving circuit 111, and the current consumption of the battery can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the radio unit power supply control apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same components as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the third embodiment, a battery voltage corresponding to an example of a battery voltage detection unit that detects a battery voltage, converts the detected voltage into a voltage setting value of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116, and outputs the converted voltage as a battery voltage conversion value. Voltage setting value comparison means for storing detection unit 302 and a predetermined switching battery voltage setting value, comparing the switching battery voltage setting value and the battery voltage conversion value, and outputting the comparison result to reception power source switching unit 305 A voltage set value comparison unit 301 corresponding to an example of the above is provided. The reception power source switching unit 305 has a function of outputting a power source switching control signal to the reception power source switching circuit 101 based on the comparison result of the voltage set value comparison unit 301.

  When the battery voltage conversion value is larger than the switching battery voltage setting value, the reception power supply switching unit 305 sets the power supply switching control signal to a low voltage to turn on the path 1 and cut off the path 2. On the other hand, when the battery voltage conversion value is smaller than the switching battery voltage setting value, the power switching control signal is set to a high voltage to cut off the path 1 and make the path 2 conductive.

  Here, the predetermined switching battery voltage setting value is a battery voltage threshold value for switching from path 1 to path 2. This switching battery voltage set value is set to prevent the battery current from being lowered due to the battery 118 being consumed and the battery current from being lowered when a DC / DC converter with poor power supply efficiency is used.

  For example, when Vc = 1.8 V, Ic = 30 mA, Vb = 3.0 V, and η = 0.5 in the above-described equation (2), Ib = (1.8 * 30) / (3.0 * 0. 5) = 36 mA. In this case, the current consumption when using the DC / DC converter is increased by 6 mA, compared to the current consumption 30 mA when supplying the regulator directly from the battery 118 via the low voltage fixed regulator 112.

  Correspondingly, by appropriately setting the switching battery voltage setting value, even when receiving, the battery voltage is below the voltage (switching battery voltage setting value) that exceeds the power consumption at the time of regulator supply In this case, the power supply voltage supply of the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is switched from the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 to the low voltage fixed regulator 112 to prevent an increase in battery consumption current. For example, when the battery voltage drops and the voltage conversion efficiency of the step-down variable DC / DC converter 116 deteriorates, the power consumption voltage of the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is switched to the regulator supply, so that the battery consumption current is Can be prevented.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, even when receiving, when the battery voltage becomes lower than the voltage that exceeds the power consumption when supplying the regulator, the power supply voltage of the low voltage receiving circuit 111 is reduced. The variable DC / DC converter 116 can be switched to the low voltage fixed regulator 112. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the battery consumption current from increasing beyond the current at the time of regulator supply, and to reduce the battery consumption current.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the output voltage of the step-down variable DC / DC converter used for the power amplifier power source is diverted as a power source for the low-voltage receiving circuit at the time of reception. The battery consumption current of the low voltage receiving circuit can be reduced without providing a step-down DC / DC converter. As a result, it is possible to configure a wireless power supply control device that is low in battery consumption current, small and inexpensive.

  The present invention can reduce the battery current consumption of the receiving circuit during reception without providing a new step-down DC / DC converter dedicated to the receiving circuit, and can form a small and inexpensive low battery consumption current circuit. It has an effect and is useful for a radio power supply control device used in a mobile radio communication device such as a mobile phone and the mobile radio communication device.

The figure which shows the structure of the principal part of the mobile radio | wireless communication apparatus by which the radio | wireless part power supply control apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention is mounted. The figure which shows the relationship between the voltage and current consumption in the radio | wireless part power supply control apparatus of this embodiment. Specific diagram showing characteristic example of efficiency vs. output current of step-down variable DC / DC converter The block diagram of the radio | wireless part power supply control apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention The block diagram of the radio | wireless part power supply control apparatus in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the structural example of the radio | wireless part power supply control apparatus in the mobile radio | wireless communication apparatus carrying the conventional low voltage receiver circuit

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Reception power supply switching circuit 102, 103 Switching transistor 104 Inverter 105, 205, 305 Reception power supply switching part 111 Low voltage receiving circuit 112 Low voltage fixed regulator 113 Transmission circuit 114 Fixed regulator 115 Power amplifier 116 Step-down variable DC / DC converter 117,207 Voltage setting unit 118 Battery 201, 301 Voltage setting value comparison unit 302 Battery voltage detection unit

Claims (5)

A first power supply circuit for supplying power to the receiving circuit based on the output voltage of the battery;
A power supply for a power amplifier for transmission, a second power supply circuit including a step-down variable DC / DC converter;
A radio section power control comprising: power supply switching means for identifying an operation state of the circuit whether or not at the time of transmission and switching the power so as to be supplied to the reception circuit using the output of the second power circuit when not transmitting apparatus. The wireless power supply control device according to claim 1,
A radio power supply control device comprising voltage setting means for storing a voltage setting value for setting an output voltage of the second power supply circuit for each operating voltage of a circuit including the power amplifier. The wireless power supply control device according to claim 1,
Voltage setting value comparison means for storing a voltage setting value corresponding to the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the operating voltage of the receiving circuit, and comparing with the output voltage setting value of the second power supply circuit for each transmission output power;
When the output voltage of the second power supply circuit is within the operating voltage range of the receiving circuit, the power supply switching means uses the output of the second power supply circuit even when transmitting. Radio unit power control device to supply to. The wireless power supply control device according to claim 1,
Battery voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the battery;
Voltage setting value comparison means for comparing the detected battery voltage detection value with a preset switching voltage setting value;
When the battery voltage detection value is smaller than the switching voltage setting value, the power source switching unit is a radio unit power source control that uses the first power source circuit as the power source of the receiving circuit even when not transmitting. apparatus.   A mobile radio communication apparatus comprising the radio unit power control apparatus according to claim 1.

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