JP2012100020A - Power amplifier - Google Patents

Abstract

In a power amplifier having a multi-stage configuration, an amplifying apparatus capable of coping with a failure of a previous-stage amplifier is provided.
A front-stage power amplifier that inputs a signal, a rear-stage power amplifier that includes a plurality of power amplifiers that amplify the output power of the amplifier in parallel, and a rear-stage power amplifier are distributed. It has a distributor 14 and a combiner 18 that combines the output power of the latter-stage power amplifier, and all the amplifiers 12, 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d in the preceding and succeeding stages have the same configuration. When the front-stage amplifier 12 fails, the connection is changed and one of the rear-stage amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d is replaced with the front-stage amplifier. The operation of replacing one of the rear power amplifiers with the front power amplifier is performed by changing the connector connection.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a power amplifying apparatus having a plurality of stages of power amplifiers.

  Conventionally, a multi-stage power amplifying apparatus including a plurality of power amplifiers is known. And the power amplifier which controls the whole electric power by changing the synthetic | combination number of the some power amplifier juxtaposed is also known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In a multi-stage, for example, two-stage power amplifying apparatus, power amplifiers having different characteristics are usually used for the front-stage power amplifier and the rear-stage power amplifier. In such a power apparatus, for example, a plurality of rear-stage power amplifiers are provided in parallel, but a front-stage power amplifier is provided with one power amplifier. If the power amplifier in the previous stage fails in this device, it will not operate as a whole. Therefore, normally, a spare power amplifier is provided in parallel with the power amplifier in the previous stage, and this spare power amplifier is used when the power amplifier in the previous stage fails. However, in this case, a pre-stage power amplifier must be provided for backup, and the apparatus becomes expensive.

  FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of a conventional power amplifying apparatus. In this power amplifying apparatus, the signal that has entered the input terminal IN is input to the power amplifier 82 at the preceding stage, and the output is distributed to the four power amplifiers 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d at the subsequent stage via the distributor 84. These outputs are combined by the combiner 88 and output to the output terminal OUT. The power amplifier 82 at the front stage has an output characteristic with a medium output power, and each of the power amplifiers at the rear stage has an output characteristic with a large output power.

  However, considering that the power amplifier 82 in the previous stage has failed, a spare power amplifier 89 is provided in parallel with the power amplifier 82. However, the spare power amplifier 89 is usually unnecessary and becomes expensive as an overall power amplifier.

JP 2000-49627 A

  As described above, in the power amplifying apparatus composed of a plurality of power amplifiers, it is necessary to prepare a spare power amplifier in advance in case the power amplifier in the previous stage breaks down, so that the power amplifying apparatus as a whole is expensive. There was a problem.

  The present invention provides a power amplifying apparatus that is not expensive as a whole and that can cope with a failure of a power amplifier in the previous stage.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, a signal is input, a front-stage power amplifier is configured, a high-order front-stage power amplifier having a first connector on the rear surface, and a plurality of outputs that amplify the output power of the high-order front-stage power amplifier in parallel A plurality of upper rear power amplifiers having a second connector having a terminal in the same positional relationship as the first connector, the upper front power amplifier and the upper rear power amplifier accommodated in the rear surface. A box having a third connector connected to the first and second connectors so as to be insertable / removable; and output power of the upper front power amplifier, the first connector and the third connector A high-order distributor that distributes the output power of the high-order rear-stage power amplifier via the second connector and the third connector. And when the upper rear power amplifier is placed in place of the upper front power amplifier, the second connector of the upper rear power amplifier can be inserted into the third connector. A power amplifying device is provided.

It is a figure which shows the electric constitution of the power amplification apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of a power amplifying device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a power amplification device according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the terminal of the connector of the power amplification apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a connection of the connector inside a high-order back | latter stage power amplifier which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the upper rear power amplifier is inserted at the position of the upper front power amplifier in the power amplifying device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a connection of the connector inside a high-order back | latter stage power amplifier which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the electrical structural example of the conventional power amplifier.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an electrical configuration of a power amplifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The power amplifying apparatus 10 has an input terminal IN connected to an upper front power amplifier 12 connected to the input terminal, an upper power distributor 14 that receives the output of the upper front power amplifier 12 and distributes the signal into four parts, Four upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d each receiving the distribution output of the four distributors, and an upper power combiner 18 that combines the outputs of these upper rear power amplifiers and outputs the combined output to the output terminal OUT; Have

  The upper front-stage power amplifier 12 has an output characteristic with a medium output power, and the upper rear-stage power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are power amplifiers with a high degree of output characteristic, but all have the same configuration. . An example of the configuration of these power amplifiers will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Depending on the installation position, the upper upstream power amplifier 12 has an output characteristic with medium output power, and each of the upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d is controlled to have an output characteristic with a large output power. The

  In this embodiment, when the upper front power amplifier 12 fails, any upper rear power amplifier can be used as the upper front power amplifier 12. An external view of a device for facilitating replacement of the power amplifier is shown in FIG. Further, in order to make the upper rear power amplifier a higher front power amplifier, output characteristics such as output power are changed. The configuration and operation for that will be described later.

  The power amplifying device shown in FIG. 2 has a box shape in which the power amplifiers are integrated, and the upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d and the upper front power amplifier 12 are cross-sectional views of FIG. As shown in the figure, the upper front-stage power amplifier 12 is stacked at the bottom, and the upper rear-stage power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are stacked vertically on the shelf-like box body 21. .

  The box 21 includes an upper plate 22, a lower plate 23, a rear plate 24, side plates 25 a and 25 b provided on both side surfaces, and a plurality of support plates 26. A handle 28 is provided at the front center of each power amplifier. The handle 28 can be grasped and pulled forward or pushed backward.

  A convex connector 32 is provided at the center of the rear surface of each power amplifier. The convex connector 32 can be inserted into and removed from a concave connector 33 provided corresponding to the inner rear surface of the box body 21. By grasping the handle 28 of each power amplifier and pushing it backward, the convex connector 32 is inserted into the concave connector 33 and electrically connected.

  An example of a connector provided on the rear surface of these power amplifiers is shown in FIG. This connector is composed of, for example, nine protruding terminals T1 to T9 as shown in FIG. The structure of this connector is common to both the upper front power amplifier 12 and the upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d. Therefore, it is possible to insert the upper rear power amplifier 16 a at the position of the upper front power amplifier 12.

  The upper distributor 14 and the upper synthesizer 18 shown in FIG. 1 including the power supply (not shown) are built in the rear plate 24 of the box body 21, and the input terminal IN and the output terminal OUT are drawn from the rear plate 24 as shown in FIG. It is. For example, the terminal T1 is a power supply terminal of the power amplifier, and power is supplied to each power amplifier from this terminal. The terminal T4 is an input terminal, and an input signal is supplied from this terminal to each power amplifier. The terminal T5 is an output terminal, and a signal amplified by the power amplifier is output from this terminal.

  The input terminal T4 of the convex connector 32 on the rear surface of the lowermost front power amplifier 12 is connected to the corresponding concave connector 33 of the rear plate 24 so that the input terminal IN is connected to the concave connector 33. The output terminal T5 of the upper upstream power amplifier 12 is connected to the input terminal of the upper distributor 14 built in the rear plate 24, and the output terminal of the upper distributor 14 is a convex of each upper rear power amplifier 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d. The input terminal T4 of the connector is detachably connected. The output terminal T5 of these upper rear power amplifiers is connected to the input terminal of the upper synthesizer 18 built in the rear plate 24. In the rear plate 24, the output terminal of the upper synthesizer 18 is connected to the output terminal OUT.

  The terminal T9 is a terminal for power control, and the output power of each power amplifier is controlled depending on whether or not a power source is connected (turned on) to this terminal.

  These terminals correspond to the convex connector 32 of the power amplifier and the concave connector 33 provided on the rear plate 24. The connection of the terminals T1 to T9 means that the convex connector 32 and the concave connector 33 are connected.

  Here, the upper rear power amplifier 16a will be described as an example of the upper front power amplifier 12 and the upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d having the same configuration with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows the connection relationship between the power control terminal T9 of the convex connector 32 of the upper rear power amplifier 16a and the power supply circuit inside the power amplifier. In this example, the rear stage is composed of six lower rear power amplifiers 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, 66e, and 66f. The output of the lower front power amplifier 42 is input to the lower distributor 44, and the output thereof is input to the lower rear power amplifiers 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d, 46e, and 46f. Is input. The power terminals of the lower front power amplifier 42 and the lower rear power amplifiers 46c, 46d, 46e, and 46f are always connected to the power circuit 52. On the other hand, the power terminals of the lower rear power amplifiers 46 a and 46 b are connected to the power circuit 52 via the switch 53.

  In the power supply circuit 52, when the power control terminal T9 of the connector on the rear surface of each power amplifier is connected, the switch 53 is turned on to supply power to the lower rear power amplifiers 46a and 46b, and the lower rear power amplifier 46c, Since power supply power is also supplied to 46d, 46e, and 46f, the output power becomes large. On the other hand, when the switch 53 is off by the power control terminal T9, the power supply circuit 52 is not connected to the power supply terminals of the lower rear power amplifiers 46a and 46b, and the lower rear power amplifiers 46a and 46b do not operate and are combined. The output power, that is, the output power of the upper rear power amplifier 16a is controlled to a medium level.

  Next, in the power amplifying apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, how to deal with a failure of the upper upstream power amplifier 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the upper rear power amplifier 16a installed at the uppermost stage is pulled out from the box 21, and inserted into the lowermost stage where the upper front power amplifier 12 has been inserted. Then, the power control terminal T9 of the upper rear power amplifier 16a is not energized, the switch 53 is turned off, and the lower rear power amplifiers 46a and 46b of the upper rear power amplifier 16a do not operate, so that medium power is output.

  On the other hand, in the uppermost space of the power amplifying apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 6, since there is no power amplifier, the subsequent power amplification is performed by the upper rear power amplifiers 16b, 16c, and 16d, and the combined output Is reduced, but operation is possible.

  In this way, the upper rear power amplifier 16a, which is one of the power amplifiers at the rear stage, is inserted at the position of the front stage where the upper front power amplifier 12 was inserted before the failure, and the power control terminal T9 is not energized. Thus, it functions as a pre-stage output amplifier that outputs medium power. The combined power output of the rear-stage power amplifier is lowered due to the lack of the upper rear-stage power amplifier 16a, but the power amplifier as a whole operates.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the power is not supplied to the two lower rear power amplifiers 46a and 46b when the upper rear power amplifier 16a is connected to the position of the upper front power amplifier 12 has been described. However, it is also possible not to supply power supply power to only one, for example, the lower rear power amplifier 46a. Further, the supply of power supply to three or more lower rear power amplifiers may be stopped.

  By the way, in the said embodiment, supply of power supply was controlled on / off by whether the power control terminal T9 was connected or not. However, it is also possible to change the power supply voltage (bias voltage) supplied to each lower rear power amplifier in two stages depending on the state of the power control terminal T9.

  An example of the configuration of the upper rear power amplifier 16a in the second embodiment is shown in FIG. The other upper post-stage power amplifiers 16b, 16c and 16d and the upper pre-stage power amplifier 12 have the same configuration.

  The upper rear power amplifier 16a includes a nine-terminal convex connector 32 on the rear surface, a lower front power amplifier 62 having an input terminal connected to the input terminal T4, and a lower distributor that distributes the input signal into six by using the output as an input. 64, lower rear-stage power amplifiers 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, 66e, 66f that receive the distributed signal, a lower-order synthesizer 68 that combines the outputs of these lower-stage rear-stage power amplifiers, and a lower-stage front-stage power amplifier 62 And a power circuit 72 for supplying power to the lower rear power amplifiers 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, 66e, and 66f.

  A high power supply voltage V1 is supplied to the terminal T9 of the concave connector 33 in the rear plate 24 corresponding to the convex connector 32 of the upper rear power amplifiers 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and it corresponds to the convex connector 32 of the upper upstream power amplifier 12. A power supply voltage V2 lower than V1 is supplied to the voltage control terminal T9 of the concave connector 33 of the rear plate 24.

  Assume that the upper front-stage power amplifier 12 fails and the upper rear-stage power amplifier 16b at the uppermost stage shown in FIG. 6 is pulled out and inserted at the position where the lowermost upper-stage front-stage power amplifier 12 is present.

  When the upper rear power amplifier 16a is in the uppermost stage, a high voltage V1 is supplied to the power control terminal T9 of the convex connector 32, so that the upper rear power amplifier 16a outputs a high level of power.

  On the other hand, when the upper rear power amplifier 16a is inserted in the lowermost stage, a low voltage V2 is supplied to the power control terminal T9 of the convex connector 32. Therefore, the power amplifier 16a outputs medium power.

  Thus, even when a power amplifier having the same characteristics is inserted into the space above the lowermost stage, the power supply voltage is V1 and the output power is high, but when inserted into the lowermost space, the power supply voltage is V2 and the output power is high. Becomes moderate and the output power is relatively small.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the power amplifying apparatus including two stages of the front stage power amplifier and the rear stage power amplifier has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a power amplifying apparatus including three or more stages of power amplifiers having front and rear power amplifiers. Similarly, each power amplifier can be composed of three or more stages of power amplifiers.

  In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a convex connector is provided on the rear surface of each power amplifier and a concave connector is provided on the rear surface of the housing. However, conversely, a concave connector may be provided on the rear surface of each power amplifier, and a convex connector may be provided on the rear surface of the housing. In short, when two power connectors are inserted, Corresponding terminals provided in the above may be connected.

  In the above embodiment, the distributor and the combiner are built in the box. However, it may be provided outside the box and connected to each power amplifier by a connector.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the power amplifier at the front stage fails, the power amplifier at the rear stage is used at the front stage, so that it is not necessary to prepare the power amplifier at the front stage in advance, and it is inexpensive as a whole. It is possible to provide a power amplification device.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

10. Power amplifying device,
12... Upper power amplifier,
14... High-order distributor,
18... High-order synthesizer,
16a, 16b, 16c, 16d,...
IN ... (device) input terminal,
OUT ... (device) output terminal,
21 ... Box
22... Upper plate,
23 .. Lower plate,
24 ··· rear plate,
26... Support plate,
28 ... Toride,
32... Convex connector,
33 ... concave connector,
T4 ... (connector) input terminal,
T5 ... (connector) output terminal,
T9 ... Power control terminal.

42, 62... Lower upstream power amplifier,
46a, 46b, 46c, 46d, 46e, 46f, 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, 66e, 66f,...
44, 68... Lower distributor,
48, 68... Subordinate synthesizer,
52, 72... Power supply circuit.

Claims (7)

An upper front power amplifier that inputs a signal, constitutes a front power amplifier, and has a first connector on the rear surface;
A plurality of power amplifiers configured to amplify the output power of the high-order front-stage amplifier in parallel, a plurality of high-order back-stage power amplifiers having a second connector having a terminal in the same positional relationship as the first connector on the rear surface;
A box body in which the upper front stage power amplifier and the upper rear stage power amplifier are accommodated and having a third connector connected to the first and second connectors in an insertable manner;
An upper distributor that distributes the output power of the upper front power amplifier to the plurality of upper rear power amplifiers via the first connector and the third connector;
An upper combiner that combines the output power of the upper rear power amplifier via the second connector and the third connector;
2. The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the upper rear power amplifier is placed in place of the upper front power amplifier, the second connector of the upper rear power amplifier can be inserted into the third connector.   The upper rear power amplifier and the upper front power amplifier have the same configuration, and when the upper rear power amplifier is connected to the position of the upper front power amplifier, the upper rear power amplifier is connected to the upper rear power amplifier. The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power amplifying apparatus outputs less power than when connected to a position.   The control of the output power according to the connection position is based on the power source power supplied to the terminals of the connectors when the third connector is connected to the second connector and when the third connector is connected to the first connector. The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:   Each of the upper rear power amplifier and the upper front power amplifier includes a lower front power amplifier, a lower distributor that distributes the output of the lower front power amplifier, and a plurality of amplifiers that amplify the power distributed by the lower distributor in parallel. 4. The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a lower post-stage power amplifier and a lower-order synthesizer that combines outputs of the plurality of lower post-stage power amplifiers.   5. The power according to claim 4, wherein the upper rear power amplifier does not supply power to at least one of the lower rear power amplifiers when inserted at the position of the upper front power amplifier in the box. Amplification equipment.   When the upper rear power amplifier is inserted at the position of the upper front power amplifier in the box, the upper rear power amplifier is connected to the lower rear power amplifier than when it is inserted at the position of the upper rear power amplifier in the box. 5. The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the power supply power is reduced.   The power amplifying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the upper distributor and the upper combiner are provided in the box.

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