JP5169595B2 - Transmission power control device, transmission power control method, transmission power control program, and transmission power control circuit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission power control apparatus, a transmission power control method, a transmission power control program, and a transmission power control circuit that control transmission power.

  Conventionally, it is known that burst transmission is performed in a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) system such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system. In burst transmission, a strict time mask standard is generally provided (see FIG. 13). In order to satisfy the time mask standard, it is necessary to control the ramp voltage (gain control analog voltage) input to the PA (power amplifier) in time series (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  As a method of performing such control, for example, a process of controlling the Ramp voltage by a table process as a software parameter is performed (Ramp table control, see FIG. 14). This table is prepared for each PA device, each output transmission power, and each frequency. In addition, the table is individually adjusted in consideration of variations of devices (for example, PA, ramp control DAC, antenna switch, etc.) at the time of factory adjustment after manufacturing the substrate.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-100427 JP 2003-318747 A JP-A-63-81515

  By the way, in the technology for controlling the Ramp voltage by the above-described conventional table processing, it is necessary to prepare a table for each PA device, for each output transmission power, and for each frequency, and further, individually considering the variation of each device. It needs to be adjusted. For this reason, there was a problem that it took time and effort to individually adjust the table.

  Further, in the technology for controlling the ramp voltage by the above-described conventional table processing, variations in PA, ramp control DAC, antenna switch, etc. must be kept within a predetermined range, and parts with reduced variations must be procured. As a result, there was a problem that the cost was high.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to autonomously perform ramp control satisfying the mask standard by reducing the cost.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, this apparatus monitors the power value of the transmission power output from the amplifier of the transmitter to which the time mask standard is applied. If it is determined that the monitored power value is out of the target power range that is stricter than the time mask standard, the power value of the transmission power output from the amplifier next time is within the target power range at the next time. It is a requirement to control the gain of the amplifier so that it falls within.

  The disclosed apparatus can reduce the cost without requiring a table for adjusting the variation of the device, and has an effect that the ramp control satisfying the mask standard can be independently performed.

  Exemplary embodiments of a transmission power control apparatus, a transmission power control method, a transmission power control program, and a transmission power control circuit according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the following embodiments, the configuration and processing flow of the transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment will be described in order, and finally the effects of the first embodiment will be described. In the following, an example in which the transmission power control circuit of the present invention is applied to a transmitter of a base station or a mobile terminal will be described.

[Configuration of transmitter]
First, the configuration of the transmitter 100 and the configuration of the transmission power circuit 10 included in the transmitter 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the transmitter 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the transmitter 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the target power range. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the target power range. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the power correction process (subtraction process). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the power correction process (addition process).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 100 includes a transmission power control circuit 10, a PA 20, a DCcut capacitor 30, an ADC 40, and a DAC 50. The processing of each of these units will be described below.

  A PA (Power Amp: signal amplifier) 20 amplifies the power of the RF signal according to the input Ramp voltage and outputs it to the antenna switch 60. The DCcut capacitor 30 cuts a DC component from the power value of the signal output from the PA 20. An ADC (Analogue Digital Converter) 40 converts the power value of the output signal from which the DC component is cut by the DCcut capacitor 30 into a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the transmission power control circuit 10 as DAC data.

  A DAC (Digital Analogue Converter) 50 converts the reference addition value output from the transmission power control circuit 10 into an analog signal, and controls the Ramp voltage according to the reference addition value. The antenna switch 60 is a switch that switches the path of the RF signal output from the PA 20.

  The transmission power control circuit 10 monitors the power value of the transmission power of the PA 20 and controls the Ramp voltage. Specifically, the transmission power control circuit 10 includes a control unit 13 and a storage unit 14 as shown in FIG.

  The storage unit 12 stores data necessary for various processes by the control unit 11, and particularly includes a target power range storage unit 12 a. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the target power range storage unit 12 a stores a target power range that is a power range that is stricter than the time mask standard and is set for each predetermined time (section). In the example of FIG. 3, a case where the sections are divided into sections (1) to (7) is shown, but each of these sections is divided into sub-sections (for example, (1) -1, (1) -2,.・) (See FIG. 5 and FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the target power range includes signal rising intervals (intervals (2) and (3) in the example of FIG. 4) and falling intervals (intervals (5) and ( The width of the target power range in 6)) (for example, (a) in FIG. 4) is larger than the width of the target power range in other sections (for example, (b) in FIG. 4). This is because the width of the change in the transmission power is large when the signal rises and falls.

  The control unit 11 includes a monitoring unit 11a, a determination unit 11b, and a ramp control unit 11c, and executes various processes. The processing of each of these units will be described below.

  The monitoring unit 11a monitors the power value of the transmission power output from the PA 20, which is an amplifier of the transmitter 100 to which the time mask standard is applied. Specifically, the monitoring unit 11a monitors the power value of the transmission power of the RF signal output from the PA 20 from the DAC data input from the ADC 40, and notifies the determination unit 11b of the power value.

  The determination unit 11b determines, every predetermined time, whether or not the monitored power value is within a power range stricter than the time mask standard and falls within the target power range set every predetermined time. Specifically, the determination unit 11b determines, for each sub-section, whether the power value of the transmission power monitored by the monitoring unit 11a is within the target power range.

  As a result, when the power value of the transmission power is within the target power range, the determination unit 11b shifts to the next subsection, and if it is the final subsection, shifts to the next section. In addition, when the power value of the transmission power is not within the target power range, the Ramp control unit 11c is notified of an instruction to control the Ramp voltage.

  When it is determined that the power value is out of the target power range, the Ramp control unit 11c determines that the power value of the transmission power output from the PA 20 next time is within the target power range at the next time. Control the voltage.

  Specifically, when the Ramp control unit 11c receives an instruction to control the Ramp voltage from the determination unit 11b, the power value of the transmission power output next time from the PA 20 is the target at the next time. Power correction processing is performed so as to be within the power range.

  Here, an example of the power correction process will be described with reference to FIGS. The ramp control unit 11c determines whether or not the transmission power is larger than the target power, and when the transmission power in the sub-section (3) -1 is larger than the target power, as illustrated in FIG. ) Subtract the correction value α from the reference added value of −2.

  In addition, when the transmission power in the sub-section (3) -1 is smaller than the target power, the Ramp control unit 11c performs the reference addition value in the next sub-section (3) -2 as illustrated in FIG. Then, the correction value β is added. Thereafter, the Ramp control unit 11c notifies the DAC 50 of the subtracted or added reference added value as Ramp voltage control information, and controls the Ramp voltage.

[Processing by transmission power control circuit]
Next, processing performed by the transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7-1, 7-2, and 8. FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts for explaining the processing procedure of the transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of the power correction processing of the transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIGS. 7A and 7B, a specific example of processing in the case where the sections are divided into the sections (1) to (7) will be described.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the transmission power control circuit 10 sets the Ramp voltage minimum value as the initial setting of the reference addition value in the section (1) before the rising edge of the signal in burst transmission. (Step S101). Then, the transmission power control circuit 10 adds the reference addition value for the section (2) to the DAC 50 in the section (2) at the start of rising of the signal in burst transmission (step S102).

  Then, the transmission power control circuit 10 monitors the power value of the transmission power of the RF signal output from the PA 20 from the DAC data input from the ADC 40 (step S103). Thereafter, the transmission power control circuit 10 determines for each sub-section whether the monitored transmission power value is within the target power range (step S104).

  As a result, if the power value of the transmission power is not within the target power range (No at Step S104), the transmission power control circuit 10 determines that the power value of the transmission power output next time from the PA 20 is the target at the next time. Power correction processing is performed so as to be within the power range (step S105).

  In addition, when the power value of the transmission power is within the target power range (Yes at Step S104), the transmission power control circuit 10 proceeds to the next sub-section (Step S106), and the next sub-section is the last sub-range. It is determined whether it is a section (step S107).

  As a result, if the transmission power control circuit 10 is not the last sub-interval (No at Step S107), the transmission power control circuit 10 returns to S102 and repeats the process (Steps S102 to S107). If the transmission power control circuit 10 is in the last sub-section (Yes at step S107), the transmission power control circuit 10 proceeds to the next section. Thereafter, the transmission power control circuit 10 repeats the above processing in each section (steps S108 to S131).

  Next, the power correction processing of the transmission power control circuit will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the transmission power control circuit 10 determines whether the transmission power is larger than the target power (step S201). As a result, when the transmission power is larger than the target power (Yes at Step S201), the transmission power control circuit 10 subtracts the correction value α from the reference addition value of the next subsection (Step S202).

  Further, when the transmission power in the sub-section is smaller than the target power (No in step S201), the transmission power control circuit 10 adds the correction value β to the reference addition value in the next sub-section (step S203). .

[Effect of Example 1]
As described above, the transmission power control circuit 10 monitors the power value of the transmission power output from the PA 20 of the transmitter to which the time mask standard is applied. Then, it is determined every predetermined time whether or not the monitored power value is within a power range that is stricter than the time mask standard and within a target power range set every predetermined time. Thereafter, when it is determined that the power value is out of the target power range, the ramp control is performed so that the power value of the transmission power output from the PA 20 next time is within the target power range at the next time. For this reason, the cost can be reduced without requiring a table for adjusting the variation of the device, and the Ramp control satisfying the mask standard can be performed independently.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the power value falls within the target power range in which the width of the power range in the rising and falling sections of the signal is larger than the width of the power range in the other sections. . For this reason, it is possible to autonomously perform ramp control that satisfies the mask standard even when the range of change in transmission power at the rise and fall of the signal is large.

  By the way, in the first embodiment, the case where the Ramp voltage is controlled when the transmission power is out of the target power range has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transmission power is the target power. If it is within the range, the Ramp voltage may be controlled according to the transmission power value for the target power range.

  Therefore, in Example 2 below, when the transmission power is within the target power range, the ramp voltage is controlled according to the transmission power value in the target power range, using FIG. 9 and FIG. Processing of the transmission power control circuit in Example 2 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a target power range of the transmission power control circuit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the power correction processing of the transmission power control circuit according to the second embodiment.

  In the transmission power control circuit 10a according to the second embodiment, stepwise target power ranges are set as illustrated in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the color of the target power range in each section illustrated in FIG. 9 is darker as it is closer to the center. When the power value of the transmission power is within the target power range, the transmission power control circuit 10a determines the difference between the position of the transmission power in the target power range and the center of the target power range.

  Then, according to the difference between the position of the transmission power in the target power range and the center of the target power range, the transmission power control circuit 10a determines that the power value of the transmission power output next time from the PA is the target at the next time. The ramp voltage is controlled by adding / adding the reference added value so as to approach the center of the power range.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the transmission power control circuit 10a adds / subtracts a smaller correction value to the reference addition value as the transmission power value is closer to the center of the power value target power range. Also, the transmission power control circuit 10a adds / subtracts a larger correction value to / from the reference addition value as the transmission power value is farther from the center of the target power range.

  That is, the ramp control is performed so that the farther from the center of the power value target power range, the more likely it will be out of the time mask standard, and the higher the power value the transmission power value will be in the center of the target power range. Further, it is not necessary to add / subtract the correction value greatly, assuming that the closer to the center of the power value target power range, the more the time mask standard is satisfied.

  As described above, in the above-described second embodiment, when it is determined that the power value is within the target power range, it is output from the PA 20 next time according to the position of the transmission power value with respect to the center of the target power range. Ramp control is performed so that the power value of the transmitted power approaches the center of the target power range at the next time. For this reason, even when the power value is within the target power range, it is possible to autonomously perform the Ramp control that satisfies the mask standard.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above. Therefore, another embodiment included in the present invention will be described below as a third embodiment.

(1) Antenna Switch In the first embodiment, the case where the power value of the RF signal output from the PA 20 is monitored has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the RF signal output from the antenna switch is not limited to this. The power value may be monitored.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, in the transmitter 10a, the DC cut capacitor cuts the DC component of the RF signal output from the antenna switch, and the ADC converts it into a digital signal. A transmission power control circuit monitors.

(2) System Configuration The components of the illustrated devices are functionally conceptual and need not be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. For example, the monitoring unit 11a and the determination unit 11b may be integrated. Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  In addition, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above-described document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

(3) Program By the way, various processes described in the above embodiments can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance by a computer. In the following, an example of a computer that executes a program having the same function as that of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a computer that executes a transmission power control program.

  As shown in the figure, a computer 600 as a transmission power control apparatus is configured by connecting an HDD 610, a RAM 620, a ROM 630, and a CPU 640 through a bus 650.

  The ROM 630 stores in advance a transmission power control program that exhibits the same function as in the above-described embodiment, that is, a monitoring program 631, a determination program 632, and a ramp control program 633, as shown in FIG. Note that the programs 631 to 633 may be appropriately integrated or distributed in the same manner as each component of the transmission power control circuit shown in FIG.

  The CPU 640 reads out these programs 631 to 633 from the ROM 630 and executes them, so that the programs 631 to 633 function as a monitoring process 641, a determination process 642, and a ramp control process 643 as shown in FIG. It becomes like this. Each of the processes 641 to 643 corresponds to the monitoring unit 11a, the determination unit 11b, and the ramp control unit 11c illustrated in FIG.

  Further, the HDD 610 is provided with a target power range table 611 as shown in FIG. The target power range table 611 corresponds to the target power range storage unit 12a illustrated in FIG. The CPU 640 registers data in the target power range table 611, reads the target power range table 611, stores it in the RAM 620, and executes processing based on the target power range data 621 stored in the RAM 620.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmitter according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a target electric power range. It is a figure for demonstrating the target electric power range. It is a figure for demonstrating an electric power correction process (subtraction process). It is a figure for demonstrating an electric power correction process (addition process). 3 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure of a transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment; 3 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure of a transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment; 6 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure of power correction processing of the transmission power control circuit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a target power range of a transmission power control circuit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a power correction process of a transmission power control circuit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmitter according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows the computer which performs a transmission power control program. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of a time mask specification and a Ramp control voltage. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Transmission power control circuit 11 Control part 11a Monitoring part 11b Judgment part 11c Ramp control part 12 Memory | storage part 12a Target power range memory | storage part 20 PA
30 DCcut capacitor 40 ADC
50 DAC
60 antenna switch 100 transmitter

Claims (6)

Monitoring means for monitoring the power value of the transmission power output from the amplifier of the transmitter to which the time mask standard is applied;
The power value monitored by the monitoring means is a power range narrower than the power range of the time mask standard and falls within a target power range set at a central portion of the power range of the time mask standard every predetermined time. Determining means for determining whether or not each predetermined time;
Wherein when it is determined that the power value is out of the target power range by the determination means, the transmission power which the power value is the amplifier or RaIzuru force to the next time period deviated from the target power range Gain control means for controlling the gain of the amplifier so that the power value falls within the target power range of the next time ;
A transmission power control apparatus comprising:   The determination means determines whether or not the power value falls within a target power range in which the width of the power range in the rising and falling intervals of the signal is larger than the width of the power range in the other intervals. The transmission power control apparatus according to claim 1. When the determination unit determines that the power value is within the target power range, the gain control unit determines that the power value is in accordance with the position of the transmission power value with respect to the center of the target power range. wherein as the power value of the transmission power of said judged to be fit into the target power range the time to the next time is an amplifier or RaIzuru force approaches the center of the target power range of the next time, the amplifier The transmission power control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gain is controlled. A monitoring step of monitoring a power value of transmission power output from an amplifier of a transmitter to which a time mask standard is applied;
The power value monitored by the monitoring step is a power range narrower than the power range of the time mask standard and falls within a target power range set at a central portion of the power range of the time mask standard every predetermined time. A determination step for determining whether or not each predetermined time; and
Wherein when it is determined that the power value is out of the target power range by the determination step, the transmission power which the power value is the amplifier or RaIzuru force to the next time period deviated from the target power range A gain control step for controlling the gain of the amplifier so that the power value falls within the target power range of the next time ;
The transmission power control method characterized by including. A monitoring procedure for monitoring the power value of the transmission power output from the amplifier of the transmitter to which the time mask standard is applied;
The power value monitored by the monitoring procedure is a power range narrower than the power range of the time mask standard , and falls within a target power range set at a central portion of the power range of the time mask standard every predetermined time. A determination procedure for determining whether or not each predetermined time,
Wherein when the power value by the determination procedure is determined to deviate from the target power range of the transmission power which the power value is the amplifier or RaIzuru force to the next time period deviated from the target power range A gain control procedure for controlling the gain of the amplifier so that the power value falls within the target power range of the next time ;
A transmission power control program for causing a computer to execute Monitoring means for monitoring the power value of the transmission power output from the amplifier of the transmitter to which the time mask standard is applied;
The power value monitored by the monitoring means is a power range narrower than the power range of the time mask standard and falls within a target power range set at a central portion of the power range of the time mask standard every predetermined time. Determining means for determining whether or not each predetermined time;
Wherein when it is determined that the power value is out of the target power range by the determination means, the transmission power which the power value is the amplifier or RaIzuru force to the next time period deviated from the target power range Gain control means for controlling the gain of the amplifier so that the power value falls within the target power range of the next time ;
A transmission power control circuit comprising:

Images