Patents by Inventor Thomas D. Marra

Thomas D. Marra has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Bias current monitor and control mechanism for amplifiers
    Patent number: 9166533
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring and controlling bias current of amplifiers are described. In an exemplary design, an apparatus may include an amplifier and a bias circuit. The amplifier may include at least one transistor coupled to an inductor. The bias circuit may generate at least one bias voltage for the at least one transistor in the amplifier to obtain a target bias current for the amplifier. The bias circuit may generate the at least one bias voltage based on a voltage across the inductor in the amplifier, or a current through a current mirror formed with one of the at least one transistor in the amplifier, or a gate-to-source voltage of one of the at least one transistor in the amplifier, or a voltage in a replica circuit replicating the amplifier, or a current applied to the amplifier with a switched mode power supply disabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas D. Marra, Aristotele Hadjichristos, Nathan M. Pletcher
  • Shared feedback for adaptive transmitter pre-distortion
    Patent number: 8964821
    Abstract: A modem is described. The modem includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a digital pre-distortion module and a power amplifier. The modem also includes one or more selected shared receivers. The one or more selected shared receivers generate a feedback signal for the digital pre-distortion module. The modem further includes a feedback switch. The feedback switch selectively couples the one or more selected shared receivers to an output of the transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Philip D. Coan, Paul J. Draxler, Roberto Rimini, Thomas D. Marra, Gurkanwal Singh Sahota, Steven C. Ciccarelli, Shrenik Patel
  • Dynamically changing a transmitter sampling frequency for a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to reduce interference from DAC images
    Patent number: 8824967
    Abstract: A method for interference reduction is described. The method is implemented in a wireless device. It is determined that a page is going to be received via a secondary receiver. It is also determined that a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) image from a transmitter will cause interference with the secondary receiver when the page is received. A sampling frequency of the DAC for the transmitter is changed so that there are not any DAC images from the transmitter that will cause interference with the secondary receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas D. Marra, Soon-Seng Lau, Inyup Kang, Arash Mirbagheri
  • SHARED FEEDBACK FOR ADAPTIVE TRANSMITTER PRE-DISTORTION
    Publication number: 20130094550
    Abstract: A modem is described. The modem includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a digital pre-distortion module and a power amplifier. The modem also includes one or more selected shared receivers. The one or more selected shared receivers generate a feedback signal for the digital pre-distortion module. The modem further includes a feedback switch. The feedback switch selectively couples the one or more selected shared receivers to an output of the transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Philip D. Coan, Paul J. Draxler, Roberto Rimini, Thomas D. Marra, Gurkanwal Singh Sahota, Steven C. Ciccarelli, Shrenik Patel
  • DYNAMICALLY CHANGING A TRANSMITTER SAMPLING FREQUENCY FOR A DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER (DAC) TO REDUCE INTERFERENCE FROM DAC IMAGES
    Publication number: 20110044380
    Abstract: A method for interference reduction is described. The method is implemented in a wireless device. It is determined that a page is going to be received via a secondary receiver. It is also determined that a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) image from a transmitter will cause interference with the secondary receiver when the page is received. A sampling frequency of the DAC for the transmitter is changed so that there are not any DAC images from the transmitter that will cause interference with the secondary receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas D. Marra, Soon-Seng Lau, Inyup Kang, Arash Mirbagheri
  • POWER AMPLIFIER BIAS CURRENT MONITOR AND CONTROL MECHANISM
    Publication number: 20110025422
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring and controlling bias current of amplifiers are described. In an exemplary design, an apparatus may include an amplifier and a bias circuit. The amplifier may include at least one transistor coupled to an inductor. The bias circuit may generate at least one bias voltage for the at least one transistor in the amplifier to obtain a target bias current for the amplifier. The bias circuit may generate the at least one bias voltage based on a voltage across the inductor in the amplifier, or a current through a current mirror formed with one of the at least one transistor in the amplifier, or a gate-to-source voltage of one of the at least one transistor in the amplifier, or a voltage in a replica circuit replicating the amplifier, or a current applied to the amplifier with a switched mode power supply disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Thomas D. Marra, Aristotele Hadjichristos, Nathan M. Pietcher