Patents by Inventor Benjamin Bartram

Benjamin Bartram 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).

  • Publication number: 20190319720
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods of calibrating a power amplifier system to compensate for envelope amplitude misalignment are provided. In certain configurations, a method of calibrating a power amplifier system includes generating a supply voltage of a power amplifier using an envelope tracker based on shaping a scaled envelope signal using shaping data generated at a target gain compression, controlling a variable gain of a variable gain amplifier based on a gain control level signal, changing the variable gain by adjusting the gain control level signal using a calibration module, monitoring an output of the power amplifier to determine an amount of variable gain at which a detected gain compression of the power amplifier corresponds to the target gain compression of the shaping data, and calibrating the power amplifier system to compensate for envelope amplitude misalignment based on the determined amount of variable gain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Patent number: 10382147
    Abstract: Methods of calibrating a power amplifier system to compensate for envelope amplitude misalignment are provided. In certain configurations, a method of calibrating a power amplifier system includes amplifying a radio frequency signal from a transceiver using a power amplifier and generating a supply voltage of the power amplifier using an envelope tracker, including generating a scaled envelope signal based on a power control level signal and an envelope signal, and shaping the scaled envelope signal using a shaping table generated at a target gain compression. The method further includes changing a scaling of the scaled envelope signal using a calibration module, monitoring an output of the power amplifier to determine an amount of scaling of the scaled envelope signal at which a detected gain compression of the power amplifier corresponds to the target gain compression of the shaping table, and calibrating the power amplifier system based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignees: Skyworks Solutions, Inc., SnapTrack, Inc.
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Publication number: 20170093505
    Abstract: Methods of calibrating a power amplifier system to compensate for envelope amplitude misalignment are provided. In certain configurations, a method of calibrating a power amplifier system includes amplifying a radio frequency signal from a transceiver using a power amplifier and generating a supply voltage of the power amplifier using an envelope tracker, including generating a scaled envelope signal based on a power control level signal and an envelope signal, and shaping the scaled envelope signal using a shaping table generated at a target gain compression. The method further includes changing a scaling of the scaled envelope signal using a calibration module, monitoring an output of the power amplifier to determine an amount of scaling of the scaled envelope signal at which a detected gain compression of the power amplifier corresponds to the target gain compression of the shaping table, and calibrating the power amplifier system based on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Patent number: 9571152
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for calibration of envelope trackers are provided. In one embodiment, a power amplifier system includes a VGA that amplifies an RF input signal to generate an amplified RF input signal, a power amplifier that amplifies the amplified RF input signal to generate an RF output signal, and an envelope tracker that generates a supply voltage for the power amplifier. The envelope tracker includes a scaling module that generates a scaled envelope signal based on a power control level (PCL) signal and an envelope signal that changes in relation to an envelope of the RF input signal. The envelope tracker further includes a calibration module that controls an amount of scaling of the scaled envelope signal based on calibration data to compensate for an envelope amplitude misalignment of the envelope tracker. The envelope tracker controls the voltage level of the supply voltage based on the scaled envelope signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignees: SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC., SNAPTRACK, INC.
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Publication number: 20160099742
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for calibration of envelope trackers are provided. In one embodiment, a power amplifier system includes a VGA that amplifies an RF input signal to generate an amplified RF input signal, a power amplifier that amplifies the amplified RF input signal to generate an RF output signal, and an envelope tracker that generates a supply voltage for the power amplifier. The envelope tracker includes a scaling module that generates a scaled envelope signal based on a power control level (PCL) signal and an envelope signal that changes in relation to an envelope of the RF input signal. The envelope tracker further includes a calibration module that controls an amount of scaling of the scaled envelope signal based on calibration data to compensate for an envelope amplitude misalignment of the envelope tracker. The envelope tracker controls the voltage level of the supply voltage based on the scaled envelope signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Patent number: 9294043
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for envelope tracking calibration are provided. In one embodiment, a power amplifier system includes a power amplifier, an envelope tracker that generates the power amplifier's supply voltage, a power detector, and a calibration module. The envelope tracker includes an envelope shaping table generated at a desired gain compression and a scaling module that scales an amplitude of an envelope signal. The power detector measures the power amplifier's output power, and the calibration module provides calibration data to the scaling module to change the scaling of the envelope signal's amplitude. The calibration module sets the calibration data to a first value corresponding to a supply voltage level associated with substantially no gain compression, and reduces the supply voltage level by changing the calibration data until the power detector indicates that the gain compression of the power amplifier is about equal to the desired gain compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignees: SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC., SNAPTRACK, INC.
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Publication number: 20150155834
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for envelope tracking calibration are provided. In one embodiment, a power amplifier system includes a power amplifier, an envelope tracker that generates the power amplifier's supply voltage, a power detector, and a calibration module. The envelope tracker includes an envelope shaping table generated at a desired gain compression and a scaling module that scales an amplitude of an envelope signal. The power detector measures the power amplifier's output power, and the calibration module provides calibration data to the scaling module to change the scaling of the envelope signal's amplitude. The calibration module sets the calibration data to a first value corresponding to a supply voltage level associated with substantially no gain compression, and reduces the supply voltage level by changing the calibration data until the power detector indicates that the gain compression of the power amplifier is about equal to the desired gain compression.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Patent number: 8989682
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for envelope tracking calibration are provided. In one embodiment, a method of calibrating an envelope tracker having an envelope shaping table generated at a desired gain compression of a power amplifier is provided. The method includes generating a supply voltage for the power amplifier using the envelope tracker, operating the supply voltage of the power amplifier at a first voltage level associated with substantially no gain compression of the power amplifier, and measuring an output power of the power amplifier at the first voltage level. The method further includes decreasing a voltage level of the supply voltage one or more times and measuring the output power at each voltage level, determining a second voltage level of the power amplifier associated with a gain compression equal to about that of the desired gain compression, and calibrating the envelope tracker based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignees: Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Nujira Ltd.
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson
  • Publication number: 20120200354
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for envelope tracking calibration are provided. In one embodiment, a method of calibrating an envelope tracker having an envelope shaping table generated at a desired gain compression of a power amplifier is provided. The method includes generating a supply voltage for the power amplifier using the envelope tracker, operating the supply voltage of the power amplifier at a first voltage level associated with substantially no gain compression of the power amplifier, and measuring an output power of the power amplifier at the first voltage level. The method further includes decreasing a voltage level of the supply voltage one or more times and measuring the output power at each voltage level, determining a second voltage level of the power amplifier associated with a gain compression equal to about that of the desired gain compression, and calibrating the envelope tracker based on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicants: NUJIRA LTD, SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: David Steven Ripley, Sabah Khesbak, Benjamin Bartram, Kevin Lee Cobley, Robert Astle Henshaw, Julian Hildersley, Robert John Thompson