Amplifier arrangement

Abstract

An amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising at least a first amplifier module and a second amplifier module is presented wherein a splitter stage for dividing an amplifier stage input signal into several signal portions. The signal portions are amplified in the at least two parallel amplifier modules. A combiner stage combines the separate amplifier output signals into a single amplifier arrangement output signal.

1 . An amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 a splitter stage for splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   at least a first amplifier module for amplifying the at least first signal portion, the at least first amplifier module comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier   at least a second amplifier module for amplifying the at least second signal portion, the second amplifier module comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier,   a combiner stage for combining the first amplified signal, received at a first combiner stage input, and the second amplified signal, received at a second signal combiner input, into a amplified stage output signal,   wherein an output of the first amplifier is connected to a first filter, an output of the second amplifier is connected to a second filter, an output of the third amplifier is connected to a third filter and an output of the fourth amplifier is connected to a fourth filter.   
     
     
         2 . An amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 a splitter stage for splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   at least a first amplifier module comprising a first sigma-delta modulator for processing a first amplifier module input signal and the at least first amplifier module further comprising a first delta-sigma modulator driven amplifier;   at least a second amplifier module comprising a second sigma-delta modulator for processing a second amplifier module input signal and the at least second amplifier module further comprising a second delta-sigma modulator driven amplifier   a combiner stage for combining the first amplified signal, received at a first combiner stage input, and the second amplified signal, received at a second signal combiner input, into a amplified stage output signal.   
     
     
         3 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 1  further comprising a power distributor for switching on and off a power supply for at least the second amplifier. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first filter, or the second filter, or the third filter, or the fourth filter is a film bulk acoustic resonator filter (FBAR). 
     
     
         6 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 4  wherein at least one of the first filter, the second filter, the third filter or the fourth filter is a duplex filter with a first port for passing a signal in a first frequency band to an antenna port and a second port for receiving a second signal in a second frequency band from the antenna port and wherein one port of the FBAR duplexer or the second port of the duplex FBAR filter is connected via an impedance to a reference level. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 1  wherein the signal stage and the combiner stage are bidirectional couplers. 
     
     
         9 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 8  wherein at least one of the bidirectional couplers comprises at least one of Wilkinson combiner or quadrature hybrid. 
     
     
         10 . The amplifier arrangement according to  claim 1  wherein the at least a first amplifier module and the at least a second amplifier module are one of balanced amplifiers or Doherty amplifiers. 
     
     
         11 . A chipset comprising an amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 a splitter stage for splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   at least a first amplifier module for amplifying the at least a first signal portion, the at least a first amplifier module comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier   at least a second amplifier module for amplifying the at least a second signal portion, the second amplifier module comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier,   a combiner stage for combining the first amplified signal, received at a first combiner stage input, and the second amplified signal, received at a second signal combiner input, into a amplified stage output signal,   wherein an output of the first amplifier is connected to a first filter, an output of the second amplifier is connected to a second filter, an output of the third amplifier is connected to a third filter and an output of the fourth amplifier is connected to a fourth filter.   
     
     
         12 . A method for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   amplifying the at least a first signal portion by at least a first amplifier module;   amplifying the at least a second signal portion by at least a second amplifier module; and   combining the first amplified signal and the second amplified signal into an amplified stage output signal,   wherein an output of the first amplifier is connected to a first filter, an output of the second amplifier is connected to a second filter, an output of the third amplifier is connected to a third filter and an output of the fourth amplifier is connected to a fourth filter.   
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing a amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 connecting a first splitter stage output of a splitter stage to a first amplifier module input of a first amplifier module, the first amplifier module comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier   connecting a second splitter stage output of a splitter stage to a second amplifier module input of a second amplifier module, the second amplifier module comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier   connecting a first amplifier module output of the first amplifier module to a first combiner stage input of a combiner stage   connecting a second amplifier module output of the second amplifier module to a second signal combiner input of the combiner stage,   wherein an output of the first amplifier is connected to a first filter, an output of the second amplifier is connected to a second filter, an output of the third amplifier is connected to a third filter and an output of the fourth amplifier is connected to a fourth filter.   
     
     
         14 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to manufacture an amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 a splitter stage for splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   at least a first amplifier module for amplifying the at least a first signal portion, the at least a first amplifier module comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier   at least a second amplifier module for amplifying the at least second a signal portion, the second amplifier module comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier,   a combiner stage for combining the first amplified signal, received at a first combiner stage input, and the second amplified signal, received at a second signal combiner input, into a amplified stage output signal.   
     
     
         15 . A radio station comprising an amplifier arrangement for amplifying a radio signal comprising
 a splitter stage for splitting an amplifier input signal into at least a first signal portion, and at least a second signal portion   at least a first amplifier module for amplifying the at least a first signal portion, the at least a first amplifier module comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier   at least a second amplifier module for amplifying the at least a second signal portion, the second amplifier module comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier,   a combiner stage for combining the first amplified signal, received at a first combiner stage input, and the second amplified signal, received at a second signal combiner input, into a amplified stage output signal,   wherein an output of the first amplifier is connected to a first filter, an output of the second amplifier is connected to a second filter, an output of the third amplifier is connected to a third filter and an output of the fourth amplifier is connected to a fourth filter.