Adaptive matching network

• US 10,177,731 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McKinzie, III, William E., Bachmann, Heinz, Mendolia, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo
• Application Number:
  US15/813,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20180109235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna;

a transceiver coupled with the antenna;

a matching network coupled to the transceiver by an input port, the matching network comprising an output port connected to the antenna, and a variable reactance element;

a radio frequency (RF) measurement circuit connected to the input port of the matching network and to the transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to the matching network and the RF measurement circuit,

wherein the control circuit measures forward and reverse waves via the RF measurement circuit and determines reflection coefficient information,

wherein the control circuit performs an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of the variable reactance element according to the measurements to optimize a return loss, and

wherein the impedance tuning process determines new reflection coefficient information and uses the new reflection coefficient information to identify an optimal tuning state.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a pair of directional couplers.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a single backward-wave coupler.

4. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the control circuit comprises a pair of log amplifiers.

5. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the control circuit comprises a switch and a single log amplifier.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a pair of resistive dividers.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the RF measurement circuit further comprises a shunt impedance and a series impedance.

8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the shunt impedance and the series impedance are connected between the pair of resistive dividers.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the control circuit comprises a pair of log amplifiers.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the RF measurement circuit further comprising a third resistive divider, a second shunt impedance, and a second series impedance, wherein the second shunt impedance and the second series impedance are connected between the pair of resistive dividers and the third resistive divider.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a switch and a single log amplifier.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the single log amplifier comprises an integrated phase detector.

13. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a switch and a temperature compensated diode detector.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a control circuit coupled with the memory, wherein the control circuit, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

obtaining measurements via a radio frequency (RF) measurement circuit that samples forward and reverse waves at a RF input port of a matching network of a communication device; and

adjusting the matching network to perform an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of a variable reactance element of the matching network according to the measurements to reduce a return loss, wherein the return loss is proportional to a difference between a calibration factor and a difference between the forward and reverse waves.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise determining reflection coefficient information from the measurements, wherein the reflection coefficient information is determined from samples supplied to the control circuit by an analog to digital converter, and wherein a look-up table is used to perform the impedance tuning process.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a pair of directional couplers.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a single backward-wave coupler.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a pair of resistive dividers, a shunt impedance and a series impedance, wherein the shunt impedance and the series impedance are connected between the pair of resistive dividers.

19. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a control circuit of a communication device, measurements via a radio frequency (RF) measurement circuit that samples forward and reverse waves at a RF input port of a matching network of the communication device;

determining, by the control circuit, reflection coefficient information from the measurements;

adjusting, by the control circuit, the matching network to perform an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of a variable reactance element of the matching network according to the measurements, wherein a look-up table is used to perform the impedance tuning process; and

determining new reflection coefficient information to optimize a return loss and using the new reflection coefficient information to identify an optimal tuning state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the RF measurement circuit comprises a pair of resistive dividers, a shunt impedance and a series impedance, wherein the shunt impedance and the series impedance are connected between the pair of resistive dividers.