Method and apparatus for adjusting the timing of radio antenna tuning

• US 10,404,295 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Greene, Matthew, Hoirup, Carsten, Manssen, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Koeth, Michelle M
• Application Number:
  US15/609,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20170264322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, determining, by a controller of a mobile communication device, a phase shift criteria and an amplitude shift criteria associated with a modulation being implemented by the mobile communication device. The controller can determine a group of tuning steps that satisfies the phase and amplitude shift criteria and that provides a desired tuning step for a matching network of the mobile communication device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a matching network comprising a group of switches and a group of reactive elements;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

determining an operational criteria associated with a modulation type of a signal modulation;

selecting, according to the operational criteria, a group of tuning steps for adjusting the matching network without violating the operational criteria during adjustment of the matching network;

generating a single write command for applying the group of tuning steps to the matching network; and

transmitting the single write command to a switch controller coupled to the matching network for adjusting settings of the group of switches according to the group of tuning steps to generate a desired tuning value without multiple write commands.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the group of tuning steps comprises a uniform step size.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a number of tuning steps to be used for adjusting the matching network according to the modulation type, wherein the group of tuning steps is further selected according to the number of tuning steps, and wherein the group of reactive elements includes fixed capacitors.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises an adjacent channel leakage ratio limitation while adjusting the matching network.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises an error vector magnitude limitation while adjusting the matching network.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises a bit error rate limitation while adjusting the matching network.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises a harmonic power limitation while adjusting the matching network.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises a phase shift limitation while adjusting the matching network.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operational criteria comprises an amplitude shift limitation while adjusting the matching network.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise introducing a delay into at least one of the group of switches to maintain a synchronization of opening and closing of the group of switches.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the matching network comprises delay elements that introduce the delay.

12. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a matching network comprising a group of switches, a group of reactive elements and a group of delay elements;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

selecting, according to an operational criteria associated with a modulation type of a signal modulation, a group of tuning steps for adjusting the matching network;

transmitting a single write command to a switch controller coupled to the matching network for adjusting settings of the group of switches according to the group of tuning steps to generate a desired tuning value without multiple write commands; and

introducing a delay, via at least one of the group of delay elements, in at least one of the group of switches to maintain a synchronization of opening and closing of the group of switches during the adjusting of the settings of the group of switches.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the single write command is for applying the group of tuning steps to the matching network.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the group of reactive elements comprises fixed capacitors.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise selecting, according to the operational criteria, the group of tuning steps for adjusting the matching network without violating the operational criteria during adjustment of the matching network.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining a number of tuning steps to be used for adjusting the matching network according to the modulation type, wherein the group of tuning steps is further selected according to the number of tuning steps.

17. A method, comprising:

selecting, by a processing system including a processor of a communication device and according to an operational criteria associated with a modulation type of a signal modulation, a group of tuning steps for adjusting a matching network of the communication device;

generating a single write command for applying the group of tuning steps to the matching network;

transmitting, by the processing system, the single write command to a switch controller coupled to the matching network for adjusting settings of a group of switches of the matching network according to the group of tuning steps to generate a desired tuning value, wherein the desired tuning value is obtained without using multiple write commands; and

introducing, by the processing system, a delay in at least one of the group of switches to maintain a synchronization of opening and closing of the group of switches during the adjusting of the settings of the group of switches.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting, by the processing system, according to the operational criteria, the group of tuning steps for adjusting the matching network without violating the operational criteria during adjustment of the matching network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the introducing the delay is via at least one delay element of a group of delay elements of the matching network, and wherein the matching network comprises fixed capacitors.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, by the processing system, a number of tuning steps to be used for adjusting the matching network according to the modulation type, wherein the group of tuning steps is further selected according to the number of tuning steps.