Broadcasting signal processing apparatus and control method thereof

• US 20070207753A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Byun, Ho-jin
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/193.100
• 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

Abstract

A broadcasting signal processing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus includes a wireless antenna; a radio frequency (RF) module which tunes a broadcasting signal; a variable part which adjusts an impedance to match an impedance of the wireless antenna with an impedance of the RF module; and a controlling part which pre-stores impedance variable values for impedance matching and which controls the variable part to adjust the impedance based on one of the pre-stored impedance variable values corresponding to a broadcasting frequency of a selected broadcasting channel. The method includes tuning to a broadcasting frequency; determining whether an impedance used to match a wireless antenna with a radio frequency (RF) module is different from an impedance variable value; and if the impedance is different, adjusting the impedance.

Claims

1. A broadcasting signal processing apparatus comprising:

a wireless antenna which receives broadcasting signals;

a radio frequency (RF) module which tunes a broadcasting signal received via the wireless antenna;

a variable part which adjusts an impedance to match an impedance of the wireless antenna with an impedance of the RF module, the variable part being coupled to the wireless antenna and the RF module; and

a controlling part which pre-stores impedance variable values for impedance matching between the wireless antenna and the RF module for broadcasting frequencies corresponding to respective broadcasting channels, and which controls the variable part to adjust the impedance based on one of the pre-stored impedance variable values corresponding to a broadcasting frequency of a selected broadcasting channel.

2. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user input part which selects a broadcasting channel,

wherein the controlling part further comprises:

a microcomputer which pre-stores the impedance variable values for the broadcasting frequencies corresponding to the broadcasting channels and outputs an impedance variable value, among the pre-stored impedance variable values, corresponding to a broadcasting frequency of a broadcasting channel selected through the user input part; and

an impedance controller which controls the variable part to adjust the impedance to match the impedance of the wireless antenna with the impedance of the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

3. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the variable part comprises an impedance matching circuit including at least one variable inductor.

4. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the impedance controller varies an inductance of the at least one variable inductor to adjust the impedance to match the impedance of the wireless antenna with the impedance of the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

5. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the variable part comprises an impedance matching circuit including at least one variable capacitor.

6. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the impedance controller varies a capacitance of the at least one variable capacitor to adjust the impedance to match the impedance of the wireless antenna with the impedance of the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

7. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the variable part comprises an impedance matching circuit including at least one variable capacitance diode.

8. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the impedance controller varies a capacitance of the at least one variable capacitance diode to adjust the impedance to match the impedance of the wireless antenna and the impedance of the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

9. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the variable part comprises an impedance matching circuit including at least two of a variable inductor, a variable capacitor and a variable capacitance diode.

10. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the impedance controller varies each of the at least two of the inductance of the variable inductor, the capacitance of the variable capacitor, and the capacitance of the variable capacitance diode to adjust the impedance to match the impedance of the wireless antenna with the impedance of the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

11. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the variable part comprises a length adjusting motor which adjusts a length of the wireless antenna.

12. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the impedance controller controls the length adjusting motor to adjust the length of the wireless antenna to match the impedance between the wireless antenna and the RF module based on the impedance variable value output from the microcomputer.

13. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a broadcasting output part; and

a broadcasting signal processor which processes a broadcasting signal tuned in the RF module and outputs the tuned broadcasting signal to the broadcasting output part.

14. The broadcasting signal processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the broadcasting output part comprises at least one of a display which displays a broadcasting picture according to the tuned broadcasting signal and a sound output part which outputs a broadcasting sound according to the tuned broadcasting signal.

15. A control method comprising:

tuning to a broadcasting frequency of a broadcasting channel;

determining whether an impedance used to match an impedance of a wireless antenna with an impedance of a radio frequency (RF) module is different from an impedance variable value for the tuned broadcasting frequency of the broadcasting channel; and

if the impedance is different from the impedance variable value, adjusting the impedance based on the impedance variable value for the tuned broadcasting frequency of the selected broadcasting channel.

16. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising selecting a broadcast channel.

17. The control method according to claim 15, wherein the adjusting the impedance comprises adjusting the impedance to the impedance variable value for the tuned broadcasting frequency of the selected broadcasting channel.

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the adjusting the impedance to the impedance variable value comprises varying at least one of an inductance of a variable inductor, a capacitance of a variable capacitor, and a capacitance of a variable capacitance diode, which are coupled to the wireless antenna and the RF module, to adjust the impedance to the impedance variable value for the tuned broadcasting frequency of the selected broadcasting channel.

19. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the adjusting the impedance to the impedance variable value comprises controlling a length adjusting motor to adjust a length of the wireless antenna to adjust the impedance between the wireless antenna and the RF module to the impedance variable value for the tuned broadcasting frequency of the selected broadcasting channel.