APPARATUS FOR ENHANCING EFFICIENCY OF ANTENNA IN A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20110065429A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Chang-Ha, LEE, Jun-Hui, KIM, Jin-Man, KIM, Byung-Kyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• 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
• 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

An apparatus for enhancing an efficiency of an antenna in a mobile terminal includes an antenna matcher whose setting is changed under control of a controller, the antenna matcher coupled to the antenna, a sensing unit for sensing whether or not a user holds the mobile terminal and a holding pattern in which the user holds the mobile terminal, and a controller for controlling the setting of the antenna matcher according to whether or not the user holds the mobile terminal and the holding pattern.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enhancing an efficiency of an antenna in a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising:

an antenna matcher coupled to the antenna;

a sensing unit for sensing whether or not a user holds the mobile terminal and a holding pattern of the user; and

a controller for controlling the setting of the antenna matcher according to whether or not the user holds the mobile terminal and the holding pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises at least one of a touch sensor and an earth magnetic field sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the holding pattern is classified into left-hand holding or right-hand holding according to the earth magnetic field sensor of the sensing unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matcher comprises a trimmer capacitor whose capacitance is changed according to a control signal of the controller.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matcher comprises one or more capacitors and one or more switching elements, and the one or more switching elements short-circuit or connect the one or more capacitors, wherein impedance of the antenna mismatched by the user'"'"'s holding of the mobile terminal is matched again by changing the capacitance of the antenna matcher according to the control signal of the controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matcher comprises one or more inductors and one or more switching elements, and the one or more switching elements short-circuit or connect the one or more inductors impedance of the antenna mismatched by the user'"'"'s holding of the mobile terminal is matched again by changing the inductance of the antenna matcher according to the control signal of the controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matcher comprises one or more capacitors, one or more inductors, and one or more switching elements, and the one or more switching elements short-circuit or connect at least one of the one or more capacitors and the one or more inductors impedance of the antenna mismatched by the user'"'"'s holding of the mobile terminal is matched again by changing the capacitance and inductance of the antenna matcher according to the control signal of the controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing a predetermined setting value corresponding to a user'"'"'s holding pattern.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the settings of antenna matcher according to a user'"'"'s holding pattern.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the settings of antenna matcher according to a user'"'"'s holding pattern by referring to the setting values stored in the memory.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a sensor for sensing whether or not a user holds the mobile terminal;

a memory for storing a predetermined setting value corresponding to at least one user'"'"'s holding pattern,

an antenna matcher coupled to the antenna to adjust an impedance match of an antenna; and

a controller for controlling the setting of the antenna matcher according to whether or not the user holds the mobile terminal and the holding pattern by. referring to the setting values stored in the memory in order to match an impedance of the antenna during holding of the mobile terminal.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a touch sensor and an earth magnetic field sensor.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the holding pattern is classified into left-hand holding or right-hand holding according to the earth magnetic field sensor of the sensing unit.

14. A method for enhancing an efficiency of an antenna in a mobile terminal, comprising:

determining a holding pattern of the mobile terminal;

retrieving a predetermined setting value corresponding to at least one holding pattern; and

adjusting an impedance match of the antenna based on the retrieved setting value.

15. The method of claim 14, further storing the predetermined setting value in a memory.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the holding pattern is classified into left-hand holding or right-hand holding.