DYNAMIC ANTENNA TUNER SETTING FOR CARRIER AGGREGATION SCENARIOS

• US 20150230206A1
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: TABET, Tarik, DAMJI, Navid, MAJJIGI, Vinay R., MUJTABA, Syed A., SEBENI, Johnson O., HU, Ming, MUCKE, Christian W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/00 Baseband systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0039 Frequency-contiguous, i.e. with no allocation of frequencies for one user or terminal between the frequencies allocated to another
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0041 Frequency-non-contiguous
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/365 Power headroom reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for dynamically adjusting radio frequency circuitry in a wireless communication device are disclosed. The wireless communication device can receive downlink communication using carrier aggregation through a primary component carrier and a secondary component carrier. When carrier aggregation is not enabled, the wireless communication device adjusts the radio frequency circuitry based on default values. When carrier aggregation is enabled, the wireless communication device evaluates radio frequency conditions for the primary and secondary component carriers and adjusts the radio frequency circuitry based on whether uplink and/or downlink communication is power constrained. When uplink communication is power constrained, the wireless communication device adjusts the radio frequency circuitry for optimal performance via the primary component carrier, and when uplink communication is not power constrained, the wireless communication device adjusts the radio frequency circuitry for optimal performance via the combination of the primary and secondary component carriers used for carrier aggregation.

Claims

1. A method to adjust radio frequency circuitry in a wireless communication device, the method comprising the mobile wireless communication device at least:

receiving one or more downlink communications from a wireless network;

determining whether carrier aggregation is enabled;

when carrier aggregation is not enabled, adjusting the radio frequency circuitry based on default setting values; and

when carrier aggregation is enabled;

evaluating radio frequency conditions for a primary component carrier and for a secondary component carrier used for carrier aggregation;

determining whether uplink communication is power constrained;

when uplink communication is power constrained, adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the primary component carrier; and

when uplink communication is not power constrained, adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through a combination of the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the radio frequency circuitry comprises matching a set of radio frequency components to one or more antennas.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the primary component carrier comprises setting a center frequency of a pass-band of the radio frequency circuitry to correspond to a first median radio frequency value of the primary component carrier, and adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the combination of the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier comprises setting the center frequency of the pass-band of the radio frequency circuitry to correspond to a second median radio frequency value between the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the primary component carrier comprises maximizing a power transfer via one or more antennas over a set of radio frequencies used by the primary component carrier for downlink communication, uplink communication, or both downlink and uplink communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the combination of the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier comprises maximizing a combined power transfer via one or more antennas over a set of radio frequencies used by the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless communication device adjusts the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier to maximize a downlink data rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless communication device determines uplink communication is power constrained when an uplink transmit power headroom is less than a power headroom threshold value or an uplink transmit power level exceeds a transmit power threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless communication device determines uplink communication is power constrained when an uplink performance metric is less than an uplink performance threshold and a downlink performance metric is greater than a downlink performance threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless communication device determines uplink communication is power constrained when a downlink received signal strength exceeds a downlink signal strength threshold and a number of uplink random access channel (RACH) failures occur.

10. A wireless communication device configured to adjust radio frequency circuitry of a radio frequency front end dynamically, the wireless communication device comprising:

the radio frequency front end including at least one antenna and at least one radio frequency component block coupled thereto; and

a transceiver and a baseband processor to receive and transmit radio frequency signals via the radio frequency front end;

wherein the baseband processor is configured to;

determine whether communication in an uplink direction between the wireless communication device and a wireless network is constrained;

determine whether communication in a downlink direction between the wireless communication device and the wireless network is constrained;

when communication in both the uplink direction and the downlink direction is constrained, adjust settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to provide at least a minimum downlink quality level of downlink communication;

when communication in the uplink direction is not constrained, adjust settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to balance quality levels of uplink and downlink communications; and

when communication in the uplink direction is constrained and communication in the downlink direction is not constrained, adjust settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to provide at least a minimum uplink quality level of uplink communication.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor adjusts settings of the at least one radio frequency component block by matching power transfer characteristics of the at least one radio frequency component block to the at least one antenna to maximize power transfer over a primary component carrier used for downlink and uplink communication or to maximize power transfer over a combination of the primary component carrier and a secondary component carrier used for downlink communication via carrier aggregation.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication device is configured for carrier aggregation in accordance with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) wireless communication protocol.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor adjusts settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to provide at least the minimum downlink quality level of downlink communication by maximizing a power transfer via the at least one antenna using a primary component carrier used for downlink communication.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor adjusts settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to provide at least a minimum uplink quality level of uplink communication by maximizing a power transfer via the at least one antenna using a primary component carrier used for uplink communication.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein baseband processor adjusts settings of the at least one radio frequency block to balance quality levels of uplink and downlink communications by maximizing a power transfer via the at least one antenna using a primary component carrier and a secondary component carrier used for downlink communication via carrier aggregation.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor determines whether uplink communication is constrained based on one or more of:

an uplink transmit power level, an uplink transmit power headroom, and uplink modulation and coding scheme, an uplink block error rate and on one or more of;

a downlink signal strength, a downlink signal quality, and a downlink retransmission rate.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor determines that uplink communication is constrained when an uplink transmit power headroom (PHR) is less than a PHR threshold value, an uplink modulation coding scheme (MCS) is less than an MCS threshold value, and a downlink signal strength exceeds a downlink signal strength threshold value.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor determines that uplink communication is constrained when a downlink received signal strength exceeds a downlink signal strength threshold and a number of uplink random access channel (RACH) failures occur.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor adjusts settings of the at least one radio frequency component block to provide at least the minimum downlink quality level of downlink communication by maximizing a downlink data rate through a primary component carrier and a secondary component carrier used for downlink communication via carrier aggregation.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code, when executed by one or more processors implemented on a wireless communication device, causes the wireless communication device to perform a method comprising:

determining whether carrier aggregation is enabled;

when carrier aggregation is not enabled, adjusting radio frequency circuitry of a radio frequency front end of the wireless communication device based on default setting values; and

when carrier aggregation is enabled;

evaluating radio frequency conditions for a primary component carrier and for a secondary component carrier used for carrier aggregation;

determining whether uplink communication is power constrained;

when uplink communication is power constrained, adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through the primary component carrier; and

when uplink communication is not power constrained, adjusting the radio frequency circuitry to optimize communication through a combination of the primary component carrier and the secondary component carrier.