Power control loop using a tunable antenna matching circuit

• US 8,320,850 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/726,817
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/77, 455/107, 455/120, 455/121, 455/123, 455/125, 455/127.1, 455/127.2
• US Class Current: 455/107
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to combining tunable antenna matching circuit adjustments and RF power amplifier output power adjustments of a first RF terminal in response to output power adjustment commands received from a second RF terminal. The output power adjustment commands may be part of an output power control loop between the first RF terminal and the second RF terminal to control the output power from the first RF terminal. The first RF terminal may include an RF receiver, an RF power amplifier, and a tunable antenna matching circuit coupled between an output of the RF power amplifier and an antenna. The tunable antenna matching circuit adjustments may be impedance adjustments of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the RF power amplifier output power adjustments may result from adjustments to one or more input signals to the RF power amplifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first radio frequency (RF) terminal comprising an RF receiver, an RF power amplifier, and a tunable antenna matching circuit, such that the tunable antenna matching circuit is coupled between an output of the RF power amplifier and an antenna;

receiving at least a first command from a second RF terminal using the RF receiver, such that the at least the first command instructs the first RF terminal to adjust an output power from the first RF terminal;

adjusting an impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and adjusting at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier in response to the at least the first command;

detecting a phase shift of an RF transmit signal from the first RF terminal resulting from adjusting impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit; and

applying a compensating phase shift to an input signal to the RF power amplifier based on the detected phase shift,

wherein the output power is based on the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least the first command is part of an output power control loop between the first RF terminal and the second RF terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second RF terminal is a base station and the first RF terminal is a mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first command is a transmit power control (TPC) command.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a change in the output power from the first RF terminal resulting from the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit, such that:

the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier follows the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the detecting the change in the output power from the first RF terminal resulting from the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit;

power adjustment information specified in the first command is modified using the detected change in the output power to provide modified power adjustment information; and

the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier is based on the modified power adjustment information.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising detecting power from interfering transmitters using reverse power detection circuitry, such that:

the output power from the first RF terminal is provided by an RF output signal from the RF power amplifier;

the RF output signal comprises amplitude modulation (AM) having an RF envelope;

the detecting power from interfering transmitters using reverse power detection circuitry is performed when the RF envelope is below a first threshold; and

the detecting the change in the output power from the first RF terminal is corrected using the detected power from interfering transmitters.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the detected power from interfering transmitters is averaged over time using measurements taken from multiple cycles of the RF envelope.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier are during a slot boundary.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the slot boundary follows a first slot and a second slot follows the slot boundary, such that the first slot and the second slot each have a slot duration equal to about 500 microseconds.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the slot boundary follows a first slot and a second slot follows the slot boundary, such that the first slot and the second slot each have a slot duration equal to about 667 microseconds.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the output power from the first RF terminal is provided by an RF output signal from the RF power amplifier;

the RF output signal comprises amplitude modulation (AM) having an RF envelope; and

the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier are performed when the RF envelope is below a first threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the output power from the first RF terminal is provided by an RF output signal from the RF power amplifier;

the RF output signal comprises amplitude modulation (AM) having an RF envelope; and

the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier are performed when the RF envelope is below a first threshold.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising continuously transmitting information using multiple communications slots, which are separated by slot boundaries in time, such that the adjusting the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the adjusting the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier are made during each slot boundary.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier comprises an RF input signal, such that the RF power amplifier amplifies the RF input signal to provide an RF output signal.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier further comprises an envelope power supply signal.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier comprises an envelope power supply signal.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting delivered power to the antenna using the tunable antenna matching circuit, such that the adjustment to the tunable antenna matching circuit and the adjustment to the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier are based on the detected delivered power to the antenna.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the tunable antenna matching circuit comprises a PI network and a first selectable capacitance circuit coupled in series between the output of the RF power amplifier and the antenna.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein:

a first end of the PI network is coupled to a first end of the first selectable capacitance circuit;

a second end of the first selectable capacitance circuit is coupled to the antenna;

the output power from the first RF terminal is provided by an RF output signal from the RF power amplifier, such that the RF output signal has an RF frequency;

the detected delivered power is based on a first voltage at the second end of the first selectable capacitance circuit, on a second voltage at the first end of the first selectable capacitance circuit, and on a third voltage at a second end of the PI network; and

the detected delivered power is not based on the RF frequency.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein a passband center frequency of the tunable antenna matching network is selected by selecting a capacitance of the first selectable capacitance circuit.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein:

a first end of the PI network is coupled to a first end of the first selectable capacitance circuit;

a second end of the first selectable capacitance circuit is coupled to the antenna; and

the PI network comprises;

a second tunable capacitance network coupled between the first end of the PI network and ground;

a third tunable capacitance network coupled between a second end of the PI network and ground; and

a first inductive element coupled between the first end of the PI network and the second end of the PI network.

22. A first radio frequency (RF) terminal comprising:

an RF receiver adapted to receive at least a first command from a second RF terminal, such that the at least the first command instructs the first RF terminal to adjust an output power from the first RF terminal;

an RF power amplifier adapted to receive at least one input signal;

an antenna;

a tunable antenna matching circuit coupled between an output of the RF power amplifier and the antenna; and

control circuitry adapted to;

adjust an impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and adjust the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier in response to the at least the first command;

detect a phase shift of an RF transmit signal from the first RF terminal resulting from adjusting impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit; and

apply a compensating phase shift to an input signal to the RF power amplifier based on the detected phase shift,

wherein the output power is based on the impedance of the tunable antenna matching circuit and the at least one input signal to the RF power amplifier.