Method and apparatus for tuning a communication device

• US 8,626,083 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Greene, Matthew R., Manssen, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US13/108,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77, 455/126, 315/248, 315/151, 315/158, 324/649, 343/745, 343/861
• US Class Current: 455/77
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/314 using frequency dependent circuits or components, e.g. trap circuits or capacitors
• 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

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a tuning system for a communication device having an antenna where the tuning system includes at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna where the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element is based on a closed loop process, and a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna for tuning the matching network based on an operational parameter of the communication device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A tuning system for a communication device having an antenna, the tuning system comprising:

at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element comprises a closed loop process;

a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna for tuning the matching network based on an operational parameter of the communication device; and

a detector coupled between the antenna and the matching network, wherein the operational parameter is obtained using the detector without using a measuring component coupled between the matching network and a transceiver of the communication device.

2. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the operational parameter comprises at least one of output power, return loss, received power, current drain or transmitter linearity.

3. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the operational parameter comprises return loss.

4. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the operational parameter is obtained during transmission by a transceiver of the communication device.

5. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the operational parameter comprises received power.

6. The tuning system of claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element is based on metrics obtained from the detector.

7. The tuning system of claim 1, comprising a detector and a directional coupler coupled between the antenna and the matching network, wherein the operational parameter is obtained from the detector.

8. The tuning system of claim 7, wherein a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) associated with the antenna is obtained using the directional coupler, and wherein the at least one first tunable element is adjusted based on the VSWR.

9. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the at least one first tunable element and the at least one second tunable element is electrically tunable capacitors.

10. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the closed loop process is based on derivative information associated with a detected RF voltage of the communication device.

11. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one radiating element includes a low band radiating element and a high band radiating element.

12. The tuning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first tunable element includes an electrically tunable capacitor.

13. A tuning system for a communication device having an antenna, the tuning system comprising:

at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element comprises a closed loop process; and

a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna for tuning the matching network based on an operational parameter of the communication device,

wherein the operational parameter is obtained using a directional coupler coupled between the matching network and a transceiver, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element and the adjusting of the at least one second tunable element are based on the operational parameter without obtaining measurements from a measuring components positioned in proximity to the antenna.

14. A tuning system for a communication device having an antenna, the tuning system comprising:

at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element comprises a closed loop process; and

a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna for tuning the matching network based on an operational parameter of the communication device;

a first measuring component coupled between the matching network and a transceiver to obtain the operational parameter of the communication device; and

a second measuring component coupled between the antenna and the matching network to obtain an other operational parameter associated with a transmit power of the communication device, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element is based on the other operational parameter.

15. The tuning system of claim 14, wherein the first measuring component is a directional coupler.

16. The tuning system of claim 14, wherein at least one first radiating element of the antenna associated with a first frequency range is tuned using a different process than is utilized in tuning at least one second radiating element of the antenna associated with a second frequency range.

17. The tuning system of claim 16, wherein the at least one first radiating element is a high band radiating element tuned based on an open loop process.

18. The tuning system of claim 14, wherein the first and second measuring components are directional couplers.

19. A tuning system for a communication device having an antenna, the tuning system comprising:

at least one first tunable element connected with at least one radiating element of the antenna for tuning the antenna, wherein the adjusting of the at least one first tunable element comprises a first closed loop process; and

a matching network having at least one second tunable element coupled at a feed point of the antenna for tuning the matching network based on a second closed loop process,

wherein the first and second closed loop processes are iterative processes, and

wherein at least one measured operational metric of the communication device is utilized by both of the first and second closed loop processes.

20. The tuning system of claim 19, wherein the at least one first tunable element comprises an electrically tunable capacitor.