Methods and apparatus for tuning a communication device

• US 9,362,891 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Man, Ying Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, ANGELICA
• Application Number:
  US13/558,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20140030987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77, 455/67.14, 455/120, 455/160, 455/82, 455/87, 455/123, 455/133, 333/17.3, 343/850
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0008 using a central processing unit, e.g. a microprocessor digital tuning in general H03J5/0245
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/10 Tuning of a resonator by means of digitally controlled capacitor bank
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, method for initiating a mode of operation of a communication device, measuring a signal to determine an adverse operational effect on the communication device, determining a tuning state from the signal to compensate for the adverse operational effect, tuning a circuit of the communication device having a variable reactance according to the tuning state, storing the tuning state in a memory of the communication device, and tuning the circuit according to the tuning state retrieved from the memory responsive to detecting a reoccurrence of the mode of operation of the communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna comprising an antenna feed point having an associated load impedance of the antenna;

a tunable circuit coupled to the antenna feed point and having a variable reactive impedance adjustable to compensate for a change in the load impedance of the antenna;

a tuning sensor in communication with the tunable circuit and providing a sensor signal based on a mode of operation of the communication device;

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the tuning sensor, the tunable circuit, and the antenna, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

presenting a first prompt at a user interface of the communication device to calibrate the communication device; and

detecting user input at the user interface responsive to the first prompt;

initiating a mode of operation of the communication device responsive to the detecting of the user input;

measuring the sensor signal to determine an adverse state comprising the change in the load impedance of the antenna caused by the mode of operation of the communication device;

determining a tuning state based on the sensor signal;

tuning the tunable circuit according to the tuning state to compensate for the adverse state;

storing the tuning state in a look-up table indexed according to the mode of operation of the communication device;

detecting a reinitiating of the mode of operation of the communication device;

retrieving, in response to the detecting of the reinitiating of the mode and without performing a sensor signal measurement, the tuning state from the look-up table based on the mode of operation of the communication device; and

tuning the tunable circuit according to the tuning state retrieved from the look-up table.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the mode of operation of the communication device comprises:

presenting a second prompt requesting an initiation of the mode of operation of the communication device;

detecting user input; and

initiating the mode of operation of the communication device responsive to detecting the user input, and

wherein the measuring the signal to determine the adverse state comprises using the tuning sensor.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the adverse state comprises the change in the load impedance of the antenna, and

wherein the detecting of the reinitiating of the mode of operation of the communication device comprises detecting one of a physical configuration of the communication device, a function of the device, or both.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the adverse state comprises a range of load impedances of the antenna, and wherein the determining of the tuning state comprises:

determining a reflection coefficient from the signal, wherein the reflection coefficient is indicative of the adverse state, corresponding to the range of load impedances of the antenna; and

determining the tuning state from the reflection coefficient to compensate for the range of load impedances of the antenna.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the mode of operation of the communication device comprises a communication session.

6. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the communication session is one of a voice communication session or a data communication session.

7. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the communication session is one of a circuit-switched communication session or packet-switched communication session.

8. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the communication session conforms to a long term evolution communication protocol.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the mode of operation of the communication device comprises an execution of a software application.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the software application is a video game.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the determining of the tuning state comprises:

determining a measure of a received signal strength indicator from the signal; and

determining the tuning state from the received signal strength indicator.

12. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable circuit comprises a fixed reactive element controlled by a semiconductor device to produce a variable reactance.

13. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable circuit comprises a fixed reactive element controlled by a micro-electro-mechanical systems device to produce a variable reactance.

14. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable circuit comprises a variable reactive element controlled by a micro-electro-mechanical systems device to produce a variable reactance.

15. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable circuit comprises a variable reactive element controlled by a bias signal that varies a dielectric constant of the variable reactive element to produce a variable reactance.

16. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable circuit comprises one of a tunable matching network coupled to the antenna to compensate for the change in the load impedance of the antenna, a compensation circuit to compensate for mutual coupling between the antenna and another antenna of the communication device, an amplifier tuning circuit to control operations of an amplifier of the communication device, a filter tuning circuit to alter a pass band of a filter of the communication device, or combinations thereof.

17. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the signal is received from the antenna, and wherein the tuning of the tunable circuit according to the tuning state retrieved from the look-up table is performed without repeating the measuring of the signal to determine the adverse state.

18. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device is one of a cellular telephone, a tablet, or a computer.

19. A tangible storage device, comprising executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

presenting a prompt at a user interface of a communication device to calibrate the communication device; and

detecting user input at the user interface responsive to the prompt;

identifying responsive to the detecting of the user input a mode of operation of the communication device in communication with an antenna;

measuring a signal to determine an adverse effect on a performance metric of the communication device, wherein the adverse effect comprises a change in a load impedance of the antenna, and wherein the signal comprises an indication of the change in load impedance of the antenna;

determining a tuning state based on the signal;

tuning a circuit having a variable reactance according to the tuning state to compensate for the change in the load impedance of the antenna;

storing in a memory the tuning state in association with the mode of operation of the communication device;

detecting a reoccurrence of the mode of operation of the communication device;

retrieving the tuning state from the memory based on the mode of operation of the communication device and without repeating of the measuring of the signal; and

tuning the circuit according to the tuning state retrieved from the memory.

20. The tangible storage device of claim 19, wherein the measuring the signal to determine the adverse effect comprises measuring the signal at any stage of a transceiver coupled to the antenna, and

wherein the signal comprises one of transmit power, transmitter efficiency, receiver sensitivity, power consumption, frequency band selectivity, linearity, efficiency of power amplifiers, or specific absorption rate requirements.

21. The tangible storage device of claim 19, wherein the circuit comprises one of a variable capacitor, a variable inductor, or combinations thereof, and wherein the measuring the signal to determine the adverse effect comprises using one of a directional coupler, a voltage divider, or a combination thereof.

22. The tangible storage device of claim 19, wherein the mode of operation of the communication device is one of a data communication session, a voice communication session, or execution of a software application.

23. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a communication device comprising a processor, a first prompt at a user interface of the communication device to calibrate the communication device; and

detecting, by the communication device, user input at the user interface responsive to the first prompt;

initiating, by the communication device, a mode of operation of the communication device in communication with a load impedance, wherein the initiating of the mode of operation is responsive to the detecting of the user input;

measuring, by the communication device, a signal to determine an adverse operational effect on the communication device, wherein the adverse effect comprises a change in the load impedance, and wherein the signal comprises an indication of the change in the load impedance;

determining, by the communication device, a tuning state based on the signal to compensate for the adverse operational effect;

tuning, by the communication device, a circuit of the communication device having a variable reactance according to the tuning state;

storing, by the communication device, the tuning state in a memory of the communication device, wherein the tuning state is retrievable from the memory based on the mode of operation of the communication device; and

tuning, by the communication device, the circuit according to the tuning state retrieved from the memory responsive to detecting a reoccurrence of the mode of operation of the communication device and without using a tuning sensor.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the initiating of the mode of operation of the communication device, comprises:

presenting, by the communication device, a second prompt at a user interface of the communication device to initiate a calibration process; and

initiating, by the communication device, the mode of operation of the communication device responsive to detecting user input at the user interface.