Control of transmit power and adjustment of antenna tuning network of a wireless device

• US 9,392,558 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: See, Puay Hoe, Zhang, Xiangdong
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US13/667,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range

Abstract

Techniques for controlling transmit power and adjusting an antenna tuning network of a wireless device are disclosed. In an exemplary design, an apparatus (e.g., a wireless device or a circuit module) includes a directional coupler and at least one detector. The directional coupler receives an input radio frequency (RF) signal at a first port, provides an output RF signal at a second port, and provides a coupled RF signal at a third port. The detector(s) receive at least one RF signal on at least one port of the directional coupler, measure the at least one RF signal, and provide measurements that are used to control the transmit power of the wireless device and adjust an antenna tuning network. For example, the measurements may be used to determine incident power, reflected power, delivered power, etc., which may be used to control the transmit power and/or adjust the antenna tuning network.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a directional coupler configured to receive an input radio frequency (RF) signal at a first port, provide an output RF signal at a second port, provide a coupled RF signal at a third port;

at least one detector coupled to the directional coupler and configured to receive at least one RF signal on at least one port of the directional coupler, measure the at least one RF signal, and provide measurements based on the at least one RF signal received from the directional coupler and used to control within a transceiver a transmit power of a wireless device and adjust an antenna tuning network on the wireless device; and

at least one control module configured to;

receive the measurements from the at least one detector;

generate controls based on the measurements to control the transmit power of the wireless device and adjust the antenna tuning network;

determine a current transmit power of the wireless device based on the measurements;

determine whether the current transmit power exceeds a maximum transmit power allowed for the wireless device; and

limit the transmit power of the wireless device to be within the maximum transmit power.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, the at least one control module is further configured to:

determine a current state of the antenna tuning network;

select a new state of the antenna tuning network based on the measurements; and

set the antenna tuning network to the new state.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the detector comprises at least one power detector configured to provide measurements for power level of the at least one RF signal and wherein the at least one control module is further configured to:

determine delivered power, or reflected power, or both based on the measurements; and

adjust the antenna tuning network to increase the delivered power, or reduce the reflected power, or both.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the directional coupler is further configured to provide a reflected RF signal at a fourth port, and the at least one RF signal comprising at least one of the input RF signal, the output RF signal, the coupled RF signal, and the reflected RF signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, the at least one control module is further configured to adjust the antenna tuning network based on transmit timing, or receive timing, or both of the wireless device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, 2, or 7, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device comprising an integrated circuit and a front-end module external to the integrated circuit, wherein the at least one control module comprises circuitry included in the integrated circuit, and the directional coupler and the at least one detector comprise circuitry included in the front-end module external to the integrated circuit.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a directional coupler configured to receive an input radio frequency (RF) signal at a first port, provide an output RF signal at a second port, provide a coupled RF signal at a third port;

at least one detector coupled to the directional coupler and configured to receive at least one RF signal on at least one port of the directional coupler, measure the at least one RF signal, and provide measurements based on the at least one RF signal received from the directional coupler and used to control within a transceiver a transmit power of a wireless device and adjust an antenna tuning network on the wireless device; and

at least one control module configured to;

receive the measurements from the at least one detector;

generate controls based on the measurements to control the transmit power of the wireless device and adjust the antenna tuning network;

determine incident power and reflected power based on the measurements;

determine delivered power based on the incident power and the reflected power; and

control the transmit power of the wireless device based on the delivered power.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a directional coupler configured to receive an input radio frequency (RF) signal at a first port, provide an output RF signal at a second port, provide a coupled RF signal at a third port;

at least one detector coupled to the directional coupler and configured to receive at least one RF signal on at least one port of the directional coupler, measure the at least one RF signal, and provide measurements based on the at least one RF signal received from the directional coupler and used to control within a transceiver a transmit power of a wireless device and adjust an antenna tuning network on the wireless device; and

at least one control module configured to;

receive the measurements from the at least one detector;

generate controls based on the measurements to control the transmit power of the wireless device and adjust the antenna tuning network; and

adjust the antenna tuning network at or before transmit boundaries, or receive boundaries, or both of the wireless device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for coupling a first portion of an input radio frequency (RF) signal as an output RF signal and coupling a second portion of the input RF signal as a coupled RF signal;

means for obtaining measurements for at least one RF signal on at least one port of the means for coupling;

means for controlling within a transceiver a transmit power of a wireless device based on the measurements determined via the at least one RF signal received from the directional coupler, the means for controlling the transmit power comprising;

means for determining a current transmit power of the wireless device based on the measurements;

means for determining whether the current transmit power exceeds a maximum transmit power allowed for the wireless device; and

means for limiting the transmit power of the wireless device to be within the maximum transmit power; and

means for adjusting an antenna tuning network on the wireless device based on the measurements.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the means for adjusting the antenna tuning network comprising:

means for determining a current state of the antenna tuning network;

means for selecting a new state of the antenna tuning network based on the measurements; and

means for setting the antenna tuning network to the new state.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the means for adjusting the antenna tuning network comprising a means for adjusting the antenna tuning network at or before transmit boundaries, or receive boundaries, or both of the wireless device.