APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ANTENNA MATCHING IN MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110281532A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Jae Ho, JUNG, Jin Woo, SHIN, Yong Joo, KIM, Da Jeong, RYU, Wan Sang, YUN, Ji Yeon
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/77
• 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

An apparatus and a method of realizing an antenna matching in accordance with a user'"'"'s body effect and a state of a mobile device are provided. The method includes determining a state of the mobile device on a basis of a call mode and at least one of whether an external device is connected to the mobile device, whether a receiver is being used, whether a speaker is being used, and whether a proximity sensor is activated, determining an optimal Tunable Matching Network (TMN) circuit adjustment value in accordance with the determined state, and performing the antenna matching in accordance with the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value.

Claims

1. A method for an antenna matching in a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining a state of the mobile device on a basis of a call mode and at least one of whether an external device is connected, whether a receiver is being used, whether a speaker is being used, and whether a proximity sensor is activated;

determining an optimal Tunable Matching Network (TMN) circuit adjustment value in accordance with the determined state of the mobile device; and

performing antenna matching in accordance with the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the mobile device includes a Hand state, a Head &

Hand state, and a Free state,

wherein the Hand state comprises the mobile device being located at a user'"'"'s hand while in the call mode,

wherein the Head &

Hand state comprises the mobile device being held in the user'"'"'s hand and located near the user'"'"'s head while in the call mode, and

wherein the Free state comprises the mobile device being in an idle mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the state of the mobile device further includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Optimization state comprising the external device being connected to a USB connector while in the call mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the state of the mobile device includes:

if the mobile device is in the idle mode, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Free state;

if the external device is connected to the USB connector while in the call mode, determining that the state of the mobile device is the USB Optimization state;

if the external device is not connected to the USB connector while in the call mode and if a signal is not input from the proximity sensor, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Hand state; and

if the external device is not connected to the USB connector while in the call mode and if a signal is input from the proximity sensor, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Head &

Hand state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the state of the mobile device further includes:

if a signal for state determination is input in a test mode, determining that the state of the mobile device is a specific state, in accordance with the signal, among the Hand state, the Head &

Hand state, the Free state, and the USB Optimization state.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the state of the mobile device includes:

if the mobile device is in the idle mode, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Free state;

if the mobile device is in the call mode and if the receiver is being used, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Head &

Hand state; and

if the mobile device is in the call mode and if the speaker is being used, determining that the state of the mobile device is the Hand state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value is determined on a basis of a lookup table in which optimal TMN circuit adjustment values depending on the state of the mobile device are recorded.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

classifying all channels in each band of each service network into groups and then constructing the lookup table for each group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna matching is performed at a specific time except a time conflicting with an uplink transmission time, a downlink reception time, or a reception monitoring execution time in the call mode.

10. An apparatus for antenna matching in a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit for determining a state of the mobile device on a basis of a call mode and at least one of whether an external device is connected to the mobile device, whether a receiver is being used, whether a speaker is being used, and whether a proximity sensor is activated, and for determining an optimal Tunable Matching Network (TMN) circuit adjustment value in accordance with the determined state of the mobile device; and

a TMN unit for receiving the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value from the control unit and for performing the antenna matching in accordance with the received value.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state of the mobile device includes a Hand state, a Head &

Hand state, and a Free state,

wherein the Hand state comprises the mobile device being located at a user'"'"'s hand while in the call mode,

wherein the Head &

Hand state comprises the mobile device being held in the user'"'"'s hand and located near the user'"'"'s head while in the call mode, and

wherein the Free state comprises the mobile device being in an idle mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the state of the mobile device further includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Optimization state comprising the external device being connected to a USB connector while in the call mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

if the mobile device is in the idle mode, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Free state;

if the external device is connected to the USB connector while in the call mode, determine that the state of the mobile device is the USB Optimization state;

if the external device is not connected to the USB connector while in the call mode and if a signal is not inputted from the proximity sensor, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Hand state; and

if the external device is not connected to the USB connector while in the call mode and if a signal is inputted from the proximity sensor, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Head &

Hand state.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

if a signal for state determination is input while in a test mode, determine that the state of the mobile device is a specific state, in accordance with the signal, among the Hand state, the Head &

Hand state, the Free state, and the USB Optimization state.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

if the mobile device is in the idle mode, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Free state;

if the mobile device is in the call mode and if the receiver is being used, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Head &

Hand state; and

if the mobile device is in the call mode and if the speaker is being used, determine that the state of the mobile device is the Hand state.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value on a basis of a lookup table in which optimal TMN circuit adjustment values depending on the state of the mobile device are recorded.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the control unit is further configured to classify all channels in each band of each service network into groups and then to construct the lookup table for each group.

18. An apparatus for antenna matching in a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

a connector for connecting an external device;

a proximity sensor for detecting an approach of a foreign object;

a control unit for determining a state of the mobile device on a basis of a signal received from the connector, a signal received from the proximity sensor, and a call mode, and for determining an optimal Tunable Matching Network (TMN) circuit adjustment value in accordance with the determined state of the mobile device; and

a TMN unit for receiving the optimal TMN circuit adjustment value from the control unit and for performing the antenna matching in accordance with the received value.