Antenna tuner with zero volts impedance fold back

• US 7,813,777 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Paratek Microwave Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Boire, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/637,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 455/79, 455/82, 455/560, 455/562.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.7, 343/745
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• 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 2200/06 Tuning of antenna

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a wireless handset and an antenna tuner within the wireless handset that is adapted to preset its impedance to the transmit/receive circuitry in the handset.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless handset having transmit/receive circuitry and an antenna; and

an antenna tuner comprising a plurality of tunable capacitors and being within said wireless handset, the antenna tuner being adapted to preset its impedance to match an impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset when there is no voltage bias applied to the antenna tuner, wherein the tunable capacitors correct for impedance mismatches at the antenna when a tuning voltage is applied, and wherein the antenna tuner returns to its preset impedance when the tuning voltage is removed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the preset impedance is 50 ohms.

3. An antenna tuner, comprising:

a circuit operable in a wireless handset and comprising tunable varactors; and

wherein said circuit is adapted to preset its impedance to match an impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset, the preset impedance matching the impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset when there is no bias applied to the antenna tuner, wherein the tunable varactors correct for impedance mismatches at an antenna of the handset when a tuning bias is applied, and wherein the circuit returns to its preset impedance when the tuning bias is removed.

4. The antenna tuner of claim 3, wherein said tunable varactors are voltage tunable dielectric varactors.

5. The antenna tuner of claim 3, wherein preset impedance is 50 ohms.

6. A method, comprising:

using an antenna tuner within a wireless handset, said antenna tuner set to a preset impedance equal to an impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset when there is no voltage bias applied to the antenna tuner, wherein the antenna tuner has a plurality of tunable capacitors that correct for impedance mismatches at an antenna of the handset when a tuning voltage is applied, and wherein the antenna tuner returns to its preset impedance when the tuning voltage is removed.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising setting said preset impedance to 50 ohms.

8. An antenna tuner, comprising:

a tunable reactance circuit configured to be operable in a wireless handset and comprising one or more elements, wherein said circuit is adapted to preset its impedance to match an impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset, the preset impedance matching the impedance of the transmit/receive circuitry in said handset when there is no bias applied to the antenna tuner, wherein the tunable reactance circuit corrects for impedance mismatches at an antenna of the handset when a tuning bias is applied, and wherein the circuit returns to its preset impedance when the tuning bias is removed.

9. The antenna tuner of claim 8, wherein the element is a tunable varactor.

10. The antenna tuner of claim 9, wherein the tunable varactor is a voltage tunable dielectric varactor.

11. The antenna tuner of claim 8, wherein the element comprises a plurality of capacitors.

12. The antenna tuner of claim 8, wherein the element comprises a plurality of inductors.

13. The antenna tuner of claim 8, wherein the element comprises a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of inductors.