Communications circuitry for an electronic device

• US 8,706,053 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr., Story, David R., Futter, Paul, Hayes, Gerard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US12/621,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20110117863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 455/77, 455/82, 455/83, 455/91, 455/101, 455/102, 455/103, 455/121, 455/127.3, 455/192.3, 455/193.1, 455/150.1, 455/226.1, 455/550.1, 455/114.2, 455/126
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

The control of an antenna tuner for a portable electronic device includes closed loop tuning when sufficient transmit power is present. The closed loop tuning commences using a predetermined antenna tuner configuration for an operational band and device state. The closed loop tuning may be constrained by a tuning range associated with the predetermined antenna tuner configuration for the operational band and device state. Also, when transmit power is low or when a transceiver is in a receive only state, open loop tuning may be conducted by placing the antenna tuner in the predetermined (or default) configuration for the operational band and phone state.

Claims

1. A communications circuit assembly for an electronic device through which the electronic device establishes wireless communications with a communications network, comprising:

a transceiver;

an antenna assembly;

an impedance matching tuner that operatively couples the transceiver and the antenna assembly, the impedance matching tuner has a variable impedance matching configuration to match impedance of the antenna assembly to the transceiver; and

a controller configured to control the impedance matching tuner by outputting impedance matching tuner control data to the impedance matching tuner, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is;

predetermined tuning values for a currently used frequency band and a currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when transmit power is below a predetermined threshold so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is open loop; and

closed loop controlled tuning values that start with the predetermined tuning values for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when transmit power is above the predetermined threshold so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is closed loop.

2. The communications circuit assembly of claim 1, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is predetermined tuning values for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when the electronic device is in a receive mode so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is open loop.

3. The communications circuit assembly of claim 2, wherein the receive mode is a sense mode to ascertain available base stations.

4. The communications circuit assembly of claim 1, wherein the closed loop controlled tuning values are bound by a predetermined tuning range for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly.

5. The communications circuit assembly of claim 1, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is input to a decoder that decodes the impedance matching tuner control data into control signals for individual components of the impedance matching tuner.

6. The communications circuit assembly of claim 5, wherein the individual components of the impedance matching tuner are micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices.

7. A method of tuning an antenna assembly from a communications circuit assembly for an electronic device through which the electronic device establishes wireless communications with a communications network, comprising:

operatively coupling a transceiver and the antenna assembly with a impedance matching tuner, the impedance matching tuner having a variable impedance matching configuration to match impedance of the antenna assembly to the transceiver; and

controlling the impedance matching tuner by outputting impedance matching tuner control data with a controller, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is;

predetermined tuning values for a currently used frequency band and a currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when transmit power is below a predetermined threshold so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is open loop; and

closed loop controlled tuning values that start with the predetermined tuning values for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when transmit power is above the predetermined threshold so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is closed loop.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is predetermined tuning values for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly when the electronic device is in a receive mode so that the impedance matching configuration of the impedance matching tuner coupling the antenna assembly and the transceiver is open loop.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receive mode is a sense mode to ascertain available base stations.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the closed loop controlled tuning values are bound by a predetermined tuning range for the currently used frequency band and currently sensed loading condition of the antenna assembly.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the impedance matching tuner control data is input to a decoder that decodes the impedance matching tuner control data into control signals for individual components of the impedance matching tuner.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the individual components of the impedance matching tuner are micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices.