Adaptive antenna tuner for a transceiver

• US 8,903,333 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US13/149,216
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 343/722, 343/750, 343/861, 455/77
• US Class Current: 455/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

An antenna tuner provides a pass band with a transmission resonant frequency and a receive resonant frequency. In this manner, the pass band of the antenna tuner can simultaneously provide matching at both a transmission frequency and a receive frequency, when both transmission signals and receive signals are received on the same antenna. The antenna tuner includes a first capacitive element that is coupled to series resonate with the antenna and a low-pass pi network.

Claims

1. An antenna tuning system operable to provide matching simultaneously at a first transmission frequency and a first receive frequency, the antenna tuning system comprising:

a first antenna tuner configured to provide a first pass band having a first resonant frequency and a second resonant frequency, the first antenna tuner comprising;

a first low-pass pi network, the first low-pass pi network comprising;

a first shunt connected segment configured to provide a first variable capacitance;

a second shunt connected segment configured to provide a second variable capacitance;

a first series connected segment coupled between the first shunt connected segment and the second shunt connected segment and configured to provide a first inductance;

a first capacitive element configured to provide a third variable capacitance wherein the first capacitive element is coupled in series with the first low-pass pi network; and

an antenna tuner control system operably associated with the first antenna tuner, the antenna tuner control system being operable to control the first variable capacitance, the second variable capacitance, and the third variable capacitance so as to degrade the first pass band of the antenna tuner between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency to provide higher O-factors at the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency.

2. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein the first resonant frequency is positioned around a first edge of the first pass band and the second resonant frequency is positioned around a second edge of the first pass band.

3. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein the antenna tuner control system is operable to set the first variable capacitance and the second variable capacitance such that the first transmission frequency is within the 3 dB bandwidth of the first resonant frequency and the first receive frequency is within 3 dB bandwidth of the second resonant frequency.

4. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first antenna having a second inductance;

the first capacitive element being coupled in series between the first antenna and the low-pass pi network such that the third variable capacitance and the second inductance are operable to provide a series resonance between the first antenna and the first capacitive element that sets a first intermediate frequency of the first pass band between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency; and

the antenna tuner control system being operable to transpose the first pass band by controlling the third variable capacitance.

5. The antenna tuning system of claim 4, wherein the antenna tuner control system is operable to transpose the first pass band so that the first intermediate frequency of the first pass band is placed between the first transmission frequency and the first receive frequency.

6. The antenna tuning system of claim 5, wherein the antenna tuner control system is operable to transpose the first pass band so that the first intermediate frequency of the first pass band is placed between a second transmission frequency and a second receive frequency.

8. The antenna tuning system of claim 4, wherein the antenna tuner control system is operable to control the first variable capacitance, the second variable capacitance, and the third variable capacitance, so as to adjust a frequency span of the first pass band.

9. The antenna tuning system of claim 8, wherein the antenna tuner control system is configured to transpose the pass band by controlling the first variable capacitance.

10. The antenna tuning system of claim 4, further comprising:

the first antenna comprising a high-band antenna;

a low-band antenna, wherein the low-band antenna has a third inductance;

a second antenna tuner configured to provide a second pass band having a third resonant frequency and a fourth resonant frequency, the second antenna tuner comprising;

a second low-pass pi network, the second low-pass pi network comprising;

a third shunt connected segment configured to provide a fourth variable capacitance;

a fourth shunt connected segment configured to provide a fifth variable capacitance;

a second series connected segment coupled between the third shunt connected segment and the fourth shunt connected segment and configured to provide a fourth inductance; and

the antenna tuner control system is operable to set the fourth variable capacitance and the fifth variable capacitance so that the second transmission frequency is within a 3 dB bandwidth of the third resonant frequency and the second receive frequency is within a 3 dB bandwidth of the fourth resonant frequency is within 3 decibels of a second receive frequency.

11. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, further comprising:

the first series connected segment having a first node and a second node wherein the first capacitive element is coupled to the low-pass pi network at the first node; and

a second capacitive element having a fourth variable capacitance, wherein the second capacitive element is coupled to the low-pass pi network at the second node.

12. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, further comprising:

the first series connected segment has a first node and a second node wherein the first capacitive element is coupled to the low-pass pi-network at the first node; and

an inductive element having a second inductance and coupled in series with the low-pass pi network at the second node.

13. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein:

the first shunt connected segment comprises a first programmable capacitor array configured to provide the first variable capacitance; and

the second shunt connected segment comprises a second programmable capacitor array configured to provide the second variable capacitance.

14. The antenna tuning system of claim 13, wherein:

the first shunt connected segment further comprises a first inductor coupled in parallel with the first programmable capacitor array; and

the second shunt connected segment further comprises a second inductor coupled in parallel with the second programmable capacitor array.

15. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein the first series connected segment comprises a first inductor configured to provide the first inductance.

16. The antenna tuning system of claim 15, wherein the first series connected segment further comprises a fourth capacitive element configured to provide a fourth variable capacitance and coupled in series with the first inductor.

17. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein the first series connected segment comprises a first transmission line that is configured to provide the first inductance.

18. The antenna tuning system of claim 1, wherein the first capacitive element comprises a first programmable capacitor array configured to provide the third variable capacitance.

7. The antenna tuning system of claim above 6, wherein:

the first transmission frequency defines a first physical uplink channel;

the first receive frequency defines a first physical downlink channel, wherein the first physical uplink channel and the first physical downlink channel are associated with a first transport channel;

the second transmission carrier frequency is associated with a second physical uplink channel; and

the second receive carrier frequency is associated with a second physical downlink channel, wherein the second physical uplink channel and the second physical downlink channel are associated with a second transport channel.

19. A transceiver, comprising:

a transmitter circuit operable to up convert a first transmission signal into a first physical uplink channel;

a receiver circuit operable to down convert a first receive signal out of a first physical downlink channel;

an antenna tuner operably associated with the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit, wherein the antenna tuner is configured to provide a first pass band having a first resonant frequency and a second resonant frequency, the antenna tuner comprising;

a first low-pass pi network, the first low-pass pi network comprising;

a first shunt connected segment configured to provide a first variable capacitance;

a second shunt connected segment configured to provide a second variable capacitance;

a first series connected segment coupled between the first shunt connected segment and the second shunt connected segment and configured to provide a first inductance;

a first capacitive element configured to provide a third variable capacitance wherein the first capacitive element is coupled in series with the first low-pass pi network; and

an antenna tuner control system operably associated with the antenna tuner to control the first variable capacitance, the second variable capacitance, and the third variable capacitance such that the first physical uplink channel is within a 3 dB bandwidth of the first resonant frequency and the first physical downlink channel is within a 3 dB bandwidth of the second resonant frequency and so as to degrade the first pass band of the antenna tuner between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency to provide higher Q-factors at the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency.

20. The transceiver of claim 19, wherein the first physical uplink channel and the first physical downlink channel are associated with a first transport channel.

21. The transceiver of claim 20, wherein the first physical uplink channel is selected from a group consisting of an uplink dedicated physical control channel, an uplink enhanced dedicated physical control channel, an uplink high speed dedicated physical control channel, an uplink physical random access channel, an uplink common physical control channel.

22. The transceiver of claim 20, wherein the first physical downlink channel is selected from a group consisting of a downlink dedicated physical channel, a downlink enhanced dedicated physical channel, a downlink fractional dedicated physical channel, a downlink enhanced dedicated relative grant channel, a downlink enhanced hybrid indicator channel, a downlink physical random access channel, a downlink primary common control physical channel, a downlink secondary common control physical channel, and a downlink high speed shared control physical channel.

23. The transceiver of claim 19, further comprising:

a transceiver power control system having the antenna tuner control system, wherein the transceiver power control system is operable to receive transmission power control information for adjusting the first transmission signal to a first desired transmission power level and wherein the transmission power control information is from the first receive signal;

the transmitter circuit further comprising a coupler that is connected to generate a transmit feedback signal having a signal level associated with a current power level of the first transmission signal; and

the antenna tuner control system being operable to adjust the pass band based on the transmission power control information and the signal level of the transmit feedback signal so as to reduce a difference between the current power level of the first transmission signal and the first desired transmission power level.

24. The transceiver of claim 19, further comprising:

a transceiver power control system having the antenna tuner control system, wherein the transceiver power control system is operable to provide receive power control information for adjusting the first receive signal to a first desired receive power level and being operably associated with the receiver circuit so as to provide a receive signal power measurement associated a current power level of the first receive signal; and

the antenna tuner control system being operable to adjust the pass band based on the receive power control information and the receive signal power measurement so as to reduce a difference between the current power level of the first receive signal and the first desired receive power level.

25. The transceiver of claim 19, further comprising a first antenna having a second inductance, wherein the first capacitive element is coupled so as to series resonate with the antenna.