Method and apparatus for calibrating a communication device

• US 9,020,446 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Manssen, Keith, Boire, Daniel Charles, Greene, Matthew Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US14/312,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20140302800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.14, 455/77, 455/82, 455/87, 455/120, 455/123, 455/133, 455/160.1, 455/178.1, 455/195.1, 455/424, 455/425, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/550.1, 343/850, 333/17.3
• 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 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions to perform actual measurements of one or more performance parameters of a communication device according to a subset of tuning states of a tunable matching network operable in a communication device, determine estimated measurements of the one or more performance parameters of the communication device for a portion of the tuning states not included in the subset of tuning states according to the actual measurements, identify a data set for each of the one or more performance parameters from at least portions of the tuning states and the actual and estimated measurements, and determine from at least a portion of the date sets one or more tuning states that achieve at least one desirable performance characteristic of the communication device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna;

a tunable matching network coupled with the antenna, the tunable matching network including at least one variable reactance element;

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

selecting a subset of tuning states for the tunable matching network, wherein the subset of tuning states excludes undesired tuning states based on operational specifications for the communication device;

performing actual measurements of a plurality of performance parameters of the communication device according to the subset of tuning states;

identifying data sets for the plurality of performance parameters from the subset of tuning states and the actual measurements; and

determining from the data sets one or more tuning states of the tunable matching network that achieves a performance characteristic of the communication device.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining estimated measurements of the plurality of performance parameters for at least a portion of the tuning states not included in the subset of tuning states based on the actual measurements of the plurality of performance parameters, wherein the identifying of the data sets is based in part on the estimated measurements.

3. The communication device of claim 2, wherein the estimated measurements are determined using regression analysis of the actual measurements of the plurality of performance parameters.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of performance parameters include at least one of total radiated power or total isotropic sensitivity.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein each of the data sets has at least two independent variables, and wherein the plurality of performance parameters includes at least one of transmitter power, transmitter efficiency, receiver sensitivity, power consumption of the communication device, a specific absorption rate, total radiated power, total isotropic sensitivity or radiated harmonics measurements.

6. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the at least two independent variables correspond to a combination of at least portions of the tuning states.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the tunable matching network comprises a switchable element that enables or disables at least one fixed reactance element.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the determined one or more tuning states are stored in a look-up table in the memory, and wherein the performance characteristic includes transmit power and receive power.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device is operable at a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of use cases, and wherein the determining of the one or more tuning states is based on at least one of the plurality of frequency bands and at least one of the plurality of use cases.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of use cases are determined from a plurality of operational states of the communication device.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of operational states correspond to at least one of a group of operational states comprising a state of use of the antenna of the communication, a state of use of a speakerphone feature of the communication, a state of use of a multi-configurable housing assembly of the communication device, a state of use of a hands-free feature of the communication device, and a state of a detectable proximity of a user to the communication device.

12. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a system including a processor, a measurement of a performance parameter of a communication device according to a subset of tuning states of a tunable reactive element of the communication device;

determining, by the system, an estimated measurement of the performance parameter for at least a portion of tuning states not included in the subset of tuning states based on the measurement of the performance parameter;

determining, by the system, a multi-dimensional data set for the performance parameter from at least a portion of the subset of tuning states, the obtained measurement and the estimated measurement; and

enabling a user selection from among the subset of tuning states for storage in a look-up table which can be used by the communication device for tuning the tunable reactive element, wherein the subset of tuning states excludes undesired tuning states based on operational specifications for the communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the estimated measurement for the performance parameter is according to regression analysis applied to the obtained measurement, wherein the performance parameter includes transmitter power, wherein the performance parameter is associated with a receive mode and a transmit mode of the communication device, and wherein the enabling of the user selection is while the communication device is in operation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the regression analysis is at least of a fourth order.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the performance parameter includes receiver sensitivity.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the performance parameter includes radiated harmonics measurements.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the performance parameter includes transmitter efficiency.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the performance parameter includes total isotropic sensitivity.

19. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna;

a tunable matching network coupled with the antenna, wherein the tunable matching network comprises at least one of a first tunable reactance circuit having at least one tunable reactive element, or a second tunable reactance circuit having at least one switchable element that enables or disables at least one fixed reactance element;

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

retrieving actual measurements of a performance parameter of the communication device according to a subset of tuning states of the tunable matching network, wherein the subset of tuning states excludes undesired tuning states based on operational specifications for the communication device;

identifying data sets for the performance parameter from at least portions of the tuning states and the actual measurements; and

determining from at least a portion of the data sets tuning states that achieve a performance characteristic of the communication device.

20. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining estimated measurements of the performance parameter for at least a portion of the tuning states not included in the subset of tuning states based on the actual measurements,

wherein the identifying of the data sets for the performance parameter is based in part on the estimated measurements.