Method and apparatus for managing operations of a communication device

• US 9,026,062 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2009
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Manssen, Keith R., Greene, Matthew R., Hoirup, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorowar, Golam
• Application Number:
  US12/577,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20110086630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,033 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/426.1, 455/434, 455/83, 455/73, 455/422.1, 455/433, 455/550.1, 455/419, 455/466, 455/77, 455/121, 455/200.1, 455/115.1, 455/125, 455/435.2, 455/552.1, 455/127.1, 370/447, 370/461, 333/32, 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 1/18 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 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller to provision a matching network that controls one or more operational characteristics of one of a receiver portion and a transmitter portion of the communication device according to a profile describing one or more characteristics of a communication system from which the communication device operates. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a communication device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the communication device, the communication element having an element identifier that enables the processor to determine an identity of the communication element from among a group of communication devices of a communication network; and

selecting a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on the identity of the communication element that corresponds to the selected profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes performance information to be utilized in tuning of a matching network of the communication device, wherein the performance information identifies one or more RF performance parameters to be utilized in determining a tuning state of the matching network, wherein the plurality of profiles does not include settings for one or more variable reactance elements of the matching network.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a provisioning instruction from a communication system managing the communication network to which the communication element belongs, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters include at least two RF performance parameters.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the communication element is part of a cellular base station, and wherein the element identifier is a Cell Identifier.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

adjusting a tuning state of the matching network according to the performance information in the selected profile.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise at least one of radiated transmit power, receive sensitivity, transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise power amplifier efficiency.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the communication device is a cell phone, and wherein the selecting of the profile from among the plurality of profiles is performed without receiving operational information from the communication element.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the performance information gives weights to each member of a set of RF performance parameters that are usable in determining a tuning state of the matching network.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise RSSI data.

11. A method, to be performed by a communication device, of tuning a matching network in the communication device, comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the communication device, the communication element being a single device having an element identifier that enables a processor of the communication device to determine an identity of the communication element; and

selecting a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on the identity of the communication element that corresponds to the selected profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes performance information to be utilized in the tuning of the matching network of the communication device, wherein the performance information includes desired operational metrics that can be compared with measured operational metrics for the communication device to perform the tuning of the matching network, wherein the plurality of profiles does not include settings for one or more variable reactance elements of the matching network.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving a provisioning instruction from a communication system to which the communication element belongs.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication element is a cellular base station or a wireless local area network access point.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising adjusting a tuning state of the matching network according to the performance information in the selected profile.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the performance information identifies one or more RF performance parameters to be utilized in determining a tuning state of the matching network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired operational metrics are based on at least one of radiated transmit power, receive sensitivity, transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired operational metrics are based on transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired operational metrics are based on power amplifier efficiency.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication device is a cell phone.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the performance information gives weights to each member of a set of RF performance parameters that are usable in determining a tuning state of the matching network.

21. A wireless communication device comprising:

a matching network; and

a controller coupled with the matching network for tuning of the matching network, wherein the controller performs operations comprising;

establishing a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the communication device, the communication element being a device of a cellular base station or a wireless local area network access point, the communication element having an element identifier that enables the controller to determine an identity of the communication element from among a group of communication devices of a communication network; and

selecting a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on the identity of the communication element that corresponds to the selected profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes performance information to be utilized in the tuning of the matching network of the communication device, wherein the performance information identifies one or more RF performance parameters to be utilized in determining a tuning state of the matching network;

measuring an RF performance parameter during RF operation to obtain a measured RF performance parameter;

comparing the measured RF performance parameter with the one or more RF performance parameters obtained from the performance information of the selected profile; and

adjusting one or more variable reactance elements of the matching network in an iterative process based on the comparing until the measured RF performance parameter satisfies a threshold for the one or more RF performance parameters.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the controller receives a provisioning instruction from a communication system that manages the communication network to which the communication element belongs.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise at least one of radiated transmit power, receive sensitivity, transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the one or more RF performance parameters comprise power amplifier efficiency.

26. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the communication device is a cell phone.

27. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the performance information gives weights to each member of a set of RF performance parameters that are usable in determining a tuning state of the matching network.

28. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the performance information includes settings for one or more variable reactance elements of the matching network.