Method and apparatus for beam forming and antenna tuning in a communication device

• US 9,413,066 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Zhu, Lizhong, Xu, Jun, He, Fei
• Primary Examiner(s): McGue, Frank J
• Application Number:
  US13/552,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 342/371
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining antenna coupling among a plurality of antennas of the communication device and adjusting beam forming for the plurality of antennas utilizing phase shifters coupled with radiating elements of the plurality of antennas, where the adjusting of the beam forming is based on forming a desired antenna pattern that increases radiated throughput and reduces the antenna coupling among the plurality of antennas. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a plurality of antennas including radiating elements;

phase shifters connected with the radiating elements;

a matching network including an adjustable reactive element, wherein the plurality of antennas is coupled with the matching network;

a memory storing computer instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the phase shifters, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising;

obtaining Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) data;

performing beam forming based on the RSSI data utilizing the phase shifters;

determining whether a first throughput threshold can be satisfied;

adjusting the beam forming utilizing the phase shifters responsive to a determination that the first throughput threshold cannot be satisfied, wherein the adjusting of the beam forming is based on forming a desired antenna pattern that increases radiated throughput and reduces antenna coupling among the plurality of antennas;

responsive to the adjusting of the beam forming, determining radiated throughput for an uplink throughput;

responsive to a first determination that the radiated throughput satisfies a second throughput threshold, reducing transit power; and

responsive to a second determination that the radiated throughput does not satisfy the second throughput threshold, tuning the matching network.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase shifters comprise voltage tunable dielectric capacitors.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase shifters comprise at least one of a semiconductor varactor, a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) varactor, a semiconductor switched capacitor, or a MEMS switched capacitor.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein each of the radiating elements is connected with one of the phase shifters.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:

calculating and storing throughput values during the performing of the beam forming; and

utilizing at least a portion of the stored throughput values for the determining of whether the throughput threshold can be satisfied.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, comprising a matching network including an adjustable reactive element, wherein the plurality of antennas is coupled with the matching network, and wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:

tuning the matching network towards a pre-determined match.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, comprising a matching network including an adjustable reactive element, wherein the plurality of antennas is coupled with the matching network, and wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:

tuning the matching network based on a tuning value from a look-up table of the memory that corresponds to a use case for the mobile communication device, wherein the tuning value is empirical data based on at least one of a total radiated power or a total isotropic sensitivity.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 7, wherein the use case corresponds to at least one of a flip open state, a slider out state, a hand'"'"'s free operation state, hand-held operation state, ear-piece speaker operation state, or a speaker-phone operation state.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the beam forming is based on instructions received from a base station.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the adjustable reactive element comprises at least one of a voltage tunable dielectric capacitor, a semiconductor varactor, a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) varactor, a semiconductor switched capacitor, or a MEMS switched capacitor.

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

obtaining Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) data;

performing beam forming based on the RSSI data utilizing phase shifters connected with radiating elements of a plurality of antennas;

determining whether a first throughput threshold can be satisfied;

adjusting the beam forming utilizing the phase shifters responsive to a determination that the first throughput threshold cannot be satisfied, wherein the adjusting of the beam forming is based on forming a desired antenna pattern that increases radiated throughput and reduces antenna coupling among the plurality of antennas;

responsive to the adjusting of the beam forming, determining radiated throughput for an uplink throughput;

responsive to a first determination that the radiated throughput satisfies a second throughput threshold, reducing transit power; and

responsive to a second determination that the radiated throughput does not satisfy the second throughput threshold, tuning a matching network of the communication device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise

calculating and storing throughput values during the performing of the beam forming;

utilizing at least a portion of the stored throughput values for the determining of whether the first throughput threshold can be satisfied, wherein the adjusting of the beam forming is further based on instructions received from a base station.