System and methods for adaptive antenna optimization

• US 9,564,676 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schwent, Dale G., Black, Gregory R., Nagode, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HU, RUI MENG
• Application Number:
  US13/487,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77, 455/80, 455/81, 455/82, 455/107, 455120-125, 4551911-1933
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching

Abstract

A method (600) and devices for enhancing the performance of one or more antennas (440) is provided. A control circuit (104) assesses performance of an antenna (101) in a plurality of bands, such as a receive band and a transmit band. The control circuit (104) can then adjust an adjustable impedance matching circuit (103) coupled to the antenna (101) to improve the efficiency of the antenna (101) in the selected band and can adjust a resonance of the antenna (101) to further improve an efficiency of the antenna (101) in the selected band. Operating parameters for the antenna (101) can be selected from one or more multi-dimensional lookup tables (120) where the parameters are indexed both to a first operating band (702) and a second operating band (703).

Claims

1. A method of optimizing performance of an antenna system in a wireless communication device operating in a first operating band and a second operating band, the antenna system comprising one radiating element, the method comprising:

accessing a multi-dimensional lookup table having a first dimension corresponding to the first operating band paired with a second dimension corresponding to the second operating band, the multi-dimensional lookup table having resonance parameters indexed to both the first dimension and the second dimension, the resonance parameters capable of adjusting a resonant frequency of the one radiating element; and

selecting the resonance parameters corresponding to an initial resonant frequency from the multi-dimensional lookup table to render the one radiating element optimally operable for simultaneous transmission on the first operating band and the second operating band; and

communicating using the one radiating element in the first operating band and the second operating band based on the selected resonance parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resonance parameters comprise a tuning capacitor value for a tuning capacitor operable with the one radiating element and a bypass capacitor value for a bypass capacitor operable with the one radiating element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-dimensional lookup table further comprises matching circuit information indexed to both the first dimension and the second dimension, further comprising:

selecting matching circuit parameters corresponding to the first operating band and the second operating band; and

adjusting an impedance matching circuit coupled to the one radiating element in accordance with the matching circuit parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assessing performance of the antenna system in a first operating channel having a first channel frequency;

assessing performance of the antenna system in a second operating channel having a second channel frequency, wherein the first channel frequency and the second channel frequency are different;

selecting one of the first operating channel or the second operating channel as a selected operating channel for which the antenna system will be optimized; and

one or more of;

adjusting an impedance matching circuit coupled to the antenna system to improve efficiency of the antenna system;

or

altering the initial resonant frequency of the antenna system to improve the efficiency of the antenna system in response to adjusting the selected resonance parameters based on the multi-dimensional lookup table.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first operating channel comprises one of a transmit band or a receive band, further wherein the second operating channel comprises another of the transmit band or the receive band.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising accessing another multi-dimensional lookup table comprising resonant frequency range parameters indexed to at least the first operating channel and the second operating channel, wherein the altering comprises altering the initial resonant frequency of the one radiating element in accordance with the resonant frequency range parameters.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising prohibiting the altering of the initial resonant frequency of the one radiating element beyond limits of the resonant frequency range parameters.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the resonant frequency range parameters comprise tuning capacitor ranges of a tuning capacitor value for a tuning capacitor operable with the one radiating element and bypass capacitor ranges of a bypass capacitor value for the bypass capacitor operable with the one radiating element.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising monitoring an unselected operating channel during the adjusting the impedance matching circuit and the altering the initial resonant frequency of the one radiating element to ensure a signal characteristic in the unselected operating channel meets a predetermined criterion.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the antenna system comprises a plurality of antennas;

the adjusting the impedance matching circuit coupled to the one radiating element to improve the efficiency of the antenna system in the selected operating channel comprises adjusting a plurality of matching circuits, each one of the plurality of matching circuits being coupled to one of the plurality of antennas; and

the altering the initial resonant frequency of the one radiating element to further improve the efficiency of the antenna system in the selected operating channel comprises altering a plurality of resonant frequencies, each one of the plurality of resonant frequencies being associated with the one of the plurality of antennas.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operating band and the second operating band are two different simultaneous operating bands.

12. An antenna tuning circuit in a wireless communication device operating on a first operating band and a second operating band, comprising:

an antenna;

an adjustable impedance matching circuit coupled to the antenna;

a tuning circuit operable to alter a resonant frequency of the antenna; and

a control circuit that;

accesses a multi-dimensional lookup table having a first dimension corresponding to the first operating band paired with a second dimension corresponding to the second operating band, the multi-dimensional lookup table having resonance parameters indexed to both the first dimension and the second dimension, the resonance parameters capable of adjusting a resonant frequency of the antenna; and

selects the resonance parameters corresponding to an initial resonant frequency from the multi-dimensional lookup table to render the antenna optimally operable for simultaneous transmission on the first operating band and the second operating band; and

communicating using the antenna in the first operating band and the second operating band based on the selected resonance parameters.

13. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 12, wherein the control circuit is operable to further:

select one of the first operating band or the second operating band of the wireless communication device as a selected operating band; and

one or more of;

cause the adjustable impedance matching circuit to change an impedance state to improve efficiency of the antenna in the selected operating band;

or

cause the tuning circuit to alter the initial resonant frequency of the antenna to further improve the efficiency of the antenna in the selected operating band in response to adjusting the selected resonance parameters based on the multi-dimensional lookup table.

14. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 13, further comprising another multi-dimensional lookup table comprising resonance ranges indexed to the first band and the second band, wherein the control circuit is operable to:

access the another multi-dimensional lookup table for predetermined resonance ranges corresponding to the first band and the second band; and

altering the initial resonant frequency of the antenna in accordance with the predetermined resonance ranges to improve the efficiency of the antenna.

15. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 12, wherein the first operating band and the second operating band are two different simultaneous operating bands.

16. An antenna tuning circuit, comprising:

an antenna; and

a control circuit that is operable with the antenna and configured to;

access a multi-dimensional lookup table having a first dimension corresponding to a first operating band paired with a second dimension corresponding to a second operating band, the multi-dimensional lookup table having resonance parameters indexed to both the first dimension and the second dimension, the resonance parameters capable of adjusting an initial resonant frequency of the one radiating element; and

select the resonance parameters corresponding to an operating frequency from the multi-dimensional lookup table to render the antenna optimally operable for simultaneous transmission on the first operating band and the second operating band;

communicate using the antenna in the first operating band and the second operating band based on the selected resonance parameters; and

wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprises a range of values corresponding to the operating frequency.

17. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprise one or more capacitor values that correspond to an initial operating frequency.

18. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprise one or more capacitor value ranges that correspond to the operating frequency.

19. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprise one or more mode switch combinations corresponding to one or more resonant frequency states or impedance matching states associated with the antenna.

20. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprise one or more desired return loss measurements or ranges associated with the antenna.

21. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the resonance parameters from the multi-dimensional lookup table comprise one or more operating modes for the control circuit.

22. The antenna tuning circuit of claim 16, wherein the first operating band and the second operating band are two different simultaneous operating bands.