Methods and apparatus for tuning circuit components of a communication device

• US 9,671,765 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Manssen, Keith, Hughes, Simon Andrew, Greene, Matthew Russell, Hoirup, Carsten, Morelen, Steven Mark, Galperin, Victor, Spears, John Hanford
• Primary Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/609,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• 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

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a process that assigns a respective priority level to each of a number of tuning algorithms controlling different tunable elements of a communication device. A first tuning algorithm is executed according to a first priority level assigned to the first tuning algorithm. A remaining number of the tuning algorithms are executed to determine whether the first tuning algorithm has affected a tuning state of any of the remainder of tuning algorithms. A second of the number of tuning algorithms is executed in response to a stability condition of the first tuning algorithm and according to a second priority level assigned to the second tuning algorithm. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions, that when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

assigning a respective priority level to each tuning algorithm of a plurality of tuning algorithms, wherein each tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms controls a respective one of a plurality of different tunable elements of a communication device;

executing a first tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a first priority level assigned to the first tuning algorithm;

executing a remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms to determine whether the first tuning algorithm has affected a tuning state of each of the remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms; and

executing a second tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms responsive to a stability condition of the first tuning algorithm and according to a second priority level assigned to the second tuning algorithm.

2. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a plurality of use cases of the communication device;

determining an initial tuning state for each of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to the plurality of use cases; and

configuring each of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to their respective initial tuning state.

3. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of use cases comprise one of a physical use case of the communication device, an operational use case of the communication device, or both, and wherein the plurality of different tunable elements comprise one of a tunable reactive element, a control interface, one of a plurality of circuit components of a radio frequency circuit, a reactive element of an on-antenna tuner, or a combination thereof.

4. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising detecting a use case of a plurality of use cases of the communication device, wherein the assigning of the respective priority level to each tuning algorithm is based upon the use case.

5. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise reassigning a new respective priority level to each of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

6. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the reassigning of the new respective priority level to each of the plurality of tuning algorithms is responsive to one of a detected change in a use case of the communication device, a detected change in an operational state of a tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms, an aggregate error measured from tuning results provided by the plurality of tuning algorithms, or a combination thereof.

7. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise configuring one of the first tuning algorithm or the second tuning algorithm to limit a tuning rate of a corresponding tuning element of the plurality of different tunable elements, limit a magnitude of each tuning step applied to the corresponding tuning element, limit a number of tuning steps applied to the corresponding tuning element, limit tuning of the corresponding tuning element to a tuning range, or combinations thereof.

8. A device, comprising:

a plurality of circuit components of a radio frequency circuit, wherein each circuit component of the plurality of circuit components comprises one of a tunable reactive element, a control interface, or both for enabling a tuning algorithm of a plurality of tuning algorithms to control an operation of the circuit component;

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processing system including a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor facilitates performance of operations comprising;

executing a first tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a first priority value of a plurality of priority values assigned to the first tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms, wherein each of the plurality of tuning algorithms tunes a corresponding one of the plurality of circuit components of the radio frequency circuit;

executing a remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms to determine whether the first tuning algorithm has affected a tuning state of each of the remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms; and

executing a second tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a second priority value of the plurality of priority values assigned to the second tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms, wherein an ordering of the executing of the first tuning algorithm and the second tuning algorithm is based on the plurality of priority values.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the tunable reactive element comprises a fixed reactive element controlled by one of a semiconductor device, a micro-electro-mechanical system device, or both to produce a variable reactance.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the tunable reactive element comprises a variable reactive element controlled by one of a micro-electro-mechanical system device, a signal that varies a dielectric constant of the variable reactive element, or both to produce a variable reactance.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise configuring a portion of a circuit component of the plurality of circuit components according to the priority value of the plurality of priority values assigned to each of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise identifying an order of execution of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to the priority value of the plurality of priority values assigned to each of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise reassigning the priority value of the plurality of priority values of each of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise one of detecting that the first tuning algorithm has asserted a flag indicating that the first tuning algorithm has reached a stability condition, or receiving a message from the first tuning algorithm indicating that the first tuning algorithm has satisfied a tuning threshold.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a processing system including a processor, a plurality of use cases of a communication device;

determining, by the processing system, a respective initial tuning state for each of a plurality of tuning algorithms according to the plurality of use cases, wherein each of the plurality of tuning algorithms controls a respective one of a plurality of different tunable elements of the communication device;

configuring, by the processing system, each of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to the respective initial tuning state of each of the plurality of tuning algorithms;

executing, by the processing system, a first tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a respective priority level of a plurality of priority levels of the plurality of tuning algorithms;

executing, by the processing system, a remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms to determine whether the first tuning algorithm has affected a tuning state of each of the remainder of the plurality of tuning algorithms; and

executing, by the processing system, a second tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a respective priority level of the plurality of priority levels of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising preempting, by the processing system, a first tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms based on a second tuning algorithm of the plurality of tuning algorithms having a lower priority level of the plurality of priority levels.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of tuning algorithms comprise impedance tuning of multiple antennas of the communication device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising one of detecting, by the processing system, that the first tuning algorithm has asserted a flag indicating that the first tuning algorithm has reached a stability condition, or determining, by the processing system, a message from the first tuning algorithm indicating that the first tuning algorithm has satisfied a tuning threshold.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying, by the processing system, an order of execution of the plurality of tuning algorithms according to a priority level assigned to each of the plurality of tuning algorithms.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring, by the processing system, one of the first tuning algorithm or the second tuning algorithm to limit a tuning rate of a corresponding tunable element of the plurality of different tunable elements of the communications device, limit a magnitude of each tuning step applied to the corresponding tunable element, limit a number of tuning steps applied to the corresponding tunable element, limit tuning of the corresponding tunable element to a tuning range, or combinations thereof.