Method and apparatus for band tuning in a communication device

• US 9,769,826 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hoirup, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Paul P
• Application Number:
  US14/235,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20140256325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 455 6711, 455 69, 455 73, 455 77, 455 78, 455 82, 455 87, 455121, 455142, 4551501, 4551541, 4551691, 4551701, 4551731, 4551801, 455334, 455419, 4554221, 4554261, 4554321, 455433, 455434, 455436, 4554501, 455466, 455522, 455565, 4555755, 4555756, 330129, 330295, 330305, 330310, 333 171, 333 173, 333 32, 333105, 333109, 333164, 370447, 370461
• 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: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, adjusting a tuning state of a matching network of the communication device, selecting a power offset from among a group of power offsets where the selected power offset is associated with a sub-band of operation of the communication device, and adjusting a value associated with a measured receive power or a transmit power of the communication device based on the selected power offset to generate an offset power value. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, to be performed by a communication device, comprising:

adjusting, by the communication device, a tuning state of a matching network of the communication device;

determining, by the communication device, a use case of the communication device;

selecting, by the communication device, a power offset from among a group of power offsets according to the use case and according to a sub-band of operation of a neighboring cell for the communication device, the group of power offsets being empirical data for power measurements for tuning states at frequencies relative to a reference frequency of a radio band for a serving cell;

measuring, by the communication device, a received power of a signal at a neighboring cell frequency received by the communication device from the neighboring cell to determine a measured receive power value;

determining, by the communication device, an offset power value by adjusting the measured receive power value according to the selected power offset, whereby the matching network is tuned to the reference frequency; and

transmitting, from the communication device to a network element, the offset power value to cause the network element to make a radio resource decision for the communication device based on the offset power value and not based on the measured receive power value,

wherein the radio resource decision is a handover decision associated with the neighboring cell, and wherein the decision is based at least in part on whether the offset power value corresponds to a perceived neighbor signal strength above a handover threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in accordance with the radio resource decision, a handover delay is avoided.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the tuning state of the matching network is based on a closed-loop process utilizing feedback that includes a power amplifier efficiency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the empirical data is based on measured receive power for different tuning states of the matching network for the reference frequency of the radio band and is based on measured receive power for the different tuning states of the matching network for sub-band frequencies of the radio band.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of power offsets are stored in a look-up table of a memory of the communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the look-up table is categorized by radio bands, sub-bands, neighbor radio bands and neighbor sub-bands.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the tuning state of the matching network comprises adjusting a reactance of a voltage tunable dielectric capacitor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the use case is a physical state of the communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the tuning state is based on a sub-band of operation of the communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the tuning state is based on the use case of the communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the use case corresponds to at least one of a flip open state, a slider out state, a hand'"'"'s free operation state, a hand-held operation state, an ear-piece speaker operation state, or a speaker-phone operation state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the tuning state of the matching network comprises adjusting a reactance of one or more of a semiconductor varactor, a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) varactor, a semiconductor switched capacitor, or a MEMS switched capacitor.

13. A wireless communication device comprising:

a matching network; and

a controller coupled with the matching network, wherein the controller;

adjusts a tuning state of the matching network;

selects a power offset from among a group of power offsets according to a sub-band of operation of a neighboring cell of the wireless communication device, the group of power offsets being empirical data for power measurements;

measures a received power of a signal at a neighboring cell frequency received by the wireless communication device from neighboring cell to determine a measured received power value;

determines an offset power value by adjusting the measured receive power value according to the selected power offset, whereby the matching network is tuned to a reference frequency; and

transmits, to a network element, the offset power value to cause the network element to make a radio resource decision for the wireless communication device based on the offset power value and not based on the measured receive power value,

wherein the radio resource decision is a handover decision associated with the neighboring cell, and wherein the decision is based at least in part on whether the offset power value corresponds to a perceived neighbor signal strength above a handover threshold.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the controller adjusts the tuning state of the matching network based on a closed-loop process utilizing feedback that includes a power amplifier efficiency.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the empirical data is for tuning states at frequencies relative to the reference frequency, the reference frequency being within a radio band of a serving cell, wherein the empirical data is based on measured receive power for different tuning states of the matching network for the reference frequency of the radio band and is based on measured receive power for the different tuning states of the matching network for sub-band frequencies of the radio band.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 13, comprising a memory, wherein the group of power offsets are stored in a look-up table in the memory, and wherein the look-up table is categorized by one or more of radio bands, sub-bands, neighbor radio bands, neighbor sub-bands or use cases.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the controller determines a physical use case of the wireless communication device and selects the power offset based on the physical use case.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the controller adjusts the tuning state of the matching network based on at least one of the sub-band of operation of the wireless communication device or a use case of the wireless communication device, and wherein the matching network comprises one or more 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.

19. 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:

adjusting a tuning state of a matching network of the communication device;

selecting a power offset from among a group of power offsets according to a sub-band of operation of a neighboring cell of the communication device, the group of power offsets being empirical data for power measurements;

measuring a received power of a signal at a neighboring cell frequency received by the communication device from the neighboring cell to determine a measured receive power value;

determining an offset power value by adjusting the measured receive power value according to the selected power offset, whereby the matching network is tuned to a reference frequency; and

transmitting, to a network element, the offset power value to cause the network element to make a radio resource decision for the communication device based on the offset power value and not based on the measured receive power value,

wherein the radio resource decision is a handover decision associated with the neighboring cell, and wherein the decision is based at least in part on whether the offset power value corresponds to a perceived neighbor signal strength above a handover threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the empirical data is for tuning states at frequencies relative to the reference frequency, the reference frequency being within a radio band of a serving cell,

wherein the empirical data is based on measured receive power for different tuning states of the matching network for the reference frequency of the radio band and is based on measured receive power for the different tuning states of the matching network for sub-band frequencies of the radio band, and

wherein the group of power offsets are stored in a look-up table that is categorized by one or more of radio bands, sub-bands, neighbor radio bands, neighbor sub-bands or use cases.