Adaptive matching network

• US 9,853,622 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McKinzie, III, William E., Bachmann, Heinz, Mendolia, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PABLO N
• Application Number:
  US14/573,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• 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 present disclosure can include, for example, an apparatus having a matching network adapted to reduce a magnitude of a signal reflection at a port of the matching network. The matching network can have one or more controllable variable reactive elements. A controller can be adapted to determine reflection coefficient information from incident and reflected waves sampled at the port of the matching network, and follow at least one cycle of a coarse tune process for generating one or more control signals to tune one or more reactances of the one or more controllable variable reactive elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna;

a transceiver coupled with the antenna;

a directional RF coupler;

a matching network coupled with the antenna, the transceiver and the directional RF coupler, the matching network comprising a variable reactance element; and

a control circuit coupled with the matching network and the directional RF coupler,

wherein the directional RF coupler is connected between the matching network and the transceiver,

wherein the control circuit obtains measurements via the directional RF coupler for forward and reverse waves,

wherein the control circuit performs an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of the variable reactance element according to the measurements to reduce a return loss,

wherein the impedance tuning process is initially a coarse tuning process,

wherein the control circuit determines new reflection coefficient information to initiate a subsequent tuning process, and

wherein when the new reflection coefficient information has achieved a desired value, the impedance tuning process transitions to a fine tuning process that adjusts the reactance of the variable reactance element by applying iterative adjustments to control signals generated by the control circuit.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the directional RF coupler samples the forward and reverse waves at an RF input port of the matching network.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines reflection coefficient information from samples provided by an analog to digital converter based on the measurements.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein a look-up table is used to perform the impedance tuning process.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the fine tuning process is configured to compensate for variations in manufacturing tolerances or temperature variations of the matching network.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein control signals generated by the impedance tuning process are supplied to a plurality of digital to analog converters that control buffers of the communication device.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the control signals comprise direct current signals.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines reflection coefficient information from the measurements, wherein the reflection coefficient information is determined from samples supplied to the control circuit by an analog to digital converter, and wherein control signals are generated and directed to a plurality of digital to analog converters.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the variable reactance element comprises a reactive element controlled by a semiconductor device.

10. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the variable reactance element comprises a reactive element controlled by a micro-electro-mechanical systems device.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the variable reactance element comprises a voltage tunable capacitor.

12. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a control circuit of a communication device, measurements via an RF coupler that samples forward and reverse waves at a RF input port of a matching network of the communication device; and

adjusting, by the control circuit, the matching network to perform an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of a variable reactance element of the matching network according to the measurements; and

determining a new reflection coefficient information to initiate a subsequent tuning process to reduce a return loss, wherein when the new reflection coefficient information has achieved a desired value, the impedance tuning process transitions to a fine tuning process that adjusts the reactance of the variable reactance element by applying iterative adjustments to control signals generated by the control circuit.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the control circuit, reflection coefficient information from the measurements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reflection coefficient information is determined from samples supplied to the control circuit by an analog to digital converter.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a look-up table is used to perform the impedance tuning process.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a control circuit coupled with the memory, wherein the control circuit, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

obtaining measurements via an RF coupler that samples forward and reverse waves at a RF input port of a matching network of a communication device; and

adjusting the matching network to perform an impedance tuning process by adjusting a reactance of a variable reactance element of the matching network according to the measurements to reduce a return loss, wherein the return loss is proportional to a difference between a calibration factor and a difference between the forward and reverse waves.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise determining reflection coefficient information from the measurements, wherein the reflection coefficient information is determined from samples supplied to the control circuit by an analog to digital converter, and wherein a look-up table is used to perform the impedance tuning process.