Method and apparatus for managing operations of a communication device

• US 9,853,663 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Manssen, Keith R., Greene, Matthew Russell, Hoirup, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorowar, Golam
• Application Number:
  US14/684,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20150214986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• 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: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller to provision a matching network that controls one or more operational characteristics of one of a receiver portion and a transmitter portion of the communication device according to a profile describing one or more characteristics of a communication system from which the communication device operates. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a matching network including a variable reactance element; and

a controller coupled with the matching network for tuning of the matching network, wherein the controller performs operations comprising;

initiating a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the wireless communication device;

selecting a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on an identification of the communication element that corresponds to the profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes tuning information associating a plurality of desired tuning states for a matching network with a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of use cases, wherein the plurality of profiles does not include settings for the variable reactance element of the matching network;

determining an operating frequency band for the wireless communication link;

determining a physical orientation of the wireless communication device;

determining a use case for the wireless communication device according to the physical orientation that is determined;

determining a tuning state for the matching network via the tuning information of the profile according to a combination of the operating frequency band and the use case for the wireless communication device; and

adjusting the variable reactance element according to the tuning state to perform impedance matching.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states are based on parametric testing over combinations of at least a portion of the plurality of frequency bands and at least a portion of the plurality of use cases.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based on a compromise between transmitter performance and receiver performance.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based in part on a specific absorption rate.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based in part on mathematical modeling of data from the parametric testing.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the parametric testing measures an RF performance parameter comprising one of radiated transmit power, receive sensitivity, transmit linearity, power amplifier efficiency, or a combination thereof.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the parametric testing measures an RF performance parameter comprising transmit linearity or power amplifier efficiency.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the parametric testing measures an RF performance parameter comprising power amplifier efficiency.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the parametric testing measures a group of RF performance parameters.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the parametric testing includes measuring an operational parameter during transmitting.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a provisioning instruction from a communication system that manages a communication network to which the communication element belongs.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication element is part of a cellular base station, and wherein the identification of the communication element is based on a Cell Identifier received from the communication element.

13. A method comprising:

initiating, by a controller of a wireless communication device, a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the wireless communication device;

selecting, by the controller, a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on an identification of the communication element that corresponds to the profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes tuning information associating a plurality of desired tuning states for a matching network with a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of use cases, wherein the plurality of profiles does not include settings for a variable reactance element of the matching network;

determining, by the controller, an operating frequency band for the wireless communication link;

determining, by the controller, a physical orientation of the wireless communication device;

determining, by the controller, a use case for the wireless communication device according to the physical orientation that is determined;

determining, by the controller, a tuning state for the matching network via the tuning information of the profile according to a combination of the operating frequency band and the use case for the wireless communication device; and

adjusting, by the controller, the variable reactance element according to the tuning state to perform impedance matching.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states are based on parametric testing over combinations of at least a portion of the plurality of frequency bands and at least a portion of the plurality of use cases.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based on a compromise between transmitter performance and receiver performance.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are based in part on a specific absorption rate.

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

initiating a wireless communication link with a communication element that is remote from the wireless communication device;

selecting a profile from among a plurality of profiles based on an identification of the communication element that corresponds to the profile, wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles includes tuning information associating a plurality of desired tuning states for a matching network with a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of use cases, wherein the plurality of profiles does not include settings for a variable reactance element of the matching network;

determining an operating frequency band for the wireless communication link;

determining a physical orientation of the wireless communication device;

determining a use case for the wireless communication device according to the physical orientation that is determined;

determining a tuning state for the matching network via the tuning information of the profile according to a combination of the operating frequency band and the use case for the wireless communication device; and

adjusting the variable reactance element according to the tuning state to perform impedance matching.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states are based on parametric testing over combinations of at least a portion of the plurality of frequency bands and at least a portion of the plurality of use cases.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based on a compromise between transmitter performance and receiver performance.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of desired tuning states for the matching network are further based in part on a specific absorption rate.