Adaptive antenna tuning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12348255-B2
Application number	US-202318158441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2023
Priority date	Jan 13, 2020
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A radio frequency device has a multifunctional tuner that stores measurements of reflection coefficient parameter in a register. The radio frequency device also has a transceiver that has a transmitter. The transceiver may detect a transmitter signal from the transmitter to an antenna in an initial tuning state and then determine whether the transmitter signal is stable. In response to the transmitter signal being stable, the transceiver may measuring the reflection coefficient parameters at the multifunctional tuner. Furthermore, the radio frequency device has a baseband controller that has a memory to store instructions and a processor to execute the instructions. The instructions cause the processor to determine an antenna impedance based on the reflection coefficient parameters, and in response to determining that the antenna impedance is greater than or less than a threshold antenna impedance, iteratively tune the antenna using the multifunctional tuner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Transceiver circuitry comprising:
an antenna directly coupled to a first printed circuit board (PCB) and configured to transmit radio frequency signals based on analog electrical signals;
radio frequency front end circuitry disposed on a second PCB and configured to output the analog electrical signals;
a transmission line configured to electrically couple the antenna and the radio frequency front end circuitry; and
tuner circuitry disposed on the first PCB and configured to set a tuning state of the antenna based on an antenna impedance, wherein the tuning state is associated with a device condition, wherein the device condition comprises an indoor condition or an outdoor condition, the tuner circuitry comprising;
measurement circuitry electrically coupled to the antenna via coupler circuitry, the measurement circuitry configured to measure one or more waveform properties of a forward traveling signal to the antenna and a reflected signal corresponding to the forward traveling signal from the antenna, the coupler circuitry comprising a coupler disposed on the first PCB, and
impedance determining circuitry configured to determine the antenna impedance based on the one or more waveform properties.

2. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the tuner circuitry is configured to adjust the antenna impedance of the antenna to match an output impedance of the transceiver circuitry based on the one or more waveform properties.

3. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the output impedance comprises a transmission line impedance of the transmission line configured to couple the radio frequency front end circuitry disposed on the second PCB to the antenna.

4. The transceiver circuitry of claim 2 , wherein the tuner circuitry is configured to adjust the tuning state of the tuner circuitry based on the antenna impedance relative to one or more impedance thresholds.

5. The transceiver circuitry of claim 4 , wherein setting the tuning state of the tuner circuitry comprises stepping through a plurality of tuning states of the tuner circuitry until the antenna impedance is within the one or more impedance thresholds.

6. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the impedance determining circuitry is a baseband processor.

7. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the one or more waveform properties comprise a first magnitude of the forward traveling signal and a second magnitude of the reflected signal, a first phase of the forward traveling signal and a second phase of the reflected signal, or the first magnitude, the second magnitude, the first phase, and the second phase.

8. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the one or more waveform properties comprise a voltage standing wave ratio.

9. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the coupler circuitry comprises a dual directional coupler.

10. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the device condition comprises one or more conditions of a set of conditions comprising the indoor condition, the outdoor condition, an enclosure type, an enclosure shape, an enclosure covering, and a user hand position relative to the antenna.

11. The transceiver circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the coupler circuitry is configured to isolate the forward traveling signal from the reflected signal for measurement in parallel.

12. A method comprising:
generating, via radio frequency front end circuitry disposed on a first printed circuit board (PCB), a forward signal;
measuring, via a coupler of measurement circuitry of tuner circuitry disposed on a second PCB, one or more waveform parameters associated with the forward signal traveling from the radio frequency front end circuitry to an antenna disposed on the second PCB and a reverse signal, corresponding to a reflection of the forward signal, traveling from the antenna, wherein a transmission line is configured to electrically couple the antenna and the radio frequency front end circuitry;
determining, via impedance determining circuitry of the tuner circuitry disposed on the second PCB, a current value indicative of an antenna impedance of the antenna based on the one or more waveform parameters; and
adjusting, via the tuner circuitry disposed on the second PCB, the antenna impedance based on the current value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the coupler comprises a dual directional coupler configured to provide the forward signal and the reverse signal in parallel for measuring the one or more waveform parameters.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more waveform parameters comprise a reflection coefficient associated with the antenna.

15. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
sequentially stepping through one or more tuning states of a plurality of tuning states until a first deviation of a first impedance associated with a current tuning state of the plurality of tuning states from a threshold impedance range is greater than a second deviation of a second impedance associated with a preceding tuning state of the plurality of tuning states from the threshold impedance range; and
selecting the preceding tuning state.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the threshold impedance range is based on an output impedance of the transmission line from the radio frequency front end circuitry to the antenna.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the antenna impedance based on the current value comprises matching the antenna impedance with a transmission line impedance of the transmission line.

18. A radio frequency electronic device comprising:
an antenna disposed on a first printed circuit board (PCB) and configured to transmit radio frequency signals based on analog electrical signals;
radio frequency front end circuitry disposed on a second PCB and configured to output the analog electrical signals;
a transmission line configured to electrically couple the antenna and the radio frequency front end circuitry; and
tuner circuitry disposed on the first PCB and operationally electrically coupled to the antenna via coupler circuitry, the tuner circuitry comprising:
measurement circuitry configured to measure one or more waveform properties of an analog electrical signal of the analog electrical signals and a reflected analog electrical signal, corresponding to a reflection of the analog electrical signal, from the antenna, wherein the coupler circuitry comprises a dual directional coupler disposed on the first PCB; and
impedance determining circuitry configured to determine an antenna impedance based on the one or more waveform properties, wherein the tuner circuitry is configured to adjust the antenna impedance based on the determined antenna impedance.

19. The radio frequency electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the tuner circuitry is configured to adjust the antenna impedance of the antenna to match an output impedance of the transmission line at the antenna based on the one or more waveform properties.

20. The radio frequency electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the tuner circuitry is configured to adjust the antenna impedance based on the determined antenna impedance by sequentially cycling through a plurality of tuning states until the antenna impedance is within one or more impedance thresholds.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Han Liang
• Ayala Vazquez Enrique
• Biedka Thomas E
• Hu Hongfei
• Irci Erdinc
• Jin Nanbo
• Judkins James G
• Lee Victor C
• Mow Matthew A
• Pascolini Mattia
• Tsai Ming-Ju
• Wang Yiren
• Xu Yuancheng
• Zhou Yijun

Classifications

• H01Q23/00

  Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them · CPC title

• H04B1/0458

  Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages (matching circuits in general H03H) · CPC title

• H04B1/38 Primary

  Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving · CPC title

• H04B1/18 Primary

  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 title