Electronic device including antenna and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12432289-B2
Application number	US-202218077609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2022
Priority date	Oct 26, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing structure including a first housing and a second housing connected to first housing, the second housing being connected to the first housing so as to be slidable while being at least partially inserted into or withdrawn from the first housing, a sensor module including at least one sensor, an antenna, an antenna tuner electrically connected to the antenna and configured to match impedance of the antenna, and a processor operatively connected to the sensor module, the antenna, and the antenna tuner, wherein the processor is configured to determine withdrawal information about a withdrawn degree of the second housing by using the sensor module, select an index corresponding to the withdrawal information from among multiple indices in which impedance values of the antenna according to multiple different pieces of withdrawal information are sampled, and control, based on a tuning code corresponding to the selected index, the antenna tuner to activate or deactivate at least some among at least one of one or more capacitors or one or more inductors included in the antenna tuner, so as to match the impedance of the antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing structure comprising a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing, the second housing being connected to the first housing so as to be slidable while being at least partially inserted into or withdrawn from the first housing;
a sensor module comprising at least one sensor;
an antenna;
an antenna tuner electrically connected to the antenna and configured to match impedance of the antenna; and
a processor operatively connected to the sensor module, the antenna, and the antenna tuner,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine withdrawal information about a withdrawn degree of the second housing by using the sensor module,
select an index corresponding to the withdrawal information from among multiple indices in which impedance values of the antenna according to multiple different pieces of withdrawal information are sampled, and
control, based on a tuning code corresponding to the selected index, the antenna tuner to activate or deactivate at least some among at least one of one or more capacitors or one or more inductors included in the antenna tuner, so as to match the impedance of the antenna.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store a first index, which is an impedance value of the antenna corresponding to a first withdrawn length, and a second index, which is an impedance value of the antenna corresponding to a second withdrawn length,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
select, when a withdrawn length corresponding to the determined withdrawal information is between the first withdrawn length and the second withdrawn length, an interpolated value obtained by interpolating the first index and the second index as antenna impedance, and
match the impedance of the antenna, based on a tuning code corresponding to the selected interpolated value.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to select the interpolated value by linearly interpolating the first index and the second index, based on a ratio in which the withdrawn length corresponding to the determined withdrawal information internally divides the first withdrawn length and the second withdrawn length.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 ,
wherein the memory is further configured to store an impedance graph and values corresponding to the multiple indices on the impedance graph, and
wherein the processor is further configured to interpolate the first index and the second index, based on the impedance graph.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
select, when a withdrawn length corresponding to the determined withdrawal information is between a first withdrawn length and a second withdrawn length, a withdrawn length more approximate to the withdrawn length corresponding to the determined withdrawal information from among the first withdrawn length and the second withdrawn length, and
select an index corresponding to the selected withdrawn length from among a first index corresponding to the first withdrawn length and a second index corresponding to the second withdrawn length.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the indices are impedance values of the antenna, which are sampled with regard to multiple withdrawn lengths having different sizes with reference to the withdrawn degree of the second housing.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the indices are impedance values of the antenna, which are sampled based on a predetermined withdrawn length interval of the second housing.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple indices corresponding to the withdrawal information is an impedance value obtained by linearly interpolating, based on a ratio in which a withdrawn length of the second housing internally divides 0 to 180 degrees, a first reference value, which is an antenna impedance value at the 0 degrees, and a second reference value, which is an antenna impedance value at the 180 degrees.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store mapping information in which the withdrawal information, an index corresponding to the withdrawal information, and a tuning code corresponding to the index are mapped,
wherein the processor is further configured to control the antenna tuner, based on the determined withdrawal information and the mapping information.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a housing structure comprising a hinge part, a first housing, and a second housing connected to the first housing through the hinge part, the first housing and the second housing being connected to each other so as to be folded or unfolded with reference to the hinge part;
a sensor module comprising at least one sensor;
an antenna;
an antenna tuner electrically connected to the antenna and configured to match impedance of the antenna; and
a processor operatively connected to the sensor module, the antenna, and the antenna tuner,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine, using the sensor module, folding information about a degree by which the first housing and the second housing are folded,
select an index corresponding to the folding information from among multiple indices in which impedance values of the antenna according to multiple different pieces of folding information are sampled, and
control, based on a tuning code corresponding to the selected index, the antenna tuner to activate or deactivate at least some among at least one of one or more capacitors or one or more inductors included in the antenna tuner, so as to match the impedance of the antenna.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store mapping information in which a folding angle corresponding to the folding information, an index corresponding to the folding angle, and a tuning code corresponding to the index are mapped,
wherein the processor is configured to control the antenna tuner, based on the determined folding information and the mapping information.

12. A method performed by an electronic device comprising a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing so as to be at least partially insertable into or withdrawable from the first housing, the method comprising:
determining withdrawal information about a withdrawn degree of the second housing;
selecting an index corresponding to the withdrawal information from among multiple indices in which impedance values of an antenna of the electronic device according to multiple different pieces of withdrawal information are sampled; and
controlling, based on a tuning code corresponding to the selected index, an antenna tuner to activate or deactivate at least some among at least one of one or more capacitors or one or more inductors included in the antenna tuner, so as to match impedance of the antenna.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the selecting of the index corresponding to the withdrawal information comprises:
selecting, when a withdrawn length corresponding to the determined withdrawal information is between a first withdrawn length and a second withdrawn length, an interpolated value, obtained by interpolating a first index corresponding to the first withdrawn length and a second index corresponding to the second withdrawn length, as antenna impedance; and
selecting an index corresponding to the selected interpolated value.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the selecting of the interpolated value as antenna impedance comprises selectin

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Heo Wonhyung
• Kim Taeho
• Son Dongil
• Shim Choongsun
• Han Sanghyun

Classifications

• H03H7/38

  Impedance-matching networks · CPC title

• H04M1/0237

  Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom · CPC title

• H04M1/0216

  Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge · CPC title

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H03H7/40

  Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance · CPC title