Electronic device including antennas and antenna tuning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025266851-A1
Application number	US-202519039247-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2025
Priority date	Feb 15, 2024
Publication date	Aug 21, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device includes an antenna configured to transmit and receive signals within a plurality of frequency bands, a RFIC configured to transmit the signals within the plurality of frequency bands to the antenna, a coupler configured to transmit at least a portion of signals reflected from the antenna to the RFIC, a tuner connected to the antenna and the coupler, and a processor connected to the RFIC and the tuner, the processor configured to obtain a third reflection coefficient at a first receiving frequency based on a first reflection coefficient at a first transmission frequency and a second reflection coefficient at a second transmission frequency that is greater than the first transmission frequency, determine, based on the third reflection coefficient, a first receiving tuning code for performing impedance matching to the antenna, and control impedance of the antenna with the tuner based on the first receiving tuning code.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
an antenna configured to transmit and receive signals within a plurality of frequency bands; a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) configured to transmit the signals within the plurality of frequency bands to the antenna; a coupler configured to transmit at least a portion of signals reflected from the antenna to the RFIC; a tuner connected to the antenna and the coupler; and a processor connected to the RFIC and the tuner, wherein the processor is configured to:
obtain a third reflection coefficient at a first receiving frequency based on a first reflection coefficient at a first transmission frequency and a second reflection coefficient at a second transmission frequency that is greater than the first transmission frequency;
determine, based on the third reflection coefficient, a first receiving tuning code for performing impedance matching to the antenna; and
control impedance of the antenna with the tuner based on the first receiving tuning code.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain the first reflection coefficient based on a first transmit signal of the first transmission frequency and a first feedback signal reflected from the antenna and transmitted to the RFIC by the coupler as the first transmit signal is transmitted by the antenna; and obtain the second reflection coefficient based on a second transmit signal of the second transmission frequency and a second feedback signal reflected from the antenna and transmitted to the RFIC by the coupler as the second transmit signal is transmitted by the antenna.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the third reflection coefficient, the first receiving tuning code in which a conversion gain of an electrical path connected to the antenna is maximum based on a tuning, among a plurality of pre-stored tuning codes, and wherein the plurality of pre-stored tuning codes are stored in a look-up table.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the tuner comprises at least one switch and at least one capacitor, and
wherein the processor is further configured to, based on receiving a first receive signal at the first receiving frequency through the antenna, control capacitance of the tuner such that the conversion gain of the electrical path connected to the antenna is maximum, based on the first receiving tuning code.

5 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to, based on receiving the first transmit signal or the second transmit signal through the antenna:
determine a transmission tuning code, among the plurality of pre-stored tuning codes, in which the conversion gain of the electrical path connected to the antenna is maximum; and control the tuner based on the determined transmission tuning code.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine an angle per unit frequency on a complex plane based on a first angle between the first reflection coefficient and the second reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane; and determine a second angle that the third reflection coefficient has with respect to a real axis on the complex plane, based on the angle per unit frequency.

7 . The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a magnitude per unit frequency on the complex plane based on a first magnitude of the first reflection coefficient and a second magnitude of the second reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane; and determine a third magnitude of the third reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane by multiplying the magnitude per unit frequency by the first receiving frequency.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the magnitude per unit frequency on the complex plane by dividing a first value corresponding to a difference between the second magnitude of the second reflection coefficient and the first magnitude of the first reflection coefficient, by a second value corresponding to a difference between the first transmission frequency and the second transmission frequency.

9 . The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine an angle between the first reflection coefficient and the second reflection coefficient on the complex plane by multiplying a conjugate complex number of the second reflection coefficient by the first reflection coefficient.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first receiving frequency has a value between the first transmission frequency and the second transmission frequency.

11 . An antenna tuning method comprising:
determining a first reflection coefficient at a first transmission frequency and a second reflection coefficient at a second transmission frequency that is greater than the first transmission frequency; obtaining a third reflection coefficient at a first receiving frequency that is different from the first transmission frequency and the second transmission frequency, based on the first reflection coefficient and the second reflection coefficient; determining, based on the third reflection coefficient, a first receiving tuning code for performing impedance matching to the antenna; and controlling, with a tuner, impedance of an antenna based on the first receiving tuning code.

12 . The antenna tuning method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the first reflection coefficient comprises:
transmitting a first transmit signal of the first transmission frequency to the antenna; obtaining a first feedback signal reflected from the antenna during transmission of the first transmit signal; and determining the first reflection coefficient based on the first transmit signal and the first feedback signal.

13 . The antenna tuning method of claim 12 , wherein the obtaining the third reflection coefficient further comprises:
determining a magnitude per unit frequency on a complex plane based on a first magnitude of the first reflection coefficient and a second magnitude of the second reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane; and determining a third magnitude of the third reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane based on the magnitude per unit frequency.

14 . The antenna tuning method of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining the third reflection coefficient further comprises:
determining an angle per unit frequency on a complex plane based on a first angle between the first reflection coefficient and the second reflection coefficient represented on the complex plane; and determining a second angle that the third reflection coefficient has with respect to a real axis on the complex plane, based on the angle per unit frequency.

15 . The antenna tuning method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the first receiving tuning code comprises:
determining, based on the third reflection coefficient, the first receiving tuning code in which a conversion gain of an electrical path connected to the antenna is maximum, based on a tuning code among a plurality of pre-stored tuning codes, and wherein the plurality of pre-stored tuning codes are stored in a look-up table.

16 . A wireless communication device configured to transmit and receive signals within a plurality of frequency bands, the wireless communication device comprising:
an antenna; a radio-frequency integra

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sunah

Classifications

• H04B17/103

  Reflected power, e.g. return loss · CPC title

• H01Q5/335

  at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching · CPC title

• H04B1/0458 Primary

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

• H04B1/18

  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 title

• H04B1/0053 Primary

  with common antenna for more than one band · CPC title