Adaptive Tunable Antenna for Wireless Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The electrical characteristics of antennas in wireless devices vary with the physical characteristics of the terminal device they are coupled to, leading to suboptimal performance, increased costs, and potential unusability due to changes in impedance, gain, and radiation patterns.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for dynamically adjusting the antenna match and electrical length using a control signal to select from multiple impedances and lengths, optimizing signal quality by measuring and setting parameters to achieve the highest signal quality metric.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed antenna design is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but antenna performance deteriorates when coupled to different terminal devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic antenna tuning by making the antenna electrical length adjustable through switching between different antenna segments. This allows the antenna to adapt its characteristics in real-time to match different terminal device configurations, resolving the contradiction between fixed manufacturing and variable performance requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical length parameter of the antenna by selectively activating different antenna segments based on the coupled terminal device type. This parameter adjustment optimizes antenna performance for different applications without requiring multiple physical antenna designs, thereby maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving reliability
2Reliability
If multiple antenna designs are provided for different terminal devices, then antenna performance is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the antenna into multiple selectable segments that can be independently activated. This segmentation allows a single antenna structure to provide multiple electrical length configurations, replacing the need for multiple separate antenna designs and reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal antenna structure that can serve multiple terminal device types by adjusting its electrical length. This multi-functional antenna design eliminates the need for device-specific antenna configurations, reducing complexity while maintaining optimized performance across different applications
3Manufacturing precision
If antenna parameters are fixed during manufacturing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to different terminal devices deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-configures multiple antenna segments with precise manufacturing specifications, allowing the antenna to be manufactured with high precision for each segment. The system then selects the appropriate pre-configured segment based on the terminal device type, maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic switching capability that allows the antenna to change its electrical length after manufacturing. This dynamic adjustment compensates for the fixed manufacturing parameters, enabling the antenna to adapt to different terminal devices while maintaining the precision benefits of fixed manufacturing processes
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques for adjusting one or more antenna parameters to optimize the performance of a wireless device are disclosed. In an embodiment, a variable antenna match is provided with a control signal for selecting a preferred antenna match setting. The preferred antenna match setting may correspond to the setting having a best signal quality metric. In a further embodiment, a variable antenna electrical length module is provided with a control signal for selecting a preferred antenna electrical length. Further techniques for accommodating multiple antennas are disclosed.