Dynamic impedance matching network and method for matching an impedance between a source and a load
AssigneeEpcos AG
InventorsMaurice de Jongh, Adrianus van Bezooijen
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Abstract
An impedance matching network includes an impedance matching circuit for dynamically matching an impedance between a source and a load. Matching is done by varying the real part and the imaginary part of the impedance of the impedance matching circuit independently.
Claims18
An impedance matching network, comprising
- a signal path comprising an input and an output;
- an impedance matching circuit electrically connected within the signal path, the impedance matching circuit comprising a first tunable reactance element and a second tunable reactance element;
- a mismatch sensing element embedded in the signal path;
- and
- a control-network configured to identify a mismatch of a signal propagating in the signal path according to the mismatch sensing element and to tune the first and second tunable reactance elements dependent on the identified mismatch;
- wherein the tuneable reactance elements are adapted such that tuning the first reactance elements mainly varies a real component of an impedance of the impedance matching circuit and tuning the second reactance elements mainly varies an imaginary component of the impedance matching circuit;
- wherein the impedance matching network comprises an n-section-pi-like circuit that comprises a serial section between two parallel branches, where n is an integer number greater than zero, and wherein each section comprises as reactance elements an inductive element in the serial section and a capacitive element in each parallel branch;
- and
- wherein m reactance elements are tunable, wherein i reactance elements including the first tunable reactance element are tuned differentially, and wherein j reactance elements including the second tunable reactance element are tuned differentially together with the second tunable reactance element, where m, i, and j are integer numbers with 2<m≦2n+1, i+j=m, i≧1 and j≧1.
A method for matching an impedance between a source and a load using an impedance matching circuit in a signal path between the source and the load, the impedance matching circuit comprising a plurality of tunable reactance elements, each tunable reactance element assigned to a first or a second group, the method comprising:
- detecting an impedance mismatch between source and load;
- and
- tuning the tunable reactance elements according to the detected mismatch, wherein the tuning comprises differentially tuning the first group of tunable reactance elements to mainly vary a real component of an impedance of the impedance matching circuit and differentially tuning the second group of tuneable reactance elements to mainly vary the imaginary component of the impedance matching circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.