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Mobile phones are being used in many ways, but electronics in phones are optimized and frozen without the ability to be re-optimized for each mode of operation. Real-life conditions yield compromised performance vs. “perfect” lab conditions, sometimes by as much as 100 times. How users hold their phones and the increased use of hands-free accessories can contribute to dropped or missed calls, poorer area coverage, shorter battery life, and increased “network busy” conditions due to increased interference and lost network capacity.

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Making RF radios in mobile devices “tunable” is not a new development. But, tunable RF technology is seen as too lossy (erasing the benefit of tunability), too large, too expensive or having poor linearity. Without the underlying tunable RF technology, tunable radios simply cannot be realized. An adaptive impedance-matching module (AIMM) solves the issue of mobile device tunability, irrespective of how the phone is used and variances in operating functions and environmental conditions. AIMM is based on Paratek's RF tuning material called ParaScan, which is used to construct high-Q RF tunable capacitors with integrated resistors, on a single miniature IC.

AIMM provides a closed-loop tuning function that optimizes phone performance by maximizing radiated power (minimizing wasted power reflected back into the mobile phone) under all conditions. It instantly eliminates impedance mismatches between antenna and power amplifier in RF transmission and reception networks. Plus, it functions regardless of protocol, frequency of operation, power level setting (determined by distance from the cellular tower/base station), temperature, how the phone is held, or any other environmental condition causing performance degradation. The quality of mobile phone service is improved and common user problems disappear.

AIMM theory and benefits

Since AIMM is an intelligent, closed-loop impedance-matching network, it is an automatic tuner. Internal sensors monitor forward and reverse power and correct for all mismatch losses, regardless of cause. Mismatches can occur for several reasons: