An impedance tuning system, especially for a cellular telephone system.
The system can be used to match the impedance of an antenna element with
that of an output stage of a transmitter driving the antenna element. The
system includes a piezo capacitor in parallel with the magnetostrictive
inductor to form an LC circuit. A voltage controller applies a voltage
bias signal to the piezo capacitor and a current controller applies a
current bias signal to the inductor. A primary controller monitors the
frequency of the output signal from the transmitter and controls the
voltage and current controllers as needed to alter the impedance of the
system as needed to match the impedance of the antenna element with that
of the output stage of the transmitter. In an alternative form an
ultrasonic sensor is provided.