Wireless charging and communications systems with dual-frequency patch antennas

    公开(公告)号:US10263340B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-16

    申请号:US15848833

    申请日:2017-12-20

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more dual-frequency dual-polarization patch antennas. Each patch antenna may have a patch antenna resonating element that lies in a plane and a ground that lies in a different parallel plane. The patch antenna resonating element may have a first feed located along a first central axis and a second feed located along a second central axis that is perpendicular to the first central axis. The patch antenna resonating element may be rectangular, may be oval, or may have other shapes. A shorting pin may be located at an intersecting point between the first and second axes. The patch antennas may be used in beam steering arrays. The patch antennas may be used for wireless power transfer at microwave frequencies or other frequencies and may be used to support millimeter wave communications.

    Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output Antenna Structures

    公开(公告)号:US20190027822A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-24

    申请号:US15657001

    申请日:2017-07-21

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a housing and four antennas at respective corners of the housing. Cellular telephone transceiver circuitry may concurrently convey signals at one or more of the same frequencies over one or more of the four antennas using a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme. In order to isolate adjacent antennas, dielectric-filled openings may be formed in conductive walls of the housing to divide the walls into segments that are used to form resonating element arms for the antennas. If desired, first and second antennas may include resonating element arms formed from a wall without any gaps. The first and second antennas may include adjacent return paths. A magnetic field associated with currents for the first antenna may cancel out with a magnetic field associated with currents for the second antenna at the adjacent return paths, thereby serving to electromagnetically isolate the first and second antennas.

    Electronic Device With Shared Control and Power Lines for Antenna Tuning Circuits

    公开(公告)号:US20190027821A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-24

    申请号:US15655098

    申请日:2017-07-20

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control signal generation circuitry that generates a differential pair of control signals, power supply circuitry that generates a bias voltage, and an antenna having a tuning circuit. First switching circuitry may be coupled to the power supply circuitry and the control signal generation circuitry. Second switching circuitry may be coupled to the tuning circuit. A pair of control lines may be coupled between the first and second switching circuitry. In a first switching mode, the power supply circuitry may transmit the bias voltage to the tuning circuit over one of the control lines. The bias voltage may charge storage circuitry coupled to the tuning circuit. In a second switching mode, the control signal generation circuitry may transmit the differential pair of control signals to the tuning circuit. The tuning circuit may be powered by the storage circuitry in the second switching mode.

    Electronic device with shared control and power lines for antenna tuning circuits

    公开(公告)号:US10186769B1

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-22

    申请号:US15655098

    申请日:2017-07-20

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control signal generation circuitry that generates a differential pair of control signals, power supply circuitry that generates a bias voltage, and an antenna having a tuning circuit. First switching circuitry may be coupled to the power supply circuitry and the control signal generation circuitry. Second switching circuitry may be coupled to the tuning circuit. A pair of control lines may be coupled between the first and second switching circuitry. In a first switching mode, the power supply circuitry may transmit the bias voltage to the tuning circuit over one of the control lines. The bias voltage may charge storage circuitry coupled to the tuning circuit. In a second switching mode, the control signal generation circuitry may transmit the differential pair of control signals to the tuning circuit. The tuning circuit may be powered by the storage circuitry in the second switching mode.

    Multi-Band Millimeter Wave Antenna Arrays
    167.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20190020121A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-17

    申请号:US15650638

    申请日:2017-07-14

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a phased antenna array. The array may include first, second, and third rings of antennas on a dielectric substrate that cover respective first, second, and third communications bands greater than 10 GHz. The second ring of antennas may surround the first ring of antennas. The third ring of antennas may be formed over the second ring of antennas. Parasitic elements may be formed over the first ring of antennas to broaden the bandwidth of the first ring of antennas. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the rings of antennas. Control circuitry may control the beam steering circuitry to steer a beam of wireless signals in one or more of the first, second, and third communications bands. The array may exhibit relatively uniform antenna gain regardless of the direction in which the beam is steered.

    Electronic device antenna with isolation mode

    公开(公告)号:US09972891B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-05-15

    申请号:US14819280

    申请日:2015-08-05

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for a given antenna may be formed from metal structures supported by a plastic carrier. The antenna resonating element arm may be coupled to switching circuitry to isolate the antenna resonating element arm when the antenna resonating element arm is not being used to handle communications in a communications band. The electronic device may have a metal housing. A slot may separate a peripheral portion of the housing such as a sidewall portion from a planar rear portion. The sidewall portion and the planar rear portion may form an additional antenna that operates at communications frequencies outside of the communications band handled by the given antenna. A parasitic antenna resonating element arm may be formed in the slot to enhance the frequency response of the additional antenna.

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