Electronic Devices With Millimeter Wave Antennas And Metal Housings

    公开(公告)号:US20190214708A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-07-11

    申请号:US16357165

    申请日:2019-03-18

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may include millimeter wave antenna arrays. Non-millimeter-wave antennas such as cellular telephone antennas may have conductive structures separated by a dielectric gap. In a device with a metal housing, a plastic-filled slot may form the dielectric gap. The conductive structures may be slot antenna structures, inverted-F antenna structures such as an inverted-F antenna resonating element and a ground, or other antenna structures. The plastic-filled slot may serve as a millimeter wave antenna window. A millimeter wave antenna array may be mounted in alignment with the millimeter wave antenna window to transmit and receive signals through the window. Millimeter wave antenna windows may also be formed from air-filled openings in a metal housing such as audio port openings.

    High tolerance connection between elements

    公开(公告)号:US10334745B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-06-25

    申请号:US15821301

    申请日:2017-11-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a ring-shaped housing member defining an interior volume. The ring-shaped housing member may be configured to receive electronic device components. The ring-shaped housing member may include a first element comprising an angled region, and a second element comprising an angled region. A first intermediate element may be placed between the first and second elements, where the intermediate element is secured to internal surfaces of each of the first and second elements such that the first and second elements do not overlap. The first intermediate element may fasten the first and second elements to one another, and electrically isolate the first and second elements from one another.

    Electronic device antennas having multiple operating modes

    公开(公告)号:US10305453B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-05-28

    申请号:US15700580

    申请日:2017-09-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include an antenna with an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing structure and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. The antenna may include a first adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a first side of the antenna feed and a second adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a second side of the antenna feed. Control circuitry in the electronic device may adjust the first and second adjustable components between a first tuning mode, a second tuning mode, and a third tuning mode.

    Antennas for wireless earbuds
    205.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10284942B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-05-07

    申请号:US15839632

    申请日:2017-12-12

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An accessory such as a wireless earbud may have an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. A housing for the earbud may have a main body portion and an extended portion that forms a stalk protruding from the main body portion. The earbud may have a speaker aligned with a speaker port in the main body portion. The antenna may have an elongated shape and may extend along the stalk. The stalk may have a plastic housing wall portion. The antenna may be formed from first and second metal traces on opposing sides of a printed circuit substrate. The first metal trace may form an antenna resonating element arm and may lie between the substrate and the plastic housing wall portion. The second metal trace may be a ground trace. A feed for the antenna may be located at a juncture between the main body portion and the stalk.

    Electronic Device Antennas Having Shared Structures for Near-Field Communications and Non-Near Field Communications

    公开(公告)号:US20190081398A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-03-14

    申请号:US15700565

    申请日:2017-09-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antenna structures such as an antenna resonating element arm and an antenna ground. A split return path may be coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground. The antenna structures may form one or more inverted-F antennas when operated at non-near-field communications frequencies. The antenna structures may be coupled to near-field communications transceiver circuitry using a conductive path. When operated at near-field communications frequencies, near-field communications signals may be conveyed using the conductive path, the antenna resonating element arm, the return path, and the antenna ground. A capacitor may be coupled between the conductive path and an antenna ground. The capacitor may short non-near-field communications signals to the antenna ground and block near-field communications signals from passing from the conductive path to the antenna ground.

    Electronic Device Antennas Having Split Return Paths

    公开(公告)号:US20190081396A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-03-14

    申请号:US15701239

    申请日:2017-09-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include multiple antennas and transceiver circuitry. An antenna in the electronic device may have an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing structure and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. A split return path may bridge the gap. The split return path may be coupled between a first point on the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and second and third points on the antenna ground. The split return path may include a first inductor coupled between the first and second points and a second inductor coupled between the first and third points. The first and second inductors may be adjustable.

    Tunable antenna systems
    209.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10171125B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-01

    申请号:US15871388

    申请日:2018-01-15

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry including an adjustable antenna system coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver. The adjustable antenna system may include one or more adjustable electrical components that are controlled by storage and processing circuitry in the electronic device. The adjustable electrical components may include switches and components that can be adjusted between numerous different states. The adjustable electrical components may be coupled between antenna system components such as transmission line elements, matching network elements, antenna elements and antenna feeds. By adjusting the adjustable electrical components, the storage and processing circuitry can tune the adjustable antenna system to ensure that the adjustable antenna system covers communications bands of interest.

    Antennas in Patterned Conductive Layers
    210.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20180342789A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-11-29

    申请号:US15602956

    申请日:2017-05-23

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a substrate and a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer may be patterned to form a first region and a second region that surrounds and defines the shape of the first region. The first region may be formed from a continuous portion of the conductive layer. The second region may include a grid of openings that divides the conductive layer into an array of patches. The first region may form an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The second region may block antenna currents from the antenna resonating element and may be transparent to radio-frequency electromagnetic waves. The openings may have a width that is too narrow to be discerned by the human eye. This may configure the first and second regions to appear as a single continuous conductive layer despite the fact that an antenna resonating element is formed therein.

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