Electronic Devices Having Distributed Millimeter Wave Antennas

    公开(公告)号:US20200021025A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-16

    申请号:US16036780

    申请日:2018-07-16

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry for conveying radio-frequency signals greater than 10 GHz. The wireless circuitry may include a phased antenna array that transmits a steerable signal beam and independent antennas that are separate from the array. The array may be coupled to a first transceiver and the independent antennas may be coupled to a second transceiver. Power amplifier stages may be coupled between the second transceiver and the independent antennas to boost the gain of the independent antennas. If desired, the array and the independent antennas may be coupled to ports of the same transceiver. In this arrangement, each independent antenna may include an antenna feed that is coupled to a respective pair of ports on the transceiver. This may serve to boost the gain of the independent antennas without power amplifier circuitry. The independent antennas may have smaller footprints than the phased antenna array.

    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.

    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.

    Electronic device with passive antenna retuning circuitry
    45.
    发明授权
    Electronic device with passive antenna retuning circuitry 有权
    具有无源天线重调电路的电子设备

    公开(公告)号:US09537219B2

    公开(公告)日:2017-01-03

    申请号:US14500819

    申请日:2014-09-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H01Q9/0442 H01Q1/243 H01Q5/328 H01Q5/335 H01Q9/42

    Abstract: An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna may have an inverted-F antenna resonating element, an antenna ground, and other resonating element structures. A tip of the antenna resonating element and the antenna ground may be separated by a peripheral housing gap filled with plastic. The antenna may be sensitive to capacitance changes induced by the presence of a user's hand overlapping the gap or other portions of the antenna. A hand capacitance sensing electrode may be mounted in the plastic of the gap or elsewhere in the vicinity of the antenna. A transmission line may couple the hand capacitance sensing electrode to the antenna to retune the antenna in the event that the user's hand overlaps the antenna.

    Abstract translation: 电子设备可以具有带天线的无线电路。 天线可以具有倒F天线谐振元件,天线接地和其它谐振元件结构。 天线谐振元件的尖端和天线接地可以由填充有塑料的外围壳体间隙分开。 天线可能对由与天线的间隙或其他部分重叠的用户手的存在引起的电容变化敏感。 手电容感测电极可以安装在间隙的塑料或天线附近的别处。 在用户的手与天线重叠的情况下,传输线可以将手电容感测电极耦合到天线以重新调谐天线。

    Methods for manufacturing an antenna tuning element in an electronic device
    46.
    发明授权
    Methods for manufacturing an antenna tuning element in an electronic device 有权
    电子设备中的天线调谐元件的制造方法

    公开(公告)号:US09379427B2

    公开(公告)日:2016-06-28

    申请号:US13871996

    申请日:2013-04-26

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H01Q1/243 H01Q9/0442 H01Q9/42 H04B1/18

    Abstract: Custom antenna structures may be used to improve antenna performance and to compensate for manufacturing variations in electronic device antennas. An electronic device antenna may include an antenna tuning element and conductive structures formed from portions of a peripheral conductive housing member and other conductive antenna structures. The antenna tuning element may be connected across a gap in the peripheral conductive housing member. The custom antenna structures may be used to couple the antenna tuning element to a fixed custom location on the peripheral conductive housing member to help satisfy design criteria and to compensate for manufacturing variations in the conductive antenna structures that could potentially lead to undesired variations in antenna performance. Custom antenna structures may include springs and custom paths on dielectric supports.

    Abstract translation: 可以使用定制天线结构来改善天线性能并补偿电子设备天线中的制造变化。 电子设备天线可以包括天线调谐元件和由外围导电外壳构件和其它导电天线结构的部分形成的导电结构。 天线调谐元件可以跨越外围导电外壳构件中的间隙连接。 定制天线结构可用于将天线调谐元件耦合到外围导电外壳构件上的固定定制位置,以帮助满足设计标准并补偿导电天线结构中可能导致天线性能不期望变化的制造变化 。 定制天线结构可以包括弹簧和电介质支撑件上的定制路径。

    Antenna System With Tuning From Coupled Antenna
    47.
    发明申请
    Antenna System With Tuning From Coupled Antenna 有权
    天线系统与耦合天线调谐

    公开(公告)号:US20140292598A1

    公开(公告)日:2014-10-02

    申请号:US13851471

    申请日:2013-03-27

    Applicant: APPLE INC.

    Abstract: Electronic devices may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures. The antenna structures may form a dual arm inverted-F antenna and an additional antenna such as a monopole antenna sharing a common antenna ground. The antenna structures may have three ports. A first antenna port may be coupled to an inverted-F antenna resonating element at a first location and a second antenna port may be coupled to the inverted-F antenna resonating element at a second location. A third antenna port may be coupled to the additional antenna. An adjustable component may be coupled to the first antenna port to tune the inverted-F antenna. The inverted-F antenna may be near-field coupled to the additional antenna so that the inverted-F antenna may serve as a tunable parasitic antenna resonating element that tunes the additional antenna.

    Abstract translation: 电子设备可以包括射频收发器电路和天线结构。 天线结构可以形成双臂倒F天线和附加天线,例如共享公共天线地的单极天线。 天线结构可以具有三个端口。 第一天线端口可以在第一位置处耦合到倒F天线谐振元件,并且第二天线端口可以在第二位置处耦合到倒F天线谐振元件。 第三天线端口可以耦合到附加天线。 可调组件可以耦合到第一天线端口以调谐倒F天线。 反F天线可以近场耦合到附加天线,使得倒F天线可以用作调谐附加天线的可调谐寄生天线谐振元件。

    Electronic devices having antennas with loaded dielectric apertures

    公开(公告)号:US12218424B2

    公开(公告)日:2025-02-04

    申请号:US17832421

    申请日:2022-06-03

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a conductive sidewall. An aperture may be formed in the sidewall. The sidewall may have a cavity that extends from the aperture towards the interior of the device. The cavity may be filled with an injection-molded plastic substrate. A dielectric block having a dielectric constant greater than that of the injection-molded plastic substrate and the antenna layers may be embedded in the injection-molded plastic substrate. The dielectric block may at least partially overlap an antenna. The antenna may convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency greater than 10 GHz through the cavity, the dielectric block, the injection-molded plastic substrate, and the aperture. The dielectric block may increase the effective dielectric constant of the cavity, allowing the antenna to cover relatively low frequencies without increasing the size of the aperture.

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