Electronic Devices Having Communications and Ranging Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20200106158A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-04-02

    申请号:US16146556

    申请日:2018-09-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided antennas and control circuitry. The antennas may be arranged in an array of unit cells. Each unit cell may include a first antenna that conveys signals in a first frequency band higher than 10 GHz and a second antenna that conveys radio-frequency signals in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band. A first of the unit cells may be provided with a first set of antennas that transmits radio-frequency signals in a third frequency band higher than the second frequency band. A second of the antenna unit cells may be provided with a second set of antennas that receives the radio-frequency signals after being reflected off of external objects. The control circuitry may perform spatial ranging operations by processing the transmitted and received signals in the second frequency band.

    Antenna arrays having conductive shielding buckets

    公开(公告)号:US10476170B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-11-12

    申请号:US15906979

    申请日:2018-02-27

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a sidewall, a display module separated from the sidewall by a gap, a display cover, a conductive bucket mounted to the display cover within the gap, and a phased antenna array mounted to the bucket for conveying millimeter wave signals through the display cover. The sidewall may form part of an antenna for conveying non-millimeter wave signals. The array may include resonating elements on a substrate. The resonating elements may be fed using feed terminals coupled to alternating sides of the resonating elements. Dielectric layers having a dielectric constant lower than that of the display cover may be provided on a surface of the display cover within the bucket. The array may operate with satisfactory efficiency despite the small amount of available space within the device, electromagnetic interference from the sidewall and the display module, and dielectric loading by the display cover.

    Electronic devices with coexisting antennas

    公开(公告)号:US11664601B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-05-30

    申请号:US17032843

    申请日:2020-09-25

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H01Q13/10 H01Q1/48 H01Q1/526 H01Q3/30

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas may be disposed within the antenna module. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. A flexible printed circuit may include transmission lines coupled to the feed probes. The flexible printed circuit may have a first end coupled to the antenna module and extending towards peripheral conductive housing structures forming an additional antenna and a second end coupled to transceiver circuitry. Ground traces on the flexible printed circuit may be shorted to ground structures at the first and second ends to improve the antenna efficiency of the additional antenna. The flexible printed circuit may include an elongated slot with overlapping conductive structures and laterally surrounded by a fence of conductive vias to improve the flexibility of the flexible printed circuit while providing satisfactory antenna performance.

    Electronic Devices with Coexisting Antennas

    公开(公告)号:US20220102867A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17032843

    申请日:2020-09-25

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas may be disposed within the antenna module. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. A flexible printed circuit may include transmission lines coupled to the feed probes. The flexible printed circuit may have a first end coupled to the antenna module and extending towards peripheral conductive housing structures forming an additional antenna and a second end coupled to transceiver circuitry. Ground traces on the flexible printed circuit may be shorted to ground structures at the first and second ends to improve the antenna efficiency of the additional antenna. The flexible printed circuit may include an elongated slot with overlapping conductive structures and laterally surrounded by a fence of conductive vias to improve the flexibility of the flexible printed circuit while providing satisfactory antenna performance.

    Millimeter wave impedance matching structures

    公开(公告)号:US11289802B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-29

    申请号:US16413508

    申请日:2019-05-15

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a transceiver, a substrate, and antennas mounted to the substrate. The transceiver and antennas may convey signals between 10 GHz and 300 GHz. A radio-frequency connector may be mounted to the substrate. A coaxial cable may couple the transceiver to the connector. A stripline in the substrate may couple the connector to the antennas. Impedance matching structures may be embedded in the substrate for matching an impedance of the stripline to an impedance of the coaxial cable. The impedance matching structures may include a fence of conductive vias, landing pads, and a volume of the dielectric substrate defined by the fence of conductive vias and the landing pads. The impedance matching structures may be configured to perform impedance matching over a relatively wide bandwidth that includes the frequency band of operation for the antennas.

    Electronic Devices Having Dielectric Resonator Antennas with Parasitic Patches

    公开(公告)号:US20210328351A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-10-21

    申请号:US16851848

    申请日:2020-04-17

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array and a display cover layer. The phased antenna array may include a probe-fed dielectric resonator antenna that radiates through the cover layer. The antenna may include a dielectric resonating element that is excited by one or two feed probes. One or more floating parasitic elements and/or grounded parasitic elements may be patterned onto the dielectric resonating element. The parasitic elements may create boundary conditions on the dielectric resonating element that serve to isolate the antenna from cross polarization interference.

    Millimeter wave antennas having continuously stacked radiating elements

    公开(公告)号:US11121469B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-09-14

    申请号:US16584067

    申请日:2019-09-26

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. The array may convey signals greater than 10 GHz and may be formed on a substrate having transmission line layers and antenna layers. An antenna in the array may have a radiating element that includes first, second, and third overlapping patch elements on the antenna layers. The antenna may be fed using a differential transmission line coupled to a differential feed on the first patch element. The differential transmission line may include first and second signal traces. A first via may couple the first signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. A second via may couple the second signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. The patch elements may introduce capacitances to the radiating element that help to compensate for inductances associated with the distance between the radiating element and the signal traces.

    Integrated Millimeter Wave Antenna Modules

    公开(公告)号:US20210075088A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-03-11

    申请号:US16990879

    申请日:2020-08-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module and a phased antenna array on the module. The module may include a logic board, an antenna board surface-mounted to the logic board, and a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) mounted surface-mounted to the logic board. The phased antenna array may include antennas embedded in the antenna board. The antennas may radiate at centimeter and/or millimeter wave frequencies. The logic board may form a radio-frequency interface between the RFIC and the antennas. Transmission lines in the logic board and the antenna board may include impedance matching segments that help to match the impedance of the RFIC to the impedance of the antennas. The module may efficiently utilize space within the device without sacrificing radio-frequency performance.

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