Wireless Circuitry with Efficient Antenna Tuning

    公开(公告)号:US20230084948A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-03-16

    申请号:US17554734

    申请日:2021-12-17

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with a baseband processor, a transceiver, and an antenna. The antenna may be coupled to one or more antenna tuning elements for tuning the antenna over multiple communications (frequency) bands of interest. The baseband processor may be configured to simultaneously broadcast, over a digital interface, an aggregate message that includes control bits for adjusting multiple antenna tuning elements coupled to the digital interface. Adjusting multiple antenna tuning elements by issuing a single broadcast command can help optimize interface efficiency while maintaining compatibility with existing industry standards.

    Electronic device having adjustable antenna settings

    公开(公告)号:US11456768B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-09-27

    申请号:US15930298

    申请日:2020-05-12

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include control circuitry, sensors, and wireless circuitry having antennas. The sensors may generate sensor data that is used by the control circuitry to identify an operating environment for the device. The sensor data may include a grip map generated by a touch-sensitive display, infrared facial recognition image signals or other image signals, an angle of arrival of sound received by a set of microphones, impedance data from an impedance sensor, and any other desired sensor data. The control circuitry may use the sensor data, radio-frequency spatial ranging data, information about whether audio is being played over an ear speaker, and/or information about communications protocols in use to identify the operating environment. The control circuitry may adjust antenna settings for the wireless circuitry based on the identified operating environment to ensure that the antennas operate with satisfactory antenna efficiency regardless of operating conditions.

    Electronic device having adjustable antenna settings

    公开(公告)号:US10693516B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-06-23

    申请号:US16017847

    申请日:2018-06-25

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include control circuitry, sensors, and wireless circuitry having antennas. The sensors may generate sensor data that is used by the control circuitry to identify an operating environment for the device. The sensor data may include a grip map generated by a touch-sensitive display, infrared facial recognition image signals or other image signals, an angle of arrival of sound received by a set of microphones, impedance data from an impedance sensor, and any other desired sensor data. The control circuitry may use the sensor data, radio-frequency spatial ranging data, information about whether audio is being played over an ear speaker, and/or information about communications protocols in use to identify the operating environment. The control circuitry may adjust antenna settings for the wireless circuitry based on the identified operating environment to ensure that the antennas operate with satisfactory antenna efficiency regardless of operating conditions.

    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.

    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.

    Electronic Devices Having Closed-Loop Antenna Adjustment Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20180069295A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-03-08

    申请号:US15255770

    申请日:2016-09-02

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes an antenna. Control circuitry may perform closed loop tuning adjustments on the antenna. For example, the control circuitry may adjust a tunable component to tune the antenna to a first tuning setting. The control circuitry may gather impedance values from the antenna while tuned to the first tuning setting and may process the impedance values to determine whether to tune the antenna to a second tuning setting. If the impedance values lie within a predetermined complex impedance region, the control circuitry may tune the antenna to the second setting. If the impedance values lie outside of the region, the control circuitry may continue to gather impedance values using the first setting. These operations may compensate for detuning of the antenna due to proximity of a user regardless of how the electronic device is held during operation.

    Electronic device having antenna tuning integrated circuits with sensors

    公开(公告)号:US09698854B2

    公开(公告)日:2017-07-04

    申请号:US14980574

    申请日:2015-12-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H04B1/40 H01Q3/26 H01Q9/0442 H04B1/0458 H04B1/18

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.

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