Electronic Device Having Adjustable Antenna Settings

    公开(公告)号:US20190393918A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-12-26

    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.

    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 device with over-the-air wireless self-testing capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US10454596B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-10-22

    申请号:US15940758

    申请日:2018-03-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antennas. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays for handling millimeter wave signals. Antennas may be located in antenna signal paths. The antenna signal paths may include adjustable components such as adjustable filters, adjustable gain amplifiers, and adjustable phase shifters. Circuitry may be incorporated into an electronic device to facilitate wireless self-testing operations. Wireless self-testing may involve use of one antenna to transmit an over-the-air antenna test signal that is received by another antenna. The circuitry that facilitates the wireless self-testing operations may include couplers, adjustable switches for temporarily shorting antenna signal paths together, mixers for mixing down radio-frequency signals to allow digitization with analog-to-digital converters, and other circuitry for supporting self-testing operations.

    Millimeter Wave Antennas Having Cross-Shaped Resonating Elements

    公开(公告)号:US20190036220A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-31

    申请号:US15659503

    申请日:2017-07-25

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna and transceiver circuitry such as millimeter wave transceiver circuitry. The antenna may include an antenna ground and a resonating element. The resonating element may include a cross-shaped patch having arms extending along different longitudinal axes, conductive landing pads interposed between the cross-shaped patch and the antenna ground, and vertical conductive legs extending between each of the arms and corresponding landing pads. The antenna may be fed using a first antenna feed coupled between a first of the landing pads and the antenna ground and a second antenna feed coupled between a second of the landing pads and the antenna ground. The landing pads, antenna ground, and cross-shaped patch may be formed from conductive traces on different layers of a dielectric substrate.

    Electronic device with millimeter wave yagi antennas

    公开(公告)号:US10103424B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-10-16

    申请号:US15138684

    申请日:2016-04-26

    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 phased antenna arrays each of which includes multiple antenna elements. Phased antenna arrays may be formed from printed circuit board Yagi antennas or other antennas. A millimeter wave transceiver may use the antennas to transmit and receive wireless signals. The antennas may be mounted at the corners of an electronic device housing or elsewhere in an electronic device. An electronic device housing may be formed from metal and may have an opening filled with dielectric. The antennas may be aligned with portions of the dielectric. Printed circuit board antennas may have reflectors, radiators, and directors. The reflectors, radiators, and directors may be arranged to align radiation patterns for the antennas with the plastic-filled slots or other dielectric regions in the metal housing.

    Antennas Having Symmetrical Switching Architecture

    公开(公告)号:US20180219276A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-08-02

    申请号:US15940772

    申请日:2018-03-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for an antenna may be formed from conductive housing structures running along the edges of the device. The antenna may have first and second antenna feeds and multiple adjustable components that bridge a slot between the antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. Control circuitry may control the adjustable components and selectively activate one of the first and second feeds at a given time to place the antenna in first, second, or third operating modes. The control circuitry may determine which operating mode to use based on information indicative of the operating environment of the device. By switching between the operating modes, the control circuitry may shift current hot spots across the length of the resonating element arm to ensure satisfactory performance of the antenna in a variety of operating conditions.

    Electronic device with over-the-air wireless self-testing capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US09960864B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-05-01

    申请号:US15495732

    申请日:2017-04-24

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H04B17/14 H04B17/19

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antennas. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays for handling millimeter wave signals. Antennas may be located in antenna signal paths. The antenna signal paths may include adjustable components such as adjustable filters, adjustable gain amplifiers, and adjustable phase shifters. Circuitry may be incorporated into an electronic device to facilitate wireless self-testing operations. Wireless self-testing may involve use of one antenna to transmit an over-the-air antenna test signal that is received by another antenna. The circuitry that facilitates the wireless self-testing operations may include couplers, adjustable switches for temporarily shorting antenna signal paths together, mixers for mixing down radio-frequency signals to allow digitization with analog-to-digital converters, and other circuitry for supporting self-testing operations.

    Wireless Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antennas

    公开(公告)号:US20180115071A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-04-26

    申请号:US15848833

    申请日:2017-12-20

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H01Q9/0407 H01Q5/35 H04W4/80

    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.

    Antennas Having Symmetrical Switching Architecture

    公开(公告)号:US20180083344A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-03-22

    申请号:US15429597

    申请日:2017-02-10

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for an antenna may be formed from conductive housing structures running along the edges of the device. The antenna may have first and second antenna feeds and multiple adjustable components that bridge a slot between the antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. Control circuitry may control the adjustable components and selectively activate one of the first and second feeds at a given time to place the antenna in first, second, or third operating modes. The control circuitry may determine which operating mode to use based on information indicative of the operating environment of the device. By switching between the operating modes, the control circuitry may shift current hot spots across the length of the resonating element arm to ensure satisfactory performance of the antenna in a variety of operating conditions.

Patent Agency Ranking