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.

    Electronic devices having phased antenna arrays for performing proximity detection operations

    公开(公告)号:US10826177B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-11-03

    申请号:US15907029

    申请日:2018-02-27

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a phased antenna array. The array may include multiple antennas each having multiple antenna feeds for covering different polarizations. Control circuitry may control the wireless circuitry to transmit signals at millimeter or centimeter wave frequencies using a first set of feeds in the array and at least one selected phase. The wireless circuitry may receive the signals transmitted by the first set of feeds using a second set of feeds in the array. The control circuitry may gather phase measurements for the received signals and may compare the phase measurements to the selected phase to generate phase difference values. The control circuitry may perform external object proximity detection operations based on the phase difference values. The control circuitry may control the wireless circuitry to cycle through different combinations of antenna feeds for the first and second sets.

    Millimeter Wave Impedance Matching Structures

    公开(公告)号:US20200321690A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-10-08

    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 with Broadband Ranging Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20200182964A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-06-11

    申请号:US16563658

    申请日:2019-09-06

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry and wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include a phased antenna array and a radio-frequency integrated circuit having transmit and receive ports. The array may include a first set of stacked patch antennas coupled to the transmit ports and a second set of stacked patch antennas coupled to the receive ports. The integrated circuit may transmit ranging signals at millimeter wave frequencies using the transmit ports and the first set of antennas. The integrated circuit may receive a reflected version of the transmitted ranging signals that has been reflected off of an external object using the receive ports and the second set of antennas. The control circuitry may identify a distance between the electronic device and the external object based on the transmitted and received signals.

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