Electronic device with millimeter wave antennas

• US 10,084,490 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ouyang, Yuehui, Jiang, Yi, Mow, Matthew A., Noori, Basim, Pascolini, Mattia, Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US15/499,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 4555621, 4555757, 4555751, 343702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/005 providing two patterns of opposite direction; back to back antennas H01Q25/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/03 Constructional details, e.g. casings, housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1081 Reduction of multipath noise by equalising H04B7/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers

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 mounted along edges of a housing for the electronic device, behind a dielectric window such as a dielectric logo window in the housing, in alignment with dielectric housing portions at corners of the housing, or elsewhere in the electronic device. A phased antenna array may include arrays of patch antenna elements on dielectric layers separated by a ground layer. A baseband processor may distribute wireless signals to the phased antenna arrays at intermediate frequencies over intermediate frequency signal paths. Transceiver circuits at the phased antenna arrays may include upconverters and downconverters coupled to the intermediate frequency signal paths.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a baseband processor configured to generate intermediate frequency signals;

a plurality of antenna arrays;

a plurality of transceiver circuits each of which is associated with a respective one of the antenna arrays and each of which includes a respective upconverter; and

an intermediate frequency signal path coupled to the baseband processor, wherein the baseband processor is configured to provide the intermediate frequency signals to each of the upconverters in the plurality of transceiver circuits over the intermediate frequency signal path.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits comprises a first transceiver circuit that includes a first upconverter and comprises a second transceiver circuit that includes a second upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:

a splitter configured to route the intermediate frequency signals from the intermediate frequency signal path to the first and second upconverters.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits comprises a first transceiver circuit that includes a first upconverter and comprises a second transceiver circuit that includes a second upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:

a first splitter coupled between the intermediate frequency signal path and the first upconverter; and

a second splitter coupled to the second upconverter, wherein the first splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals from the intermediate frequency signal path to the first upconverter and to the second splitter.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits further comprises a third transceiver circuit that includes a third upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:

a third splitter coupled to the third upconverter, wherein the second splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals to the third splitter and to the second upconverter.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits further comprises a fourth transceiver circuit that includes a fourth upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:

a fourth splitter coupled to the fourth upconverter, wherein the third splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals to the fourth splitter and to the third upconverter.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein each of the upconverters in the plurality of transceiver circuits is configured to convert the intermediate frequency signals to a millimeter wave frequency.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of antenna arrays comprises a plurality of millimeter wave phased antenna arrays.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a housing having first and second edges, wherein each of the plurality of antenna arrays is located along one of the first and second edges.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a display mounted having a display cover layer, wherein at least one of the antenna arrays emits antenna signals through the display cover layer.

10. Apparatus, comprising:

a first dielectric layer having a first portion and a second portion that is different from the first portion;

a second dielectric layer formed over the first portion of the first dielectric layer;

a millimeter wave phased antenna array that includes an array of antenna elements formed on the second dielectric layer; and

transceiver circuitry, wherein the transceiver circuitry is mounted to the second portion of the first dielectric layer.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the second dielectric layer has a lateral area, the second dielectric layer covers the first portion of the first dielectric layer, and the second portion of the first dielectric layer extends beyond the lateral area of the second dielectric layer.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 10, further comprising:

a conductive ground layer interposed between the first and second dielectric layers.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 10, further comprising:

an additional millimeter wave phased antenna array that includes an additional array of antenna elements formed on the first dielectric layer.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein the first dielectric layer is interposed between the second dielectric layer and the additional array of antenna elements.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14, further comprising:

a conductive ground layer formed within a dielectric layer selected from the group consisting of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the array of antenna elements comprises an array of patch antenna elements.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises an electronic device selected from the group consisting of:

a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

18. An electronic device that has opposing front and rear faces, comprising:

a display on the front face of the electronic device;

a conductive housing having a rear wall portion on the rear face and having a sidewall portion that extends from the rear wall portion to the front face;

at least one slot in the sidewall portion of the conductive housing; and

a millimeter wave phased antenna array mounted within the conductive housing and aligned with the at least one slot, wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array is configured to transmit millimeter wave signals through the at least one slot in the sidewall portion of the conductive housing.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18, further comprising:

dielectric formed within the at least one slot, wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array is configured to transmit the millimeter wave signals through the dielectric.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array comprises an array of cavity-backed antennas.