Hybrid electronic device antennas having parasitic resonating elements

• US 10,290,946 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Romano, Pietro, Rajagopalan, Harish, Azad, Umar, Zhang, Lu, Gomez Angulo, Rodney A., Pascolini, Mattia
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holecek, Patrick R
• Application Number:
  US15/274,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20180090847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/16 Folded slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/18 the slot being backed by, or formed in boundary wall of, a resonant cavity longitudinally slotted cylinder H01Q13/12 ; Open cavity antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/328 between a radiating element and ground
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/385 Two or more parasitic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

An electronic device may have a hybrid antenna that includes a slot resonating element formed from a slot in a ground plane and a planar resonating element formed over the slot. A parasitic element may be disposed over the planar element. A switch may couple the parasitic element to the ground. A tunable circuit may couple the planar element to the ground. The switch and tunable circuit may be placed in different tuning states. In a first state, the tunable circuit and switch form open circuits. In a second state, the tunable circuit may an open circuit and the switch is closed. In a third state, the tunable circuit forms a return path and the switch forms an open circuit. This may allow the antenna to operate with satisfactory efficiency in low, mid, and high bands despite volume constraints imposed on the antenna.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a metal housing wall that forms a ground plane;

a slot in the metal housing wall that forms a slot antenna resonating element for a hybrid antenna;

a planar antenna resonating element for the hybrid antenna, wherein the planar antenna resonating element is formed over the slot;

an antenna feed having a signal feed terminal coupled to the planar antenna resonating element and a ground feed terminal coupled to the ground plane, wherein the planar antenna resonating element is configured to indirectly feed the slot antenna resonating element;

a parasitic antenna resonating element for the hybrid antenna, wherein the planar antenna resonating element is interposed between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the slot;

a dielectric carrier, wherein the planar antenna resonating element and the parasitic antenna resonating element are supported by the dielectric carrier and the planar antenna resonating element is interposed between the parasitic antenna resonating element and a surface of the dielectric carrier; and

control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the hybrid antenna to operate in first and second tuning states, the parasitic antenna resonating element is decoupled from the ground plane and the hybrid antenna is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in a frequency band in the first tuning state, and the parasitic antenna resonating element is coupled to the ground plane and the hybrid antenna is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in the frequency band in the second tuning state.

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

a switch coupled between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the ground plane.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2, further comprising:

an adjustable inductor coupled between the planar antenna resonating element and the ground plane.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3,

wherein the control circuitry is configured to place the electronic device in the first tuning state by controlling the adjustable inductor to form an open circuit between the planar antenna resonating element and the ground plane and by opening the switch coupled between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the ground plane.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to place the electronic device in the second tuning state by controlling the adjustable inductor to form the open circuit between the planar antenna resonating element and the ground plane and by closing the switch coupled between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the ground plane.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the slot antenna resonating element is configured to resonate in a low band frequency range while the electronic device is placed in the first and second tuning states and the planar antenna resonating element, the ground plane, and the parasitic antenna resonating element are configured to resonate in a midband frequency range while the electronic device is placed in the second tuning state.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to place the electronic device in a third tuning state by controlling the adjustable inductor to form a return path between the planar antenna resonating element and the ground plane and by opening the switch coupled between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the ground plane and, when the electronic device is placed in the third tuning state, the slot antenna resonating element is configured to resonate in the low band frequency range and a high band frequency range and the planar antenna resonating element and the ground plane are configured to resonate in the midband frequency range.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the slot antenna resonating element is configured to resonate at a low band frequency in the low band frequency range when the electronic device is placed in the first, second, and third tuning states, the electronic device further comprising:

a switch; and

a capacitor coupled in series with the switch between opposing sides of the slot, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the switch to adjust the low band frequency at which the slot antenna resonating element resonates.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the dielectric carrier is interposed between the antenna resonating element and the metal housing wall, the electronic device further comprising:

a display having a display cover layer, wherein the parasitic antenna resonating element is interposed between the display cover layer and the planar antenna resonating element.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the slot defines first and second opposing sides of the metal housing wall, the dielectric carrier is disposed on the first side, and the ground feed terminal is coupled to the second side, the electronic device further comprising:

a switch coupled between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the second side.

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

a dielectric layer interposed between the parasitic antenna resonating element and the planar antenna resonating element.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing that forms an antenna ground;

a hybrid antenna, comprising;

a slot in the metal housing that forms a slot antenna resonating element;

a planar antenna resonating element;

an antenna feed having a positive feed terminal coupled to the planar antenna resonating element and a ground feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground, wherein the planar antenna resonating element is configured to indirectly feed the slot antenna resonating element; and

a parasitic element that is coupled to the antenna ground by a switch; and

control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the hybrid antenna to operate in first, second, and third tuning states, wherein the switch is closed in the first tuning state and open in the second and third tuning states, and the hybrid antenna is configured to resonate in a first frequency band and a third frequency band in the first tuning state, in the first frequency band and a second frequency band in the second tuning state, and in the third frequency band in the third tuning state.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12, further comprising:

an adjustable inductor coupled between the planar antenna resonating element and the antenna ground.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the adjustable inductor comprises switching circuitry and the control circuitry is configured to control the switching circuitry to form an open circuit between the planar antenna resonating element and the antenna ground in the first and third tuning states.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the hybrid antenna is configured to resonate in the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and the third frequency band in the second tuning state, and the switching circuitry in the adjustable inductor forms a return path between the planar antenna resonating element and the antenna ground in the second tuning state.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15, wherein the first frequency band comprises a first range of frequencies, the second frequency band comprises a second range of frequencies that is greater than the first range of frequencies, and the third frequency band comprises a third range of frequencies that is less than the second range of frequencies.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the slot has opposing first and second sides that are defined by the metal housing, the electronic device further comprising:

adjustable capacitor circuitry coupled between the first and second sides of the slot, wherein the switch is coupled to the antenna ground at the first side of the slot, the adjustable inductor is coupled to the antenna ground at the first side of the slot, and the ground feed terminal is coupled to the antenna ground at the first side of the slot.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 12, further comprising:

an adjustable inductor coupled between the planar antenna resonating element and the antenna ground, wherein the control circuitry is configured to switch the adjustable inductor between at least first and second configurations in the first, second, and third tuning states.

19. An antenna, comprising:

a metal electronic device housing wall that forms an antenna ground;

a slot in the metal electronic device housing wall that forms a slot antenna resonating element;

a parasitic antenna element;

a switching circuit coupled between the parasitic antenna element and the antenna ground;

a planar metal element formed between the parasitic antenna element and the metal electronic device housing wall, wherein the planar metal element forms a planar antenna resonating element, and the planar antenna resonating element is configured to indirectly feed the slot antenna resonating element via nearfield electromagnetic coupling;

a first antenna feed terminal coupled to the planar metal element;

a second antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground; and

a tunable component coupled between the planar metal element and the antenna ground, wherein the tunable component forms a return path between the planar metal element and the antenna ground in a tuning setting, the switching circuit is open in the tuning setting, and the slot antenna resonating element, the planar antenna resonating element, and the antenna ground are configured to resonate in at least first and second frequency bands in the tuning setting.

20. The antenna defined in claim 19, wherein the antenna is operable in the tuning setting and first and second additional tuning settings, the tunable component forms an open circuit between the planar metal element and the antenna ground in the first and second additional tuning settings, the switching circuit is open in the first additional tuning setting, the switching circuit is closed in the second additional tuning setting, the slot antenna resonating element is configured to resonate at the first frequency band in the tuning setting and the first and second additional tuning settings, the planar antenna resonating element and the antenna ground are configured to resonate at the second frequency band in the tuning setting, the planar antenna resonating element, the parasitic antenna element, and the antenna ground are configured to resonate at the second frequency band in the second additional tuning setting, and the second frequency band is at least partially higher than the first frequency band.