Electronic device antennas having multiple operating modes

• US 10,305,453 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Edwards, Jennifer M., Zhou, Yijun, Wang, Yiren, Xu, Hao, Tsai, Ming-Ju, Lee, Victor C., Han, Liang, Mow, Matthew A., Pascolini, Mattia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US15/700,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20190081615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 455 77, 333 171, 333 173
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0083 using two or more tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/01 Circuitry controlling the selecting or switching action
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/06 Tuning of antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/00 Discontinuous tuning; Selecting predetermined frequencies; Selecting frequency bands with or without continuous tuning in one or more of the bands, e.g. push-button tuning, turret tuner H03J7/00, H03J9/00 take precedence; for bandspreading H03J3/10
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/186 using two or more tuners

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include an antenna with an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing structure and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. The antenna may include a first adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a first side of the antenna feed and a second adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a second side of the antenna feed. Control circuitry in the electronic device may adjust the first and second adjustable components between a first tuning mode, a second tuning mode, and a third tuning mode.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having peripheral conductive housing structures;

an antenna resonating element arm formed from a segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures;

an antenna ground;

an antenna feed having a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna resonating element arm and a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground;

a first adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a first side of the antenna feed;

a second adjustable component coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground on a second side of the antenna feed; and

control circuitry configured to adjust the first and second adjustable components between a first tuning mode in which the first adjustable component forms an open circuit between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground and the second adjustable component electrically couples the antenna resonating element arm to the antenna ground, a second tuning mode in which the second adjustable component forms an open circuit between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground and the first adjustable component electrically couples the antenna resonating element arm to the antenna ground, and a third tuning mode in which both the first and second adjustable components electrically couple the antenna resonating element arm to the antenna ground.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the antenna resonating element arm has opposing first and second ends and, while the first and second adjustable components are in the first tuning mode, a first portion of the antenna resonating element arm between the antenna feed and the first end is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a first frequency band and a second portion of the antenna resonating element arm between the antenna feed and the second end is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a second frequency band.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein, while the first and second adjustable components are in the second tuning mode, a third portion of the antenna resonating element arm between the first adjustable component and the second end of the antenna resonating element arm is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the first frequency band and a fourth portion of the antenna resonating element arm between the first adjustable component and the first end of the antenna resonating element arm is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the second frequency band.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein, while the first and second adjustable components are in the third tuning mode, a conductive loop path including the first adjustable component, a portion of the antenna ground, the second adjustable component, and a fifth portion of the antenna resonating element arm between the first and second adjustable components is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the second frequency band and a third frequency band.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4, further comprising:

first and second dielectric-filled gaps that divide the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the first end of the antenna resonating element arm is defined by the first dielectric-filled gap and the second end of the antenna resonating element arm is defined by the second dielectric-filled gap.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the antenna ground includes a first vertical slot that extends beyond an edge of the first dielectric-filled gap, the first vertical slot has edges defined by the antenna ground and the peripheral conductive housing structures, the antenna ground includes a second vertical slot that extends beyond an edge of the second dielectric-filled gap, and the second vertical slot has edges defined by the antenna ground and the peripheral conductive housing structures.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein, while the first and second adjustable components are in the first tuning mode, the first vertical slot is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the third frequency band.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the first frequency band comprises frequencies between 700 MHz and 960 MHz, the second frequency band comprises frequencies between 1710 MHz and 2170 MHz, and the third frequency band comprises frequencies between 2300 MHz and 2700 MHz.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the first adjustable component comprises at least one inductor and switching circuitry that selectively couples the at least one inductor between the antenna resonating element arm to the antenna ground.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the second adjustable component comprises at least one inductor and switching circuitry that selectively couples the at least one inductor between the antenna resonating element arm to the antenna ground.

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

a display, wherein the antenna ground comprises conductive portions of the display.

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

a transmission line coupled to the antenna feed, wherein a distributed capacitance is formed between the antenna ground and the antenna resonating element arm that impedance matches the antenna resonating element arm to the transmission line.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having peripheral conductive structures;

an antenna resonating element arm formed from a segment of the peripheral conductive structures that extends between first and second dielectric-filled gaps in the peripheral conductive structures;

an antenna ground;

an antenna feed having a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna resonating element arm and a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground;

a first antenna tuning component coupled between a first location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground; and

a second antenna tuning component coupled between a second location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground, wherein the positive antenna feed terminal is interposed between the first and second locations, a first portion of the antenna resonating element arm extending between the first dielectric-filled gap and the positive antenna feed terminal is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a given frequency band while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in a first tuning mode, a second portion of the antenna resonating element arm extending between the second location and the second dielectric-filled gap is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the given frequency band while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in a second tuning mode, and a third portion of the antenna resonating element arm extending between the first and second locations is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the given frequency band while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in a third tuning mode.

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

control circuitry configured to place the first and second antenna tuning components in a selected one of the first tuning mode, the second tuning mode, and the third tuning mode.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the given frequency band is a first frequency band and a fourth portion of the antenna resonating element arm extending between the positive antenna feed terminal and the second dielectric-filled gap is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a second frequency band that is lower than the first frequency band while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in the first tuning mode.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15, wherein a fifth portion of the antenna resonating element arm extending between the second location and the first dielectric-filled gap is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the second frequency band while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in the second tuning mode.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the electronic device does not transmit radio-frequency signals in the second frequency band using the antenna resonating element arm while the first and second antenna tuning components are placed in the third tuning mode.

18. An electronic device comprising:

an antenna resonating element arm;

an antenna ground;

an antenna feed having a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna resonating element arm and a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground;

a first antenna tuning component coupled between a first location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground;

a second antenna tuning component coupled between a second location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground; and

control circuitry configured to adjust the first and second antenna tuning components between a first tuning mode in which the first antenna tuning component, a portion of the antenna ground, the second antenna tuning component, and a portion of the antenna resonating element arm are configured to resonate in a given frequency band and a second tuning mode in which the first antenna tuning component forms an open circuit between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein the first and second antenna tuning components are both electrically connected between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground in the first tuning mode.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein the first antenna tuning component comprises first and second inductors coupled in parallel between the first location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground and switching circuitry configured to selectively couple the first and second inductors between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground and the second antenna tuning component comprises third and fourth inductors coupled in parallel between the second location on the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground and switching circuitry configured to selectively couple the third and fourth inductors between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground.