WIRELESS CIRCUITRY WITH SIMULTANEOUS VOICE AND DATA CAPABILITIES AND REDUCED INTERMODULATION DISTORTION

• US 20120113874A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sanguinetti, Louie J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that includes transmitters and receivers. The transmitters and receivers may share an antenna. Transmitted signals from multiple transmitters may be merged using a combining circuit. Merged signals from the transmitter may be conveyed to the antenna through a circulator. The circulator may route incoming signals from the antenna to receivers. The receivers may be coupled to the circulator through a filter. An additional filter may be interposed between the circulator and the antenna. An additional transmitter may transmit signals through the antenna using the additional filter. An additional receiver may receive some of the incoming signals that are received by the antenna through the additional filter.

Claims

1. Wireless communications circuitry, comprising:

a first radio-frequency transmitter that operates in a first transmit communications band;

a second radio-frequency transmitter that operates in a second transmit communications band;

a radio-frequency receiver that operates in a receive communications band;

an antenna that is shared by the first and second radio-frequency transmitters and the radio-frequency receiver;

a circulator;

a first path coupled between the circular and the antenna, wherein the first path conveys signals in the first transmit communications band, the second transmit communications band, and the receive communications band;

a second path coupled between the circulator and the radio-frequency receiver that conveys signals in the receive communications band; and

a third path coupled to the circulator that conveys signals in the first and second transmit communications bands.

2. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprising a duplexer, wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the duplexer, wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the duplexer, and wherein the duplexer is coupled to the circulator by the third path.

3. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 2 wherein the first transmit communications band has a frequency range of 777 to 787 MHz and wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in a frequency range of 777 to 787.

4. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 3 wherein the second transmit communications band has a frequency range of 824 to 849 MHz and wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in a frequency range of 824 to 849 MHz.

5. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 4 wherein the receive communications band has a frequency range of 869 to 894 MHz and wherein the radio-frequency receiver is configured to receive radio-frequency signals in a frequency range of 869 to 894 MHz.

6. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprising a diplexer interposed between the circulator and the antenna, wherein the diplexer has first, second, and third ports, wherein the first diplexer port is coupled to the antenna, wherein the second diplexer port is coupled to the first path, and wherein the third diplexer port is coupled to a filter.

7. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 6 wherein the filter comprises a duplexer.

8. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 7 further comprising a third radio-frequency transmitter that is coupled to the duplexer and an additional radio-frequency receiver that is coupled to the duplexer.

9. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 8 further comprising an additional duplexer that is coupled between the second path and the radio-frequency receiver.

10. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 6 wherein the filter comprises a first duplexer and wherein the wireless communications circuitry further comprises:

a second duplexer that is coupled between the second path and the radio-frequency receiver; and

a third duplexer, wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the third duplexer, wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the third duplexer, and wherein the third duplexer is coupled to the circulator by the third path.

11. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprising a combiner, wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the combiner, wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the combiner, and wherein the combiner has a port on which signals from the first and second radio-frequency transmitters are provided to the third path.

12. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 11 wherein the combiner comprises a Wilkinson splitter.

13. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 12 further comprising a first bandpass filter interposed between the first radio-frequency transmitter and the Wilkinson splitter and a second bandpass filter interposed between the second radio-frequency transmitter and the Wilkinson splitter.

14. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprising a diplexer, wherein the first radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the diplexer, wherein the second radio-frequency transmitter is coupled to the diplexer, and wherein the diplexer has a port on which signals from the first and second radio-frequency transmitters are provided to the third path.

15. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 14 further comprising a first bandpass filter interposed between the first radio-frequency transmitter and the diplexer and a second bandpass filter interposed between the second radio-frequency transmitter and the diplexer.

16. Wireless communications circuitry, comprising:

first, second, and third radio-frequency transmitter circuits;

first, second, and third radio-frequency receiver circuits;

an antenna that is shared by the first, second, and third radio-frequency transmitter circuits and the first, second, and third radio-frequency receiver circuits; and

a circulator that has a first port that receives signals from the first and second radio-frequency transmitter circuits, a second port that is coupled to the antenna, and a third port through which the first and second receiver circuits receive signals.

17. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 16 further comprising a diplexer that is coupled between the antenna and the second port, wherein the diplexer receives signals from the third radio-frequency transmitter provides signals to the third radio-frequency receiver.

18. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 17 further comprising a first duplexer, a second duplexer, and a third duplexer, wherein the third radio-frequency transmitter transmits signals to the diplexer through the first duplexer, wherein the third radio-frequency receiver receives signals from the diplexer through the first duplexer, wherein the first and second radio-frequency transmitters transmit signals to the first port of the circulator through the second duplexer, and wherein the first and second radio-frequency receivers receive signals from the third port of the circulator through the third duplexer.

19. Wireless communications circuitry, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits radio-frequency signals;

a filter that receives the radio-frequency signals from the transmitter;

a circulator that receives the radio-frequency signals from the filter; and

an antenna through which the radio-frequency signals are transmitted.

20. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 19 further comprising a receiver that is coupled to the circulator.

21. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 20 further comprising:

an additional transmitter that is coupled to the filter, wherein the filter combines the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the transmitter with radio-frequency signals transmitted by the additional transmitter to produce merged signals, wherein the merged signals are routed to the antenna trough the circulator while the circulator routes incoming signals that have been received by the antenna to the receiver.

22. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 21 further comprising:

a diplexer that is coupled between the circulator and the antenna; and

an additional receiver that is coupled to the diplexer, wherein the diplexer routes the incoming signals from the antenna to the circulator and routes additional incoming signals from the antenna to the additional receiver.