Wireless Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antennas

• US 20170117754A1
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Han, Liang, Mow, Matthew A., Pascolini, Mattia, Caballero, Ruben, Biedka, Thomas E., Jiang, Yi, Ouyang, Yuehui, Noori, Basim H., Salam, Khan M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,882,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/35 using two or more simultaneously fed points
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more dual-frequency dual-polarization patch antennas. Each patch antenna may have a patch antenna resonating element that lies in a plane and a ground that lies in a different parallel plane. The patch antenna resonating element may have a first feed located along a first central axis and a second feed located along a second central axis that is perpendicular to the first central axis. The patch antenna resonating element may be rectangular, may be oval, or may have other shapes. A shorting pin may be located at an intersecting point between the first and second axes. The patch antennas may be used in beam steering arrays. The patch antennas may be used for wireless power transfer at microwave frequencies or other frequencies and may be used to support millimeter wave communications.

Claims

1. An electronic device that wirelessly transfers power to an external device, comprising:

wireless power transfer circuitry; and

a dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna that is coupled to the wireless power transfer circuitry and that is configured to wirelessly transfer power from the wireless power transfer circuitry to the external device.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a patch antenna resonating element and a ground, wherein the patch antenna resonating element and the ground lie in separate parallel planes, wherein the patch antenna resonating element has first and second perpendicular central axes, wherein dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a first feed that lies along the first central axis, and wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a second feed that lies along the second central axis.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first and second central axes intersect at an intersection point, wherein the first feed lies along the first central axis at a location other than an intersection point, and wherein the second feed lies along the second central axis at a location other than the intersection point.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna comprises a shorting pin that shorts the patch antenna resonating element to the ground at the intersection point.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising an array of antennas that includes the dual-frequency dual-polarization patch antenna.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the wireless power transfer circuitry comprises adjustable circuitry that performs beam steering with the array of antennas during wireless power transfer operations between the wireless power transfer circuitry and the external device.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 further comprising a display, wherein the wireless power transfer circuitry is configured to transfer power wirelessly at microwave frequencies using the array of antennas.

8. An electronic device that communicates wirelessly with an external device, comprising:

millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry; and

a dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna that is coupled to the millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry and that is configured to communicate wirelessly with the external device.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a patch antenna resonating element and a ground, wherein the patch antenna resonating element and the ground lie in separate parallel planes, wherein the patch antenna resonating element has first and second perpendicular central axes, wherein dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a first feed that lies along the first central axis, and wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a second feed that lies along the second central axis.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry communicates in channels at first, second, third, and fourth frequencies, wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna has a first resonance peak that covers the first and second frequencies and a second resonance peak that covers the third and fourth frequencies.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the first, second, third, and fourth frequencies are associated respectively with first, second, third, and fourth frequencies 60 GHz communications channels.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the first, second, third, and fourth frequencies are associated respectively with first, second, third, and fourth IEEE 802.11 ad channels.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the first and second central axes intersect at an intersection point and wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna comprises a shorting pin that shorts the patch antenna resonating element to the ground at the intersection point.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna comprises one of an array of dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry comprises adjustable circuitry that performs beam steering with the array of dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas during millimeter wave wireless communications between the millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry and the external device.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

wireless circuitry; and

an array of dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas coupled to the wireless circuitry, wherein the wireless circuitry includes adjustable circuitry that performs beam steering with the array of dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein each of the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas has a patch antenna resonating element and a ground, wherein the patch antenna resonating element and the ground lie in separate parallel planes, and wherein the patch antenna resonating element has first and second perpendicular central axes and first and second respective different dimensions along the first and second central axes.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein each of the dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antennas has a first feed that lies along the first central axis of that antenna and has a second feed that lies along the second central axis of that antenna.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 further comprising a display, wherein the wireless circuitry comprises millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the millimeter wave wireless communications circuitry is configured to handle IEEE 802.11 ad channels.