Handheld electronic devices with isolated antennas

• US 7,898,485 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlub, Robert W., Zavala, Juan, Hill, Robert J., Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US12/504,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/725, 343/767, 343/846
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

Handheld electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry having at least first and second antennas. An antenna isolation element reduces signal interference between the antennas, so that the antennas may be used in close proximity to each other. A planar ground element may be used as a ground by the first and second antennas. The first antenna may be formed using a hybrid planar-inverted-F and slot arrangement in which a planar resonating element is located above a rectangular slot in the planar ground element. The second antenna may be formed from an L-shaped strip. The planar resonating element of the first antenna may have first and second arms. The first arm may resonate at a common frequency with the second antenna and may serve as the isolation element. The second arm may resonate at approximately the same frequency as the slot portion of the hybrid antenna.

Claims

1. A wireless handheld electronic device comprising:

storage that stores data;

processing circuitry coupled to the storage that generates data for wireless transmission and that processes wirelessly received data; and

wireless communications circuitry, wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises;

transceiver circuitry;

first and second antennas; and

first and second transmission lines, wherein the first transmission line has a ground conductor and has a signal conductor and conveys radio-frequency signals for the first antenna between the transceiver circuitry and the first antenna, wherein the second transmission line has a ground conductor and has a signal conductor and conveys radio-frequency signals for the second antenna between the transceiver circuitry and the second antenna, wherein the first antenna operates in a first frequency range and a second frequency range, wherein the second antenna operates in a third frequency range that is different than the first and second frequency ranges, wherein the first antenna comprises a planar ground element with a dielectric-filled slot and a planar resonating element located above the slot, and wherein the planar resonating element comprises an antenna isolation element that resonates in the third frequency range and isolates the first antenna and the second antenna in the third frequency range.

2. The wireless handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a rectangular housing having an end, wherein the first antenna comprises a hybrid planar-inverted-F and slot antenna and is located with the second antenna at the end of the rectangular housing.

3. The wireless handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the planar resonating element comprises a first arm that serves as the antenna isolation element and a second arm that resonates in a common frequency range with the slot.

4. The wireless handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the planar resonating element comprises:

a first arm that is folded back on itself and that serves as the antenna isolation element; and

a second arm that is folded back on itself, wherein the wireless handheld electronic device further comprises a plastic cap that covers the first and second antennas.

5. The wireless handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the planar resonating element comprises a first arm that serves as the antenna isolation element and a second arm that resonates in a common frequency range with the slot and wherein the dielectric filled slot comprises a rectangular slot filled with air, the wireless handheld electronic device further comprising a housing that is formed at least partly from metal and that serves as an antenna ground element for the first and second antennas.

6. First and second antennas for use in a handheld device that has a substantially rectangular housing with lateral dimensions, comprising:

a substantially rectangular ground plane antenna element having lateral dimensions substantially equal to the lateral dimensions of the housing, wherein the ground plane antenna element serves as ground for the first and second antennas;

a first planar antenna resonating element associated with the first antenna and a second planar antenna resonating element associated with the second antenna, wherein the first antenna operates in a first frequency range and a second frequency range, wherein the second antenna operates in a third frequency range that is different than the first and second frequency ranges; and

an antenna isolation element that resonates in the third frequency range and that isolates the first antenna and the second antenna in the third frequency range.

7. The antennas defined in claim 6 wherein the antenna isolation element is associated with the first antenna and wherein the first planar antenna resonating element has at least one arm.

8. The antennas defined in claim 6 wherein the first planar antenna resonating element has a first arm that serves as the isolation element and has a second arm that is longer than the first arm and wherein the isolation element comprises a strip of metal formed on a flex circuit.

9. The antennas defined in claim 6 wherein the first planar antenna resonating element has a first arm that serves as the isolation element and has a second arm that is longer than the first arm.

10. The antennas defined in claim 6 wherein the isolation element comprises a strip of metal formed on a flex circuit.