Handheld electronic devices with isolated antennas

• US 8,094,079 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlub, Robert W., Hill, Robert J., Zavala, Juan, Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US12/541,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700.MS, 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. Wireless communications circuitry in a handheld electronic device comprising:

first and second wireless transceiver circuits that transmit and receive radio-frequency signals;

first and second transmission lines associated respectively with the first and second wireless transceiver circuits for conveying the radio frequency signals;

first and second antennas, wherein the first antenna is connected to the first transmission line and wherein the second antenna is connected to the second transmission line; and

an isolation element associated with the first antenna that resonates in a frequency band in which the second antenna operates and reduces interference between the first antenna and the second antenna during simultaneous antenna operation, wherein the first antenna comprises a planar antenna resonating element and wherein the isolation element is formed as a part of the planar antenna resonating element that is coplanar with the planar antenna resonating element.

2. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the first antenna comprises a hybrid planar-inverted-F and slot antenna.

3. The wireless communication circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the first antenna further comprises a slot antenna, wherein the planar antenna resonating element comprises a shorter arm and a longer arm, and wherein the isolation element is formed from the shorter arm.

4. The wireless communication circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the first antenna comprises a slot antenna, wherein the second antenna comprises a strip antenna, wherein the planar antenna resonating element comprises a shorter arm and a longer arm, and wherein the isolation element is formed from the shorter arm.

5. Wireless communications circuitry in a handheld electronic device comprising:

first and second wireless transceiver circuits that transmit and receives radio-frequency signals;

first and second antennas comprising respective first and second antenna resonating elements, wherein the first antenna and first wireless transceiver circuit operate in at least a first communications band and wherein the second antenna and second wireless transceiver circuit operate in at least a second communications band that is different than the first communications band;

an antenna isolation element associated with the first antenna resonating element, wherein the antenna isolation element and the second antenna are configured to resonate in the second communications band and wherein when the second wireless transceiver circuit transmits wireless radio-frequency signals through the second antenna, the antenna isolation element reduces signal interference between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the first antenna is configured to operate in a third communications band that is different from the first communications band and the second communications band; and

a signal terminal and a ground terminal that serve as antenna terminals for the first antenna, wherein there is at least one signal path between the signal terminal and the ground terminal that does not pass through the isolation element.

6. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 5 further comprising a first coaxial cable connected between the first wireless transceiver and the first antenna and a second coaxial cable connected between the second wireless transceiver and the second antenna.

7. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 5 further comprising a first coaxial cable connected between the first wireless transceiver and the first antenna and a second coaxial cable connected between the second wireless transceiver and the second antenna, wherein the second communications band comprises a 2.4 GHz communications band.

8. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 5 further comprising a first coaxial cable connected between the first wireless transceiver and the first antenna and a second coaxial cable connected between the second wireless transceiver and the second antenna, wherein the first communications band covers cellular telephone frequencies of 850 MHz and 900 MHz and wherein the third communications band covers cellular telephone frequencies of 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz.

9. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 5 further comprising a first coaxial cable connected between the first wireless transceiver and the first antenna and a second coaxial cable connected between the second wireless transceiver and the second antenna, wherein the first communications band covers cellular telephone frequencies of 850 MHz and 900 MHz, wherein the third communications band covers cellular telephone frequencies of 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz, and wherein the second communications band comprises a 2.4 GHz communications band.

10. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 5 wherein the isolation element is formed as part of the antenna resonating element of the first antenna.

11. Wireless communications circuitry in an electronic device, the wireless communications circuitry comprising:

a first antenna having an antenna resonating element;

a signal terminal and a ground terminal that serve as antenna terminals for the first antenna;

a second antenna; and

an isolation element that reduces interference between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the isolation element is formed as part of the antenna resonating element of the first antenna, and wherein there is at least one signal path between the signal terminal and the ground terminal that does not pass through the isolation element.

12. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 11 wherein the antenna resonating element of the first antenna comprises a shorter arm and a longer arm and wherein the isolation element is formed from the shorter arm.

13. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 11 wherein the isolation element resonates in a frequency band in which the second antenna operates.

14. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 11 further comprising a ground element that serves as ground for at least the first antenna resonating element, wherein the first antenna comprises a slot antenna formed in the ground element.

15. The wireless communication circuitry defined in claim 11 wherein the second antenna comprises a strip antenna.