Electronic device with shared multiband antenna and antenna diversity circuitry

• US 8,219,157 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lum, Nicholas W., Sanguinetti, Louie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAUTURE, JOSEPH J
• Application Number:
  US12/412,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20100248799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575, 455/553.1, 455/552.1, 455/426.1, 455/114.1, 455/127.4, 455/126, 455/115.1
• US Class Current: 455/575
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in 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 5/50 Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band

Abstract

Electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may have antenna diversity circuitry that allows an optimum antenna in an antenna structure to be switched into use during device operations. The antenna structure may be shared between multiple radio-frequency transceivers in a radio-frequency transceiver circuit. The radio-frequency transceiver circuit may be coupled to the antenna structure using switching and filtering circuitry. The filtering circuitry may include a diplexer that divides radio-frequency signals into a divided signal path based on frequency. The filtering circuitry may also include bandpass filters that are interposed in each branch of the divided signal path. Switching circuitry in the switching and filtering circuitry may be used to selectively configure the wireless communications circuitry in transmit and receive modes using multiple communications bands.

Claims

1. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:

a 5 GHz radio-frequency transceiver that operates in a 5 GHz communications band and a 2.4 GHz radio-frequency transceiver that operates in a 2.4 GHz band;

an antenna; and

circuitry that couples both the 5 GHz radio-frequency transceiver and the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency transceiver to the antenna and that routes transmitted 5 GHz signals from the 5 GHz radio-frequency transceiver to the antenna while simultaneously passing 2.4 GHz signals from the antenna to the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency transceiver.

2. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a first antenna and wherein the wireless communications circuitry further comprises a second antenna and an antenna diversity switch that selectively switches one of the first and second antennas into use in response to antenna diversity control signals.

3. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 further comprises a cellular telephone transceiver.

4. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 1 wherein the circuitry comprises a diplexer coupled to the antenna, wherein the diplexer has a bandpass filter interposed between the antenna and the 5 GHz radio-frequency transceiver and has a low-pass filter interposed between the antenna and the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency transceiver.

5. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 4 further comprising:

an input amplifier that receives the 2.4 GHz signals; and

a 2.4 GHz bandpass filter that is coupled between the diplexer and the input amplifier.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

transceiver circuitry in the housing that handles wireless local area network radio-frequency signals at 5 GHz and radio-frequency signals at 2.4 GHz;

an antenna in the housing that is used to simultaneously receive 5 GHz radio-frequency signals for the transceiver circuitry and transmit 2.4 GHz radio-frequency signals from the transceiver circuitry; and

a cellular telephone transceiver and cellular telephone antenna in the housing.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the antenna comprises a first antenna, wherein the electronic device further comprises a second antenna, wherein the first and second antennas each cover 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz communications bands, wherein the electronic device further comprises a switch having a control input that receives antenna diversity control signals, and wherein the antenna diversity control signals direct the switch to switch either the first antenna or the second antenna into use.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 6 further comprising a diplexer interposed between the transceiver circuitry and the antenna.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the diplexer has terminals connected to:

a 5 GHz path that conveys the 5 GHz radio-frequency signals;

a 2.4 GHz path that conveys the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency signals; and

an antenna path coupled to the antenna.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 further comprising a 5 GHz bandpass filter interposed in the 5 GHz path between the diplexer and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the diplexer is connected to a 5 GHz path that conveys the 5 GHz radio-frequency signals, a 2.4 GHz path that conveys the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency signals, and an antenna path coupled to the antenna and wherein the electronic device further comprises a 2.4 GHz bandpass filter interposed in the 2.4 GHz path and a 5 GHz bandpass filter interposed in the 5 GHz path.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a two-position switch connected to 5 GHz bandpass filter and a three-position switch connected to the 2.4 GHz bandpass filter.

13. An electronic device comprising:

an antenna;

wireless communications circuitry that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals with the antenna, wherein the radio-frequency signals include radio-frequency signals in a first communications band and radio-frequency signals in a second communications band;

a diplexer coupled between the antenna and the wireless communications circuitry, wherein the diplexer has terminals respectively connected to;

a first path that conveys the radio-frequency signals in the first communications band;

a second path that conveys the radio-frequency signals in the second communications band; and

an antenna path coupled to the antenna;

bandpass filter circuitry that is coupled between the diplexer and the wireless communications circuitry; and

switching circuitry configurable in a first configuration in which the radio-frequency signals in the first communications band are transmitted by the wireless communications circuitry using the first antenna while the radio-frequency signals in the second communications band are received by the wireless communications circuitry using the first antenna.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the bandpass filter circuitry includes a first bandpass filter that passes radio-frequency signals in the first communications band and a second bandpass filter that passes radio-frequency signals in the second communications band.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the switching circuitry is operable to selectively route transmitted and received signals from the wireless communications circuitry to the diplexer.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a first switch that is coupled to the transceiver circuitry and that conveys signals in the first communications band; and

a second switch that is coupled to the transceiver circuitry and that conveys signals in the second communications band, wherein the bandpass filter circuitry comprises;

a first bandpass filter coupled between the diplexer and the first switch; and

a second bandpass filter coupled between the diplexer and the second switch.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the diplexer comprises a diplexer bandpass filter that passes signals in the second communications band.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the diplexer comprises a low pass filter that passes signals in the first communications band.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the first communications band comprises a 2.4 GHz communications band, wherein the second communications band comprises a 5 GHz communications band, and wherein the switching circuitry is configurable in:

the first configuration in which 2.4 GHz signals are transmitted by the wireless communications circuitry through the first bandpass filter and the low pass filter while 5 GHz signals are received by the wireless communications circuitry through the diplexer bandpass filter and the second bandpass filter; and

a second configuration in which 2.4 GHz signals are received by the wireless communications circuitry while 5 GHz signals are received by the wireless communications circuitry.

20. A portable electronic device, comprising:

an antenna structure having a first antenna and a second antenna;

an antenna diversity switch that selectively switches the first and second antennas into use in response to antenna diversity control signals;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals through the antenna diversity switch, wherein the radio-frequency signals include radio-frequency signals in a first communications band and radio-frequency signals in a second communications band;

a diplexer coupled between the antenna structure and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the diplexer has terminals respectively connected to;

a first path that conveys the radio-frequency signals in the first communications band;

a second path that conveys the radio-frequency signals in the second communications band; and

an antenna path coupled to the antenna diversity switch;

a first bandpass filter that is interposed in the first path between the diplexer and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a second bandpass filter that is interposed in the second path between the diplexer and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a first switch that is interposed in the first path and that has at least three switch positions; and

a second switch that is interposed in the second path.

21. The portable electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the first bandpass filter comprises a 2.4 GHz bandpass filter.

22. The portable electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the second bandpass filter comprises a 5 GHz bandpass filter.

23. The portable electronic device defined in claim 22 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry is configured to simultaneously receive 5 GHz signals through the second bandpass filter and transmit 2.4 GHz signals through the first bandpass filter.

24. The portable electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a handheld electronic device that supports cellular telephone communications, the portable electronic device further comprising:

a cellular telephone transceiver.