Tunable antenna system with receiver diversity

• US 9,166,279 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jin, Nanbo, Pascolini, Mattia, Mow, Matt A., Schlub, Robert W., Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/041,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.7, 343/702, 343/745
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/14 Length of element or elements adjustable telescopic elements H01Q1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A wireless electronic device may include antenna structures and antenna tuning circuitry. The device may include a display mounted within a housing. A peripheral conductive member may run around the edges of the display and housing. Dielectric-filled gaps may divide the peripheral conductive member into individual segments. A ground plane may be formed within the housing. The ground plane and the segments of the peripheral conductive member may form antennas in upper and lower portions of the housing. The antenna tuning circuitry may include switchable inductor circuits and variable capacitor circuits for the upper and lower antennas. The switchable inductor circuits associated with the upper antenna may be tuned to provide coverage in at least two high-band frequency ranges of interest, whereas the variable capacitor circuits associated with the upper antenna may be tuned to provide coverage in at least two low-band frequency ranges of interest.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing having a conductive member that runs around a periphery of the housing;

an inverted-F antenna that is formed from an antenna ground and a portion of the conductive member, wherein the inverted-F antenna is configured to operate in a low-band frequency range centered at a first frequency and a high-band frequency range centered at a second frequency that is greater than the first frequency; and

a switchable inductor coupled between the antenna ground and the portion of the peripheral conductive member, wherein the switchable inductor is configured to center the high-band frequency range at a third frequency that is greater than the first and second frequencies while the inverted-F antenna maintains operation in the low-band frequency range centered at the first frequency.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the conductive member comprises at least one gap that divides the conductive member into a plurality of segments and wherein the portion includes at least one of the plurality of segments.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the antenna ground includes conductive housing structures formed within the electronic device.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the conductive housing structures comprises a printed circuit board.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the inverted-F antenna comprises first and second antenna feed terminals and wherein the switchable inductor is coupled between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the switchable inductor comprises an inductor and a switch that are connected in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6, further comprising:

wireless transceiver circuitry, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry is coupled to the first antenna feed terminal.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a conductive path coupled in parallel with the switchable inductor between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8, further comprising:

a variable capacitor circuit that bridges the at least one gap in the conductive member.

10. A wireless electronic device comprising:

a housing containing conductive structures that form an antenna ground and having a conductive member that runs around a periphery of the housing;

an antenna that is formed from the antenna ground and a portion of the conductive member; and

a switchable inductor circuit coupled between the antenna ground and the portion of the conductive member, wherein;

when the switchable inductor circuit is switched out of use, the antenna is configured to operate in a low-band frequency range and in a first high-band frequency range; and

when the switchable inductor circuit is switched into use, the antenna is configured to operate in the low-band frequency range and is configured to maintain operation in a second high-band frequency range that is higher in frequency than the first high-band frequency range.

11. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 10, wherein the antenna comprises first and second antenna feed terminals and wherein the switchable inductor circuit is coupled between the first and second antenna feed terminals, further comprising:

wireless transceiver circuitry coupled to the first antenna feed terminal.

12. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the antenna comprises an inverted-F antenna.

13. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the conductive member has at least two gaps, further comprising:

a variable capacitor circuit that bridges one of the two gaps.

14. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the switchable inductor circuit comprises an inductor and a switch that are connected in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

15. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the switchable inductor circuit comprises:

a switch;

a first inductor, wherein the first inductor and the switch are coupled in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals; and

a second inductor, wherein the second inductor and the switch are coupled in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

16. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the switchable inductor circuit comprises:

first and second switches;

a first inductor, wherein the first inductor and the first switch are coupled in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals; and

a second inductor, wherein the second inductor and the second switch are coupled in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

17. A wireless electronic device comprising:

a housing having a periphery;

a conductive structure that runs along the periphery and that has at least two gaps on the periphery; and

an inverted-F antenna formed at least partly from an antenna ground and a portion of the conductive structure;

a switchable inductor coupled between the antenna ground and the portion of the conductive structure; and

a variable capacitor that bridges at least one of the two gaps in the conductive structure that runs along the periphery, wherein;

when the variable capacitor is tuned to provide a first capacitance, the inverted-F antenna is configured to operate in a first low-band frequency range and in a first high-band frequency range; and

when the variable capacitor is tuned to provide a second capacitance that is different than the first capacitance and the switchable inductor is switched into use, the inverted-F antenna is configured to operate in a second low-band frequency range that is lower in frequency than the first low-band frequency range and is configured to operate in a second high-band frequency range that is higher than the first high-band frequency range.

18. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 17, wherein the inverted-F antenna comprises first and second antenna feed terminals, further comprising:

wireless transceiver circuitry coupled to the first antenna feed terminal.

19. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 18, further comprising:

the switchable inductor coupled between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

20. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 19, wherein the switchable inductor comprises an inductor and a switch that are coupled in series between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

21. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 20, further comprising a conductive shorting path coupled in parallel with the switchable inductor between the first and second antenna feed terminals.

22. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 17, further comprising:

processing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry generates control signals that tunes the variable capacitor to provide the first and second capacitance.