Tunable loop antennas

• US 9,246,221 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• 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): Wimer, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US13/041,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20120231750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343741-745, 343/748, 343/860, 343/861
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna

Abstract

Electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures. A parallel-fed loop antenna may be formed from portions of a conductive bezel and a ground plane. The antenna may operate in multiple communications bands. The bezel may surround a peripheral portion of a display that is mounted to the front of an electronic device. The bezel may contain a gap. Antenna feed terminals for the antenna may be located on opposing sides of the gap. A variable capacitor may bridge the gap. An inductive element may bridge the gap and the antenna feed terminals. A switchable inductor may be coupled in parallel with the inductive element. Tunable matching circuitry may be coupled between one of the antenna feed terminals and a conductor in a coaxial cable connecting the transceiver circuitry to the antenna.

Claims

1. A parallel-fed loop antenna in an electronic device having a periphery, comprising:

an antenna feed that includes first and second antenna feed terminals;

a conductive loop coupled between the first and second antenna feed terminals, wherein the conductive loop is formed at least partly from conductive structures disposed along the periphery; and

a variable inductor that bridges the first and second antenna feed terminals, wherein the variable inductor is coupled in parallel between the first and second antenna feed terminals, wherein the variable inductor comprises;

a first segment, wherein the first segment forms a part of a transmission line path with a first inductance and a first length; and

a second segment, wherein the second segment and the first segment form part of a second transmission line path with a second inductance and a second length that is different from the first length.

2. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 1, wherein the variable inductor comprises a switch that is connected in series with the first segment between the first and second antenna feed terminals, and wherein the second segment and the switch are coupled in parallel between the first segment and the second antenna feed terminal.

3. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 1, wherein the first inductance is different than the second inductance.

4. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 1, wherein the conductive structures comprise at least one gap, further comprising:

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

5. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 4, wherein the electronic device further comprises wireless transceiver circuitry and tunable impedance matching circuitry interposed between the transceiver circuitry and the first antenna feed terminal.

6. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

wireless transceiver circuitry; and

tunable impedance matching circuitry interposed between the transceiver circuitry and the first antenna feeds terminal.

7. The parallel-fed loop antenna defined in claim 1 further comprising:

an antenna feed line that carries antenna signals between a transmission line and the first antenna feed terminal; and

a capacitor interposed in the antenna feed line.

8. A handheld electronic device with a length, a width that is shorter than the length, and a height that is shorter than the width, the electronic device comprising:

an antenna feed that includes first and second antenna feed terminals;

a conductive loop coupled between the first and second antenna feed terminals;

wireless transceiver circuitry;

tunable impedance matching circuitry interposed between the wireless transceiver circuitry and the antenna feed;

a housing having a periphery, a top surface, and a bottom surface; and

a conductive housing structure, wherein the conductive housing structure extends across the height of the handheld electronic device and runs along the periphery, the conductive housing structure has at least one gap that extends across the height of the electronic device from the top surface of the housing to the bottom surface of the housing, and the conductive loop is formed at least partially from the conductive housing structure.

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

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

10. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the tunable impedance matching circuitry comprises at least two impedance matching network circuits and switching circuitry that configures the tunable impedance matching circuitry to switch into use a selected one of the two impedance matching network circuits.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the antenna feed and the conductive loop form a parallel-fed loop antenna.

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

a transmission line having positive and ground conductors, wherein the ground conductor is coupled to the second antenna feed terminal and wherein the positive conductor is coupled to the first antenna feed terminal; and

a capacitor interposed in the positive conductor of the transmission line.

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

inductor circuitry that bridges the first and second antenna feed terminals.

14. A wireless electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a periphery;

a conductive structure that runs along the periphery and that has at least one gap on the periphery; and

an antenna formed at least partly from the conductive structure, wherein the antenna comprises antenna tuning circuitry that has;

a first configuration that places the antenna in a first operating mode in which the antenna is configured to operate in a first communications band and a second communications band that is higher in frequency than the first communications band; and

a second configuration that places the antenna in a second operating mode in which the antenna is configured to operate in a third communications band that is lower in frequency than the first communications band and the second communications band, wherein operation of the antenna in the second communications band is unaffected when the antenna tuning circuitry switches between the first and second configurations.

15. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the first communications band is centered at 900 MHz, wherein the second communications band is centered at 1850 MHz, and wherein the third communications band is centered at 700 MHz.

16. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna tuning circuitry comprises:

variable capacitor circuitry that bridges the at least one gap.

17. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna comprises positive and negative feeds and wherein the antenna tuning circuitry comprises:

a variable inductor that bridges the positive and negative antenna feed terminals.

18. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna further comprises an antenna feed and wherein the antenna tuning circuitry comprises tunable impedance matching circuitry, further comprising:

radio transceiver circuitry, wherein the tunable impedance matching circuitry is interposed between the radio transceiver circuitry and the antenna feed.

19. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna tuning circuitry bridges the at least one gap.

20. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna tuning circuitry comprises:

variable circuitry having a first terminal coupled to the conductive structure and a second terminal coupled to a ground plane for the antenna, wherein the variable circuitry is configured to switch between the first and second configurations.

21. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 20, wherein the variable circuitry comprises an inductor coupled in series with a switch.

22. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 20, wherein the variable circuitry comprises a variable capacitor.

23. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 20, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the conductive structure at a first side of the gap and the second terminal is coupled to the ground plane at a second side of the gap that opposes the first side of the gap.

24. The wireless electronic device defined in claim 23, wherein the wireless electronic device has a length, a width that is shorter than the length, and a height that is shorter than the width, the conductive structure extends across the height of the handheld electronic device, and the gap extends across the height of the electronic device from a top surface of the housing to a bottom surface of the housing.