Electronic device with balanced-fed satellite communications antennas

• US 9,318,806 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yarga, Salih, Samardzija, Miroslav, Vazquez, Enrique Ayala, Rajagopalan, Harish, Li, Qingxiang, Schlub, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US14/058,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/793, 343/795, 343/821
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/328 between a radiating element and ground
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths

Abstract

An electronic device may include balance-fed antenna structures that do not have direct paths to ground. The antenna structures may serve as a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna and may have a dipole structure having a first and second antenna resonating element arms. The antenna structures may include a conductive path that conveys antenna signals between a first feed terminal on the first antenna resonating element arm and a transmission line. The conductive path may overlap with the second antenna resonating element arm such that current flow through the conductive path induces corresponding current flow in the second antenna resonating element arm. The antenna structures may include an impedance matching short-circuit stub path that couples the first antenna resonating element arm to the second antenna resonating element arm. Choke inductors may be used to help block indirect paths from the antenna structures to ground through adjacent circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

ground structures;

balance-fed dipole antenna structures that are not electrically connected to any of the ground structures and that receive satellite communications signals, wherein the balance-fed dipole antenna structures comprise a conductive path and a first antenna resonating element arm that comprises a plurality of antenna resonating element arm portions, the conductive path being connected to a given antenna resonating element arm portion that is located at a distance from the ground structures that is greater than each other antenna resonating element arm portion of the plurality of antenna resonating element arm portions; and

radio-frequency receiver circuitry that processes the received satellite communications signals.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the balance-fed dipole antenna structures form a Global Positioning System antenna.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising:

an unbalanced transmission line that is coupled to the balance-fed dipole antenna structures and is coupled to the ground structures.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the conductive path conveys antenna signals between the unbalanced transmission line and the first antenna resonating element arm, the balance-fed dipole antenna structures further comprising:

a second antenna resonating element arm that overlaps with the conductive path, wherein current flow through the conductive path induces corresponding current flow in the second antenna resonating element arm.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the balance-fed dipole antenna structures further comprise:

a stub path that couples the first antenna resonating element arm to the second antenna resonating element arm and is configured to match the impedance of the balance-fed dipole antenna structures to the unbalanced transmission line.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the first antenna resonating element arm has a meandering structure with at least two bends.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising:

a carrier structure on which the balance-fed dipole antenna structures are formed.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the carrier structure comprises a flexible circuit substrate, the first and second antenna resonating element arms are formed in a first patterned metal layer on the flexible circuit substrate, and the conductive path is formed in a second patterned metal layer on the flexible circuit substrate.

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

a via extending through the flexible circuit substrate that electrically connects the conductive path to the first antenna resonating element.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the carrier structure comprises a plastic carrier structure and wherein the first and second antenna resonating element arms are plated onto the plastic carrier structure.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the carrier structure comprises a camera housing, the electronic device further comprising:

a flexible circuit substrate on which the camera housing is mounted;

an additional conductive path on the flexible circuit substrate that couples the camera housing to the ground structures; and

a choke inductor in the additional conductive path.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising:

ground structures; and

a chip balun having a first terminal coupled to the first antenna resonating element, a second terminal coupled to the second antenna resonating element, a third terminal coupled to the ground structures, and a fourth terminal, wherein the chip balun converts balanced radio-frequency receive signals at the first and second terminals to unbalanced radio-frequency receive signals at the fourth terminal.

13. Antenna structures, comprising:

a first antenna resonating element arm;

a second antenna resonating element arm;

a first conductive path that is coupled to a first feed terminal on the first antenna resonating element arm and overlaps the second antenna resonating element arm, wherein a second feed terminal on the second antenna resonating element arm is indirectly fed by the conductive path;

a camera housing;

a flexible circuit substrate on which the camera housing is mounted; and

a second conductive path on the flexible circuit substrate that is coupled to the camera housing.

14. The antenna structures defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a stub path that couples the first antenna resonating element arm to the second antenna resonating element arm and impedance matches the antenna structures to a transmission line.

15. The antenna structures defined in claim 14 further comprising:

an additional flexible circuit substrate having opposing front and rear surfaces, wherein the first and second antenna resonating element arms are formed on the front surface, the first conductive path is formed on the rear surface, and the first conductive path is coupled to the first feed terminal on the first antenna resonating element arm by a via that extends through the flexible circuit substrate.

16. The antenna structures defined in claim 14 further comprising:

a plastic carrier, wherein the first and second resonating element arms are formed on multiple surfaces of the plastic carrier.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a balance-fed radio-frequency antenna;

ground structures;

circuitry that is coupled to the ground structures and adjacent to the balance-fed radio-frequency antenna; and

at least one choke inductor that is coupled between the circuitry and the ground structures.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the balance-fed radiofrequency antenna comprises a Global Positioning System antenna that is not electrically connected to the ground structures.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the circuitry comprises microphone circuitry and wherein the balance-fed radio-frequency antenna comprises:

a first antenna resonating element arm;

a second antenna resonating element arm; and

a conductive path that is coupled to a feed point on the first antenna resonating element arm and overlaps with the second antenna resonating element arm, wherein an electric field between the conductive path and the second antenna resonating element arm aligns current in the conductive path to current in the second antenna resonating element during antenna operations.