Electronic device with antennas isolated using phase shifter

• US 9,461,674 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yarga, Salih, Samardzija, Miroslav, Li, Qingxiang, Schlub, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US14/050,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20150099474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77, 455/575.7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• 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 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a primary antenna that is used for transmitting and receiving signals and a secondary antenna that is used for receiving signals. The primary and secondary antennas may be used together in a diversity arrangement when receiving signals. The electronic device may have a transceiver. A phase shifter may be interposed between the transceiver and the secondary antenna. Control circuitry may select a communications band of interest for transmitting signals with the primary antenna. The control circuitry can adjust the phase shifter in real time based on which communications band of interest has been selected for transmission with the primary antenna. The phase shifter may impose a phase shift on signals carried between the secondary antenna and the transceiver that ensures that primary antenna efficiency degradation associated with the presence of the secondary antenna in the vicinity of the primary antenna is avoided.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first antenna;

a second antenna;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to the first and second antennas by respective first and second transmission lines;

a phase shifter interposed in the second transmission line;

control circuitry configured to adjust the phase shifter in response to transmission of signals in a communications band of interest with the first antenna; and

an electronic device housing, wherein the first and second antenna share a common ground plane that is formed from the electronic device housing, and the first and second antennas are surrounded on all but a single side by the common ground plane.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are located along an edge of the electronic device housing.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first and second antennas overlap a dielectric window in the electronic device housing.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver comprises a transmitter-receiver coupled to the first transmission line that is configured to operate in cellular telephone bands.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver comprises a receiver coupled to the second transmission line.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the communications band of interest includes a band in the frequency range of 700 MHz to 960 MHz.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the phase shifter includes an adjustable capacitor.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the phase shifter includes an adjustable inductor.

9. A method of operating an electric device having primary and secondary antennas, comprising:

selecting a communications band of interest for transmitting radio-frequency signals with the primary antenna;

adjusting a phase shifter to maintain a desired antenna efficiency when transmitting the radio-frequency signals in the communications band of interest, wherein the phase shifter is interposed in a transmission line path that couples the secondary antenna to a radio-frequency transceiver having a plurality of receiver ports; and

controlling switching circuitry interposed between the phase shifter and the radio-frequency transceiver to couple the phase shifter to a selected receiver port of the plurality of receiver ports, wherein the radio-frequency transceiver is mounted to a printed circuit board and the phase shifter is mounted to a flexible printed circuit board that is coupled to the printed circuit board.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein adjusting the phase shifter comprises imposing a phase shift on antenna signals from the secondary antenna.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver comprises a receiver, the method further comprising receiving antenna signals with the receiver from the secondary antenna through the phase shifter.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver comprises a transmitter-receiver, the method further comprising using the transmitter-receiver to transmit the radio-frequency signals in the communications band of interest.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein using the transmitter-receiver comprises transmitting the radio-frequency signals in a communications band between 700 MHz and 960 MHz.

18. The method defined in claim 9, wherein each receiver port of the plurality of receiver ports is associated with a different respective communications band and controlling the switching circuitry comprises:

controlling the switching circuitry to couple the phase shifter to a selected receiver port of the plurality of receiver ports that is associated with the communications band of interest used by the primary antenna for transmitting the radio-frequency signals.

19. The method defined in claim 10, wherein adjusting the phase shifter comprising:

controlling the phase shifter to exhibit a different corresponding phase shift on the antenna signals from the secondary antenna based on which receiver port of the plurality of receiver ports is coupled to the phase shifter by the switching circuitry.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a first antenna;

a second antenna;

a radio-frequency receiver;

a variable phase shifter;

control circuitry that adjusts the variable phase shifter when transmitting signals with the first antenna to avoid antenna efficiency degradation for the first antenna due to presence of the second antenna;

a housing in which the first and second antennas are mounted, wherein the first and second antennas comprise patterned metal on a flexible printed circuit;

a display in the housing that is covered by a display cover layer, wherein the flexible printed circuit is overlapped by a portion of the display cover layer and radio-frequency signals for the first and second antennas pass through the display cover layer; and

a printed circuit board coupled to the flexible printed circuit, wherein the radio-frequency receiver is mounted to the printed circuit board and the variable phase shifter is mounted to the flexible printed circuit.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the housing comprises metal that forms a common antenna ground plane for the first and second antennas.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the radio-frequency receiver is coupled to the second antenna by a signal path, and the variable phase shifter is interposed in the signal path.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a radio-frequency transmitter-receiver coupled to the first antenna that transmits signals in cellular telephone bands.