Wireless electronic device with calibrated reflectometer

• US 9,594,147 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Han, Liang, Mow, Matthew A., Biedka, Thomas E., Pascolini, Mattia, Tsai, Ming-Ju, Judkins, James G., Lee, Victor, Schlub, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASIR, TAQI R
• Application Number:
  US14/506,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20160097833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 324/601, 324/603, 324/613, 324/614, 324/301, 324/303, 324/326, 324329-332, 324 66- 67, 324/334, 324/22, 324260-261, 324637-648
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0878 Sensors; antennas; probes; detectors wave guide measuring sections G01R1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/005 Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• 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 17/103 Reflected power, e.g. return loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/14 of the whole transmission and reception path, e.g. self-test loop-back

Abstract

An electronic device may have control circuitry that uses a reflectometer to measure antenna impedance during operation. The reflectometer may have a directional coupler that is coupled between radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and an antenna. A calibration circuit may be coupled between the directional coupler and the antenna. The calibration circuit may have a first port coupled to the antenna, a second port coupled to the directional coupler, and a third port that is coupled to a calibration resistance. The reflectometer may have terminations of identical impedance that are coupled to ground. Switching circuitry in the reflectometer may be used to route signals from the directional coupler to a feedback receiver for measurement by the control circuitry or to ground through the terminations. Calibrated antenna reflection coefficient measurements may be used in dynamically adjusting the antenna.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

an antenna;

a transmission line path that couples the antenna to the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a reflectometer coupled in the transmission line path between the antenna and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry; and

a calibration circuit coupled between the reflectometer and the antenna, wherein the reflectometer comprises;

a feedback receiver;

first and second terminations of identical impedance that are coupled to ground;

a directional coupler with first and second ports;

a first switch that couples the first port to the first termination in a first configuration and couples the first port to the feedback receiver in a second configuration; and

a second switch that couples the second port to the second termination in a first configuration and couples the second port to and the feedback receiver in a second configuration.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second terminations are characterized by a reflection coefficient and the electronic device comprises control circuitry that stores the reflection coefficient to calibrate the reflectometer.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the calibration circuit has a first state in which a calibration resistance is switched into use and is coupled to the reflectometer and a second state in which the calibration resistance is switched out of use and the antenna is coupled to the reflectometer and the reflection coefficient is determined by the control circuitry using forward path and reverse path measurements made using the directional coupler, the switching circuitry, and the feedback receiver.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the calibration circuit comprises a 50 ohm resistor that provides the calibration resistance.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the calibration circuit further comprises a switch controlled by the control circuitry that selectively couples the reflectometer to one of:

the 50 ohm resistor and the antenna.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the antenna comprises an inverted-F antenna resonating element that is formed from the peripheral conductive housing structures.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the calibration circuit comprises a switch connector.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the antenna comprises a hybrid inverted-F slot antenna.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the control circuitry is configured to calibrate the reflectometer and store the reflection coefficient by gathering both forward path measurements and reverse path measurements with the reflectometer.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the feedback receiver is configured to make phase and magnitude measurements on signals received from the directional coupler.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a housing; and

a display in the housing, wherein the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, the antenna, the transmission line path, the reflectometer, and the calibration circuit are formed in the housing.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second terminations comprise resistors.

10. A method of operating an electronic device having radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to an antenna with a transmission line path, wherein the antenna includes adjustable circuitry, the method comprising:

with control circuitry in the electronic device, controlling a reflectometer interposed in the transmission line path to gather a calibrated reflection coefficient measurement for the antenna; and

adjusting the adjustable circuitry of the antenna based on the calibrated reflection coefficient measurement for the antenna.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the reflectometer comprises a feedback receiver, first and second terminations of identical impedance that are coupled to ground, a directional coupler, and switching circuitry that is used in routing signals from the directional coupler to the feedback receiver and to ground and controlling the reflectometer comprises controlling the switching circuitry while measuring signals with the feedback receiver.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein a calibration circuit is coupled between the reflectometer and the antenna, the method further comprising:

transmitting and receiving signals with the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the antenna while the calibration circuit couples the directional coupler to the antenna.

13. The method defined in claim 12 further comprising:

performing calibration operations for the reflectometer by transmitting and receiving signals with the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry while the calibration circuit couples the directional coupler to a calibration resistor.

14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the antenna has an inverted-F antenna resonating element separated from an antenna ground by a gap and the adjustable circuitry bridges the gap.

22. The method defined in claim 10, wherein the adjustable circuitry comprises an adjustable inductor.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

control circuitry in the housing;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

an antenna;

a transmission line path that couples the antenna to the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a reflectometer coupled in the transmission line path between the antenna and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the reflectometer is controlled by the control circuitry; and

a calibration circuit coupled between the reflectometer and the antenna, wherein the calibration circuit comprises;

a calibration resistor; and

a switch having a first port coupled to the antenna, a second port coupled to the reflectometer, and a third port coupled to the calibration resistor.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the reflectometer comprises:

first and second terminations of identical impedance that are coupled to ground;

a directional coupler; and

switching circuitry that coupled between the directional coupler and the first and second terminations, wherein the switching circuitry is controlled by the control circuitry.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the antenna includes adjustable circuitry that is adjusted by the control circuitry based on calibrated reflection coefficient measurements made on the antenna with the reflectometer.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the control circuitry stores a reflection coefficient for the terminations and the electronic device housing comprises peripheral conductive structures that form part of the antenna.