Tunable antenna systems

• US 9,893,755 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mow, Matthew A., Schlub, Robert W., Pascolini, Mattia, Hill, Robert J., Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US14/737,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20150280771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 343816, 343702, 343741, 343743-748, 343823, 343861, 4555757, 4551931, 4551932, 4551933
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/103 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna tuning resonant circuits H03J
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0442 with particular tuning means
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/145 by varying the electrical length
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry including an adjustable antenna system coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver. The adjustable antenna system may include one or more adjustable electrical components that are controlled by storage and processing circuitry in the electronic device. The adjustable electrical components may include switches and components that can be adjusted between numerous different states. The adjustable electrical components may be coupled between antenna system components such as transmission line elements, matching network elements, antenna elements and antenna feeds. By adjusting the adjustable electrical components, the storage and processing circuitry can tune the adjustable antenna system to ensure that the adjustable antenna system covers communications bands of interest.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a periphery and an exterior, comprising:

a display;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

an antenna having an antenna feed;

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

peripheral conductive housing structures that run along the periphery and surround the display, wherein the peripheral conductive housing structures extend along at least two external surfaces of the electronic device at the exterior of the electronic device, and the peripheral conductive housing structures include a portion that forms at least part of the antenna;

storage and processing circuitry; and

an adjustable electrical component that has at least one terminal that is electrically coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures and that has a control terminal that receives control signals from the storage and processing circuitry that adjust frequency response in the antenna.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the peripheral conductive housing structures include a dielectric-filled gap at the exterior of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the peripheral conductive housing structures include an additional dielectric-filled gap at the exterior of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the dielectric-filled gap and the additional dielectric-filled gap are formed at different external surfaces of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the at least one terminal of the adjustable electrical component comprises first and second terminals coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures at opposing sides of the dielectric-filled gap.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the adjustable electrical component comprises at least one of an adjustable capacitor and an adjustable inductor.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an inverted-F antenna and the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures that forms at least part of the antenna forms an antenna resonating element for the inverted-F antenna.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic device has a length, a width that is less than the length, and a height that is less than the width, and the peripheral conductive housing structures extend across the height of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the peripheral conductive housing structures extend across the length and the width of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the antenna feed comprises a signal feed terminal coupled to the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures.

11. An electronic device having a periphery, comprising:

ground plane structures;

peripheral conductive housing structures that run along the periphery of the electronic device and surround the ground plane structures;

an antenna formed from at least a portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and a portion of the ground plane structures, wherein a signal feed terminal for the antenna is coupled to the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures is separated from the ground plane structures by a dielectric-filled opening;

an adjustable electronic component that bridges the dielectric-filled opening; and

storage and processing circuitry that provides control signals to a control input of the adjustable electronic component to tune a frequency response of the antenna.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the adjustable electronic component comprises a first terminal coupled to the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and a second terminal coupled to the portion of the ground plane structures.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the adjustable electronic component comprises an inductor connected in series with a switch between the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and the portion of the ground plane structures.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the electronic device has an exterior and the peripheral conductive housing structures extend along at least two external surfaces of the electronic device at the exterior of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the electronic device has a length, a width that is less than the length, and a height that is less than the width, and the ground plane structures and the dielectric-filled opening each substantially extends across the width of the electronic device.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 11, further comprising:

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a transmission line path coupled between the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the signal feed terminal; and

impedance matching circuitry interposed on the transmission line path.

17. An electronic device having a periphery, a length, a width that is less than the length, and a height that is less than the width, comprising:

a ground plane that extends across the width of the device;

peripheral conductive housing structures that run along the periphery of the electronic device and surround the ground plane;

an antenna formed from at least a portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and a portion of the ground plane;

a dielectric-filled opening between the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures and the ground plane, wherein the dielectric-filled opening comprises a first portion having a first longitudinal axis that extends across the width of the electronic device and a second portion having a second longitudinal axis that extends parallel to the length of the electronic device;

an adjustable electronic component coupled across the second portion of the dielectric-filled opening that is configured to tune a resonant frequency of the antenna; and

storage and processing circuitry that provides control signals to a control terminal of the adjustable electronic component to tune the resonant frequency of the antenna.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17, wherein the electronic device has an exterior, the peripheral conductive housing structures are formed at the exterior of the electronic device, and the peripheral conductive housing structures comprise first and second dielectric-filled gaps that extend across the height of the electronic device.

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

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a signal feed terminal for the antenna coupled to the portion of the peripheral conductive housing structures; and

a transmission line path coupled between the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the signal feed terminal.