Electronic device having antenna tuning integrated circuits with sensors

• US 9,960,801 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mow, Matthew A., Han, Liang, Tsai, Ming-Ju, Biedka, Thomas E., Lee, Victor, Judkins, James G., Pascolini, Mattia
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US15/636,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 4555501, 4555521, 4555757, 455 631, 455 6711, 455 6713, 455 73
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0442 with particular tuning means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

antenna structures that transmit and receive wireless signals; and

a tunable circuit coupled to the antenna structures to adjust the antenna structures, the tunable circuit comprising;

electrical components; and

an integrated circuit having switching circuitry configured to switch a selected one of the electrical components into use and having a sensor configured to gather sensor data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless signals comprise radio-frequency signals that flow through the switching circuitry, and wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a communications interface coupled to a digital bus that conveys configuration settings for the switching circuitry, and that conveys the sensor data to circuitry external to the integrated circuit;

control circuitry that receives the sensor data from the sensor and makes adjustments to the switching circuitry based on the received sensor data; and

storage coupled to the control circuitry that stores the configuration settings for the switching circuitry.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a given sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, a power sensor, and an impedance sensor.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the electrical components comprise inductors.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the electrical components comprise capacitors.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

storage that stores configuration settings for the switching circuitry.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a communications interface.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a digital bus that is coupled to the communications interface, that conveys configuration settings for the switching circuitry, and that conveys data from the sensor to circuitry external to the integrated circuit.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

control circuitry that receives data from the sensor and makes adjustments to the switching circuitry based on the received data from the sensor to minimize signal harmonics in the switching circuitry.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor, and wherein the control circuitry makes the adjustments to the switches based on temperature data from the temperature sensor.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises an impedance sensor, and wherein the control circuitry adjusts the switches based on impedance data from the impedance sensor.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the impedance sensor comprises:

a directional coupler; and

a receiver.

13. An integrated circuit configured to tune an antenna using electrical components that are coupled between the integrated circuit and the antenna, the integrated circuit comprising:

control circuitry;

a sensor; and

switching circuitry configured to tune the antenna by selectively switching one of the electrical components into use based on control signals from the control circuitry.

14. The integrated circuit defined in claim 13, wherein the switching circuitry includes transistors, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a non-linearity compensating element that compensates for non-linearity in the transistors of the switching circuitry and that is adjusted by the control circuitry based on sensor data from the sensor;

a communications interface coupled to a digital bus that conveys configuration settings for the switching circuitry, and that conveys the sensor data to circuitry external to the integrated circuit; and

storage coupled to the control circuitry that stores the configuration settings for the switching circuitry.

15. The integrated circuit defined in claim 13, further comprising:

a digital communications bus; and

a communications interface that conveys sensor data from the sensor over the digital communications bus to a processor external to the integrated circuit.

16. The integrated circuit defined in claim 13, wherein the switching circuitry includes transistors and at least one non-linearity compensating element that compensates for non-linearity in the transistors, and wherein the control circuitry adjusts the non-linearity compensating element based on sensor data from the sensor.

17. The integrated circuit defined in claim 13, wherein the sensor comprises a given sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a temperature sensor, a current sensor that includes a current mirror and an ammeter with a digital output, and a voltage sensor with a plurality of parallel chains of transistors each coupled to a respective current sensor.

18. Antenna aperture tuning circuitry, comprising:

electrical components; and

an integrated circuit coupled to the electrical components, wherein the integrated circuit includes;

a sensor that produces sensor data; and

switching circuitry interposed between the sensor and the electrical components that switches at least one of the electrical components into use based on the sensor data.

19. The antenna aperture tuning circuitry of claim 18, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

a communications interface coupled to a digital bus that conveys configuration settings for the switching circuitry; and

storage that stores the configuration settings for the switching circuitry.

20. The antenna aperture tuning circuitry of claim 18 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises:

control circuitry that adjusts the switching circuitry to reduce signal harmonics caused by non-linear parasitic characteristics of the plurality of switches.