Tuning circuits for hybrid electronic device antennas

• US 10,490,881 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Azad, Umar, Rajagopalan, Harish, Gomez Angulo, Rodney A., Romano, Pietro, Pascolini, Mattia
• Primary Examiner(s): Munoz, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/066,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20170264001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• 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 13/10 Resonant slot 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 5/328 between a radiating element and ground
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device may have hybrid antennas that include slot antenna resonating elements formed from slots in a ground plane and planar inverted-F antenna resonating elements. The planar inverted-F antenna resonating elements may each have a planar metal member that overlaps one of the slots. A return path and feed may be coupled in parallel between the planar metal member and the ground plane. Adjustable circuits such as tunable inductors may be used to tune the hybrid antennas. Adjustable circuits may bridge the slots in hybrid antennas and may be included in return paths that are coupled between the planar metal members of the planar inverted-F antenna resonating elements and the ground plane. A slot may be selectively divided to from two slots using switching circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a metal housing wall that forms a ground plane;

a slot in the metal housing wall that forms a slot antenna resonating element for a hybrid antenna;

a planar inverted-F antenna resonating element for the hybrid antenna;

an antenna feed having a positive antenna feed terminal and a ground antenna feed terminal coupled between the planar inverted-F antenna resonating element and the ground plane; and

a return path coupled between the planar inverted-F antenna resonating element and the ground plane in parallel with the antenna feed, wherein the return path includes an adjustable circuit; and

an additional adjustable circuit that bridges the slot.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the adjustable circuit comprises an adjustable inductor.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the adjustable inductor comprises a plurality of inductors and switching circuitry.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising control circuitry that is configured to tune an antenna resonance for the hybrid antenna by adjusting the additional adjustable circuit that bridges the slot.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the adjustable inductor to compensate for the presence of an external object adjacent to the slot.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

first and a second additional adjustable circuit, wherein the additional adjustable circuit and the second additional adjustable circuit that bridge the slot on opposing sides of the ground antenna feed terminal.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the first additional and second additional adjustable circuits each include switching circuitry and at least one inductor.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the first additional and second additional adjustable circuits each include a capacitor coupled in series with the at least one inductor.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the adjustable circuit of the return path comprises an adjustable inductor.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the adjustable inductor of the return path includes at least three inductors and switching circuitry coupled to the at least three inductors.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the ground plane has first and second ground plane portions on opposing sides of the slot and wherein the return path and the ground antenna feed terminal are both coupled to the first ground plane portion.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a transmission line coupled to the antenna feed, wherein the transmission line includes an adjustable component that is adjusted to tune the antenna.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the planar inverted-F antenna resonating element overlaps only a portion of the slot.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing that forms a ground plane, wherein the metal housing has a dielectric-filled slot that separates the metal housing into first and second portions and that is divided into first and second slots by at least one switch that bridges the slot, and the at least one switch is configured to form a conductive path that electrically shorts the first portion of the metal housing to the second portion of the metal housing in a mode of operation;

a first hybrid antenna that includes;

a first slot antenna resonating element formed from the first slot;

a first planar inverted-F antenna resonating element that indirectly feeds the first slot antenna; and

a second hybrid antenna that includes;

a second slot antenna resonating element formed from the second slot;

a second planar inverted-F antenna resonating element that indirectly feeds the second slot antenna.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising:

a return path having a tunable inductor that is coupled between the first planar inverted-F antenna resonating element and the ground plane.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a tunable component that bridges the slot, wherein the tunable component includes switching circuity, inductors coupled to the switching circuitry, and capacitors coupled to the switching circuitry in parallel with the inductors.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one switch comprises a plurality of switches that bridge the slot.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the metal housing comprises a rear wall of the housing, the electronic device further comprising:

a dielectric layer at a front of the housing, wherein the first planar inverted-F antenna resonating element is separated from the second planar inverted-F antenna resonating element by a gap, the first and second planar inverted-F antenna resonating elements are interposed between the dielectric layer and the rear wall.

18. An antenna, comprising:

a metal electronic device housing wall;

a slot in the metal electronic device housing wall, wherein the slot divides the metal electronic device housing wall into first and second portions that are respectively located on opposing first and second sides of the slot;

a planar inverted-F antenna resonating element that has a planar metal element, a return path formed on the first side of the slot and coupled between the planar metal element and the first portion of the metal electronic device housing wall, and an antenna feed having a positive antenna feed terminal on the first side of the slot and a ground antenna feed terminal on the first side of the slot coupled respectively to the planar metal element and the first portion of the metal electronic device housing wall; and

a tunable circuit containing a capacitor that bridges the slot.

19. The antenna defined in claim 18 wherein the tunable circuit includes switching circuitry to which the capacitor is coupled and includes a plurality of inductors coupled to the switching circuitry.

20. The antenna defined in claim 19 further comprising a tunable inductor in the return path.