Electronic device having coupler for tapping antenna signals

• US 10,571,502 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2017
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pascolini, Mattia
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lotter, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/784,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20180038903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/10 Radiation diagrams of antennas

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. Control circuitry may be used to adjust transmit power levels for wireless signals, may be used to tune antennas, and may be used to adjust other settings for the wireless circuitry. The electronic device may have a coupler interposed between an antenna and wireless transceiver circuitry. The coupler and a receiver within the transceiver circuitry may be used to make measurements on tapped antenna signals such as transmitted signals and signals reflected from the antenna. By analyzing the tapped antenna signals, S-parameter phase and magnitude information may be gathered that provides insight into whether the electronic device is operating properly and whether an external object is adjacent to the antenna. If an external object is present, the electronic device may limit wireless transmit power and may adjust tunable components in the antenna to compensate for detuning from the external object.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

an antenna;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits radio-frequency signals at a transmit power level using the antenna;

a coupler interposed in a path between the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the antenna that taps, from the path, the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a tapped signal path that carries the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler; and

a processor coupled to the tapped signal path that processes the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler to produce impedance information, wherein the coupler comprises switching circuitry and the processor is configured to direct the switching circuitry to route the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler to the tapped signal path.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the impedance information comprises phase and magnitude information.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2, wherein the phase and magnitude information comprises S-parameter phase and magnitude information.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the impedance information comprises S-parameter information.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry reflect from the antenna and the processor is configured to direct the switching circuitry to route a tapped version of the reflected transmitted radio-frequency signals to the tapped signal path.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the switching circuitry comprises a first switch and a second switch, and the first and second switches are controlled by the processor.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the first switch has a first terminal coupled to the tapped signal path, a second terminal coupled to a first ground termination, and a third terminal that receives the tapped version of the reflected transmitted radio-frequency signals.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the second switch has a first terminal coupled to the tapped signal path, a second terminal coupled to a second ground termination, and a third terminal that receives the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a double-pole-double throw switch interposed between the antenna and the coupler.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises tunable components and the processor is configured to adjust the tunable components to tune the antenna based on the impedance information.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the switching circuitry comprises first and second switches that are controlled by the processor.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to set a maximum level for the transmit power level based on the impedance information.

13. Apparatus, comprising:

an antenna;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits radio-frequency signals using the antenna;

an amplifier coupled between the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the antenna;

a coupler interposed in a path between the amplifier and the antenna that taps, from the path, the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;

a tapped signal path that carries the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler; and

a processor coupled to the tapped signal path that processes the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler to produce impedance information, wherein the processor is configured to control the amplifier to adjust a transmit power level of the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry based on a phase mismatch in the impedance information.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to control the amplifier to amplify the radio-frequency signals to a first transmit power level in response to identifying a first phase mismatch in the impedance information and to amplify the radio-frequency signals to a second transmit power level that is less than the first transmit power level in response to identifying a second phase mismatch in the impedance information that is greater than the first phase mismatch.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14, further comprising:

an antenna tuning circuit coupled to the antenna and configured to adjust a frequency response of the antenna, wherein the processor is configured to control the antenna tuning circuit based on a magnitude mismatch in the impedance information.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to place the antenna tuning circuit in a first state in response to identifying a first magnitude mismatch in the impedance information and to place the antenna tuning circuit in a second state that is different from the first state in response to identifying a second magnitude mismatch in the impedance information that is greater than the first magnitude mismatch.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 13, further comprising:

an antenna tuning circuit coupled to the antenna and configured to adjust a frequency response of the antenna, wherein the processor is configured to control the antenna tuning circuit based on a magnitude mismatch in the impedance information.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to place the antenna tuning circuit in a first state in response to identifying a first magnitude mismatch in the impedance information and to place the antenna tuning circuit in a second state that is different from the first state in response to identifying a second magnitude mismatch in the impedance information that is greater than the first magnitude mismatch.

19. Apparatus, comprising:

an antenna;

a radio-frequency transmitter that transmits radio-frequency signals over the antenna;

a coupler interposed in a path between the radio-frequency transmitter and the antenna that taps, from the path, the radio-frequency signals transmitted by the radio-frequency transmitter;

a tapped signal path that carries the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler; and

a processor coupled to the tapped signal path that processes the tapped radio-frequency signals from the coupler, wherein the processor is configured to provide a control signal to the coupler via a control path.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19, wherein coupler comprises first and second switches having states that are adjusted by the control signal.