Shared Antenna Structures for Near-Field Communications and Non-Near-Field Communications Circuitry

• US 20140139380A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlub, Robert W., Jin, Nanbo, Pascolini, Mattia, Ouyang, Yuehui
• Granted Patent: US 9,793,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in 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 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/20 characterised by the operating wavebands
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/314 using frequency dependent circuits or components, e.g. trap circuits or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures. The antenna structures may include conductive housing structures such as a peripheral conductive housing member. The antenna structures may be based on an inverted-F antenna resonating element or other types of antenna resonating element. An electronic device may have near field communications circuitry and non-near-field communications circuitry such as cellular telephone, satellite navigation system, or wireless local area network transceiver circuitry. Antenna structures may be configured to handle signals associated with the non-near-field communications circuitry. The antenna structures may also have portions that form a near field communications loop antenna for handling signals associated with the near field communications circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

non-near-field communications circuitry configured to handle signals in a non-near-field communications signal band;

near field communications circuitry configured to handle near field communications in a near field communications band; and

antenna structures coupled to the non-near-field communications circuitry and the near field communications circuitry, wherein the antenna structures are configured to handle the signals in the non-near-field communications signal band and the near field communications band.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna structures include a portion of a conductive peripheral housing member that surrounds a peripheral edge of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna structures include:

an inverted-F antenna resonating element having at least one resonating element arm;

an antenna ground that is separated from the resonating element arm by a gap; and

an antenna feed path that spans the gap; and

a return path that spans the gap, wherein a portion of the antenna structures that includes the return path forms a near field communications loop antenna that handles the signals in the near field communications band.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the return path includes an inductor.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the return path has a first end that is coupled to the resonating element arm and a second end that is coupled to the antenna ground.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the resonating element arm includes a portion of a conductive peripheral housing member that surrounds a peripheral edge of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising an additional return path that includes an inductor and that has a first end coupled to the resonating element arm and a second end coupled to the antenna ground.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising an additional path coupled between the resonating element arm and the antenna ground, wherein the additional path includes a capacitor that forms a short circuit at frequencies associated with the signals in the non-near-field communications band.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising a duplexer, wherein the duplexer has a feed port coupled to the antenna structures, a near field communications port coupled to the near field communications circuitry, and a non-near-field communications port coupled to the non-near-field communications circuitry.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the non-near-field communications circuitry comprises cellular telephone transceiver circuitry and wherein the non-near-field communications signal band comprises a cellular telephone band above 700 MHz.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the near field communications circuitry is configured to operate in a near field communications band at 13.56 MHz.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the duplexer has a first path that is coupled between the feed path and the near field communications circuitry and has a second path that is coupled between the feed path and the non-near-field communications circuitry, and wherein the duplexer comprises an inductor in the first path and a capacitor in the second path.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

near field communications circuitry in the housing that is configured to wirelessly communicate in a near field communications band; and

first antenna structures and second antenna structures coupled to the non-near-field communications circuitry to handle signals in the near field communications band, wherein the first and second antenna structures are located at opposing ends of the housing.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the first antenna structures and the second antenna structures each include structures that serve as a respective near field communications loop antenna.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the first antenna structures include inverted-F antenna structures configured to handle cellular telephone signals and wherein the near field communications loop antenna in the first antenna structures includes at least part of the inverted-F antenna structures.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising a splitter, wherein the near field communications circuitry is coupled to the splitter, wherein the first antenna structures are coupled to the splitter, and wherein the second antenna structures are coupled to the splitter.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising:

a cellular telephone transceiver;

first combining circuitry coupled between the first antenna structures and the splitter;

second combining circuitry coupled between the second antenna structures and the splitter; and

switching circuitry coupled between the cellular telephone transceiver and the first combining circuitry and coupled between the cellular telephone transceiver and the second antenna structures.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the housing has a front face and an opposing rear face, wherein the electronic device comprises a display mounted on the front face, and wherein the first antenna structures transmit wireless signals from the near field communications circuitry through the front face and through the rear face.

19. Antenna structures, comprising:

an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from metal structures;

an antenna ground; and

an antenna feed path that is coupled to the inverted-F antenna resonating element, wherein the inverted-F antenna resonating element and antenna ground are configured to exhibit an antenna resonance in a communications band above 700 MHz and wherein at least part of the metal structures form a near field communications loop antenna that is configured to transmit near field communications signals in a near field communications band.

20. The antenna structures defined in claim 19 wherein the near field communications band comprises a 13.56 MHz band and wherein the antenna resonating element comprises metal electronic device housing structures.

21. The antenna structures defined in claim 20 further comprising:

a loop antenna path that has one end coupled to the metal electronic device housing structures and other end coupled to the antenna ground, wherein the loop antenna path forms at least part of the near field communications loop antenna; and

an inductor interposed in the loop antenna path.