Electronic device with millimeter wave antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10084490-B2
Application number	US-201715499745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays each of which includes multiple antenna elements. Phased antenna arrays may be mounted along edges of a housing for the electronic device, behind a dielectric window such as a dielectric logo window in the housing, in alignment with dielectric housing portions at corners of the housing, or elsewhere in the electronic device. A phased antenna array may include arrays of patch antenna elements on dielectric layers separated by a ground layer. A baseband processor may distribute wireless signals to the phased antenna arrays at intermediate frequencies over intermediate frequency signal paths. Transceiver circuits at the phased antenna arrays may include upconverters and downconverters coupled to the intermediate frequency signal paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a baseband processor configured to generate intermediate frequency signals;
a plurality of antenna arrays;
a plurality of transceiver circuits each of which is associated with a respective one of the antenna arrays and each of which includes a respective upconverter; and
an intermediate frequency signal path coupled to the baseband processor, wherein the baseband processor is configured to provide the intermediate frequency signals to each of the upconverters in the plurality of transceiver circuits over the intermediate frequency signal path.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits comprises a first transceiver circuit that includes a first upconverter and comprises a second transceiver circuit that includes a second upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:
a splitter configured to route the intermediate frequency signals from the intermediate frequency signal path to the first and second upconverters.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits comprises a first transceiver circuit that includes a first upconverter and comprises a second transceiver circuit that includes a second upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:
a first splitter coupled between the intermediate frequency signal path and the first upconverter; and
a second splitter coupled to the second upconverter, wherein the first splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals from the intermediate frequency signal path to the first upconverter and to the second splitter.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits further comprises a third transceiver circuit that includes a third upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:
a third splitter coupled to the third upconverter, wherein the second splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals to the third splitter and to the second upconverter.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 , wherein the plurality of transceiver circuits further comprises a fourth transceiver circuit that includes a fourth upconverter, the electronic device further comprising:
a fourth splitter coupled to the fourth upconverter, wherein the third splitter is configured to route the intermediate frequency signals to the fourth splitter and to the third upconverter.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the upconverters in the plurality of transceiver circuits is configured to convert the intermediate frequency signals to a millimeter wave frequency.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antenna arrays comprises a plurality of millimeter wave phased antenna arrays.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing having first and second edges, wherein each of the plurality of antenna arrays is located along one of the first and second edges.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a display mounted having a display cover layer, wherein at least one of the antenna arrays emits antenna signals through the display cover layer.

10. Apparatus, comprising:
a first dielectric layer having a first portion and a second portion that is different from the first portion;
a second dielectric layer formed over the first portion of the first dielectric layer;
a millimeter wave phased antenna array that includes an array of antenna elements formed on the second dielectric layer; and
transceiver circuitry, wherein the transceiver circuitry is mounted to the second portion of the first dielectric layer.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10 , wherein the second dielectric layer has a lateral area, the second dielectric layer covers the first portion of the first dielectric layer, and the second portion of the first dielectric layer extends beyond the lateral area of the second dielectric layer.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 10 , further comprising:
a conductive ground layer interposed between the first and second dielectric layers.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 10 , further comprising:
an additional millimeter wave phased antenna array that includes an additional array of antenna elements formed on the first dielectric layer.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 , wherein the first dielectric layer is interposed between the second dielectric layer and the additional array of antenna elements.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 , further comprising:
a conductive ground layer formed within a dielectric layer selected from the group consisting of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 10 , wherein the array of antenna elements comprises an array of patch antenna elements.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus comprises an electronic device selected from the group consisting of: a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

18. An electronic device that has opposing front and rear faces, comprising:
a display on the front face of the electronic device;
a conductive housing having a rear wall portion on the rear face and having a sidewall portion that extends from the rear wall portion to the front face;
at least one slot in the sidewall portion of the conductive housing; and
a millimeter wave phased antenna array mounted within the conductive housing and aligned with the at least one slot, wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array is configured to transmit millimeter wave signals through the at least one slot in the sidewall portion of the conductive housing.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 , further comprising:
dielectric formed within the at least one slot, wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array is configured to transmit the millimeter wave signals through the dielectric.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 18 , wherein the millimeter wave phased antenna array comprises an array of cavity-backed antennas.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ouyang Yuehui
• Jiang Yi
• Mow Matthew A
• Noori Basim
• Pascolini Mattia
• Caballero Ruben

Classifications

• H04B1/04 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title

• H01Q21/065

  Patch antenna array · CPC title

• H01Q1/2266

  disposed inside the computer · CPC title

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title