Electronic device antennas having shared structures for near-field communications and non-near field communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10263335-B2
Application number	US-201715700565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antenna structures such as an antenna resonating element arm and an antenna ground. A split return path may be coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground. The antenna structures may form one or more inverted-F antennas when operated at non-near-field communications frequencies. The antenna structures may be coupled to near-field communications transceiver circuitry using a conductive path. When operated at near-field communications frequencies, near-field communications signals may be conveyed using the conductive path, the antenna resonating element arm, the return path, and the antenna ground. A capacitor may be coupled between the conductive path and an antenna ground. The capacitor may short non-near-field communications signals to the antenna ground and block near-field communications signals from passing from the conductive path to the antenna ground.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
antenna structures having an antenna resonating element arm and an antenna ground;
non-near-field communications transceiver circuitry coupled to the antenna resonating element arm and configured to convey non-near-field communications signals using the antenna structures;
near-field communications transceiver circuitry coupled to the antenna resonating element arm through a conductive path, wherein the near-field communications transceiver circuitry is configured to convey near-field communications signals using the antenna structures and the conductive path; and
a capacitor coupled between the conductive path and the antenna ground, wherein the capacitor is configured to short the non-near-field communications signals to the antenna ground and to block the near-field communications signals from passing from the conductive path to the antenna ground.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising an inductor interposed in the conductive path between the near-field communications transceiver circuitry and the antenna resonating element arm.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the inductor is coupled between a node on the conductive path and the antenna resonating element arm and the capacitor is coupled between the node and the antenna ground.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the capacitor has a capacitance between 30 pF and 100 pF.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the capacitor and inductor are mounted on a flexible printed circuit board.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 , wherein the capacitor is coupled between the node on the conductive path and a fastener that electrically couples the capacitor to the antenna ground and mechanically attaches the flexible printed circuit to the antenna ground.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 , wherein the conductive path is coupled to a feed pad on a rigid printed circuit board.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 , further comprising an additional fastener that attaches the flexible printed circuit board to the rigid printed circuit board.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 , further comprising a balun on the rigid printed circuit board that is coupled to the feed pad.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing having peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the antenna resonating element arm is formed from a segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures.

11. An electronic device comprising:
an antenna ground;
an antenna resonating element arm that is configured to convey non-near-field communications signals in a first frequency band;
a return path coupled between the antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground;
a conductive path coupled to the antenna resonating element arm, wherein the conductive path, at least a portion of the antenna resonating element arm, at least a portion of the return path, and at least a portion of the antenna ground form a conductive loop path that is configured to convey near-field communications signals in a second frequency band; and
an electronic component that is coupled between the conductive path and the antenna ground, wherein the electronic component is configured to form a short circuit between the conductive path and the antenna ground in the first frequency band and to form an open circuit in the second frequency band.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 , further comprising:
near-field communications transceiver circuitry coupled to the conductive path.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the conductive path comprises a node coupled between the near-field communications transceiver circuitry and the antenna resonating element arm and the electronic component is coupled between the node and the antenna ground, the electronic device further comprising:
an additional electronic component coupled between the node and the antenna resonating element arm.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 , wherein the electronic component comprises a capacitor.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 , wherein the additional electronic component comprises an inductor.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 , wherein the electronic component comprises a capacitor.

17. An electronic device comprising:
an inverted-F antenna resonating element arm;
an antenna ground;
non-near-field communications transceiver circuitry that conveys non-near-field communications signals using the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm;
a split return path coupled between the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and the antenna ground; and
near-field communications transceiver circuitry that is coupled to the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and that conveys near-field communications signals using the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm, at least some of the split return path, and at least some of the antenna ground.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 , wherein the split return path includes a first conductive path coupled between a first terminal on the inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and a second terminal on the antenna ground and a second conductive path coupled between the first terminal and a third terminal on the antenna ground that is different than the second terminal.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 , wherein the first conductive path of the split return path includes a first inductor and the second conductive path of the split return path includes a second inductor.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 , wherein the first and second inductors are adjustable.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zhou Yijun
• Wang Yiren
• Edwards Jennifer M
• Xu Hao
• Pascolini Mattia

Classifications

• H01Q5/328 Primary

  between a radiating element and ground · CPC title

• H01Q9/0421

  with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element (H01Q9/0414 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q1/241

  used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM (H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q13/103

  with variable reactance for tuning the antenna (tuning resonant circuits H03J) · CPC title

• H01Q9/42

  with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength · CPC title