Electronic devices having antennas with symmetric feeding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11088452-B2
Application number	US-201816146705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. Each antenna in the array may include a patch element having first, second, third, and fourth positive antenna feed terminals. The first and second terminals may convey first signals with a first polarization. The third and fourth terminals may convey second signals with a second polarization. Phase shifting components such as phase shifting transmission line segments or phase shifter circuits may ensure that the first signals at the first terminal are out of phase with respect to the first signals at the second terminal and may ensure that the second signals at the third terminal are out of phase with respect to the second signals at the fourth terminal. This may allow antenna current density for both polarizations to be symmetrically distributed about a normal axis of the patch element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
an antenna having a patch element and first and second positive antenna feed terminals on the patch element wherein the antenna is embedded in a substrate;
a transmission line path that provides radio-frequency signals to the first and second positive antenna feed terminals, wherein the transmission line path comprises a phase shifting segment that is overlapped by the patch element and that is configured to provide the radio-frequency signals to the first positive antenna feed terminal out of phase with respect to the radio-frequency signals at the second positive antenna feed terminal; and
a display having a display cover layer and pixel circuitry that emits light through the display cover layer, wherein the substrate is mounted against the display cover layer and the antenna is configured to radiate through the display cover layer.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first conductive via coupled to the first positive antenna feed terminal and extending through the substrate; and
a second conductive via coupled to the second positive antenna feed terminal and extending through the substrate.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the phase shifting segment of the transmission line path is coupled between the first and second conductive vias.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the antenna is configured to radiate the radio-frequency signals in a frequency band, the phase shifting segment of the transmission line path having a length equal to one-half of an effective wavelength corresponding to a frequency in the frequency band.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 , wherein the frequency band comprises frequencies higher than 10 GHz.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , further comprising a radio-frequency integrated circuit mounted to a surface of the substrate and having a port, wherein the transmission line path is coupled to the port.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals on the patch element; and
an additional transmission line path that provides additional radio-frequency signals to the third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals, wherein the additional transmission line path comprises an additional phase shifting segment that is configured to provide the additional radio-frequency signals to the third positive antenna feed terminal out of phase with respect to the additional radio-frequency signals at the fourth positive antenna feed terminal.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 , wherein the first and second positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey the radio-frequency signals with a first polarization and the third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey the additional radio-frequency signals with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the phase shifting segment of the transmission line path is configured to provide the radio-frequency signals to the first positive antenna feed terminal between 160 and 200 degrees out of phase with the radio-frequency signals at the second positive antenna feed terminal.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
an antenna having a patch element on the dielectric substrate, wherein the antenna comprises first and second positive antenna feed terminals on opposing sides of the patch element;
a first phase shifter coupled to the first positive antenna feed terminal and configured to provide radio-frequency signals to the first positive antenna feed terminal at a first phase; and
a second phase shifter coupled to the second positive antenna feed terminal and configured to provide the radio-frequency signals to the second positive antenna feed terminal at a second phase that is different than the first phase; and
a dielectric cover layer that forms a quarter-wave impedance transformer for the antenna, wherein the dielectric substrate is mounted against the dielectric cover layer, the antenna being configured to transmit the radio-frequency signals in a frequency band higher than 10 GHz through the dielectric cover layer.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 , wherein a difference between the first and second phases is between 160 and 200 degrees.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 10 , wherein the antenna comprises third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals on opposing sides of the patch element.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , further comprising:
a third phase shifter coupled to the third positive antenna feed terminal and configured to provide additional radio-frequency signals to the third positive antenna feed terminal at a third phase; and
a fourth phase shifter coupled to the fourth positive antenna feed terminal and configured to provide the additional radio-frequency signals to the fourth positive antenna feed terminal at a fourth phase that is different than the third phase.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 , wherein the first and second positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey the radio-frequency signals with a first polarization and the third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey the additional radio-frequency signals with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 10 , further comprising:
an integrated circuit mounted to a surface of the dielectric substrate and having first and second ports, wherein the first and second phase shifters are located on the integrated circuit, the first phase shifter is coupled to the first port, and the second phase shifter is coupled to the second port;
a first transmission line path that couples the first positive antenna feed terminal to the first port; and
a second transmission line path that couples the second positive antenna feed terminal to the second port.

16. An antenna comprising:
a ground plane;
vias extending from the ground plane to form a cavity;
a patch element over the ground plane in the cavity and configured to radiate at a frequency between 10 GHz and 300 GHz;
first, second, third, and fourth positive antenna feed terminals on the patch element; and
a transmission line path that provides radio-frequency signals to the first and second positive antenna feed terminals, wherein the transmission line path comprises a phase shifting segment and the ground plane is interposed between the phase shifting segment and the patch element.

17. The antenna defined in claim 16 , wherein the first positive antenna feed terminal is at a first side of the patch element, the second positive antenna feed terminal is at a second side of the patch element opposite the first side, the third positive antenna feed terminal is at a third side of the patch element, and the fourth positive antenna feed terminal is at a fourth side of the patch element opposite the third side, the first and second positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey first radio-frequency signals with a first polarization, and the third and fourth positive antenna feed terminals are configured to convey second radio-frequency signals with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

18. The antenna defined in claim 16 , further comprising:
a dielectric substrate, wherein the patch element is mounted in the dielectric substrate;
a dielectric cover

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Avser Bilgehan
• Edwards Jennifer M
• Paulotto Simone
• Rajagopalan Harish
• Xu Hao
• Gomez Angulo Rodney A
• Mow Matthew A
• Pascolini Mattia

Classifications

• H01Q9/045 Primary

  with particular feeding means (for circular polarisation H01Q9/0428) · CPC title

• H01Q21/065

  Patch antenna array · CPC title

• H01Q1/24

  with receiving set · CPC title

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q9/0435

  using two feed points · CPC title