Electronic devices with multiple low band antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11901641-B2
Application number	US-202217694486-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 14, 2022
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device may include first and second antennas formed from respective first and second segments of a housing. The first antenna may have a first feed coupled to the first segment by a first switch and coupled to the first segment by a first conductive trace. The second antenna may have a second feed coupled to the second segment by a second switch and coupled to the second segment by a second conductive trace. The first segment may be separated from the second segment by a single gap, a data connector may pass through the second segment, and the antennas may selectively cover a low band. Alternatively, the first segment may be separated from the second segment by a third segment and two gaps, the data connector may pass through the third segment, and the first and second antennas may concurrently cover the low band.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
ground structures;
peripheral conductive housing structures having a first segment and a second segment separated from the first segment by at least one dielectric-filled gap, the first and second segments being separated from the ground structures by a slot;
a first positive antenna feed terminal;
a first switch that couples the first positive antenna feed terminal to a first location on the first segment;
a first conductive trace that overlaps the slot and that couples the first positive antenna feed terminal to a second location on the first segment;
a second positive antenna feed terminal;
a second switch that couples the second positive antenna feed terminal to a third location on the second segment; and
a second conductive trace that overlaps the slot and that couples the second positive antenna feed terminal to a fourth location on the second segment.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one dielectric-filled gap comprises a first dielectric-filled gap that defines an end of the first segment and an end of the second segment, the second location is interposed on the first segment between the first location and the first dielectric-filled gap, and the fourth location is interposed on the second segment between the third location and the first dielectric filled gap.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second segment is longer than the first segment.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising:
a first tuning element that couples the ground structures to a fifth location on the first segment, the fifth location being interposed on the first segment between the second location and the first dielectric-filled gap; and
a second tuning element that couples the ground structures to a sixth location on the second segment, the sixth location being interposed on the second segment between the fourth location and the first dielectric-filled gap.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the first positive antenna feed terminal, the first conductive trace, and the first segment are configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a frequency band while the second tuning element forms a short circuit impedance in the frequency band from the sixth location to the ground structures.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the second positive antenna feed terminal, the second conductive trace, and the second segment are configured to convey radio-frequency signals in the frequency band while the first tuning element forms a short circuit impedance in the frequency band from the fifth location to the ground structures.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a data connector that bridges the slot and that extends through an opening in the second segment.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the frequency band comprises a cellular low band having frequencies less than or equal to 960 MHz.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a third tuning element that couples the ground structures to a seventh location on the second segment, the seventh location being interposed between the sixth location and the fourth location, wherein third tuning element is configured to form a short circuit impedance in the frequency band while the first positive antenna feed terminal, the first conductive trace, and the first segment convey the radio-frequency signals in the frequency band.

10. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second tuning element has a state that configures the second segment to boost antenna efficiency of the first segment in a frequency band less than 960 MHz via a near-field electromagnetic coupling between the first and second segments across the first dielectric-filled gap.

11. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a third segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures that is separated from the first segment by a first dielectric filled gap;
a fourth segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures that is separated from the second segment by a second dielectric-filled gap;
a third positive antenna feed terminal;
a third switch that couples the third positive antenna feed terminal to a seventh location on the third segment;
a fourth switch that couples the seventh location to an eighth location on the first segment, the eighth location being interposed on the first segment between the first location and the first dielectric-filled gap;
a fourth positive antenna feed terminal;
a fifth switch that couples the fourth positive antenna feed terminal to a ninth location on the fourth segment; and
a sixth switch that couples the ninth location to a tenth location on the second segment, the tenth location being interposed on the second segment between the third location and the second dielectric-filled gap.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one dielectric-filled gap comprises a first dielectric-filled gap that separates the first segment from a third segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures and comprises a second dielectric-filled gap that separates the second segment from the third segment, the first segment has a length equal to a length of the second segment, and the electronic device further comprises a data connector that bridges the slot, extends through an opening in the third segment, and is electrically shorted to the third segment.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising:
a first tuning element that couples the ground structures to a fifth location on the first segment, the fifth location being interposed on the first segment between the second location and the first dielectric-filled gap; and
a second tuning element that couples the ground structures to a sixth location on the second segment, the sixth location being interposed on the second segment between the second dielectric-filled gap.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the first positive antenna feed terminal, the first conductive trace, the first segment, the second positive antenna feed terminal, the second conductive trace, and the second segment are configured to concurrently convey radio-frequency signals in a cellular low band having frequencies less than or equal to 960 MHz.

15. An electronic device comprising:
peripheral conductive housing structures having a dielectric-filled gap that divides the peripheral conductive housing structures into a first segment and a second segment that is longer than the first segment;
an antenna ground separated from the first and second segments by a slot;
a data connector that extends through the second segment;
a first positive antenna feed terminal coupled to a first point on the first segment by a first switch and coupled to a second point on the first segment by a first conductive trace that overlaps the slot, the second point being between the first point and the dielectric-filled gap; and
a second positive antenna feed terminal coupled to a third point on the second segment by a second switch and coupled to a fourth point on the second segment by a second conductive trace that overlaps the slot, the fourth point being between the third point and the dielectric-filled gap and the data connector being between the fourth point and the dielectric filled gap.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the second conductive trace is longer than the first conductive trace.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising:
a first switchable component coupled between t

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Vazquez Enrique Ayala
• Han Xu
• Hu Hongfei
• Chen Ming
• Zhong Jingni
• Irci Erdinc
• Yarga Salih
• Salehi Mohsen
• Di Nallo Carlo
• Tsai Ming-Ju
• Pascolini Mattia

Classifications

• H01Q21/28 Primary

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/241

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

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q9/42

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