Electronic devices with dynamic antenna switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12562471-B2
Application number	US-202217947006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2022
Priority date	Sep 16, 2022
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a first antenna fed by a first path and a second antenna fed by a second path. A first coupler may be disposed on the first path, a second coupler may be disposed on the second path, and a feedback path may couple the couplers to a receiver. A low-pass filter may be disposed on the second path. The first antenna may transmit signals in a low band. Some of the signals may couple onto the second antenna. The second coupler may pass the coupled signals to the receiver. Control circuitry may generate a scattering parameter value characterizing the coupling of the signals from the first antenna onto the second antenna. The scattering parameter value may be used to determine when to switch the first antenna out of use and the second antenna into use for covering the low band.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Circuitry comprising:
a first antenna fed by a first transmission line path; a second antenna fed by a second transmission line path; a first signal coupler disposed on the first transmission line path; a second signal coupler disposed on the second transmission line path; a feedback receiver coupled to the first signal coupler and the second signal coupler by a feedback path; and a low-pass filter disposed on the second transmission line path between the second signal coupler and the second antenna, wherein the feedback path comprises
a first switch communicatively coupled to the first signal coupler and the second signal coupler,
a second switch communicatively coupled to the feedback receiver, and
a component coupled between the first switch and the second switch, wherein the component comprises a bypassable filter or a programmable attenuator.

2 . The circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch having a first terminal coupled to the second transmission line path, the second signal coupler being disposed on the second transmission line path between the switch and the low-pass filter.

3 . The circuitry of claim 2 , wherein the switch has a second terminal coupled to the first transmission line path.

4 . The circuitry of claim 3 , further comprising:
an additional low-pass filter disposed on the first transmission line path between the switch and the first signal coupler.

5 . The circuitry of claim 4 , further comprising:
a radio-frequency transceiver, wherein the switch has a third terminal coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver.

6 . The circuitry of claim 5 , wherein the switch has a fourth terminal coupled to a termination load.

7 . The circuitry of claim 6 , wherein the switch is a double-pole double-throw (DPDT) switch.

8 . The circuitry of claim 5 , wherein the low-pass filter and the additional low-pass filter have a same cutoff frequency.

9 . The circuitry of claim 5 , wherein the radio-frequency transceiver is configured to transmit, using the first antenna, a radio-frequency signal in a frequency band, the electronic device further comprising one or more processors configured to:
generate, using the second signal coupler and the feedback receiver, an S-parameter value characterizing over-the-air coupling of the radio-frequency signal from the first antenna onto the second antenna.

10 . The circuitry of claim 9 , wherein the radio-frequency transceiver is configured to use the second antenna to transmit the radio-frequency signal in the frequency band when the S-parameter value is within a predetermined range of S-parameter values, wherein the frequency band comprises a frequency between 600 MHz and 960 MHz.

11 . Circuitry comprising:
a first antenna fed by a first transmission line path; a second antenna fed by a second transmission line path; a first signal coupler disposed on the first transmission line path; a second signal coupler disposed on the second transmission line path; a feedback receiver coupled to the first signal coupler and the second signal coupler by a feedback path; and a low-pass filter disposed on the second transmission line path between the second signal coupler and the second antenna, wherein the feedback path comprises:
a first switch coupled to the first signal coupler and the second signal coupler,
a second switch coupled to the feedback receiver,
a first programmable attenuator coupled between the first switch and the second switch, and
a first bypassable filter coupled between the first programmable attenuator and the second switch.

12 . The circuitry of claim 11 , further comprising:
a second programmable attenuator coupled between the first switch and the second switch in parallel with the first programmable attenuator; and a second bypassable filter coupled between the second programmable attenuator and the second switch.

13 . The circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the first switch has a first terminal communicatively coupled to the first signal coupler, a second terminal communicatively coupled to the second signal coupler, a third terminal communicatively coupled to the first programmable attenuator, and a fourth terminal communicatively coupled to the second programmable attenuator.

14 . The circuitry of claim 13 , further comprising:
a third switch having a fifth terminal coupled to the second transmission line path, a sixth terminal coupled to the first transmission line path, and a seventh terminal, wherein the second signal coupler is disposed on the second transmission line path between the third switch and the low-pass filter; and transceiver circuitry communicatively coupled to the seventh terminal.

15 . The circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch having a first terminal coupled to the first transmission line path, a second terminal coupled to the second transmission line path, and a third terminal coupled to a termination load, wherein the second signal coupler is disposed on the second transmission line path between the low-pass filter and the second terminal of the switch.

16 . Circuitry comprising:
a first antenna fed by a first transmission line path; a second antenna fed by a second transmission line path; a first signal coupler disposed on the first transmission line path; a second signal coupler disposed on the second transmission line path; a feedback receiver coupled to the first signal coupler and the second signal coupler by a feedback path; a low-pass filter disposed on the second transmission line path between the second signal coupler and the second antenna; and one or more processors, wherein:
the first antenna is configured to transmit a radio-frequency signal in a frequency band, and
the one or more processors are configured to output, using the feedback receiver and the and the second signal coupler, a scattering parameter value characterizing over-the-air coupling of the radio-frequency signal from the first antenna onto the second antenna.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Xu Yuancheng
• Biedka Thomas E
• Zhong Jingni
• Hu Hongfei
• Singh Simran
• Kwon Allen S
• Di Nallo Carlo
• Nath Jayesh
• Pascolini Mattia

Classifications

• H01Q5/35

  using two or more simultaneously fed points · CPC title

• H01Q5/378

  Combination of fed elements with parasitic elements · CPC title

• H01Q1/241

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

• H01Q3/2605

  Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays · CPC title

• H01Q3/24 Primary

  varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching · CPC title