Electronic device having sensors and antenna monitor for controlling wireless operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9742459-B2
Application number	US-201414283039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. Control circuitry may be used to adjust the wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include an antenna that is tuned using tunable components. The control circuitry may gather information on the current operating mode of the electronic device, sensor data from a proximity sensor, accelerometer, microphone, and other sensors, antenna impedance information for the antenna, and information on the use of connectors in the electronic device. Based on this gathered data, the control circuitry can adjust the tunable components to compensate for antenna detuning due to loading from nearby external objects, may adjust transmit power levels, and may make other wireless circuit adjustments.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an antenna;
wireless radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits radio-frequency signals through the antenna;
a tunable component that tunes the antenna, wherein the tunable component comprises a tunable component selected from the group consisting of: an adjustable capacitor and an adjustable inductor;
a connector that is configured to receive an external connector; and
control circuitry that tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on information about use of the connector, wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises information indicating whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a connector sensor that senses whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector, wherein the control circuitry is coupled to the connector sensor, and wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises information from the connector sensor.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a connector interface in the control circuitry, wherein the connector interface senses whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector and wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises information from the connector interface.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
first and second proximity sensors responsive to the presence of external objects in the vicinity of the antenna, wherein the control circuitry tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on data from the first proximity sensor and based on data from the second proximity sensor.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising a connector sensor that senses whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector, wherein the control circuitry is coupled to the connector sensor, and wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises information from the connector sensor indicating whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises connector type information for the external connector and wherein the control circuitry tunes the tunable component based on the connector type information.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a coupler that is interposed between the antenna and the wireless radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the control circuitry uses the coupler to gather antenna impedance information on the antenna, and wherein the control circuitry tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on the antenna impedance information.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising:
a connector interface in the control circuitry, wherein the connector interface senses whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector and wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises information from the connector interface indicating whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the tunable component comprises an adjustable capacitor and wherein the control circuitry tunes the adjustable capacitor based on the information indicating whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the tunable component comprises an adjustable inductor and wherein the control circuitry tunes the adjustable inductor based on the information indicating whether the external connector has been plugged into the connector.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
an antenna;
wireless radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits radio-frequency signals through the antenna;
a tunable component that tunes the antenna;
a connector that is configured to receive an external connector; and
control circuitry that tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on information about use of the connector, wherein the information about the use of the connector comprises connector type information for the external connector and wherein the control circuitry is configured to tune the tunable component based on the connector type information.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising:
a coupler that is interposed between the antenna and the wireless radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the control circuitry uses the coupler to gather antenna impedance information on the antenna, and wherein the control circuitry tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on the antenna impedance information.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising:
a proximity sensor that generates proximity sensor data indicative of whether an external object is within the vicinity of the antenna, wherein the control circuitry tunes the tunable component to tune the antenna based on the proximity sensor data.

14. A method of adjusting an antenna in an electronic device, comprising:
with control circuitry in the electronic device, gathering information on whether an external connector has been plugged into the electronic device;
with the control circuitry, measuring an antenna impedance for the antenna using signals from a coupler; and
with the control circuitry, adjusting a tunable component to tune the antenna based on the information on whether the external connector has been plugged into the electronic device and based on the measured antenna impedance.

15. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising:
gathering proximity sensor data with a proximity sensor in the electronic device; and
adjusting the tunable component based on the proximity sensor data.

16. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising:
determining which type of external connector has been plugged into the electronic device; and
adjusting a tunable component to tune the antenna based on which type of external connector has been plugged into the electronic device.

17. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising:
gathering sensor data from a sensor in the electronic device; and
with the control circuitry, adjusting the tunable component based at least partly on the sensor data.

18. A method of adjusting an antenna in an electronic device, comprising:
with control circuitry in the electronic device, gathering information on whether an external connector has been plugged into the electronic device;
with the control circuitry, measuring an antenna impedance for the antenna using signals from a coupler;
with the control circuitry, adjusting a tunable component to tune the antenna based on the information on whether the external connector has been plugged into the electronic device and based on the measured antenna impedance;
gathering accelerometer data with an accelerometer in the electronic device; and
adjusting the tunable component based on the accelerometer data.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the electronic device includes a connector sensor that senses whether the external connector has been plugged into the electronic device and wherein gathering the information on whether the external connector has been plugged into the electronic device comprises using the connector sensor to determine whether the external connector has been plugged into the electronic device.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ayala Vazquez Enrique
• Hu Hongfei
• Pascolini Mattia
• Ouyang Yuehui
• Yarga Salih
• Zhou Yijun
• Irci Erdinc
• Nath Jayesh
• Tsai Ming-Ju
• Mow Matthew A
• Han Liang
• Judkins James G
• Schlub Robert W

Classifications

• H04B1/0458 Primary

  Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages (matching circuits in general H03H) · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/18

  Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line (coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H) · CPC title