Wireless circuitry for simultaneously receiving radio-frequency transmissions in different frequency bands

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9838046-B2
Application number	US-201514980742-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2011
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that includes transmitters and receivers. Antenna structures may be coupled to the transmitters and receivers to support radio-frequency signal transmission and radio-frequency signal reception operations. Switching circuitry such may be used to support multiple communications bands of interest. One or more low band receivers may be associated with the first switch and one or more high band receivers may be associated with the second switch. The switches can be configured in real time to switch a desired communications band into use. A diplexer may be used to simultaneously pass low bands to the first receiver and high bands to the second receiver. In this way, a data stream in the low band may be simultaneously received with a data stream in the high band.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of receiving radio-frequency transmissions with an electronic device, comprising:
with an antenna in the electronic device, receiving at least first and second data streams in at least first and second respective communications bands;
with a diplexer, routing the first data stream to a first receiver and routing the second data stream to a second receiver;
simultaneously receiving the first data stream using the first receiver and the second data stream using the second receiver;
with baseband processor circuitry in the electronic device, combining the first data stream received by the first receiver with the second data stream received by the second receiver;
with a switching circuit that is interposed between the first receiver and the diplexer, receiving the first data stream;
with the switching circuit, routing the first data stream to a duplexer that is associated with the first communications band; and
with the duplexer, routing the first data stream to a multiplexer circuit that is interposed between the duplexer and the first receiver.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the diplexer comprises a low pass filter, wherein routing the first data stream to the first receiver comprises:
with the low pass filter, routing the first data stream to the first receiver and blocking the second data stream from reaching the first receiver.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the diplexer comprises a high pass filter, wherein routing the second data stream to the second receiver comprises:
with the high pass filter, routing the second data stream to the second receiver and blocking the first data stream from reaching the second receiver.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:
configuring the multiplexer circuit to route the first data stream to the first receiver.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:
with the first receiver, demodulating the first data stream; and
with the second receiver, demodulating the second data stream.

6. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the switching circuit is separate from the duplexer.

7. The method defined in claim 6 , wherein the multiplexer is separate from the duplexer and is separate from the switching circuit.

8. The method defined in claim 7 , wherein the diplexer is separate from the switching circuit.

9. The method defined in claim 6 , wherein the switching circuit is interposed between the duplexer and the diplexer, and the duplexer is interposed between the multiplexer circuit and the switching circuit.

10. Wireless communications circuitry, comprising:
a first radio-frequency receiver configured to operate in a first communications band;
a second radio-frequency receiver configured to operate in a second communications band;
an antenna configured to receive at least a first data stream in the first communications band and a second data stream in the second communications band;
a diplexer having a first port that is coupled to the first radio-frequency receiver, a second port that is coupled to the second radio-frequency receiver, and a third port that is coupled to the antenna;
baseband circuitry configured to simultaneously receive the first data stream from the first radio-frequency receiver and the second data stream from the second radio-frequency receiver;
a radio-frequency transmitter operable to produce transmit signals;
a switch that is coupled to the first port of the diplexer;
a duplexer that is interposed between the diplexer and the first radio-frequency receiver and is configured to route the first data stream to the first radio-frequency receiver, wherein the duplexer is operable to pass the transmit signals from the radio-frequency transmitter to the switch; and
a multiplexer that is interposed between the duplexer and the first radio-frequency receiver, wherein the duplexer is configured to route the first data stream to the first radio-frequency receiver through the multiplexer.

11. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 10 wherein the first radio-frequency receiver comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular telephone receiver configured to operate in LTE Band 17 and wherein the second radio-frequency receiver includes an LTE cellular telephone receiver configured to operate in LTE band 4.

12. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 10 wherein the diplexer comprises a low pass filter and a high pass filter.

13. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 12 wherein the low pass filter is configured to pass frequencies associated with the first data stream without passing frequencies associated with the second data stream.

14. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 13 wherein the high pass filter is configured to pass frequencies associated with the second data stream without passing frequencies associated with the first data stream.

15. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 12 further comprising:
an additional duplexer that is interposed between the diplexer and the second radio-frequency receiver and is configured to route the second data stream to the second radio-frequency receiver.

16. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 15 further comprising:
oscillator circuitry coupled to the first radio-frequency receiver and the second radio-frequency receiver that is configured to provide the first radio-frequency receiver with a first signal at a first frequency associated with the first data stream and configured to provide the second radio-frequency receiver with a second signal at a second frequency associated with the second data stream.

17. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 10 , wherein the switch is interposed between the first port of the diplexer and the duplexer, and the duplexer is interposed between the switch and the multiplexer.

18. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 17 , further comprising:
an additional duplexer coupled between the switch and the multiplexer, wherein the duplexer and the additional duplexer handle signals at different frequencies.

19. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 18 , further comprising:
a first amplifier coupled between the duplexer and the multiplexer; and
a second amplifier coupled between the additional duplexer and the multiplexer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Lum Nicholas W
• Dimpflmaier Ronald W
• Sanguinetti Louie J

Classifications

• H04L5/001

  the frequencies being arranged in component carriers · CPC title

• H04B1/0057 Primary

  using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band · CPC title

• H04B1/16

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04L25/02

  Details {; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines (systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54)} · CPC title

• H04L5/00 Primary

  Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path · CPC title