Wireless electronic device with multiradio controller integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9930725-B2
Application number	US-201514967772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. An application processor may generate wireless data that is to be transmitted using the wireless circuitry and may process wireless data that has been received using the wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include multiple baseband processors, multiple associated radios, and front-end module and antenna circuitry. Sensors may be used to provide the application processor with sensor data. During operation, the application processor and the baseband processors may be used to transmit and receive wireless communications traffic. A multiradio controller integrated circuit that does not transmit or receive the wireless communications traffic may be used in controlling the wireless circuitry based on impedance measurements, sensor data, and other information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an application processor that generates data that is to be wirelessly transmitted and that uses data that has been wirelessly received;
wireless circuitry with which the application processor wirelessly transmits and receives the data;
a first baseband processor and a first radio in the wireless circuitry that handle wireless communications traffic in a first communications band;
a second baseband processor and a second radio in the wireless circuitry that handle wireless communications traffic in a second communications band;
a multiradio controller integrated circuit that is coupled to the wireless circuitry, the first baseband processor, the second baseband processor, the first radio, and the second radio over respective control paths, wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit does not receive wireless communications traffic;
an antenna; and
a directional coupler that is coupled to a receiver in the first radio and that is used in measuring an antenna impedance for the antenna, wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit receives the measured antenna impedance from the first radio.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second baseband processors communicate with the application processor over a digital bus and wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit is coupled to the digital bus.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the antenna is a tunable antenna that is adjusted by the multiradio controller integrated circuit.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first baseband processor communicates with the first radio over a digital signal path.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit is coupled to the digital signal path.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising a tunable front-end module that is interposed between the first radio and the tunable antenna, wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit adjusts the tunable front-end module.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the measured antenna impedance is provided to the digital signal path from the first radio and is received by the multiradio controller integrated circuit from the digital signal path.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first baseband processor communicates with the first radio over an analog signal path.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit is coupled to the first baseband processor by a digital signal path.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the measured antenna impedance is provided to the first baseband processor over the analog signal path and is received by the multiradio controller integrated circuit over the digital signal path between the multiradio controller and the first baseband processor.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a tunable front-end module that is interposed between the first radio and the antenna.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit is configured to adjust the tunable front-end module.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first baseband processor comprises a cellular telephone baseband processor.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the second baseband processor comprises a wireless local area network baseband processor.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the antenna is a tunable antenna that is adjusted by the multiradio controller integrated circuit.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising:
at least one sensor, wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit adjusts the tunable antenna based at least partly on information from the sensor.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the multiradio controller integrated circuit uses the directional coupler to measure an antenna impedance.

18. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:
with an application processor in the electronic device, wirelessly transmitting and receiving wireless data traffic using first and second baseband processors, wherein the electronic device comprises wireless circuitry coupled to the applications processor and the wireless circuitry includes first and second front-end modules and the first and second baseband processors; and
adjusting the wireless circuitry with a multiradio controller integrated circuit that does not transmit or receive wireless data traffic, wherein adjusting the wireless circuitry comprises adjusting the first and second front-end modules to change a filter setting of at least one antenna.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein adjusting the wireless circuitry comprises adjusting the first and second baseband processors.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the at least one antenna is a tunable antenna and wherein adjusting the wireless circuitry comprises adjusting the tunable antenna.

21. The method defined in claim 20 wherein the electronic device includes sensors that provide sensor information to the application processor and wherein adjusting the wireless circuitry comprises adjusting the tunable antenna based on the sensor information.

22. The method defined in claim 18 wherein adjusting the wireless circuitry comprises:
with the multiradio controller integrated circuit, adjusting a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a wireless transceiver output power, an antenna tuning, a front-end module tuning, and a switch that selects an antenna for use by the wireless circuitry to transmit and receive the wireless data traffic.

23. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:
with the multiradio controller integrated circuit, measuring an antenna impedance using information gathered by a directional coupler.

24. An electronic device, comprising:
an application processor;
wireless circuitry with which the application processor transmits and receives wireless communications traffic, wherein the wireless circuitry includes at least a cellular telephone baseband processor, a cellular telephone radio coupled to the cellular telephone baseband processor, a wireless local area network baseband processor, and a wireless local area network radio coupled to the wireless local area network baseband processor;
at least one tunable antenna with which the wireless circuitry transmits and receives the wireless communications traffic;
a multiradio controller integrated circuit that controls the cellular telephone baseband processor and the wireless local area network baseband processor and that does not receive or transmit the wireless communications traffic; and
a directional coupler with which the multiradio controller integrated circuit measures an antenna impedance.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 24 wherein the multiradio controller tunes the at least one tunable antenna based at least partly on the measured antenna impedance.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mow Matthew A
• Pascolini Mattia
• Biedka Thomas E
• Han Liang
• Tsai Ming-Ju
• Lee Victor
• Judkins James G

Classifications

• H04L25/0264 Primary

  Arrangements for coupling to transmission lines (duplexing arrangements H04L5/14; line equalisers, line build-out devices H04L25/03878) · CPC title

• H04B1/0028

  wherein the AD/DA conversion occurs at baseband stage · CPC title

• H04W88/06 Primary

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04B17/102

  Power radiated at antenna · CPC title

• H04B1/0067 Primary

  with one or more circuit blocks in common for different bands · CPC title