Millimeter wave patch antennas with parasitic elements

    公开(公告)号:US10763589B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-09-01

    申请号:US16031964

    申请日:2018-07-10

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antenna structures and transceiver circuitry such as millimeter wave transceiver circuitry. Antenna structures in the wireless circuitry may include patch antennas that are organized in a phased antenna array. Each patch antenna may include an antenna resonating element and a parasitic element. The parasitic element for the patch antenna may have dielectric-filled openings formed between coplanar parasitic conductors. The parasitic conductors may include a central parasitic conductor, four rectangular parasitic conductors formed around the central parasitic conductor, and corner parasitic conductors formed at the corners of the parasitic element. The corner parasitic conductors may be non-rectangular. For example, the corner parasitic conductors may have first and second perpendicular edges and a straight or curved third edge that joins the first and second edges.

    Antennas in patterned conductive layers

    公开(公告)号:US10608321B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-03-31

    申请号:US15602956

    申请日:2017-05-23

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a substrate and a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer may be patterned to form a first region and a second region that surrounds and defines the shape of the first region. The first region may be formed from a continuous portion of the conductive layer. The second region may include a grid of openings that divides the conductive layer into an array of patches. The first region may form an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The second region may block antenna currents from the antenna resonating element and may be transparent to radio-frequency electromagnetic waves. The openings may have a width that is too narrow to be discerned by the human eye. This may configure the first and second regions to appear as a single continuous conductive layer despite the fact that an antenna resonating element is formed therein.

    Methods for maintaining line-of-sight communications

    公开(公告)号:US10567941B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-02-18

    申请号:US16231120

    申请日:2018-12-21

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and a phased antenna array. The phased antenna array may transmit and receive millimeter wave signals. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the phased antenna array and may be adjusted to steer the millimeter wave signals in a particular direction. The control circuitry may track the location of an external device using sensor data. The control circuitry may control a mechanical positioner to mechanically adjust an orientation of the phased antenna array and/or may control the beam steering circuitry to steer the millimeter wave signals towards the location of the external device. In this way, a line of sight millimeter wave communications link may be maintained between the phased antenna array and the external device even if the external device moves over time.

    Dual-Polarization Phased Antenna Arrays
    34.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20200021040A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-16

    申请号:US16032953

    申请日:2018-07-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a phased antenna array mounted in a conductive cavity for conveying radio-frequency signals above 10 GHz. The cavity may include sidewalls extending from a rear wall. The array may include rectangular patches each having first and second perpendicular edges. Each of the first edges in the array may be aligned with a first axis. Each of the second edges in the array may be aligned with a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The first and second axes may be oriented at 45 degrees with respect to each of the sidewalls of the cavity. Each patch may be fed using first and second positive antenna feed terminals that cover orthogonal linear polarizations. The cavity may prevent interference while symmetrically loading the impedance of both the first and second positive antenna feed terminals in each patch.

    Millimeter Wave Patch Antennas with Parasitic Elements

    公开(公告)号:US20200021037A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-16

    申请号:US16031964

    申请日:2018-07-10

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antenna structures and transceiver circuitry such as millimeter wave transceiver circuitry. Antenna structures in the wireless circuitry may include patch antennas that are organized in a phased antenna array. Each patch antenna may include an antenna resonating element and a parasitic element. The parasitic element for the patch antenna may have dielectric-filled openings formed between coplanar parasitic conductors. The parasitic conductors may include a central parasitic conductor, four rectangular parasitic conductors formed around the central parasitic conductor, and corner parasitic conductors formed at the corners of the parasitic element. The corner parasitic conductors may be non-rectangular. For example, the corner parasitic conductors may have first and second perpendicular edges and a straight or curved third edge that joins the first and second edges.

    Antenna arrays with etched substrates

    公开(公告)号:US10263332B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-16

    申请号:US15707721

    申请日:2017-09-18

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include centimeter and millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and a phased antenna array. A dielectric cover may be formed over the phased antenna array. The phased antenna array may transmit and receive antenna signals through the dielectric cover. The dielectric cover may have first and second opposing surfaces. The second surface may face the phased antenna array and may have a curvature. The antenna elements of the phased antenna array may be formed on a dielectric substrate. The dielectric substrate may have one or more thinned regions between antenna elements of the phased antenna array to promote bending. The dielectric substrate may have a smaller thickness in the thinned region than in the regions under the antenna elements. The dielectric substrate may be totally removed in the thinned region.

    Methods for performing antenna beam scanning

    公开(公告)号:US10256872B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-09

    申请号:US15584889

    申请日:2017-05-02

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may communicate with an external device and may include one or more phased antenna arrays that transmit and receive a beam of millimeter wave signals. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the phased antenna array and may be adjusted to steer a direction of the beam. Control circuitry may control the beam steering circuitry to sweep the beam of millimeter wave signals over multiple beam directions. The control circuitry may gather wireless performance data and may compare the wireless performance metric data at each beam direction in the sweep prior to gathering wireless performance metric data at other beam directions in the sweep. The first beam direction in the sweep may be selected based on an initial position of the external device and/or based on sensor data gathered by the control circuitry.

    Antenna Arrays Having Surface Wave Interference Mitigation Structures

    公开(公告)号:US20190089053A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-03-21

    申请号:US15710361

    申请日:2017-09-20

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include centimeter and millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and a phased antenna array. A dielectric cover may be formed over the phased antenna array. The phased antenna array may transmit and receive antenna signals through the dielectric cover. The dielectric cover may have a surface that faces the phased antenna array and may have a curvature. The antenna elements of the phased antenna array may be formed on a dielectric substrate. The dielectric substrate may have one or more thinned regions between antenna elements of the phased antenna array to reduce surface wave interference between adjacent antennas. The dielectric substrate may have a smaller thickness in the thinned region than in the regions under the antenna elements. The dielectric substrate may be totally removed in the thinned region.

    Antenna Arrays with Etched Substrates
    39.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20190089052A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-03-21

    申请号:US15707721

    申请日:2017-09-18

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include centimeter and millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and a phased antenna array. A dielectric cover may be formed over the phased antenna array. The phased antenna array may transmit and receive antenna signals through the dielectric cover. The dielectric cover may have first and second opposing surfaces. The second surface may face the phased antenna array and may have a curvature. The antenna elements of the phased antenna array may be formed on a dielectric substrate. The dielectric substrate may have one or more thinned regions between antenna elements of the phased antenna array to promote bending. The dielectric substrate may have a smaller thickness in the thinned region than in the regions under the antenna elements. The dielectric substrate may be totally removed in the thinned region.

    METHODS FOR MAINTAINING LINE-OF-SIGHT COMMUNICATIONS

    公开(公告)号:US20180376275A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-12-27

    申请号:US15630841

    申请日:2017-06-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and a phased antenna array. The phased antenna array may transmit and receive millimeter wave signals. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the phased antenna array and may be adjusted to steer the millimeter wave signals in a particular direction. The control circuitry may track the location of an external device using sensor data. The control circuitry may control a mechanical positioner to mechanically adjust an orientation of the phased antenna array and/or may control the beam steering circuitry to steer the millimeter wave signals towards the location of the external device. In this way, a line of sight millimeter wave communications link may be maintained between the phased antenna array and the external device even if the external device moves over time.

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