Electronic Device Having Angle of Arrival Detection Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20210351494A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-11-11

    申请号:US17383275

    申请日:2021-07-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes first, second, and third antennas used to determine the position and orientation of the electronic device relative to external equipment. The antennas may include patch elements on respective substrates mounted to a flexible printed circuit. Each substrate may include fences of conductive vias that are coupled to ground and that laterally surround the corresponding patch element. Control circuitry may identify phase differences between the first and second antennas and between the second and third antennas and may identify an angle of arrival of received ultra-wideband signals using the phase differences. The control circuitry may compare the phase differences to a set of predetermined surfaces of phase differences to identify environmental loading conditions for the antenna. The control circuitry may correct the angle of arrival using offsets identified based on the environmental loading conditions.

    Test probes for phased antenna arrays

    公开(公告)号:US11070300B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-07-20

    申请号:US16357184

    申请日:2019-03-18

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that is tested in a test system. The test system may include test probes. Circuitry under test may wirelessly transmit test signals. The test probes may receive the test signals at multiple locations. Circuitry may measure direct current (DC) voltages generated by the test probes and may convert the voltages to electric field magnitudes. A test host may process the electric field magnitudes to determine whether the circuitry under test exhibits a satisfactory radiation pattern. The test probes may include dielectric substrates and one or more dipole elements coupled to respective diodes. The dipole elements may include indium tin oxide (ITO) and may include first and second sets of orthogonal dipole elements. Transmission lines coupled to the dipole elements may include ITO and may form low pass filters that convert rectified voltages produced by the diodes into the DC voltages.

    Electronic device antennas for performing angle of arrival detection

    公开(公告)号:US10903566B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-01-26

    申请号:US15718288

    申请日:2017-09-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes antenna structures used to determine the position and orientation of the electronic device relative to external wireless equipment. The electronic device may include a housing having a planar conductive layer, a first slot antenna that includes a first bent slot element in the planar conductive layer, and a second slot antenna that includes a second bent slot element in the planar conductive layer. The first and second bent slot elements may be configured to receive radio-frequency signals at the same frequency. The first and second bent slot elements may have the same shape. The electronic device may include control circuitry configured to measure a phase difference between the radio-frequency signals received by the first and second slot antennas. The control circuitry may identify an angle of arrival of the received radio-frequency signals based on the measured phase difference.

    Test Probes for Phased Antenna Arrays
    35.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20200304216A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-09-24

    申请号:US16357184

    申请日:2019-03-18

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that is tested in a test system. The test system may include test probes. Circuitry under test may wirelessly transmit test signals. The test probes may receive the test signals at multiple locations. Circuitry may measure direct current (DC) voltages generated by the test probes and may convert the voltages to electric field magnitudes. A test host may process the electric field magnitudes to determine whether the circuitry under test exhibits a satisfactory radiation pattern. The test probes may include dielectric substrates and one or more dipole elements coupled to respective diodes. The dipole elements may include indium tin oxide (ITO) and may include first and second sets of orthogonal dipole elements. Transmission lines coupled to the dipole elements may include ITO and may form low pass filters that convert rectified voltages produced by the diodes into the DC voltages.

    Electronic Devices with Broadband Ranging Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20200182964A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-06-11

    申请号:US16563658

    申请日:2019-09-06

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry and wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include a phased antenna array and a radio-frequency integrated circuit having transmit and receive ports. The array may include a first set of stacked patch antennas coupled to the transmit ports and a second set of stacked patch antennas coupled to the receive ports. The integrated circuit may transmit ranging signals at millimeter wave frequencies using the transmit ports and the first set of antennas. The integrated circuit may receive a reflected version of the transmitted ranging signals that has been reflected off of an external object using the receive ports and the second set of antennas. The control circuitry may identify a distance between the electronic device and the external object based on the transmitted and received signals.

    Electronic Device Having Angle of Arrival Detection Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20200021011A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-16

    申请号:US16035325

    申请日:2018-07-13

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes first, second, and third antennas used to determine the position and orientation of the electronic device relative to external equipment. The antennas may include patch elements on respective substrates mounted to a flexible printed circuit. Each substrate may include fences of conductive vias that are coupled to ground and that laterally surround the corresponding patch element. Control circuitry may identify phase differences between the first and second antennas and between the second and third antennas and may identify an angle of arrival of received ultra-wideband signals using the phase differences. The control circuitry may compare the phase differences to a set of predetermined surfaces of phase differences to identify environmental loading conditions for the antenna. The control circuitry may correct the angle of arrival using offsets identified based on the environmental loading conditions.

    Electronic Device Slot Antennas
    40.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20190074586A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-03-07

    申请号:US15698481

    申请日:2017-09-07

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device such as a wristwatch may have a housing with metal sidewalls and a display having conductive display structures. Printed circuits having corresponding ground traces may be coupled to the display for conveying data to and/or from the display. The conductive display structures may be separated from the metal sidewalls by a gap. A conductive interconnect may be coupled to the metal sidewalls and may extend across the gap to the conductive display structures. The conductive interconnect may be coupled to the ground traces on the printed circuits and/or may be shorted or capacitively coupled to the conductive display structures. When configured in this way, the metal sidewalls, the conductive display structures, and the conductive interconnect may define the edges of a slot antenna resonating element for a slot antenna.

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