IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,512,864
Granted Patent B2
US 12,512,864 · App. 17/744,213 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Electronic device with millimeter wave antennas

Inventors: Yuehui Ouyang (Sunnyvale, CA); Yi Jiang (Cupertino, CA); Matthew A. Mow (Los Altos, CA); Basim Noori (Scotts Valley, CA); Mattia Pascolini (San Francisco, CA); Ruben Caballero (San Jose, CA)
H04B1/04H01Q1/2266H01Q1/243H01Q21/0025H01Q21/062H01Q21/065H01Q21/28H04B1/03H04B1/1081H04B2001/0408
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,512,864
App. No.
17/744,213
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays each of which includes multiple antenna elements. Phased antenna arrays may be mounted along edges of a housing for the electronic device, behind a dielectric window such as a dielectric logo window in the housing, in alignment with dielectric housing portions at corners of the housing, or elsewhere in the electronic device. A phased antenna array may include arrays of patch antenna elements on dielectric layers separated by a ground layer. A baseband processor may distribute wireless signals to the phased antenna arrays at intermediate frequencies over intermediate frequency signal paths. Transceiver circuits at the phased antenna arrays may include upconverters and downconverters coupled to the intermediate frequency signal paths.

Claims (37)

1 . An electronic device comprising:

a display having a display cover layer; and

a phased antenna array facing the display cover layer and configured to convey radio-frequency signals through the display cover layer.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the phased antenna array comprises antennas coupled to respective phase and magnitude controllers, the phase and magnitude controllers being configured to perform beam steering on the radio-frequency signals.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the phased antenna array comprises four antennas arranged in a one-dimensional pattern.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the radio-frequency signals are at frequencies greater than 10 GHz.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the display is mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a substrate, wherein the phased antenna array comprises antenna elements mounted to a surface of the substrate, the antenna elements are configured to radiate the radio-frequency signals, the antenna elements face the display cover layer, and the surface of the substrate faces and extends parallel to a lateral area of the display cover layer.

7 . An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a housing wall opposite the display; and

a phased antenna array facing the housing wall and configured to convey radio-frequency signals through the housing wall.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the housing wall comprises glass.

9 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the housing wall comprises metal and an antenna window in the metal, the phased antenna array being configured to convey the radio-frequency signals through the antenna window.

10 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the phased antenna array comprises four antennas arranged in a two-dimensional pattern.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the phased antenna array comprises four phase and magnitude controllers each coupled to a respective one of the four antennas, the phase and magnitude controllers being configured to perform beam steering on the radio-frequency signals.

12 . The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising:

peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the display and the housing wall are mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures.

13 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the radio-frequency signals are at frequencies greater than 10 GHz.

14 . The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising:

a substrate, wherein the phased antenna array comprises antenna elements mounted to a surface of the substrate, the antenna elements are configured to radiate the radio-frequency signals, the antenna elements face the housing wall, and the surface of the substrate faces and extends parallel to a lateral area of the housing wall.

15 . An electronic device comprising:

conductive housing structures that run around a periphery of the electronic device;

a display mounted to the conductive housing structures;

one or more openings in the conductive housing structures;

a substrate;

a ground structure on the substrate; and

an array of antenna elements configured to convey radio-frequency signals through the one or more openings in the conductive housing structures, wherein the antenna elements in the array include metal traces on the substrate, the metal traces being interposed between the ground structure and the one or more openings in the conductive housing structures.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising:

phase and magnitude controllers coupled to the antenna elements in the array of antenna elements and configured to perform beam steering on the radio-frequency signals.

17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the antenna elements comprise slot antenna structures.

18 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the antenna elements comprise patch antenna structures.

19 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the radio-frequency signals are at frequencies greater than 10 GHZ.

20 . The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising:

radio-frequency transmission lines on the substrate, wherein the radio-frequency transmission lines are coupled to the metal traces through openings in the ground structure.

Continuity (7)
Continuation 17211710 · Mar 24, 2021
Division 16854771 · Apr 21, 2020
Continuation 16138881 · Sep 21, 2018
Continuation 15499745 · Apr 27, 2017
Continuation 15097868 · Apr 13, 2016
Provisional Application 62149430 · Apr 17, 2015
Related Publication 20220278702A1 · Sep 1, 2022
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