Patents by Inventor James G. Judkins
James G. Judkins has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20230170927Abstract: A radio frequency device has a multifunctional tuner that stores measurements of reflection coefficient parameter in a register. The radio frequency device also has a transceiver that has a transmitter. The transceiver may detect a transmitter signal from the transmitter to an antenna in an initial tuning state and then determine whether the transmitter signal is stable. In response to the transmitter signal being stable, the transceiver may measuring the reflection coefficient parameters at the multifunctional tuner. Furthermore, the radio frequency device has a baseband controller that has a memory to store instructions and a processor to execute the instructions. The instructions cause the processor to determine an antenna impedance based on the reflection coefficient parameters, and in response to determining that the antenna impedance is greater than or less than a threshold antenna impedance, iteratively tune the antenna using the multifunctional tuner.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2023Publication date: June 1, 2023Inventors: Liang Han, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Thomas E. Biedka, Hongfei Hu, Erdinc Irci, Nanbo Jin, James G. Judkins, Victor C. Lee, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Yiren Wang, Yuancheng Xu, Yijun Zhou
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Publication number: 20230084948Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with a baseband processor, a transceiver, and an antenna. The antenna may be coupled to one or more antenna tuning elements for tuning the antenna over multiple communications (frequency) bands of interest. The baseband processor may be configured to simultaneously broadcast, over a digital interface, an aggregate message that includes control bits for adjusting multiple antenna tuning elements coupled to the digital interface. Adjusting multiple antenna tuning elements by issuing a single broadcast command can help optimize interface efficiency while maintaining compatibility with existing industry standards.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2021Publication date: March 16, 2023Inventors: Thomas E. Biedka, James G. Judkins, Ming-Ju Tsai, Ramzi N. Aboujaoude, Theodoros Kamakaris, Victor C. Lee, Liang Han
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Patent number: 11569858Abstract: A radio frequency device has a multifunctional tuner that stores measurements of reflection coefficient parameter in a register. The radio frequency device also has a transceiver that has a transmitter. The transceiver may detect a transmitter signal from the transmitter to an antenna in an initial tuning state and then determine whether the transmitter signal is stable. In response to the transmitter signal being stable, the transceiver may measuring the reflection coefficient parameters at the multifunctional tuner. Furthermore, the radio frequency device has a baseband controller that has a memory to store instructions and a processor to execute the instructions. The instructions cause the processor to determine an antenna impedance based on the reflection coefficient parameters, and in response to determining that the antenna impedance is greater than or less than a threshold antenna impedance, iteratively tune the antenna using the multifunctional tuner.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Liang Han, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Thomas E. Biedka, Hongfei Hu, Erdinc Irci, Nanbo Jin, James G. Judkins, Victor C. Lee, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Yiren Wang, Yuancheng Xu, Yijun Zhou
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Publication number: 20210218430Abstract: A radio frequency device has a multifunctional tuner that stores measurements of reflection coefficient parameter in a register. The radio frequency device also has a transceiver that has a transmitter. The transceiver may detect a transmitter signal from the transmitter to an antenna in an initial tuning state and then determine whether the transmitter signal is stable. In response to the transmitter signal being stable, the transceiver may measuring the reflection coefficient parameters at the multifunctional tuner. Furthermore, the radio frequency device has a baseband controller that has a memory to store instructions and a processor to execute the instructions. The instructions cause the processor to determine an antenna impedance based on the reflection coefficient parameters, and in response to determining that the antenna impedance is greater than or less than a threshold antenna impedance, iteratively tune the antenna using the multifunctional tuner.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2020Publication date: July 15, 2021Inventors: Liang Han, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Thomas E. Biedka, Hongfei Hu, Erdinc Irci, Nanbo Jin, James G. Judkins, Victor C. Lee, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Yiren Wang, Yuancheng Xu, Yijun Zhou
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Patent number: 10498012Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes one or more antennas and a transceiver. An integrated circuit may be coupled between the transceiver and the antenna and may include multiple tunable components such that tune the response of the antenna. The control signals may be generated by a tuning controller external to the integrated circuit. Shared control interface circuitry may be formed on the integrated circuit for interfacing between the tuning controller and each of the tunable components on the integrated circuit. The control interface circuitry may include a conductive path and decoupling circuitry that routes the control signals to corresponding control inputs on each of the tunable components. Sharing the control interface circuitry between each tunable component on the integrated circuit may minimize the space required on the integrated circuit for controlling the response of the antenna.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2017Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: James G. Judkins, Jing Zhu, Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Xu Han
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Publication number: 20190027821Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control signal generation circuitry that generates a differential pair of control signals, power supply circuitry that generates a bias voltage, and an antenna having a tuning circuit. First switching circuitry may be coupled to the power supply circuitry and the control signal generation circuitry. Second switching circuitry may be coupled to the tuning circuit. A pair of control lines may be coupled between the first and second switching circuitry. In a first switching mode, the power supply circuitry may transmit the bias voltage to the tuning circuit over one of the control lines. The bias voltage may charge storage circuitry coupled to the tuning circuit. In a second switching mode, the control signal generation circuitry may transmit the differential pair of control signals to the tuning circuit. The tuning circuit may be powered by the storage circuitry in the second switching mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2017Publication date: January 24, 2019Inventors: James G. Judkins, Jing Zhu, Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Xu Han
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Publication number: 20190027809Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes one or more antennas and a transceiver. An integrated circuit may be coupled between the transceiver and the antenna and may include multiple tunable components such that tune the response of the antenna. The control signals may be generated by a tuning controller external to the integrated circuit. Shared control interface circuitry may be formed on the integrated circuit for interfacing between the tuning controller and each of the tunable components on the integrated circuit. The control interface circuitry may include a conductive path and decoupling circuitry that routes the control signals to corresponding control inputs on each of the tunable components. Sharing the control interface circuitry between each tunable component on the integrated circuit may minimize the space required on the integrated circuit for controlling the response of the antenna.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2017Publication date: January 24, 2019Inventors: James G. Judkins, Jing Zhu, Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Xu Han
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Patent number: 10186769Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with control signal generation circuitry that generates a differential pair of control signals, power supply circuitry that generates a bias voltage, and an antenna having a tuning circuit. First switching circuitry may be coupled to the power supply circuitry and the control signal generation circuitry. Second switching circuitry may be coupled to the tuning circuit. A pair of control lines may be coupled between the first and second switching circuitry. In a first switching mode, the power supply circuitry may transmit the bias voltage to the tuning circuit over one of the control lines. The bias voltage may charge storage circuitry coupled to the tuning circuit. In a second switching mode, the control signal generation circuitry may transmit the differential pair of control signals to the tuning circuit. The tuning circuit may be powered by the storage circuitry in the second switching mode.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2017Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: James G. Judkins, Jing Zhu, Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Xu Han
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Patent number: 9960801Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2017Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor Lee, James G. Judkins, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 9930725Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2015Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Thomas E. Biedka, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Victor Lee, James G. Judkins
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Patent number: 9843091Abstract: An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for an antenna may be formed from peripheral conductive structures running along the edges of a device housing that are separated from a round by an elongated opening. The electronic device may have a central longitudinal axis that divides the antenna resonating element arm and other antenna structures into symmetrical halves that exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the central longitudinal axis. The antenna structures may include symmetrical slot antenna resonating elements on opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis. Electrical components such as switches and antenna tuning inductors may be coupled to the antenna structures in a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to the central longitudinal axis. The electrical components may be used to place the antenna structures in an unflipped configuration or in a symmetrical flipped configuration.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2015Date of Patent: December 12, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Xu Han, James G. Judkins, Liang Han, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Nanbo Jin, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Yuehui Ouyang
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Publication number: 20170302326Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor Lee, James G. Judkins, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 9750945Abstract: To provide for an improvement in the communication between an external handheld programmer and an implantable pulse generator (IPG) implanted within a patient or an external pulse generator attached to the patient, an antenna of the programmer is positioned relative to the ground plane of the programmer such that when a person handholds the programmer in its predetermined intended orientation a radiation pattern produced by the antenna has substantially maximum RF radiation generally directed toward the patient, regardless whether the person that handholds the programmer is the patient or another person located near the patient.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2010Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: ST. JUDE MEDICAL LUXEMBOURG HOLDINGS SMI S.A.R.L.Inventors: James G. Judkins, Richard W. O'Connor
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Patent number: 9742459Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. Control circuitry may be used to adjust the wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include an antenna that is tuned using tunable components. The control circuitry may gather information on the current operating mode of the electronic device, sensor data from a proximity sensor, accelerometer, microphone, and other sensors, antenna impedance information for the antenna, and information on the use of connectors in the electronic device. Based on this gathered data, the control circuitry can adjust the tunable components to compensate for antenna detuning due to loading from nearby external objects, may adjust transmit power levels, and may make other wireless circuit adjustments.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2014Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Hongfei Hu, Mattia Pascolini, Yuehui Ouyang, Salih Yarga, Yijun Zhou, Erdinc Irci, Jayesh Nath, Ming-Ju Tsai, Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, James G. Judkins, Robert W. Schlub
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Patent number: 9698854Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2015Date of Patent: July 4, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor Lee, James G. Judkins, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 9594147Abstract: An electronic device may have control circuitry that uses a reflectometer to measure antenna impedance during operation. The reflectometer may have a directional coupler that is coupled between radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and an antenna. A calibration circuit may be coupled between the directional coupler and the antenna. The calibration circuit may have a first port coupled to the antenna, a second port coupled to the directional coupler, and a third port that is coupled to a calibration resistance. The reflectometer may have terminations of identical impedance that are coupled to ground. Switching circuitry in the reflectometer may be used to route signals from the directional coupler to a feedback receiver for measurement by the control circuitry or to ground through the terminations. Calibrated antenna reflection coefficient measurements may be used in dynamically adjusting the antenna.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2014Date of Patent: March 14, 2017Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Thomas E. Biedka, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, James G. Judkins, Victor Lee, Robert W. Schlub
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Patent number: 9523727Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include wireless transceiver circuitry that transmits signals towards an antenna. A signal path may carry the transmitted signals to the antenna. Reflected signals from the antenna may be carried along the signal path towards the transceiver circuitry. Coupler circuitry may include a forward coupler that taps the transmitted signals, a first reverse coupler that taps the reflected signals from the antenna, and a second reverse coupler that taps the reflected signals that have passed through the first reverse coupler. Analog processing circuitry and digital processing circuitry may be used to produce an impedance measurement from the tapped signals from the coupler circuitry. The analog processing circuitry may include analog signal mixers, low pass filters, and analog-to-digital converter circuitry.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2015Date of Patent: December 20, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Thomas E. Biedka, Ming-Ju Tsai, James G. Judkins, Victor C. Lee, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20160322699Abstract: An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for an antenna may be formed from peripheral conductive structures running along the edges of a device housing that are separated from a round by an elongated opening. The electronic device may have a central longitudinal axis that divides the antenna resonating element arm and other antenna structures into symmetrical halves that exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the central longitudinal axis. The antenna structures may include symmetrical slot antenna resonating elements on opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis. Electrical components such as switches and antenna tuning inductors may be coupled to the antenna structures in a configuration that is symmetrical with respect to the central longitudinal axis. The electrical components may be used to place the antenna structures in an unflipped configuration or in a symmetrical flipped configuration.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2015Publication date: November 3, 2016Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Xu Han, James G. Judkins, Liang Han, Mattia Pascolini, Ming-Ju Tsai, Nanbo Jin, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor C. Lee, Yuehui Ouyang
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Patent number: 9444425Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. Control circuitry may be used to adjust the wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antennas that are tuned, adjustable impedance matching circuitry, antenna port selection circuitry, and adjustable transceiver circuitry. Wireless circuit adjustments may be made by ascertaining a current usage scenario for the electronic device based on sensor data, information from cellular base station equipment or other external equipment, signal-to-noise ratio information or other signal information, antenna impedance measurements, and other information about the operation of the electronic device.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2014Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Thomas E. Biedka, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, James G. Judkins, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Jayesh Nath, Hongfei Hu, Nanbo Jin, Hao Xu, Yijun Zhou, Yuehui Ouyang, Victor Lee, Mattia Pascolini, Ruben Caballero
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Publication number: 20160204820Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2015Publication date: July 14, 2016Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Thomas E. Biedka, Victor Lee, James G. Judkins, Mattia Pascolini