Patents by Inventor Jiangfeng Wu

Jiangfeng Wu 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).

  • Publication number: 20220255212
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module and a phased antenna array on the module. The module may include a logic board, an antenna board surface-mounted to the logic board, and a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) mounted surface-mounted to the logic board. The phased antenna array may include antennas embedded in the antenna board. The antennas may radiate at centimeter and/or millimeter wave frequencies. The logic board may form a radio-frequency interface between the RFIC and the antennas. Transmission lines in the logic board and the antenna board may include impedance matching segments that help to match the impedance of the RFIC to the impedance of the antennas. The module may efficiently utilize space within the device without sacrificing radio-frequency performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Jennifer M. Edwards, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, Simone Paulotto, Mattia Pascolini
  • Patent number: 11349204
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a phased antenna array. An antenna in the array may include a rectangular patch element with diagonal axes. The antenna may have first and second antenna feeds coupled to the patch element along the diagonal axes. The antenna may be rotated at a forty-five degree angle relative to other antennas in the array. The antenna may have one or two layers of parasitic elements overlapping the patch element. For example, the antenna may have a layer of coplanar parasitic patches separated by a gap. The antenna may also have an additional parasitic patch that is located farther from the patch element than the layer of coplanar parasitic patches. The additional parasitic patch may overlap the patch element and the gap in the coplanar parasitic patches. The antenna may exhibit a relatively small footprint and minimal mutual coupling with other antennas in the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang
  • Publication number: 20220158692
    Abstract: A wireless communication system comprises a base station and one or more relay docks and transmits directional wave signals between components using high frequency waves, such as millimeter waves. A beam forming decision engine utilizes position information collected from one or more position or motion sensors of a user device to determine a direction in which to form a directional wave signal being transmitted between components of the wireless communication system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini, Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Lijun Zhang
  • Patent number: 11335992
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module and a phased antenna array on the module. The module may include a logic board, an antenna board surface-mounted to the logic board, and a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) mounted surface-mounted to the logic board. The phased antenna array may include antennas embedded in the antenna board. The antennas may radiate at centimeter and/or millimeter wave frequencies. The logic board may form a radio-frequency interface between the RFIC and the antennas. Transmission lines in the logic board and the antenna board may include impedance matching segments that help to match the impedance of the RFIC to the impedance of the antennas. The module may efficiently utilize space within the device without sacrificing radio-frequency performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jennifer M. Edwards, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, Simone Paulotto, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20220094053
    Abstract: An electronic device may include first and second phased antenna arrays and a triplet of first, second, and third ultra-wideband antennas. An antenna module in the device may include a dielectric substrate. The first and second arrays and the triplet may be formed on the dielectric substrate. The third and second ultra-wideband antennas may be separated by a gap. The first array may be laterally interposed between the third and second ultra-wideband antennas within the gap. The third ultra-wideband antenna may be laterally interposed between the first phased antenna array and at least some of the second array. An integrated circuit may be mounted to the dielectric substrate using an interposer. The antenna module may occupy a minimal amount of space within the device and may be less expensive to manufacture relative to scenarios where the arrays and the ultra-wideband antennas are formed on separate substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Hao Xu, Ana Papio Toda, Carlo di Nallo, Michael D. Quinones, Mattia Pascolini, Amin Tayebi, Aaron J. Cooper, Per Jakob Helander, Johan Avendal
  • Publication number: 20220094048
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a phased antenna array. An antenna in the array may include a rectangular patch element with diagonal axes. The antenna may have first and second antenna feeds coupled to the patch element along the diagonal axes. The antenna may be rotated at a forty-five degree angle relative to other antennas in the array. The antenna may have one or two layers of parasitic elements overlapping the patch element. For example, the antenna may have a layer of coplanar parasitic patches separated by a gap. The antenna may also have an additional parasitic patch that is located farther from the patch element than the layer of coplanar parasitic patches. The additional parasitic patch may overlap the patch element and the gap in the coplanar parasitic patches. The antenna may exhibit a relatively small footprint and minimal mutual coupling with other antennas in the array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang
  • Publication number: 20220094036
    Abstract: An electronic device may have an antenna that conveys radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The antenna may be embedded in a substrate. The substrate may have routing layers, first antenna layers on the routing layers, second antenna layers on the first antenna layers, and a third antenna layers on the second antenna layers. The antenna may include first traces on the first antenna layers, second traces on the second antenna layers, and third traces on the third antenna layers. The first antenna layers may have a first bulk dielectric permittivity. The second layers may have a second bulk dielectric permittivity. The third layers may have a third bulk dielectric permittivity. At least one of the first, second, and third bulk dielectric permittivities may be different from the others. This may differentially load the antenna across the antenna layers, thereby broadening the bandwidth of the antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Yi Jiang, Simon G. Begashaw, Harish Rajagopalan, Hee-Joung Joun, Thomas W. Yang, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20220094061
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a phased antenna array. The array may include co-located first and second antennas formed on a dielectric substrate. The first antenna may include a first patch element and multi-layer parasitic structures. The multi-layer parasitic structures may include a first set of co-planar parasitic elements. The first set of parasitic elements may overlap the first patch element and may be separated by a gap. The multi-layer parasitic structures may include an additional parasitic element that overlaps the gap. The second antenna may include a second patch element that is co-planar with the additional parasitic patch. The second patch element may at least partially overlap one of the parasitic elements in the first set. The first and second patch antennas may collectively cover first and second frequency bands while occupying a minimal amount of space on the dielectric substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Yi Jiang, Simon G. Begashaw, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20220094078
    Abstract: An electronic device may include first and second phased antenna arrays that convey radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The second array may have fewer antennas than the first array. Control circuitry may control the first and second arrays in a diversity mode and in a simultaneous array mode. In the diversity mode, the first array may form a first signal beam while the second array is inactive. When the first array is blocked by an object or otherwise exhibits unsatisfactory performance, the second array may form a second signal beam while the first array is inactive. In the simultaneous mode, the first and second arrays may form a combined array that produces a third signal beam. The combined array may maximize gain. Hierarchical beam searching operations may be performed. The arrays may be distributed across one or more modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Kexin Ma, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Simon G. Begashaw, Madhusudan Chaudhary, Lijun Zhang, Yi Jiang, Hao Xu, Mattia Pascolini
  • Patent number: 11271618
    Abstract: A wireless communication system comprises a base station and one or more relay docks and transmits directional wave signals between components using high frequency waves, such as millimeter waves. A beam forming decision engine utilizes position information collected from one or more position or motion sensors of a user device to determine a direction in which to form a directional wave signal being transmitted between components of the wireless communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini, Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Lijun Zhang
  • Publication number: 20220069458
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a cover layer and an antenna. A dielectric adapter may have a first surface coupled to the antenna and a second surface pressed against the cover layer. The cover layer may have a three-dimensional curvature. The second surface may have a curvature that matches the curvature of the cover layer. Biasing structures may exert a biasing force that presses the antenna against the dielectric adapter and that presses the dielectric adapter against the cover layer. The biasing force may be oriented in a direction normal to the cover layer at each point across dielectric adapter. This may serve to ensure that a uniform and reliable impedance transition is provided between the antenna and free space through the cover layer over time, thereby maximizing the efficiency of the antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Siwen Yong, Mattia Pascolini, Samuel A. Resnick, Anthony S. Montevirgen
  • Publication number: 20220006486
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module having a substrate. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas and a radio-frequency integrated circuit for the array may be mounted to one or more surfaces of the substrate. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. The feed probes may be printed onto sidewalls of the dielectric columns or may be pressed against the sidewalls by biasing structures. A plastic substrate may be molded over each dielectric column and each of the feed probes in the array. The feed probes may cover multiple polarizations. The array may include elements for covering multiple frequency bands. The dielectric columns may be aligned a longitudinal axis and may be rotated at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventors: Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, David Garrido Lopez, Forhad Hasnat, Mattia Pascolini, Mikal Askarian Amiri, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Thomas W. Yang, Jiechen Wu, Eric N. Nyland, Simone Paulotto, Jennifer M. Edwards, Matthew D. Hill, Ihtesham H. Chowdhury, David A. Hurrell, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Daniel C. Wagman, Soroush Akbarzadeh, Robert Scritzky, Subramanian Ramalingam
  • Publication number: 20210376443
    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 wireless radio-frequency 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 curvature of the second surface may include one or more recessed regions of the dielectric cover. The one or more recessed regions of the second surface may serve to maximize and broaden the coverage area for the phased antenna array. The first surface may be conformal to other structures in the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini
  • Patent number: 11177566
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a dielectric cover and a phased antenna array for conveying millimeter wave signals. A conductive pocket may be mounted to the cover. The pocket may include a conductive rear wall and conductive sidewalls that extend from a periphery of the rear wall to the cover. The array may be mounted to the rear wall and may convey signals through the cover. The sidewalls may extend from the cover at non-zero angles with respect to the normal axis of the cover. The shape of the pocket and the cover may be selected so that the pocket is non-resonant at frequencies handled by the array, to mitigate destructive interference within the pocket, to block surface waves from propagating along the cover, and to tweak the radiation pattern of the array to exhibit a desired shape and directionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20210328346
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a curved cover layer and an antenna. The antenna may include a ground and a resonating element on a curved surface of a substrate. The curved surface may have a curvature that matches that of the cover layer. The resonating element may include first, second, and third arms fed by a feed. The first arm and a portion of the ground may form a loop antenna resonating element. The second arm and the first arm may form an inverted-F antenna resonating element, where a portion of the first arm forms a return path to the antenna ground for the inverted-F antenna resonating element. A gap between the first and second arms may form a distributed capacitance. The third arm may form an L-shaped antenna resonating element. The antenna may have a wide bandwidth from below 2.4 GHz to greater than 9.0 GHz.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Lijun Zhang, Jiangfeng Wu, Mattia Pascolini, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang
  • Patent number: 11121447
    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 wireless radio-frequency 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 curvature of the second surface may include one or more recessed regions of the dielectric cover. The one or more recessed regions of the second surface may serve to maximize and broaden the coverage area for the phased antenna array. The first surface may be conformal to other structures in the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini
  • Patent number: 10978777
    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle may have windows. A window may have a structural window layer formed from one or more glass layers. A conductive coating such as an infrared-light blocking coating or other optical filter layer may be formed on the window. The conductive coating may include one or more silver layers or other conductive material. Unpatterned portions of the conductive coating are conductive along orthogonal dimensions. A region of the conductive coating may have parallel line-shaped openings that render the coating conductive in only a single dimension while enhancing radio transparency. Another region of the conductive coating may have a two-dimensional pattern of openings such as a mesh-shaped opening formed from intersecting straight and/or curved lines. In this region, the coating is locally rendered insulating and radio-frequency transparent. Antennas and ohmic heating elements may be formed in the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini, James R. Wilson, Martin Melcher
  • Publication number: 20210075088
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module and a phased antenna array on the module. The module may include a logic board, an antenna board surface-mounted to the logic board, and a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) mounted surface-mounted to the logic board. The phased antenna array may include antennas embedded in the antenna board. The antennas may radiate at centimeter and/or millimeter wave frequencies. The logic board may form a radio-frequency interface between the RFIC and the antennas. Transmission lines in the logic board and the antenna board may include impedance matching segments that help to match the impedance of the RFIC to the impedance of the antennas. The module may efficiently utilize space within the device without sacrificing radio-frequency performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: Jennifer M. Edwards, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, Simone Paulotto, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20210044334
    Abstract: A wireless communication system comprises a base station and one or more relay docks and transmits directional wave signals between components using high frequency waves, such as millimeter waves. A beam forming decision engine utilizes position information collected from one or more position or motion sensors of a user device to determine a direction in which to form a directional wave signal being transmitted between components of the wireless communication system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini, Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Lijun Zhang
  • Patent number: 10763589
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Yi Jiang, Siwen Yong, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini