Patents by Inventor Mattia Pascolini
Mattia Pascolini 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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Patent number: 10707558Abstract: 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. The peripheral conductive structures may form housing sidewalls. A slot may be machined into a metal housing that separates the housing sidewalls from a planar rear housing portion that forms a ground for an antenna. The slot may be filled with plastic filler. A parasitic antenna resonating element arm that supports an antenna resonance at high band frequencies may be embedded within the plastic filler. The parasitic antenna resonating element may be formed from a portion of the planar rear housing portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2017Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Hongfei Hu, Benjamin Hane Bustle, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Nanbo Jin, Miguel Christophy, Erdinc Irci, Salih Yarga, Erica Tong, Anand Lakshmanan, Mattia Pascolini, Tyler Cater, Christopher T. Cheng
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Patent number: 10693516Abstract: An electronic device may include control circuitry, sensors, and wireless circuitry having antennas. The sensors may generate sensor data that is used by the control circuitry to identify an operating environment for the device. The sensor data may include a grip map generated by a touch-sensitive display, infrared facial recognition image signals or other image signals, an angle of arrival of sound received by a set of microphones, impedance data from an impedance sensor, and any other desired sensor data. The control circuitry may use the sensor data, radio-frequency spatial ranging data, information about whether audio is being played over an ear speaker, and/or information about communications protocols in use to identify the operating environment. The control circuitry may adjust antenna settings for the wireless circuitry based on the identified operating environment to ensure that the antennas operate with satisfactory antenna efficiency regardless of operating conditions.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2018Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Liang Han, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini, Ruben Caballero, Thomas E. Biedka, Yuancheng Xu, Iyappan Ramachandran
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Patent number: 10680663Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2018Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Yuehui Ouyang, Yi Jiang, Matthew A. Mow, Basim Noori, Mattia Pascolini, Ruben Caballero
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Patent number: 10673127Abstract: An electronic device such as a wristwatch may have a housing with metal sidewalls and a display having conductive display structures. The display structures may be separated from the sidewalls by a slot for an antenna that runs around the display module. A conductive interconnect may be coupled between the sidewalls and the display structures. A feed and tuning element may be coupled between the display structures and the sidewalls. A first length of the slot from the interconnect to the tuning element may radiate in a satellite band and a cellular band. A second length of the slot from the interconnect to the feed may radiate in a 2.4 GHz band. Harmonics of the second length may radiate in bands at and above 5.0 GHz. If desired clip and blade structures may form conductive paths for coupling antenna elements.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2019Date of Patent: June 2, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Andrea Ruaro, Eduardo Jorge Da Costa Bras Lima, Mario Martinis, Dimitrios Papantonis, Jayesh Nath, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10664019Abstract: This is directed to connecting two or more elements using an intermediate element constructed from a material that changes between states. An electronic device can include one or more components constructed by connecting several elements. To provide a connection having a reduced or small size or cross-section and construct a component having high tolerances, a material can be provided in a first state in which it flows between the elements before changing to a second state in which it adheres to the elements and provides a structurally sound connection. For example, a plastic can be molded between the elements. As another example, a composite material can be brazed between the elements. In some cases, internal surfaces of the elements can include one or more features for enhancing a bond between the elements and the material providing the interface between the elements.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2019Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Scott A. Myers, Mattia Pascolini, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Trent Weber, Robert Schlub, Josh Nickel, Robert Hill, Nanbo Jin, Tang Yew Tan
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Patent number: 10658749Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2017Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Andrea Ruaro, Carlo Di Nallo, Eduardo Jorge Da Costa Bras Lima, Jayesh Nath, Mario Martinis, Mattia Pascolini, Zheyu Wang, Sameer Pandya
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Patent number: 10644758Abstract: An electronic device may include a peripheral conductive wall. A gap in the wall may divide the wall into first and second segments. The device may include a first antenna having a first resonating element arm formed from the first segment and a second antenna having a second resonating element arm formed from the second segment. A non-near-field communications transceiver may perform multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) operations using the first and second antennas. The gap may provide satisfactory isolation between the first and second antennas while the first and second antennas perform MIMO operations. Near-field communications circuitry may convey near-field communications signals over a conductive loop path that includes portions of the first and second segments and the antenna ground. The volume of the conductive loop path may extend across substantially all of a width of the electronic device.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2019Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Erdinc Irci, Han Wang, Georgios Atmatzakis, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Erica J. Tong, Xu Gao, Hongfei Hu, Nanbo Jin, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10644383Abstract: An electronic device such as a wristwatch may have a housing with metal sidewalls and a dielectric rear wall. The metal sidewalls may form an antenna ground for an antenna. The antenna may include an antenna resonating element formed from conductive traces patterned directly onto an interior surface of the dielectric rear wall. The conductive traces may define a slot at the dielectric rear wall. A coil and a sensor may be mounted to the dielectric rear wall within the slot. Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may be coupled to the conductive traces and the antenna ground and may transmit and receive radio-frequency signals through the dielectric rear wall using the antenna. Wireless power receiver circuitry may use the coil to receive wireless power signals through the dielectric rear wall. The sensor may emit and/or receive light through a transparent window in the dielectric rear wall.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Eduardo Jorge Da Costa Bras Lima, Andrea Ruaro, Carlo Di Nallo, Jayesh Nath, Mario Martinis, Zheyu Wang, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200136234Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display and a phased array antenna that transmits radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The display may include a conductive layer that is used to form pixel circuitry and/or touch sensor electrodes. A filter may be formed from conductive structures within the conductive layer. The conductive structures may include an array of conductive patches separated by slots or may include conductive paths that define an array of slots. The filter may include an additional array of conductive patches stacked under the array of conductive patches to allow the slots to be narrower than would be resolvable to the unaided human eye. The periodicity of the conductive structures and the slots in the filter may be selected to tune a cutoff frequency of the filter to be greater than frequencies handled by the phased antenna array.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2018Publication date: April 30, 2020Inventors: Simone Paulotto, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10627922Abstract: A computer stylus may be provided that includes an elongated body with a tip and an opposing end coupled together by a shaft that includes a metal tube. The stylus may include a substrate at the end of the elongated body and conductive traces on the substrate. The conductive traces on the substrate may form an antenna ground, an antenna resonating element arm, and a return path. The antenna resonating element arm may be a helical structure that wraps around the substrate. The antenna ground formed from the conductive traces may be coupled to the metal tube using an intermediate metal layer. A cap structure formed at the opposing end and over the substrate may be interposed between the conductive traces and adhesive to protect the conductive traces from the adhesive. A metal portion of the cap structure may serve as an antenna signal reflector.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2018Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Lu Zhang, Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200119439Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include multiple antennas and transceiver circuitry. An antenna in the electronic device may have an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing structure and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. The antenna ground for the antenna may include a conductive frame for the display. The conductive frame may have a first portion that is separated from the antenna resonating element arm by a first distance and a second portion that is separated from the antenna resonating element arm by a second distance that is less than the first distance. The second portion may be configured to form a distributed impedance matching capacitance with the antenna resonating element arm.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2019Publication date: April 16, 2020Inventors: Jennifer M. Edwards, Yijun Zhou, Yiren Wang, Hao Xu, Ming-Ju Tsai, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200106181Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. Each antenna in the array may include a patch element having first, second, third, and fourth positive antenna feed terminals. The first and second terminals may convey first signals with a first polarization. The third and fourth terminals may convey second signals with a second polarization. Phase shifting components such as phase shifting transmission line segments or phase shifter circuits may ensure that the first signals at the first terminal are out of phase with respect to the first signals at the second terminal and may ensure that the second signals at the third terminal are out of phase with respect to the second signals at the fourth terminal. This may allow antenna current density for both polarizations to be symmetrically distributed about a normal axis of the patch element.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2018Publication date: April 2, 2020Inventors: Bilgehan Avser, Jennifer M. Edwards, Simone Paulotto, Harish Rajagopalan, Hao Xu, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200106192Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a cover layer and a phased antenna array mounted against the cover layer. Each antenna in the array may include a first patch element that is directly fed using first and second feeds and a second patch element that is directly fed using third and fourth feeds. A slot element may be formed in the first patch element. The first patch element may radiate in a first frequency band through the cover layer. The slot element may radiate in a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band through the cover layer. The second patch element may indirectly feed the slot element. Locating the radiating elements for each frequency band in the same plane may allow the antenna to radiate through the cover layer in both frequency bands with satisfactory antenna efficiency.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2018Publication date: April 2, 2020Inventors: Bilgehan Avser, Harish Rajagopalan, Simone Paulotto, Jennifer M. Edwards, Hao Xu, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Matthew A. Mow, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10608321Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2017Date of Patent: March 31, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Siwen Yong, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200097102Abstract: A computer stylus may be provided that includes an elongated body with a tip and an opposing end coupled together by a shaft that includes a metal tube. The stylus may include a substrate at the end of the elongated body and conductive traces on the substrate. The conductive traces on the substrate may form an antenna ground, an antenna resonating element arm, and a return path. The antenna resonating element arm may be a helical structure that wraps around the substrate. The antenna ground formed from the conductive traces may be coupled to the metal tube using an intermediate metal layer. A cap structure formed at the opposing end and over the substrate may be interposed between the conductive traces and adhesive to protect the conductive traces from the adhesive. A metal portion of the cap structure may serve as an antenna signal reflector.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2018Publication date: March 26, 2020Inventors: Lu Zhang, Yi Jiang, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10594028Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array for conveying millimeter wave signals. The array may be mounted to a substrate that includes transmission line layers having a first dielectric permittivity and antenna layers having a second dielectric permittivity that is less than the first dielectric permittivity. A ground plane may be interposed between the antenna layers and the transmission line layers. The array may be mounted to the antenna layers and transceiver circuitry may be mounted to the transmission line layers. Transmission line traces may be formed on the transmission line layers. The relatively high permittivity of the first set of dielectric layers may allow the transmission line traces to be routed relatively close together with minimal electromagnetic interference. The relatively low permittivity of the second set of dielectric layers may allow the array to operate with satisfactory antenna efficiency, gain, and bandwidth.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2018Date of Patent: March 17, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Siwen Yong, Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10581153Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and control circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include multiple antennas and transceiver circuitry. An antenna in the electronic device may have an inverted-F antenna resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing structure and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. The antenna ground for the antenna may include a conductive frame for the display. The conductive frame may have a first portion that is separated from the antenna resonating element arm by a first distance and a second portion that is separated from the antenna resonating element arm by a second distance that is less than the first distance. The second portion may be configured to form a distributed impedance matching capacitance with the antenna resonating element arm.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2017Date of Patent: March 3, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jennifer M. Edwards, Yijun Zhou, Yiren Wang, Hao Xu, Ming-Ju Tsai, Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10571502Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. Control circuitry may be used to adjust transmit power levels for wireless signals, may be used to tune antennas, and may be used to adjust other settings for the wireless circuitry. The electronic device may have a coupler interposed between an antenna and wireless transceiver circuitry. The coupler and a receiver within the transceiver circuitry may be used to make measurements on tapped antenna signals such as transmitted signals and signals reflected from the antenna. By analyzing the tapped antenna signals, S-parameter phase and magnitude information may be gathered that provides insight into whether the electronic device is operating properly and whether an external object is adjacent to the antenna. If an external object is present, the electronic device may limit wireless transmit power and may adjust tunable components in the antenna to compensate for detuning from the external object.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2017Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Mattia Pascolini
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Patent number: 10567941Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2018Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Yi Jiang, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Mattia Pascolini
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Publication number: 20200044316Abstract: An electronic device such as a wristwatch may have a housing with metal sidewalls and a display having conductive display structures. The display structures may be separated from the sidewalls by a slot for an antenna that runs around the display module. A conductive interconnect may be coupled between the sidewalls and the display structures. A feed and tuning element may be coupled between the display structures and the sidewalls. A first length of the slot from the interconnect to the tuning element may radiate in a satellite band and a cellular band. A second length of the slot from the interconnect to the feed may radiate in a 2.4 GHz band. Harmonics of the second length may radiate in bands at and above 5.0 GHz. If desired clip and blade structures may form conductive paths for coupling antenna elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2019Publication date: February 6, 2020Inventors: Andrea Ruaro, Eduardo Jorge Da Costa Bras Lima, Mario Martinis, Dimitrios Papantonis, Jayesh Nath, Mattia Pascolini