Patents by Inventor Nicholas W. Lum

Nicholas W. Lum 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).

  • Patent number: 10051479
    Abstract: Systems and method to improve performance of a radio frequency system while operating in compliance with wireless transmission regulations are provided. One embodiment describes a radio frequency system including an antenna that wirelessly transmits an analog electrical signal at a transmission frequency and receives a first network signaling value from a wireless network. The radio frequency system further includes a controller that determines operational constraints on the radio frequency system based on a region of operation; determines a second network signaling value based on the operational constraints, in which the second network signaling value overrides the first network signaling value; determines operational parameters based on the second network signaling value; and instructs the radio frequency system to implement the operational parameters to facilitate the radio frequency system operating in compliance with the operational constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan J. Goedken, Xueting Liu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 9838046
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that includes transmitters and receivers. Antenna structures may be coupled to the transmitters and receivers to support radio-frequency signal transmission and radio-frequency signal reception operations. Switching circuitry such may be used to support multiple communications bands of interest. One or more low band receivers may be associated with the first switch and one or more high band receivers may be associated with the second switch. The switches can be configured in real time to switch a desired communications band into use. A diplexer may be used to simultaneously pass low bands to the first receiver and high bands to the second receiver. In this way, a data stream in the low band may be simultaneously received with a data stream in the high band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Louie J. Sanguinetti
  • Publication number: 20170347273
    Abstract: Systems and method to improve performance of a radio frequency system while operating in compliance with wireless transmission regulations are provided. One embodiment describes a radio frequency system including an antenna that wirelessly transmits an analog electrical signal at a transmission frequency and receives a first network signaling value from a wireless network. The radio frequency system further includes a controller that determines operational constraints on the radio frequency system based on a region of operation; determines a second network signaling value based on the operational constraints, in which the second network signaling value overrides the first network signaling value; determines operational parameters based on the second network signaling value; and instructs the radio frequency system to implement the operational parameters to facilitate the radio frequency system operating in compliance with the operational constraints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Ryan J. Goedken, Xueting Liu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 9749871
    Abstract: Systems and method to improve performance of a radio frequency system while operating in compliance with wireless transmission regulations are provided. One embodiment describes a radio frequency system including an antenna that wirelessly transmits an analog electrical signal at a transmission frequency and receives a first network signaling value from a wireless network. The radio frequency system further includes a controller that determines operational constraints on the radio frequency system based on a region of operation; determines a second network signaling value based on the operational constraints, in which the second network signaling value overrides the first network signaling value; determines operational parameters based on the second network signaling value; and instructs the radio frequency system to implement the operational parameters to facilitate the radio frequency system operating in compliance with the operational constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ryan J. Goedken, Xueting Liu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Publication number: 20170041804
    Abstract: Systems and method to improve performance of a radio frequency system while operating in compliance with wireless transmission regulations are provided. One embodiment describes a radio frequency system including an antenna that wirelessly transmits an analog electrical signal at a transmission frequency and receives a first network signaling value from a wireless network. The radio frequency system further includes a controller that determines operational constraints on the radio frequency system based on a region of operation; determines a second network signaling value based on the operational constraints, in which the second network signaling value overrides the first network signaling value; determines operational parameters based on the second network signaling value; and instructs the radio frequency system to implement the operational parameters to facilitate the radio frequency system operating in compliance with the operational constraints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Ryan J. Goedken, Xueting Liu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 9484961
    Abstract: A wireless electronic device may include antennas formed at different locations on the device. The wireless electronic device may include transceivers that are used to wirelessly communicate in different frequency bands by transmitting and receiving radio-frequency signals in the frequency bands. The transceivers may include Wi-FiĀ® transceivers and cellular transceivers such as Long Term Evolution transceivers. The wireless electronic device may include antenna switching circuitry interposed between the transceivers and the antennas. The wireless electronic device may include control circuitry that controls the antenna switching circuitry to ensure that radio-frequency transmissions in adjacent frequency bands are routed to different antennas. By routing radio-frequency transmissions in adjacent frequency bands to different antennas, self-interference between communications in the adjacent frequency bands may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier
  • Patent number: 9391570
    Abstract: An electronic device may include an antenna, a transceiver, and a low noise amplifier module that amplifies receive signals from the antenna to the transceiver circuitry in a first configuration and passes transmit signals from the transceiver to the antenna in a second configuration. The low noise amplifier module may include a first switching circuit coupled to the antenna, a second switching circuit coupled to the transceiver, at least one low noise amplifier coupled between the first and second switching circuits, and a transmit bypass path coupled between the first and second switching circuits. The transceiver may be located in a first electronic device region, whereas the low noise amplifier module and the antenna may be located in a second region. The low noise amplifier module may help compensate for signal loss between the first and second regions and allow for transmit signals to pass to the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel C. Kong, Bradley D. Scoles, William J. Noellert, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Publication number: 20160112073
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that includes transmitters and receivers. Antenna structures may be coupled to the transmitters and receivers to support radio-frequency signal transmission and radio-frequency signal reception operations. Switching circuitry such may be used to support multiple communications bands of interest. One or more low band receivers may be associated with the first switch and one or more high band receivers may be associated with the second switch. The switches can be configured in real time to switch a desired communications band into use. A diplexer may be used to simultaneously pass low bands to the first receiver and high bands to the second receiver. In this way, a data stream in the low band may be simultaneously received with a data stream in the high band.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Louie J. Sanguinetti
  • Publication number: 20160020737
    Abstract: An electronic device may include an antenna, a transceiver, and a low noise amplifier module that amplifies receive signals from the antenna to the transceiver circuitry in a first configuration and passes transmit signals from the transceiver to the antenna in a second configuration. The low noise amplifier module may include a first switching circuit coupled to the antenna, a second switching circuit coupled to the transceiver, at least one low noise amplifier coupled between the first and second switching circuits, and a transmit bypass path coupled between the first and second switching circuits. The transceiver may be located in a first electronic device region, whereas the low noise amplifier module and the antenna may be located in a second region. The low noise amplifier module may help compensate for signal loss between the first and second regions and allow for transmit signals to pass to the antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel C. Kong, Bradley D. Scoles, William J. Noellert, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 9071302
    Abstract: Electronic devices with wireless communications capabilities are provided. The electronic device may include storage and processing circuitry, power amplifier circuitry, power supply circuitry, etc. The storage and processing circuitry may direct the power amplifier circuitry to operate using a desired power mode, in allocated resource blocks within a particular frequency channel, and at a given output power level. The power supply circuitry may bias the power amplifier circuitry with a power supply voltage. The electronic device may be subject to in-band emissions requirements and adjacent channel leakage requirements that restrict the power levels produced by the device on frequencies that are not allocated to the device. The electronic device may optimize the power amplifier supply voltage based on allocated resource blocks by minimizing the supply voltage to reduce power consumption while ensuring that emissions requirements are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, William J. Noellert, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier
  • Patent number: 9071975
    Abstract: An electronic device may be located in a geographical cell that is served by a base station. The electronic device may communicate with the base station on a frequency band. The frequency band may be subject to adjacent band emissions requirements to help prevent interference with wireless devices that are operating in adjacent frequency bands. The adjacent band emission requirements may vary based on the frequency band used to communicate with the base station, the geographical cell, and/or the presence of public safety radios. To satisfy the adjacent band emissions requirements while minimizing power consumption, the electronic device may receive cell information from the base station and adjust power amplifier linearity based on the received information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, William J. Noellert, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier
  • Patent number: 8918139
    Abstract: An electronic device may include antenna structures. Wireless transmitter circuitry such as cellular telephone transmitter circuitry and wireless local area network circuitry may transmit signals using the antenna structures. A wireless receiver may receive signals from the antenna structures through an adjustable-linearity amplifier. The wireless receiver may operate in a receive band such as a satellite navigation system receive band. During operation of the electronic device, control circuitry in the device may analyze the frequencies and powers of the transmitted signals to determine whether there is a potential for interference for the receive band to be generated in the adjustable-linearity amplifier. In response to determining that there is a potential for interference, the control circuitry may increase the linearity of the adjustable-linearity amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Noellert, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Publication number: 20140160955
    Abstract: A test system for testing a wireless electronic device is provided. The test system may include a test host and a tester. The test host may instruct a wireless electronic device under test (DUT) to transmit radio-frequency uplink signals in selected uplink resource blocks of an uplink channel in a desired Long Term Evolution (LTE) frequency band. The tester may convey radio-frequency test data to the DUT in a selected downlink resource block of a downlink channel in the desired LTE frequency band. The DUT may measure data reception throughput values associated with the test data. The test host may compare the measured data reception throughput values to threshold data reception throughput values to characterize the radio-frequency performance of the DUT. The test system may test the radio-frequency performance of the DUT for test data in some or all downlink resource blocks of the downlink channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, Anh Q. Luong
  • Patent number: 8666328
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that includes transmitters and receivers. Antenna structures may be coupled to the transmitters and receivers to support radio-frequency signal transmission and radio-frequency signal reception operations. Switching circuitry such as first and second radio-frequency switches may be used to support multiple communications bands of interest. A low band set of transmitters may be associated with the first switch and a high band set of transmitters may be associated with the second switch. The switches can be configured in real time to switch a desired communications band into use. As transmitted signals at frequency f pass through the switches, harmonics at 2f, 3f, and other integral multiples of the transmitted signals may be produced. A diplexer may be interposed between the switching circuitry and the antenna structures that prevents the harmonics from reaching the antenna structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Louie J. Sanguinetti, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 8626101
    Abstract: A wireless electronic device may contain multiple antennas. Control circuitry in the wireless electronic device may adjust antenna switching circuitry so that the device repeatedly cycles through use of each of the antennas. In a device with first and second antennas, the device may repeatedly toggle between the first and second antennas. During each toggling cycle time period, the first antenna may transmit for a fraction of the time period and the second antenna may transmit for a fraction of the time period. The wireless device may control the average power emitted by each antenna by adjusting the fractions of time assigned to each antenna. By performing antenna toggling, the average transmit power produced by each antenna may be reduced while maintaining the average transmit power produced by the device at a desired level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Stallman, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 8600316
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry including a triplexer. The wireless communications circuitry may be used in first and second modes. In the first mode, the device communicates in a first communications band using a transmitter in a first uplink frequency range associated with the first communications band and using a receiver in a first downlink frequency range associated with the first communications band. In the second mode, the device communicates in a second communications band using a transmitter to transmit in a second uplink frequency range associated with the second communications band and using the receiver to receive in a second downlink frequency range associated with the second communications band. Signals in the two downlink frequency ranges may pass through a common bandpass filter in the triplexer. Two additional bandpass filters in the triplexer may be used to respectively handle the two uplink frequency ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Louie J. Sanguinetti
  • Patent number: 8548475
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry that supports communications using multiple radio access technologies. The electronic device may gather information such as data rate values, power consumption values, and other data for a currently active radio access technology and an alternative radio access technology. The electronic device may automatically switch between the currently active radio access technology and the alternative radio access technology based on a value of a data rate efficiency metric. The data rate efficiency metric may represent how efficiently each radio access technology is capable of using power to convey a given amount of data per unit time. The data rate efficiency metric may be evaluated using measured power consumption data, measured data rate values, and operating parameters such as signal strength and transmitted power parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Jesse Yu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Patent number: 8532687
    Abstract: Portable user devices are provided that communicate wirelessly with base stations. A user device may include a transceiver, a power amplifier, a voltage supply, and a global positioning system (GPS) unit. The device may transmit signals at a certain transmit power to a neighboring base station. The device may log the time spent transmitting at each power level. Each data point may be tagged with the current location of the device. The logs of each device may be aggregated by a power optimization server. The power optimization server may calculate optimum power settings for each region and for each type of device. A region may be any desirable size ranging from the size of a single cell to an entire continent. Device users may download updated optimum settings. A device may automatically detect and select the optimum transmit power setting during operation depending on its current location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald William Dimpflmaier, William Jean Noellert, Jesse Yu, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Publication number: 20130190038
    Abstract: An electronic device may include antenna structures. Wireless transmitter circuitry such as cellular telephone transmitter circuitry and wireless local area network circuitry may transmit signals using the antenna structures. A wireless receiver may receive signals from the antenna structures through an adjustable-linearity amplifier. The wireless receiver may operate in a receive band such as a satellite navigation system receive band. During operation of the electronic device, control circuitry in the device may analyze the frequencies and powers of the transmitted signals to determine whether there is a potential for interference for the receive band to be generated in the adjustable-linearity amplifier. In response to determining that there is a potential for interference, the control circuitry may increase the linearity of the adjustable-linearity amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventors: William J. Noellert, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier, Nicholas W. Lum
  • Publication number: 20130065541
    Abstract: An electronic device may be located in a geographical cell that is served by a base station. The electronic device may communicate with the base station on a frequency band. The frequency band may be subject to adjacent band emissions requirements to help prevent interference with wireless devices that are operating in adjacent frequency bands. The adjacent band emission requirements may vary based on the frequency band used to communicate with the base station, the geographical cell, and/or the presence of public safety radios. To satisfy the adjacent band emissions requirements while minimizing power consumption, the electronic device may receive cell information from the base station and adjust power amplifier linearity based on the received information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventors: Nicholas W. Lum, William J. Noellert, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier