Apple Inc.

Daniel Kong

William Jean Noellert

Ali Ghoreishi

Anh Q Luong

Ronald William Dimpflmaier

Bo Zhang

Nicholas W Lum

Srinivasa Yasasvy Sateesh Bhamidipati

Vineet Nayak

Xiaofang Mu

Chi V Pham

Bradley David Scoles

Mingjuan Zhu

Bo Tong Deng

Techniques to reduce signal interference between wired signals communicated within an electronic device and wireless signals transmitted to or received from antennas of the electronic device are disclosed. The electronic device includes an interposer with an inner fence and an outer fence having offset gaps to prevent a pathway otherwise formed by overlapping tabs, where the pathway allows noise leakage from the wired signals. In some embodiments, the electronic device (e.g., in a main logic board package) includes a ground fencing of ground vias to prevent the noise leakage from harmonics associated with signal vias communicating the wired signals. The spacing between the ground vias is based on frequencies of signals that the ground vias are intended to block.

System and method for ground fencing

A radio frequency system may generate a first signal within a first band and a second signal within a second band for simultaneous transmission. The transceivers may receive a third signal within the first band and a fourth signal within the second band. Antennas may simultaneously wirelessly transmit the first signal and the second signal and wirelessly receive the third signal and the fourth signal. Analog signal processing circuitry elements may operate on the first signal or the second signal, or both. A controller may receive an indication of operating conditions of the radio frequency system and control the phase shifters disposed between at least two of the analog signal processing circuitry elements to reduce an amount of intermodulation distortion occurring on the third signal or the fourth signal, or both.

Systems and methods for mitigating intermodulation effects

Methods and devices useful in concurrently receiving and supporting Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Long Term Evolution Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) wireless data signals are provided. By way of example, an electronic device includes a front end module having an arbiter device that controls one or more gain stages to selectively amplify the Wi-Fi and LTE-LAA signals.

Low noise amplifier arbiter for license assisted access systems

Methods and devices useful in concurrently receiving and supporting Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Long Term Evolution Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) wireless data signals are provided. By way of example, an electronic device includes a network interface configured to allow the electronic device to communicate over one or more channels of a wireless network, and a transceiver configured to transmit data and to receive data over the one or more channels. The transceiver is configured to receive licensed cellular signals and unlicensed cellular signals over the one or more channels.

Transceiver architecture for license assisted access systems

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.

Electronic device with low noise amplifier module

Wireless communications circuitry such as radio-frequency power amplifiers may be tested using a test station. A test station may include a test host and a test unit coupled to the test host. The power amplifiers may be configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in allocated resource blocks within a particular radio channel. The power amplifier circuits may be configured to transmit signals utilizing only an allocated portion of its total available resource blocks so that the transmitted signals are output at maximum power levels. The power amplifiers may transmit in resource blocks near a low channel edge during a first time period and may transmit in resource blocks near a high channel edge during a second time period. The test unit may receive the signals generated from the power amplifiers and may perform desired radio-frequency measurements (e.g., test unit may measure adjacent channel leakage radio, signal-to-interference ratio, error vector magnitude, etc.).

Methods and apparatus for testing radio-frequency power amplifier performance

Wireless circuitry in an electronic device may contain output power amplifier circuitry for amplifying transmitted radio-frequency signals. The power amplifier circuitry may be powered using a bias voltage. The magnitude of the bias voltage can be selectively reduced to conserve power. Control circuitry can maintain a table of bias voltage settings to use under various conditions. These conditions may include required output powers as determined by link quality, transmission mode status, and required data rates. When link quality is low or when high data rates are required, the bias voltage can be maintained at a relatively high level to ensure that the power amplifier operates linearly and does not exhibit excessive noise. When link quality is high or when data rates are low as with voice calls, the bias voltage can be reduced to conserve power.

Electronic device with data-rate-dependent power amplifier bias

A portable user device may provide Global Positioning System (GPS) services. The device may include a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver may provide accurate information about the current location of the device. A user may use the device to perform tasks. Certain tasks may generate excess heat or de-generate heat that causes the GPS receiver to perform unsatisfactorily. Methods are provided that can test GPS receiver performance during acquisition mode and during tracking mode. During testing, the GPS receiver may be given a predetermined amount of time to acquire a GPS fix. The GPS receiver may be tested repeatedly to acquire successive GPS fixes. After a desired number of tests are performed, a success rate may be calculated. If the success rate is satisfactory, the GPS receiver satisfies design criteria. If the success rate is not satisfactory, the GPS receiver may be reconfigured with new settings.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Daniel Kong