17900249. Adjustable Radio-Frequency Splitter-Combiner simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)
Contents
Adjustable Radio-Frequency Splitter-Combiner
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Soumya Mantha of San Jose CA (US)
Woorim Shin of Santa Clara CA (US)
Adjustable Radio-Frequency Splitter-Combiner - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17900249 titled 'Adjustable Radio-Frequency Splitter-Combiner
Simplified Explanation
- An electronic device with wireless circuitry includes a front-end module with radio-frequency splitter-combiner circuitry. - The splitter-combiner splits radio-frequency signals from a single port into multiple signals at split ports, or combines signals from multiple ports into a single port. - Adjustable components in the splitter-combiner, like switches and capacitors, adjust configurations based on active/inactive split ports and antennas. - This improves impedance matching for active split ports even when some ports are inactive, reducing power loss.
Potential Applications
- Wireless communication devices - Internet of Things (IoT) devices - Satellite communication systems
Problems Solved
- Power loss in wireless devices - Impedance matching issues in antenna arrays
Benefits
- Improved efficiency in wireless communication - Enhanced performance of antenna arrays - Reduced power consumption in electronic devices
Original Abstract Submitted
An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with a processor, a transceiver circuit, a front-end module, and an antenna array having multiple antennas. The front-end module may include radio-frequency splitter-combiner circuitry that splits radio-frequency signals from a single port into multiple radio-frequency signals at multiple split ports and/or combines radio-frequency signals from the multiple ports into radio-frequency signals at the single combined port. The radio-frequency splitter-combiner may include adjustable components such as switches, adjustable inductors, and/or adjustable capacitors that place the radio-frequency splitter-combiner in different configurations based on whether or not there are inactive split ports coupled to inactive antennas. This enables improved impedance matching for active split ports even while one or more split ports remain inactive, thereby reducing power loss in this mode of operation.
