Distributed radiohead system

Abstract

In various embodiments, a radio frequency (RF) circuit is provided. The RF circuit may include a substrate that may include an RF front-end to antenna (FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The substrate may include RF front-end circuitry monolithically integrated within the substrate. The substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a substrate-external antenna circuit. The substrate may include an edge region. The substrate connection structure may be disposed within the edge region.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a wireless head and antenna structure for wireless communication. [Previous Technology]

[0002] The various forms disclosed herein generally relate to the field of wireless communications. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] and

Implementation Method

[0005] The following detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which by way of example show exemplary details and forms in which the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0006] As the demand for wireless data traffic increases, wireless communication devices may require more wireless transceivers (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, distributed input / distributed output (DIDO) networks, and / or multiple radio systems) to support wider bandwidths (BW) (e.g., 320 MHz or more BW) and / or higher-order modulation schemes, such as up to 4k quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), or even higher modulation schemes. With the demand for more efficient wireless communication devices (e.g., smaller size, lower power consumption, higher performance, less material, lower cost), wireless communication devices may require greater integration while avoiding interference caused by greater integration.

[0007] However, conventional implementations of wireless heads and antennas, as well as conventional cable connection schemes, provide wired integration capabilities due to limitations in cable loss, interference, thermal issues, and power consumption. For example, in current wireless communication devices, such as those compliant with WiFi, Bluetooth (BT), GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, or 5G communication standards, the wireless head is separate from and located away from the antenna.

[0008] Figure 1A shows a block diagram of a wireless communication device including a conventional wireless head system. Referring to Figure 1A, the wireless communication device 1 includes a baseband integrated circuit 3 for baseband signal processing, a centralized wireless head 6 for radio frequency signal processing, and one or more discrete antennas 5. The wireless head 6 and antennas 5 are separate modules connected using specialized radio frequency (RF) cables (e.g., coaxial cables) that act as feeders to transmit RF electrical signals between the wireless head and antennas. Typically, because high-performance mini-coaxial cables are expensive components, only a single mini-coaxial cable leading to each antenna is used due to cost and space constraints. Furthermore, the RF electrical signals still suffer from impedance mismatch and accumulated insertion loss, even on high-performance specialized RF cables that depend on cable length.

[0009] Generally, a wireless head can be considered as a wireless device or RF circuit for providing an air interface for wireless communication. A wireless head includes a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals. For transmission, the wireless head may include: a converter for converting a digital signal to an RF analog signal, and an amplifier for amplifying the RF analog signal to a desired power level for transmission of the RF signal via an antenna. For reception, the wireless head may include: an amplifier for amplifying the RF analog signal received from the antenna, and a converter for converting the RF analog signal to a digital signal. A wireless head is considered as an (integrated) RF transceiver combined with a front-end module (FEM) portion, which is associated with a particular antenna and includes minimal signal processing. The FEM (typically) may include circuitry between the antenna input of the transceiver (e.g., a receiver) and (including) a mixer stage. In other words, the FEM may be provided in the Tx path and in the Rx path, or both the Tx and Rx paths.

[0010] For example, the wireless head 6 may include an RF integrated circuit (IC) 2, which includes one or more RF transceivers (TRXs) and a common RF front end (FE) 4. The RF IC 2 may receive one or more data and control signals and operate to: receive communication signals from the baseband IC and generate RF electrical signals from the communication signals for radio transmission from the device 1; or receive RF electrical signals and generate communication signals from the RF electrical signals to provide to the baseband IC. The RF FE 4 may convert the RF electrical signals into a format for transmission via the antenna 5 and / or convert signals received from the antenna 5 into RF electrical signals for use by the RF IC.

[0011] As the number of antenna elements in a communication device increases, a wireless head may include more co-located RF transceivers. However, the use of co-located RF transceivers and RF transceiver chains based on conventional centralized wireless heads and antennas can cause technical inefficiencies, disadvantages and / or technical problems, and impose limitations on overall system performance and capabilities that are difficult to overcome.

[0012] For example, co-located RF transceivers can cause cross-interference problems, which can introduce design or physical constraints that limit integration. These size or physical constraints also reduce scalability potential, for example, the increased transceiver chain footprint, which limits overall radio head performance and increases cost.

[0013] As another example, using conventional RF coaxial cables to connect the antenna to the wireless head can result in cable losses, for example, exceeding 2 dB at 60 cm. Cable size and cable losses can limit system performance and / or antenna layout, and / or increase system cost. Furthermore, cable losses can limit smart antenna applications, such as voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) correction and / or others. Therefore, various technical limitations, including crosstalk, power consumption limitations, thermal limitations, fan-out, and / or RF circuit complexity, need to be overcome to efficiently integrate co-located RF transceiver chains.

[0014] Furthermore, because the wireless head and antenna are provided in different packages and can be placed or configured quite far apart, package and connection parasitics can have adverse effects on the electrical design of integrated circuits used for radio frequency. As a result, additional processing is required to mitigate signal degradation, which further increases costs.

[0015] Furthermore, certain combinations of wireless heads and antennas may be incompatible or difficult to combine. For example, RF components and antenna components may interfere with each other.

[0016] Therefore, advanced digital complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes or different circuit layout designs and configurations may be required to help increase the number of RF transceiver chains.

[0017] This disclosure describes various configurations of a low-cost, low-power, miniaturized RF transceiver that feature increased silicon integration while avoiding or overcoming various technical limitations associated with integrated co-located transceiver chains and integrated co-located RF and antenna circuitry. For example, in some examples, a system-in-package (SIP) approach is used, in which two or more different chips are housed in a common package, either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other. By combining chips of different technologies and functions (e.g., RF, analog, digital) into a single package, SIPs offer substantial performance advantages, including the elimination or reduction of package parasitics. As another example, this disclosure describes various layouts of RF components that facilitate co-location or proximity to the antenna while simultaneously providing optimized system performance.

[0018] This disclosure relates to a wireless head for a distributed radio head (or radio) system (DRS), wherein at least a portion of the wireless head is co-located with an antenna. Ideally, the wireless head unit, including an RF transceiver and an RF FE module, will be disposed or placed with or near the antenna / module. For example, the wireless head RF circuitry and the antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common enclosure. As another example, the antenna may be integrated with silicon into a miniature wireless head package. That is, the wireless head RF circuitry and the antenna circuitry may be formed on discrete silicon dies / boards placed or configured close to each other. The wireless head RF circuitry and the antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package. This disclosure describes various ways of integrating at least a portion of the antenna and the wireless head. Various embodiments of this disclosure describe interconnect structures and partitioned configurations to simplify manufacturing, reduce manufacturing costs, improve transmission and reception quality, and / or improve energy efficiency. For example, these improvements derived from shared RF circuitry and antenna circuitry can gradually reduce manufacturing costs by $0.5-$1.5 per improvement (depending on SISO versus MIMO, etc.) (eliminating lengthy, specialized RF cables), improve key performance indicators (KPIs), and enable new use cases and experiences in wireless communications that would be impossible without distributed wireless head systems. KPI improvements include eliminating 2-4 dB of insertion loss to provide higher power / range, better receiver sensitivity, and / or reduced current for improved battery life.

[0019] In various distributed radio head configurations according to this disclosure, the transceiver chain can be divided into a time-domain processing unit (TD PHY) section and a frequency-domain processing unit (FD PHY) section. The TD PHY section is co-located with one or more antennas. The TD PHY section and one or more antennas can be integrated. The TD PHY section and the FD PHY section can be separate and located far apart. The TD PHY section and the FD PHY section are connected to each other through a digital interface, such as a serial time coding protocol (STEP) interface (developed by Intel), to transmit digitized baseband RF signals. The TD-FD interface can be an optical or electrical signal interface.

[0020] The TD PHY section may include wireless head RF circuitry, analog-to-digital / digital-to-analog (AD / DA) converters, up / down converters, and line conditioning or impedance matching circuitry. The TD PHY section includes optical / interface circuitry. The TD PHY section may also have circuitry for operation and management processing capabilities.

[0021] The TD PHY section may include a transmitter chain configured to convert a digital baseband RF signal into an RF electrical signal and amplify the RF electrical signal to a desired power level for transmission. The TD PHY section may include a receiver chain configured to receive a desired frequency band of an induced RF electrical signal from an antenna, amplify the RF electrical signal, and convert it back into a digital baseband RF signal.

[0022] Figure 54 shows a distributed radio head system (or distributed radio system) 5400 for wireless communication according to various forms of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 54, the distributed radio head system 5400 may include two main forms or functions, denoted as RF TD baseband PHY 5410 and Media Access Control (MAC) FD baseband PHY 5430.

[0023] The first primary functional characteristic of the distributed wireless head system 6000 is provided by the RF TD baseband PHY 5410. The RF TD baseband PHY 5410 functions to transmit, receive, filter, and amplify RF signals. Each RF TD baseband PHY 5410 may be integrated, co-located, or located near individual antennas or antenna structures. The functions of the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 are performed in the time domain. The RF TD baseband PHY 5410 may further include a frequency locking mechanism for accurately or precisely generating an analog signal at a desired frequency. Furthermore, the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 can perform analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions, as well as up / down conversions. Up / down conversions include shifting the frequency of the signal between the baseband (low frequency) and RF (high frequency) frequencies (or vice versa). The RF TD baseband PHY 5410 can convert digital signals to analog signals or generate digital signals from analog signals. Therefore, the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 can include a digital interface.

[0024] The distributed wireless head system 5400 may include a plurality of RF TD baseband PHYs 5410. Each RF TD baseband PHY 5410 may operate in the same frequency band or different frequency bands. Each RF TD baseband PHY 5410 may be integrated with an antenna and configured independently. The individual nature of each RF TD baseband PHY 5410 allows for simple modular certification licensing.

[0025] The second primary functional characteristics of the distributed radio head system 5400 are provided by the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430. The MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 is responsible for controlling the signal flow to / from the radio transmission medium and providing radio control to regulate how the physical radio transmission medium is shared. The provided radio control may include signal modulation / demodulation and encoding / decoding. The signal processing performed by the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 can be performed in the frequency domain. For example, the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 may perform frequency domain processing based on a combination of two or more received signals from two or more RF TD baseband PHYs 5410, and generate two or more transmission signals for the two or more RF TD baseband PHYs 5410.

[0026] In the distributed wireless head system 5400, the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 is physically separated from the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 or is placed on a platform physically separated from the RF TD baseband PHY 5410. Digital signals between the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 and the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 can be transmitted via a digital interface or digital link 5420. Signals between the RF TD baseband PHY 5410 and the MAC FD baseband PHY 5430 may be phase-aligned but not necessarily frequency-aligned.

[0027] In some devices, there may be multiple TD baseband PHYs and FD baseband PHYs. Each TD PHY may be connected to a separate FD PHY. Alternatively, one or more TD PHYs may be connected to separate FD PHYs.

[0028] In some devices, a wireless protocol defined in the time domain is implemented, and the FD PHY unit can perform the necessary signal processing in the time domain.

[0029] Distributed wireless head systems can be implemented in various wireless communication systems, including WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular communication systems.

[0030] Figure 1B illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication device 100 of a distributed wireless head system according to various types of the present disclosure. The device 100 can transmit content, data, information and / or signals via a wireless medium or an air interface. The wireless medium or air interface may include, for example, radio channels, cellular channels, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) channels, RF channels, WiFi channels, IR channels, etc.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1B, the device 100 may include two transceiver chains 10a and 10b. Each transceiver chain 10 may include a digital RF unit (e.g., a digital RF circuit) 30 coupled to one or more distributed wireless head circuits 20. For example, the first transceiver chain 10a may include a first digital RF unit (e.g., a first digital RF circuit) 30a (which includes the FD baseband PHY section of the first transceiver chain 10a) and two distributed wireless head circuits 20a and 20b (each including the TD baseband PHY section of the first transceiver chain 10a). The digital RF units 30a are respectively coupled to the distributed wireless head circuits 20a and 20b via digital interfaces 40a and 40b. The second transceiver chain 10b may include a second digital RF unit (e.g., a second digital RF circuit) 30c coupled to the distributed wireless head circuit 20c via a digital interface 40c. The digital RF unit 30 and the distributed radio head circuit 20 can be disposed separately and remotely. Each distributed radio head unit (e.g., distributed radio head circuit) 20 is co-located with one or more antennas.

[0032] The distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be a multi-band wireless head, configured for parallel and / or simultaneous operation through one or more wireless communication frequency bands. For example, the distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be configured to communicate through a first frequency band (e.g., the 2.4 GHz band) and through a second frequency band (e.g., the 5 GHz and / or 6-7 GHz band). In various configurations, the distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be configured to transmit through millimeter wave bands and / or sub-60 GHz bands, respectively serving as the first and / or second frequency bands.

[0033] The antenna co-located with the distributed wireless head circuitry 20 may include any type of antenna or phased array antenna suitable for transmitting and / or receiving wireless communication signals, blocks, frames, transmission streams, packets, messages, and / or data. For example, the antenna may include any suitable configuration, structure, and / or arrangement of one or more antenna elements, assemblies, units, combinations, and / or arrays. In some examples, the antenna may use common, separate, or integrated transmit and receive antenna elements to implement the transmit and receive functions.

[0034] The distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be a standalone unit according to various forms disclosed herein. For example, the distributed wireless head circuit can be pre-verified as a standalone unit by a regulatory authority, even before being included or implemented as part of device 100. The distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be an RF integrated circuit (IC) chip with an integrated antenna. In some examples, the RF IC may include an RF transceiver chain, a PHY TD processor, and a digital interface. The modular design of the distributed wireless head circuit provides design flexibility. For example, distributed wireless head circuits with different characteristics can be easily combined or interchanged. As another example, multiple distributed wireless head circuits 20 can be configured at different locations in device 100 to provide enhanced antenna coverage.

[0035] Referring to FIG1B, the digital RF units 30a and 30c can be configured to process each digital RF baseband signal individually. Alternatively, the digital RF units 30a and 30c can be configured to process the digital RF baseband signals collectively through a plurality of distributed wireless head circuits 20a, 20b, and 20c.

[0036] The digital RF unit 30 may include a message processor configured to generate, process, and / or access one or more messages for communication by the device 100. In one example, the message processor may include at least one first component configured to generate messages, for example, in the form of boxes, fields, information elements, and / or protocol data units (e.g., MAC protocol data units (MPDUs)); and / or at least one second component configured to convert messages into PHY protocol data units (PPDUs) (such as PHY layer convergence procedure (PLCP) PDUs), for example, by processing (e.g., by encoding messages) messages generated by the at least one first component, modulating messages, and / or performing any other additional or alternative processing of messages.

[0037] In some examples, the digital RF unit 30 may include (or may be partially or wholly implemented by) circuitry and / or logic, such as one or more processors including circuitry and / or logic, memory circuitry and / or logic, media access control (MAC) circuitry and / or logic, physical layer (PHY) circuitry and / or logic, baseband (BB) circuitry and / or logic, BB processor, BB memory, application processor (AP) circuitry and / or logic, AP processor, AP memory, and / or any other circuitry and / or logic. For example, the digital RF unit 30 may be implemented as or included in a system-on-a-chip (SoC) package.

[0038] As illustrated in the example of Figure 1B, the DRS configuration of the communication device 100 can support the connection of multiple radio heads (e.g., distributed radio head unit 20) to a single modem (e.g., digital RF unit 30) and may include dynamic selection of active radio heads. This capability can be valuable, for example, for supporting high-order MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) systems, which can produce distributed radio systems rather than the more common co-located radio systems (which are less scalable) by adding more radio heads as needed and connecting them to the modem. This capability can also be valuable, for example, for "converter" and / or "detachable" form factor, wherein in a first system configuration, an antenna is preferably located at a first position; and in a second system configuration (e.g., different from the first system configuration), an antenna is preferably located at a different position.

[0039] The distributed radio system configuration shown in Figure 1B can provide improved KPIs, such as lower noise figure (NF), improved RX sensitivity, higher Tx power output, and reduced power consumption, such as reduced feed line losses from the antenna to the active components due to the proximity of the antenna and RF.

[0040] For example, to reduce crosstalk and interference, the distributed wireless head circuits can be formed on different chips. This also results in reduced heat density. This configuration also facilitates the integration of "smart" antenna applications due to the proximity of the RF circuitry to the antenna.

[0041] Two or more devices 100 may be configured to communicate with each other via wireless media. For example, device 100 may include, operate as, and / or perform the functions of one or more WLAN STAs (including access point (AP) STAs or non-AP STAs). A WLAN STA may include a logical unit, which is a single addressable instance of a Media Access Control (MAC) or Physical Layer (PHY) interface for wireless media (WM). The STA may perform any other additional or alternative functions. Alternatively, device 100 may include, operate as, and / or perform the functions of a multi-antenna Bluetooth station.

[0042] In some examples, device 100 may include a distributed wireless head system configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz band and / or one or more other wireless communication bands, such as the 5 GHz band, the 6-7 GHz band, the millimeter wave (mmWave) band, such as the 60 GHz band, the sub-1 GHz (S1G) band, and / or any other band.

[0043] In some examples, distributed wireless head circuits can provide highly flexible and / or scalable solutions. In some examples, device 100 can support the use of the same distributed wireless head circuit in different configurations (or as part of them), such as 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 configurations, etc. The distributed wireless head circuit can correspond to one of the antenna elements in a group or array of antenna elements, configured to facilitate beamforming based on specific phase and amplitude taper (or other distribution). In some examples, device 100 can support and / or integrate multi-standard distributed wireless head circuits, which can be implemented to support multiple communication standards, such as LTE, Wi-Fi, etc. In another example, device 100 can support the use of the same distributed wireless head circuit 20 in multiple applications, such as cellular phones, laptops, APs, IoT, etc. In another example, device 100 may support flexible transceiver and / or antenna locations. For example, digital interface 40 may be a cable with a length of several meters and low power / performance impact, which may be applicable to large systems, such as industrial robots, etc.

[0044] Referring again to FIG. 1B, device 100 may include, for example, one or more processors 115, input / output interfaces 125, and memory 105. Device 100 may optionally include other suitable hardware components and / or software components. In some examples, some or all of the components of device 100 may be housed in a common housing or package and may be interconnected or operatively associated using one or more wired or wireless links. In other examples, the components of device 102 may be distributed among multiple or separate devices.

[0045] In some examples, processor 115 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), one or more processor cores, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a multi-core processor, a microprocessor, a host processor, a controller, multiple processors or controllers, a chip, a microchip, one or more circuits, circuit systems, logic units, integrated circuits (ICs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other suitable multi-purpose or specific processor or controller. Processor 115 executes, for example, the operating system (OS) of device 100 and / or one or more suitable applications.

[0046] In some examples, memory 105 includes, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SD-RAM), flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, cache memory, buffer, short-term memory cell, long-term memory cell, or other suitable storage cell, including, for example, hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, solid-state drive (SSD), optical disc (CD) drive, CD-ROM drive, DVD drive, or other suitable removable or non-removable storage cell. Memory 105 may, for example, store instructions for operating device 100 and / or data processed by device 100.

[0047] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of various types of distributed wireless head unit circuits 20 according to this disclosure. The distributed wireless head unit circuit 20 includes its co-located RF circuitry 29 and antenna circuitry 25. By co-locating the RF circuitry 29 and antenna circuitry 25, specialized RF cables are not required. Referring to Figure 2, the RF circuitry 29 and antenna circuitry 25 can be connected via RF electrical interface 27 at the silicon die or circuit board level. The various RF electrical interfaces 27 described herein will provide reduced manufacturing costs, improved communication performance, and miniaturized design.

[0048] Furthermore, the RF electrical interface 27, as described herein, also facilitates modular antenna circuit design. For example, the RF circuit 29 can be formed on one silicon die or circuit board, while the antenna circuit 25 can be formed on another silicon die or circuit board. Since the RF electrical interface 27 can be predefined, custom antenna circuits or antenna circuits from another supplier can be easily combined or interchanged into distributed wireless head circuits 20.

[0049] In some examples, the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 may be further integrated into a single enclosure or package. This can further provide improved performance by reducing interference between the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25.

[0050] Referring to Figure 2, the RF circuit 29 may include an RF integrated circuit (IC) or RF IC circuit 21 and an RF front-end (FE) or RF FE circuit 23. The RF IC circuit 21 may include an RF transceiver having one or more RF transmission chains. The RF FE circuit 23 may include a bandpass filter, an amplifier, and a matching network.

[0051] In some examples, the RF IC 21 may be implemented on a separate die as a system-in-package (SIP) mounted on a wireless head PCB (not shown), and the RF FE circuit 23 and the circuitry for the digital interface 40 may also be mounted on the same wireless head PCB module. The antenna circuitry 25 may be provided on a separate antenna PCB (not shown). The wireless head PCB and the antenna PCB may each include circuitry for coupling RF interfaces 27 to each other.

[0052] The exemplary distributed wireless head circuit 20 is provided for illustrative purposes and may include additional, fewer, or alternative components as shown in FIG2.

[0053] Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of various types of antenna circuits 25 according to this disclosure. Antenna circuit 25 may include one or more antennas 251. Antennas may include one or more feed ports 253. For example, referring to Figure 3, antenna circuit 25 may include two antennas 251a and 251b, wherein the first antenna 251a includes a single antenna feed port 253a and the second antenna includes two antenna feed ports 253b and 253c. Each of the antenna feed ports may be associated with a different frequency band. Each of the antenna feed ports may be electrically connected to the antenna-to-RF FE connector 255 of the RF signal interface 27. The RF signal interface 27 provides multiple separate electrical signal lines, each corresponding to one of the antenna feed ports, allowing signals of different frequency bands to be transmitted to the RF circuit 25 without the use of couplers and splitters, which is typically a conventional wireless head with only one coaxial cable connected to the antenna. Connector 255 also provides design flexibility by facilitating connections to a variety of antenna designs (i.e., modular antenna circuits).

[0054] Figure 4 illustrates a more detailed block diagram of the distributed wireless head circuit of Figure 2 according to various forms disclosed herein. Referring to Figure 4, the RF circuit 29 may include one or more RF transceiver chains 210 configured to perform time-domain processing of RF electrical signals. Each RF transceiver chain 210 may include a transmit chain and a receive chain. The transmit chain may be configured to convert digitized baseband signals for RF transmission. The transmit chain may include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 213, a mixer 215 for upconversion, a power amplifier (PA) 231, and passive element circuitry 233, such as multiplexers, tuners, matching networks, and / or filters. The receive chain may be configured to convert received RF energy into digitized baseband signals. The receive chain may include passive element circuitry 233, a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 232, a mixer 216 for downconversion, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 214. RF transceiver chain 210 may include a local oscillator (LO) 219 configured to distribute timing signals to one or more radio chains, such as transmit and / or receive chains. This example is not limiting. RF circuitry 29 may include more or fewer components. For example, RF circuitry 29 may also include a low-pass filter (LPF) on the transmit chain and adjusted gain control (AGC) on the receive chain. RF circuitry 29 may also include a STEP interface 211. STEP interface 211 is a digital interface configured to transmit digital RF baseband signals to digital RF units and to perform frequency domain processing of the digital RF baseband signals. The physical links of STEP interface 211 may be electrical or optical.

[0055] The RF circuit 29 may be implemented on a single silicon die or circuit board or on multiple silicon dies or circuit boards. Referring again to FIG4, the RF circuit 29 may be provided on two silicon dies or circuit boards, wherein one portion of the RF transceiver chain 210 is provided in the RF IC circuit 21, and another portion of the RF transceiver chain 210 is provided in the RF FE circuit 23. For example, the RF IC circuit 21 may include a DAC 213, an ADC 214, mixers 215, 216, and an LO 219, while the RF FE circuit 23 may include an amplifier PA 231 and an LNA 232. Alternatively, the RF transceiver chain 210 may be included only in the RF IC circuit 21.

[0056] In the exemplary RF FE circuit 23, as shown, one or more antenna feed signals (e.g., n >= 1) can be transmitted from / to the RF FE circuit 23, and from / to the antenna circuit 25 at connector 235. The RF FE circuit 23 may include passive elements 233, such as (e.g.) multiplexers or matching networks, for adjusting the line impedance of the individual antenna feed signals transmitted and / or received. The RF FE circuit 23 may also include PA and LNA amplifiers for the individual antenna feed signals.

[0057] Referring again to FIG4, RF circuit 23 can receive RF Rx signals via antenna circuit 25. RF circuit 29 may include or be a PHY TD processor, which is implemented as or includes RF IC circuit 21 and RF FE circuit 23. RF circuit 29 can generate digital PHY TD Rx signals (e.g., digital RF baseband signals) based on the RF Rx signals. STEP interface 211 can transmit digital PHY TD Rx signals from distributed wireless head circuit 20 to digital RF unit 30 via digital interface 40. In turn, distributed wireless head circuit 20 can receive digital PHY TD Tx signals from digital RF unit 30 via digital interface 40. RF circuit 29 can generate RF Tx signals based on digital PHY TD Tx signals.

[0058] FIG5 is a block diagram of a digital RF unit (e.g., a digital RF circuit) 30 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5, the digital RF unit 30 may include a digital transceiver circuit 310, which includes a digital RF baseband signal interface 311 (e.g., a STEP interface) and a digital baseband modem 313. The digital RF unit 30 may also include processing circuitry 315 (e.g., one or more processors), memory 317, and input / output interface 319 (e.g., a system bus). The digital RF unit 30 may be connected to one or more distributed wireless head circuits 20, depending on the processing power. Depending on the embodiments, the digital RF unit 30 may be coupled to the distributed wireless head circuit 20 via a digital interface 40 or any suitable type of communication link (which facilitates digital communication between these components). For example, the digital interface 40 may be implemented using fiber optic cable. As another example, the digital interface 40 may use flexible cables, such as flat cables (FFC), flexible printed circuit (FPC) cables, etc. Alternatively, the digital interface 40 may be implemented as any suitable type of wired or wireless interconnect, such as cabling, for example, configured to perform bidirectional communication of digital baseband signal data according to one or more suitable communication protocols.

[0059] For example, the configurations described throughout this paragraph are not limited to a particular distributed wireless head system, unit, or layout, as shown in Figures 1 through 5. In other words, the device 100, including the distributed wireless head system shown in Figure 2, can have various configurations in which different or alternative components are coupled to or associated with individual chips or wafers. To provide an illustrative example, the antenna circuitry 25 may include additional components, depending on the specific mode of operation and / or design, including, for example, multiple or arrays of radiating elements or multiple feed ports. For another example, the antenna may be a phase array, including one or more phase shifters formed in silicon.

[0060] Furthermore, the use of wireless mobile devices has increased rapidly in recent years, leading to higher demands for wireless connectivity performance. High-performance wireless connections typically require high-power transmission, which can be harmful to the human body. As a result, government regulations require a reduction in output power levels when a human body is present.

[0061] Regulations governing human exposure to electromagnetic radiation have become a limiting factor in the performance of wireless communications. Reduced power levels can lead to connection interruptions. Accurate detection of the human body is crucial to prevent unnecessary reductions in power levels.

[0062] Limitations are explored through specific examples where sensors are erroneously triggered by non-human devices, thus limiting the output power of the device when it is not needed. Capacitive sensing technology has been proposed to distinguish between human and non-human sensor activation.

[0063] Further design guidelines for sensor location, sensor performance, and software detection algorithms are discussed. Examples include the most common triggers, such as mobile device housings, glass, and metal. The ability of sensors to adapt to the environment is a key aspect of accurate sensing, when approaching both human and non-human objects.

[0064] As described above, the radio frequency circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 can be formed on separate substrates (e.g., different printed circuit boards). Furthermore, the baseband integrated circuit 3 can also be formed on another separate substrate. Connecting these circuits can be expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein provide a variety of options for standardized interfaces between these circuits to allow for simple and cost-effective coupling between the substrate and its individual circuits.

[0065] FIG6 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a distributed wireless head unit 20 according to various forms of the present disclosure (as an example embodiment of the distributed wireless head unit 20). The distributed wireless head unit 20 can be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals from a mobile terminal (e.g., a smartphone, laptop, or tablet). The mobile terminal can be a 4G, 5G, or even 6G network mobile terminal. The distributed wireless head unit 20 may include an antenna circuit 25 and a radio frequency circuit 29.

[0066] The radio frequency circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 may be formed on separate substrates 602 and 604 (e.g., antenna substrate 602 and RF substrate 604) and connected via a soldering structure, a fusion welding structure, or a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive adhesive) structure to form the radio frequency signal interface 27. Illustratively, the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are connected to each other without using a coaxial cable connection as the radio frequency signal interface 27, but instead using a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate connection structure to form the radio frequency signal interface 27, depending on the specific configuration. In other words, substrates 602 and 604 do not have coaxial cable connectors.

[0067] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are connected to each other by a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate connection structure, so that the signal received at the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25 is presented to the radio frequency circuit 29 through the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate connection structure of the radio frequency signal interface 27, for example in the receiving mode (also labeled as Rx mode).

[0068] The radio frequency circuit 29 can process radio frequency signals received via the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25. Alternatively or additionally, the radio frequency circuit 29 can generate and / or process signals for transmission via the distributed wireless head circuit 20, and can be further transmitted to the antenna circuit 25 through the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the radio frequency signal interface 27, which transmits signals to the outside of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 via the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25.

[0069] Therefore, a distributed wireless head circuit 20 without mechanical connectors (e.g., without coaxial connectors) can be realized. Coaxial connectors increase the height of the distributed wireless head circuit. Therefore, a thin (e.g., thickness 608 (also indicated as height) less than 1 mm) distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be realized.

[0070] Alternatively or further, the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 may be located or configured substantially adjacent to each other with only a small overlap. Therefore, RF interference at the RF circuit 29 can be minimized.

[0071] In various configurations, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF signal interface 27 of the RF circuit 29 can be standardized. Therefore, multiple different antenna circuits 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29, and any antenna circuit 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29 by the supplier. Therefore, the distributed wireless headband circuit 20 does not rely on antenna circuits 25 on the board (on the same RF substrate or layer 604) of the RF circuit 29. Therefore, in various configurations, different types of antennas 53 other than (e.g., GSG) can be used. As an example, the RF circuit 29 can be provided to enable SMC multi-port antennas, single-antenna MiMo / multi-purpose, TBDC, etc., using substrate or layer connection structures. Conversely, in conventional RF circuits, multiple RF signal interfaces are required, which increases cost due to additional coaxial cable connectors and coaxial cables.

[0072] In various configurations, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) connections of the substrates of the antenna circuits and radio frequency circuits can be achieved by adhesive bonding, solder bonding, or fusion bonding. The connections can be releasable, for example, reversible, such as in the case of pressure-sensitive adhesives. However, the connections can also be non-releasable, for example, irreversible. Non-releasable connections can only be separated by breaking the connection structure.

[0073] In the connected state, the substrate or layer connection structure of the antenna circuit can be connected to the substrate or layer connection structure of the radio frequency circuit by atomic and / or molecular forces.

[0074] In various forms, conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive bonding can be achieved by anisotropic conductive film (ACF) bonding. In various forms, conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) fusion bonding can be achieved by ultrasonic (US) bonding.

[0075] The radio frequency (RF) circuit 29 may include an RF substrate or layer 604. The total thickness 608 (also indicated as height) of the RF circuit 29 may be less than about 2 mm, for example less than about 1 mm, for example in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm.

[0076] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include a central region and at least one edge region, such as a first edge region and a second edge region. The RF front-end circuitry 23 and / or the RF integrated circuitry system 21 may be configured in the central region. The edge region may be configured on the same side of the RF substrate or layer 604 as the central region or on the opposite side of the RF substrate or layer 604. The edge region may be adjacent to the central region and may at least partially surround the central region. The edge region may be a region at the farthest end of the RF substrate or layer 604.

[0077] The RF substrate or layer 604 may be a semiconductor substrate or layer, including a composite semiconductor substrate or layer. As an example, the RF substrate or layer 604 may include silicon, for example, a silicon RF substrate or layer 604. Alternatively, the RF substrate or layer 604 may include gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, or silicon germanium, for example, a gallium arsenide RF substrate or layer 604, a gallium nitride RF substrate or layer 604, or a silicon germanium RF substrate or layer 604. Any other suitable semiconductor material may be used in various embodiments.

[0078] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include a radio frequency front-end (RF FE) circuit 23. The RF FE circuit 23 may be monolithically integrated in the RF substrate or layer 604. As an example, conductor rails may be formed in the RF substrate or layer 604, for example, by doping the substrate material with doped atoms. Thus, the RF FE circuit 23 may be formed at least partially in the substrate or layer.

[0079] The RF substrate or layer 604 may further include an RF integrated circuit (RF IC) circuit system 21. The RF substrate or layer 604 of the RF circuit 29 may include an RF front-end circuit 23 and / or an RF integrated circuit circuit system 21. Alternatively or additionally, the RF integrated circuit circuit system 21 and / or the RF front-end circuit 23 may be coupled to the RF substrate or layer 604 via a solder structure 610. The solder structure 610 may include one or more solder balls soldered to one or more solder pads disposed on the RF substrate or layer 604 of the RF circuit 29, and soldered to one or more corresponding solder pads disposed on the RF integrated circuit circuit system 21 and / or on one or more corresponding solder pads disposed on the RF front-end circuit 23. The one or more solder balls may form one or more ball grid arrays.

[0080] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector 235 (see above). The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a substrate or layer connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may form at least one RF signal interface 27 together with the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the Ant-to-RF FE connector.

[0081] The RF front-end circuit 23 and / or the RF integrated circuit system 21 may be coupled to the conductor rail structure. As an example, the RF front-end circuit 23 may be directly coupled to the conductor rail structure, and the RF integrated circuit system 21 may be directly coupled to the RF front-end circuit 23. Therefore, the RF integrated circuit system 21 may be directly coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0082] The substrate or layer connection structure may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The substrate or layer connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The substrate or layer connection structure may include one or more solder bumps (also referred to as solder balls) or one or more conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive connections. The substrate or layer connection structure may be configured to form at least one radio frequency (RF) signal interface 27 of the antenna circuit 25 connection structure to the substrate-external or layer-external antenna circuit 25. The substrate or layer connection structure may include at least: a first port for coupling to a first port of the antenna circuit 25 to form a first RF signal interface 27, and a second port for coupling to a second port of the antenna circuit 25 to form a second RF signal interface 27. The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure may be exposed on the RF substrate or layer 604, at least before the RF signal interface 27 is formed. The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure may be coupled to the conductor rail structure. Conductor rail structures can be used to place conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrates or layer interconnect structures at the far end of the RF substrate or layer 604 of the RF circuit 29. Therefore, the lateral overlap between the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29 in the distributed wireless head circuit can be reduced or even minimized.

[0083] In various configurations, a further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may be formed on the RF substrate or layer 604 and coupled to the RF integrated circuit system 21. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may be configured to form at least one digital interface 40, for example, using a cable (e.g., a flat cable). The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may belong to the same type as the substrate or layer connection structure, for example, the RF signal interface 27 and the digital interface may be formed by solder connections, for example, including one or more solder balls (e.g., forming one or more ball grid arrays).

[0084] As an illustrative example, the RF substrate or layer 604 may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector, which may include a conductor rail structure and a first substrate or layer connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The first substrate or layer connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The first substrate or layer connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface 27 for connection to the antenna circuit 25 of the substrate or layer-external antenna circuit 25. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an RF front-end circuit 23 (monolithically integrated in the RF substrate or layer 604) and a second substrate or layer connection structure coupled to the RF front-end circuit 23 (e.g., via RF integrated circuit system 21). The second substrate or layer connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The second substrate or layer connection structure can be configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface 27 of the cable (e.g., a flat cable) with the substrate-exterior or layer-exterior digital interface 40.

[0085] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include a first edge region and a second edge region. The first and second edge regions may be located on opposite sides of the RF substrate or layer 604. A first substrate or layer connection structure may be positioned or configured in the first edge region, and a second substrate or layer connection structure may be positioned or configured in the second edge region.

[0086] The second substrate or layer connection structure may be of the same type as the first substrate or layer connection structure. As an example, the first and / or second substrate or layer connection structures may include solder bumps or conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesives.

[0087] The first substrate or layer connection structure may include at least: a first port for being coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit 25 to form a first radio frequency signal interface 27, and a second port for being coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit 25 to form a second radio frequency signal interface 27.

[0088] Antenna circuit 25 may include an antenna substrate or layer 602, which may include an antenna 53 and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector 255 coupled to the antenna 53 (see above). Antenna circuit 25 may include at least one antenna 53 configured to transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals. The total thickness 608 (also indicated as height) of antenna circuit 25 may be the same as that of radio frequency circuit 29, for example, less than about 1 mm.

[0089] The antenna substrate or layer 602 may include an edge region and a central region. The edge region may at least partially surround the central region. An Ant-to-RF FE connector may be positioned or configured in the edge region, and the antenna may be configured in the central region. The antenna substrate or layer 602 may be a semiconductor substrate or layer. As an example, the substrate or layer may include silicon. As an example, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may include silicon, for example, it may be a silicon antenna substrate or layer 602. As an alternative, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may include gallium arsenide or gallium nitride or silicon germanium, for example, it may be a gallium arsenide antenna substrate or layer 602 or a gallium nitride antenna substrate or layer 602 or a silicon germanium antenna substrate or layer 602. Any other suitable semiconductor material may be used in various embodiments. Alternatively, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may be a printed circuit board.

[0090] Antenna 53 may be monolithically integrated into antenna substrate or layer 602. Alternatively, antenna 53 may be formed on antenna substrate or layer 602. As an example, antenna 53 may be formed of or include conductive rails configured according to a predetermined radio frequency range of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., in the HF-, UHF-, or microwave frequency range). Antenna 53 may be selected from the group consisting of: GSG 53, GSGSG 53, multi-port antenna 53, MIMO antenna 53, and TBDC 53.

[0091] Ant-to-RF FE connectors may include substrates or layer connection structures.

[0092] The substrate or layer connection structure may be configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface 27 for the radio frequency circuit connection structure of the substrate or layer-external radio frequency circuit 29. The substrate or layer connection structure may be at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The substrate or layer connection structure may include one or more solder bumps or one or more conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive connections. The substrate or layer connection structure may belong to the same type as the substrate or layer connection structure of the substrate-external radio frequency circuit 29. The substrate or layer connection structure may include at least: a first port for being coupled to a first port of the radio frequency circuit 29 to form a first radio frequency signal interface 27, and a second port for being coupled to a second port of the radio frequency circuit 29.

[0093] Therefore, the RF circuit 29 may include a (first) RF substrate or layer 604, which may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a first substrate or layer connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an edge region, and the first substrate or layer connection structure may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include RF front-end circuitry 23, which is monolithically integrated within the RF substrate or layer 604.

[0094] Antenna circuit 25 may include a (second) antenna substrate or layer 602, which may include an antenna 53 and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna 53. The Ant-to-RF FE connector may include a second substrate or layer connection structure. Antenna substrate or layer 602 may include an edge region. The second substrate or layer connection structure may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The first and second substrate or layer connection structures may be at least one of a soldered structure, a fused structure, or an adhesive structure. The first and second substrate or layer connection structures may form at least one radio frequency signal interface 27. The total thickness 608 (also indicated as height) of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 may be less than about 1 mm. As described above, the antenna and / or RF substrate or layer 602, 604 may each be a semiconductor substrate or layer. As an example, the antenna and / or RF substrate or layer 602, 604 may include silicon. In various configurations, antenna circuit 25 may include an antenna-to-RF front-end connector having a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure coupled to antenna 53 (e.g., to a conductor rail of antenna 53). The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure may form an RF signal interface 27 together with the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of RF circuit 29. The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of antenna circuit 25 may be coupled to antenna 53 such that RF signals from RF circuit 29 that are to be transmitted to the outside of distributed wireless head circuit 20 via antenna 53, or RF signals that have been received by antenna 53 and are to be transmitted to RF circuit 29, are passed through the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of RF signal interface 27.

[0095] The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF signal interface 27 may (as an example) be a solder pad of the antenna circuit 25, which will connect to the solder bumps attached to the RF circuit 29, and vice versa. In various embodiments, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF signal interface 27 may be a direct connection between the solder bumps and the bonding pads, for example, without wiring. The antenna-to-RF FE connector of the antenna circuit 25 may include a first conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) material (e.g., a first material composition), while the RF FE-to-antenna connector of the RF circuit 29 may include a second conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) material (e.g., a second material composition). The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF signal interface 27 may therefore be formed from the first and second material compositions. In various embodiments, the material of the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF signal interface 27 may be a third material composition. The third material composition may be formed due to a mixture of the first and second material compositions.

[0096] Antenna circuit 25 may include an antenna substrate or layer 602 having a distal end, such as at an edge region of the substrate or layer 25 away from antenna 53. A conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure from the antenna to the RF FE connector may be configured at the distal end of the antenna substrate or layer 602 (also indicated as an edge region). The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) material may be exposed such that it is externally accessible at the antenna substrate or layer 602 before the RF signal interface 27 is formed. Therefore, the RF signal interface 27 may be formed, resulting in minimal side overlap between antenna circuit 25 and RF circuit 29, and (furthermore) includes a minimum height 608. Thus, among other things, electronic interference at RF circuit 29 may be minimized.

[0097] The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the radio frequency signal interface 27 may be one of solder bump connection, conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive connection, or fusion connection. In various embodiments, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the antenna circuit 25 and the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the radio frequency circuit 29 may be coupled to form a solder connection, adhesive connection, or fusion connection.

[0098] The substrate or layer connection structure may be formed symmetrically, such as solder bumps or adhesive portions (e.g., for forming a composite), as conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structures at antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29. Alternatively, the substrate or layer connection structure may be formed asymmetrically, such as solder bumps as conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structures at one of antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29, and bonding pads as conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structures at the other of antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29.

[0099] At least a first radio frequency (RF) signal interface 27 and a second RF signal interface 27 may be formed between the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29. In various embodiments, at least the first and second RF signal interfaces 27 may be formed between the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 20, for example, to connect at least a first and a second port 253 (see above) of the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29 (e.g., n different ports, where n is a rational number). The first and second RF signal interfaces 27 may be isolated from each other. Similarly, the RF circuit 29 may include a first and a second conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure for forming the first and second RF signal interfaces 27. The first conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the antenna circuit 25 may be connected to the first conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF circuit 29, and the second conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the antenna circuit 25 may be connected to the second conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure of the RF circuit 29. Therefore, a multi-port structure can be formed between antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29. The multi-port structure can be used when using an antenna array as antenna 53 (as an example).

[0100] However, in the distributed wireless head circuit 20, the radio frequency circuit 29 may include a different number of ports of the antenna circuit 25 coupled to it. As an example, the radio frequency circuit 29 may be configured to be used with a plurality of different antenna types. Therefore, the radio frequency circuit 29 may include various port configurations suitable for different antenna types. Thus, some ports of the radio frequency circuit 29 may not be coupled to the antenna circuit 25.

[0101] The RF substrate or layer 604 may further include an RF integrated circuit system 21. The RF front-end circuitry and the RF integrated circuit system 21 may be coupled to a conductor rail structure. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include a further substrate or layer connection structure 211, which may be coupled to the RF integrated circuit system 21. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may be configured to form at least a digital interface 40 leading to an external substrate or layer device via a cable (e.g., a flat cable). The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may be of the same type as the first substrate or layer connection structure.

[0102] It should be noted that the above-mentioned exemplary connections implemented by (for example) welding connections can be replaced by different types of connections, such as mechanical connectors (as will be described in more detail below).

[0103] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be configured according to any of the above configurations. However, in various configurations, the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be connected to each other by mechanical connectors, as shown in Figures 7A to 11.

[0104] Figures 7A and 7B show schematic cross-sectional views of the antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 of the distributed wireless head circuit 20, before the antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 are connected (Figure 7A) and after the connection (Figure 7B), according to various configurations.

[0105] Antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 are interconnected via conductive substrates or layer connection structures 702, 704, such that antenna circuit 25, which receives signals via its antenna 53, transmits the received signals to radio frequency circuit 29 via radio frequency signal interface 27 (e.g., via conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrates or layer connection structures 702, 704) or via field coupling (which may, for example, operate in receive mode). Radio frequency circuit 29 may be configured to process radio frequency signals received via antenna 53 of antenna circuit 25. Alternatively or additionally, radio frequency circuit 29 may be configured to generate / or process signals for transmission via distributed wireless head circuit 20, and for transmission to antenna circuit 25 via radio frequency signal interface 27 and to the outside of distributed wireless head circuit 20 via one of antenna circuit 25 / antenna 53.

[0106] Illustratively, the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are connected to each other without using a coaxial cable connection as the radio frequency signal interface 27. Instead, mechanical substrates or layer connection structures 702, 704 are used, which are at least partially formed by substrates or layers 602, 604, depending on the configuration. Therefore, the substrates or layers 602, 604 of the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be coplanar (arranged in the same plane), thus obtaining a thin distributed wireless head circuit 20.

[0107] In various configurations, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) substrate or layer connection structure 704 (also designated as RF substrate or layer connection structure) of the RF circuit 29 of the RF signal interface 27 can be standardized. Therefore, multiple different antenna circuits 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29, and any antenna circuit 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29 by the supplier. Therefore, the distributed wireless headband circuit 20 does not rely on antenna circuits 25 on the board (on the same RF substrate or layer 604) of the RF circuit 29. Therefore, different types of antennas 53, other than (e.g., GSG), can be used. As an example, the RF circuit 29 can be provided to enable SMC multi-port antennas, single-antenna MiMo / multi-purpose, TBDC, etc., using the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704.

[0108] The substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704, depending on their various forms, can facilitate multi-feed support, for example, using two or more separate antennas or array antennas (see Figure 10). Alternatively or additionally, the substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can facilitate improved impedance matching. Alternatively or additionally, the substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can facilitate reduced electrical interruption lengths compared to dual-connector solutions. The substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can facilitate methods for improving impedance matching when using a printed circuit board on at least one of the antenna substrate or layer 602 or the RF substrate or layer 604. As an example, in common connectors, the shape and fill may be non-existent. The substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can facilitate simple scaling for increased pin counts, for example, when using control signals on antenna 53 or using an antenna array for antenna 53.

[0109] The substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can promote the coplanar configuration of the substrates or layers 602, 604, which can increase the mechanical stability of the distributed wireless head circuit 20. Alternatively or additionally, the substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 can promote the sealing of the conductor rails of the RF signal interface 27 in the socket of the plug-socket connection. Therefore, mechanical protection and RF shielding against RF interference of the RF signal interface 27 are increased.

[0110] In various configurations, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) connection between the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 is achieved by a mechanical substrate or layer connection structure, which is formed at least in part by a substrate or layer 602, 604 (e.g., a friction connection or a form-closed body). The friction connection can be a spring-type connection, while the form-closed body can be a plug-and-socket connection. However, the connection can be a combination of a friction connection and a form-closed body, such as a plug-and-socket connection including a spring segment.

[0111] The connection between antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 can be releasable, for example, reversible, such as in the case of a plug-and-socket connection. However, in various cases, the connection can also be non-releasable, for example, irreversible. A non-releasable connection can only be separated by breaking the connection mechanism, for example, by breaking the spring segment.

[0112] In the connected state, the substrate or layer connection structure 702 (also labeled as antenna substrate or layer connection structure) and RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 of the antenna circuit 5 form or facilitate the radio frequency signal interface 27.

[0113] In various forms, at least one of the substrate or layer 602, 604 of the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29 may be a printed circuit board, for example when mechanical substrate or layer connection structure 702, 704 is used to connect the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29.

[0114] In various configurations, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 may include at least one of a friction connection or a formal closure, and the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is at least partially integrated into the RF substrate or layer 604. As an example, a segment of the RF substrate or layer 604 is formed as part of a plug or socket.

[0115] In various embodiments, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is configured (in the coupled state) to be coplanar with the substrate or layer-external antenna circuit 25. As an example, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is formed on or within a side surface of the RF substrate or layer 604. As an example, the RF substrate or layer 604 may include recesses or protrusions in edge regions, and the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is positioned, configured, or formed in the recesses or protrusions. In various embodiments, the RF substrate or layer 604 forms a plug (selectively including conductor rails for direct electrical coupling) in the recesses or protrusions, as illustrated in Figures 7A, 7B, and 9. Alternatively, the RF substrate or layer 604 forms a socket or is configured as a socket in a master recess or protrusion, as illustrated in Figures 8A and 8B. In various embodiments, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 may include at least one of a plug, a socket, and / or a spring-type connector.

[0116] In various configurations, the RF substrate or layer 604 may include at least one corner, and the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is formed at that corner. In other words, the antenna circuit 25 is connected to the radio frequency circuit 29 via one or more corners of the RF substrate or layer 604, in various configurations.

[0117] In various configurations, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is configured such that a distance is formed between substrates 602 and 604 when the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 are in a connected state. Illustratively, the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 and the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 connect the antenna substrate or layer 602 and the RF substrate or layer 604. However, apart from this connection, there is no direct contact between substrates 602 and 604. Therefore, a gap (e.g., an air gap) is formed between substrates 602 and 604, and this gap defines a (lateral) distance between substrates 602 and 604. The gap can reduce RF interference at the RF circuit 29. Alternatively, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is configured such that a direct contact is formed between substrates 602 and 604 when the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 are in a connected state (illustrated in FIG. 7B).

[0118] In various configurations, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is configured to form an electrically insulated connection between the substrates 602 and 604. In other words, the substrate or layer connection structures 702 and 704 facilitate mechanical connection. Therefore, the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 are field-coupled in a connected state (shown in FIG11). Here, the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25 is field-coupled via the slot antenna 1102 using the conductor rail 1106 of the RF circuit 29. In other words, the RF circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 are connected by field coupling in a mechanically connected state in various configurations.

[0119] Furthermore, the RF signal interface 27 may include a switch connector that facilitates coupling or decoupling between the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29. The antenna circuit 29 may further include a short back bracket 1104, such as a short aluminum back bracket, for heat dissipation and / or RF shielding.

[0120] As illustrated in FIG10, the RF circuit 29 may include at least one further RF FE-to-Ant connector. The further RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a further conductor rail structure and a further RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 coupled to the further conductor rail structure. The further RF FE-to-Ant connector is electrically isolated from the RF FE-to-Ant connector (described previously). The further RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is positioned, configured, or formed in an edge region different from the edge region of the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704. The further RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 may include at least one of a friction connection or a form closure. In various embodiments, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is at least partially integrated in a substrate or layer. The further RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 is configured to form at least one RF signal interface for connection to the further antenna circuit 25 of the further substrate or layer-external antenna circuit. Illustratively, RF circuit 29 is configured to control the first antenna circuit 1025-1 and the second antenna circuit 1025-2 using RF FE-to-Ant connectors and further RF FE-to-Ant connectors.

[0121] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector 235 (as described above). The RF FE-to-Ant connector includes an RF substrate or layer connection structure 704. In various embodiments, the RF FE-to-Ant connector further includes a conductor rail structure coupled to the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 (see FIG. 9, which illustrates a conductor rail structure with three separate conductor rails). However, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 may include more or fewer conductor rails than the three conductor rails shown in FIG. 9, depending on the layout of the antenna 53, such as 1, 2, 4, 5 or more. As an example, the antenna 53 may be an antenna array including a plurality of array antennas (also referred to as array antenna elements), and each array antenna may require a dedicated conductor rail. However, the array antennas may be clustered or controlled in a time-division multiplexing manner, and therefore may have fewer conductor rails than array antennas. The RF front-end circuitry 23 and / or the RF integrated circuitry system 21 may be coupled to the conductor rail structure. As an example, the RF front-end circuit 23 can be directly coupled to the conductor rail structure, while the RF integrated circuit system 21 can be directly coupled to the RF front-end circuit 23. Therefore, the RF integrated circuit system 21 can be indirectly coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0122] The RF FE-to-Ant connector can form at least one RF signal interface 27, together with the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 of the RF FE connector.

[0123] The antenna circuit 25 is configured similarly to the configuration described above. However, in various configurations, the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 may include at least one of a friction connection or a formal closure, and the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 is at least partially integrated in the antenna substrate or layer 602. The antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 is configured to correspond to the antenna substrate or layer 602 as described above – external radio frequency circuitry.

[0124] Therefore, in various configurations, the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 can be configured (in the coupled state) to form a configuration that is coplanar with the substrate-external antenna circuit.

[0125] Similar to the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may include recesses or protrusions in the edge region, and the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 is positioned, configured, or formed in the recesses or protrusions. In other words, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may be configured to at least partially form at least one of a plug, socket, or spring-type connector, which is the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702.

[0126] In various configurations, the antenna substrate or layer 602 may include at least one corner, and the antenna substrate or layer connection structure 702 is formed at that corner.

[0127] As an illustrative example, the distributed wireless head unit circuit 20 may include an RF substrate or layer 604, which may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector, the RF FE-to-Ant connector including a first (RF) substrate or layer connection structure 704. In various embodiments, the RF substrate or layer connection structure 704 may be coupled to a conductor rail structure formed on or integrated in the RF substrate or layer 604. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an edge region. The first substrate or layer connection structure 704 is positioned or configured or formed in the edge region. The RF substrate or layer 604 may include an RF front-end circuit 23, which is integrated in or positioned or configured in or on the RF substrate or layer 604.

[0128] The second (antenna) substrate or layer 602 may include the antenna 53 and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna 53. The Ant-to-RF FE connector may include a second (antenna) substrate or layer connection structure 702. The antenna substrate or layer 602 may include an edge region, and the second substrate or layer connection structure 702 is positioned, configured, or formed in the edge region. Therefore, the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29 may be positioned or configured adjacent to each other in a common plane (with respect to substrates 602, 604) (also indicated as coplanar). A thin, distributed wireless head circuit 20 is implemented. Alternatively or additionally, RF interference may be reduced or minimized at the RF circuit 29.

[0129] In various configurations, the first and second substrate or layer connection structures 702 and 704 are at least one of friction connection or formal closure. The first and second substrate or layer connection structures 702 and 704 are configured corresponding to each other. In the connected state, the first and second substrate or layer connection structures 702 and 704 form an RF signal interface 27. The first substrate or layer connection structure 704 is at least partially integrated in the RF substrate or layer 604. The second substrate or layer connection structure 702 is at least partially integrated in the antenna substrate or layer 602.

[0130] At least one of the antenna substrate or layer 602 and the RF substrate or layer 604 may include a recess or protrusion in an edge region. Substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 may be positioned or configured or formed in the recess or protrusion of the substrates 602, 604. As an example, at least one of the first and second substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 may include at least one of a plug, a socket, and a spring-loaded connector. In various embodiments, the first and / or second substrate includes at least one corner, and the substrate or layer connection structures 702, 704 are formed at that corner. Therefore, the ground plane between the RF substrate or layer 604 and the antenna substrate or layer 602 may be extended.

[0131] A gap or (lateral) distance may be formed between the antenna substrate or layer 602 and the RF substrate or layer 604, in various configurations. Alternatively, a direct contact may be formed between the antenna substrate or layer 602 and the RF substrate or layer 604.

[0132] The first and second substrate or layer connection structures 702 and 704 can be configured to form an electrically insulated connection between the antenna substrate or layer 602 and the RF substrate or layer 604. In this case, the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit 29 are field-coupled, as an example (see Figure 11).

[0133] The RF substrate or layer 604 may include at least one further RF FE-to-Ant connector, which may include a further conductor rail structure and a further substrate or layer connection structure 211 coupled to the further conductor rail structure (see FIG. 10). The further RF FE-to-Ant connector is electrically isolated from the RF FE-to-Ant connector. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 is positioned, configured, or formed in an edge region different from the edge region of the substrate or layer connection structure. The further substrate or layer connection structure 211 may include at least one of a friction connection or a form closure. In various embodiments, the substrate or layer connection structure is at least partially integrated in the RF substrate or layer 604. In various embodiments, the further substrate or layer connection structure 211 is configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface having a further antenna circuit 1025-2 different from the antenna circuit 1025-1 coupled to the RF FE-to-Ant connector.

[0134] Electronic components implemented on different substrates may be coupled using different technologies, such as using one or more wirings or cables, capacitive coupling or inductive coupling, which will be described in more detail below.

[0135] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be configured according to one of the above-described configurations. The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be electrically coupled through an inductive coupling circuit, as illustrated in Figures 12A to 13. Figure 12A illustrates the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 in a disconnected state, while Figure 12B illustrates the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 in a connected state. Figure 13 illustrates an illustrative example of a distributed wireless headphone circuit 20, which includes an antenna circuit 25 inductively coupled to the radio frequency circuit 29.

[0136] In various configurations, the RF FE-to-Ant connector of the RF circuit 29 is configured as a first (RF) planar spiral conductor rail 1208. The first RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 may be formed on the RF substrate 604 (e.g., as a conductor rail structure on a printed circuit board) or may be monolithically integrated into the RF substrate 604. The first RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 may be connected to the RF front-end circuit 23 via the (linear) conductor rail 1204. Therefore, the distance between the RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 and the RF front-end circuit 23 is increased. Therefore, the increased distance reduces RF interference at the RF front-end circuit 23. Alternatively or additionally, the increased distance may facilitate the mounting area of ​​the antenna circuit 25 on the RF substrate 604.

[0137] Furthermore, the Ant-to-RF FE connector coupled to the antenna 53 can be configured as a second (antenna) planar spiral conductor rail 1206. The second antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206 can be formed on the antenna substrate 602 or can be monolithically integrated into the antenna substrate 602. The second antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206 can be connected to the antenna 53 through the (linear) conductor rail 1202. Therefore, the distance between the antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206 and the antenna 53 is increased. Therefore, RF interference (FIG. 12B) at the RF front-end circuit 23 in the connected state is reduced and / or the mounting area for mounting the antenna circuit 25 on the RF substrate 604 is improved. The first RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 may include any number of windings, such as one, two, three, four or even more, depending on the desired electrical characteristics and layout. The second antenna planar helical conductor rail 1206 may also include any number of windings, such as one, two, three, four or even more, depending on the desired electrical characteristics and layout.

[0138] The RF substrate 604 may include an edge region and a central region. As an example, the RF front-end circuit 23 is positioned or configured in the central region. The RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The antenna substrate 602 may be mounted at the edge region of the RF substrate 604. The antenna substrate 602 may be fixed to the antenna substrate 604 by adhesive or mechanical clamping. The RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 and the antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206 are configured to form an inductive coupling circuit in a connected state (see FIG. 12B). The inductive coupling circuit may be a BALUN circuit, as an example. Therefore, the antenna substrate 602 and the RF substrate 604 may be mounted or fixed by a connection structure different from that of the planar spiral conductor rails 1206, 1208. Therefore, the connection structure may be electrically insulating. As an example, the connection mechanism may be an adhesive or electrically non-conductive mechanical substrate connection structure as described above.

[0139] In various configurations, the antenna circuit 25 may include an antenna substrate 602, which may include an antenna 53 and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna 53 and configured as a planar spiral conductor rail 1206. The planar spiral conductor rail 1206 may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface 27 of the RF circuit connection structure 1208 with the substrate-external RF circuit 29. The RF circuit connection structure 1208 may include another planar spiral conductor rail 1208 and the RF signal interface 27 may be an inductive coupling circuit. The inductive coupling circuit may be a BALUN circuit. The antenna substrate 602 may include an edge region and a central region, wherein the antenna 53 may be positioned or configured in the central region, and the antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206 may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The edge region may be configured to mount the antenna substrate-external RF circuit 29 at the edge region of the antenna substrate 602.

[0140] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are operably coupled to each other via conductive planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208, such that signals received at the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25 are presented to the radio frequency circuit 29 through the planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208 (forming an inductive coupling circuit that serves as a radio frequency signal interface 27 according to various configurations). The radio frequency circuit 29 can process the received radio frequency signals. Alternatively or additionally, the radio frequency circuit 29 can generate or process signals that will be transmitted via the distributed wireless head circuit 20 and transmitted to the antenna circuit 25 through the radio frequency signal interface 27, and the antenna 53 of the antenna circuit 25 can transmit the processed signals to the outside of the distributed wireless head circuit 20.

[0141] Illustratively, antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 are connected to each other without using coaxial cable connections or any other cables (suitable for this purpose as radio frequency signal interface 27), but instead using inductive coupling circuits. Therefore, the electrical coupling between antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29 can be independent of the physical coupling between the substrates 602, 604 of antenna circuit 25 and radio frequency circuit 29. Therefore, radio frequency circuit 29 and antenna circuit 25 can be positioned or configured substantially adjacent to each other with only a small overlap. Therefore, radio frequency interference at radio frequency circuit 29 can be reduced or even minimized.

[0142] Furthermore, cable and connector losses (e.g., due to copper and mismatch) are reduced. Eliminating cable losses improves the RF performance of the distributed wireless head circuit 20. In addition, the total cost of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be reduced because cable assemblies and connectors (e.g., coaxial cables) are not required.

[0143] In various configurations, the RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208 can be standardized. Therefore, multiple different antenna circuits 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29, and any antenna circuit 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29 by the supplier. Therefore, the distributed wireless headband circuit 20 does not rely on antenna circuits 25 on the board of the RF circuit 29 (on the same RF substrate 604). Therefore, in various configurations, different types of antennas 53 other than (e.g., GSG) can be used. As an example, the RF circuit 29 can be provided that enables SMC multi-port antennas, single-antenna MIMO / multi-purpose, TBDC, etc., using the RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208.

[0144] The planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208, according to various configurations, can facilitate multi-feed support, for example, using two or more separate antennas or array antennas. Alternatively or additionally, the planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208, according to various configurations, can facilitate methods for improving impedance matching. As an example, the inductively coupled circuit can be a BALUN circuit, and the BALUN circuit can be configured for impedance matching. In various configurations, the BALUN circuit formed from the RF signal interface 27 can selectively generate additional BALUNs in the front-end circuitry. In various configurations, the BALUN circuit can be configured to include one or more RF converters.

[0145] In various configurations, the planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 may include conductor rails formed on or integrated into a substrate. The planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 may be formed in a single plane (e.g., a metallization layer of a printed circuit substrate). The planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 may be configured as a single loop, as an example. However, the planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 may also be configured to include multiple windings, for example, in a planar helical or meandering shape. The first end of the planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 may be directly connected to the RF FE circuit 23 or the antenna circuit 25. However, further conductor rails, such as linear conductor rails 1202 and 1204, may be formed between the planar helical conductor rails 1206 and 1208 and the RF FE circuit or antenna, as illustrated in FIG12A. The second end of the planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208 can be directly connected to a reference potential or can be floating.

[0146] In various configurations, the planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208 are configured to form an inductively coupled circuit by coaxial stacking. The shape of the planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208 can be used for impedance matching, for example, in an inductively coupled circuit (which is a BALUN circuit).

[0147] As an example, the planar spiral conductor rails 1206 and 1208 can be configured to include different numbers of windings, different material compositions and / or conductor rails with different cross-sectional areas. As an example, the RF circuit (29) and the antenna circuit (25) can have several copper layers and thicknesses or can be manufactured using different PCB materials.

[0148] The physical connection components of the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29, such as mechanical substrate connection structures (e.g., plug and socket connection, mechanical (e.g., plastic) clamping, adhesive connection, solder connection, or fusion connection), can facilitate the mounting of the antenna circuit 25 at the RF circuit 29, for example, through independent self-electric connection. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the design and layout of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be increased.

[0149] The RF FE-to-Ant connector (e.g., RF planar spiral conductor rail 1208) can form at least one RF signal interface 27 together with the antenna to the RF FE connector (e.g., antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206).

[0150] Another way to operatively couple the electronic components of substrates 602 and 604 (e.g., electrical ground) is by direct ohmic ground coupling using one or more conductor rails, as will be described in more detail below.

[0151] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be configured according to one of the above configurations. However, in various configurations, the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be electrically coupled through direct feeding, as shown in Figures 14A to 16G.

[0152] Direct feeding can be implemented by being directly coupled to one or more RF conductor rails 1106 of the antenna. Figure 14A illustrates the antenna circuit 25 and RF circuit 29 in a disconnected state, while Figure 14B illustrates the antenna circuit 25 and RF circuit 29 in a connected state. Figures 15 and 16A to 16G illustrate illustrative examples of a distributed wireless head circuit 20, which includes an antenna circuit 25 inductively coupled to the RF circuit 29 using direct feeding.

[0153] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are operatively connected to each other (e.g., electrically grounded) via direct feeding, such that the antenna 53 receives signals and senses the received signals into one or more RF conductor rails 1106, and the radio frequency circuit 29 then processes these signals. Alternatively or further, the radio frequency circuit 29 may be configured to generate and process signals for transmission via the distributed wireless head circuit 20, and through one or more RF conductor rails 1106 to transmit them to the inductively coupled antenna 53, and thus to the outside of the distributed wireless head circuit 20.

[0154] Illustratively, the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 are connected to each other without using a coaxial cable connection as the radio frequency signal interface 27, but instead use direct feed. Therefore, the electrical coupling between the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be independent of the physical coupling between the substrates 602 and 604 of the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29. Therefore, the radio frequency circuit 29 and the antenna circuit 25 can be positioned or configured substantially adjacent to each other with only a small overlap. Therefore, radio frequency interference at the radio frequency circuit 29 can be reduced or even minimized.

[0155] As illustrated in Figures 14A and 14B, in various configurations, the RF FE-to-Ant connector can be configured as one or more RF conductor rails 1106. The RF front-end circuitry 23 can be coupled to one or more RF conductor rails 1106. One or more RF conductor rails 1106 can be positioned or configured in the edge region of the RF substrate 604. One or more RF conductor rails 1106 can be configured to be field-coupled with the antenna 53. As an example, the antenna can be fixed adjacent to one or more RF conductor rails 1106 to the RF circuitry. In various configurations, the antenna 53 can at least partially surround one or more RF conductor rails 1106. In various configurations, the antenna substrate 602 can be fixed to the RF substrate 604 such that one or more RF conductor rails 1106 are field-coupled with the antenna 53. Field-coupled conductor rails 1106 can facilitate the reduction of RF interference at the RF front-end circuitry 23. For example, the length of the conductor can be adjusted to the distance from the RF circuitry. Alternatively or additionally, the distance between the conductor rail 1106 and the RF circuitry may facilitate the mounting area of ​​the antenna circuitry 25 on the RF substrate 604.

[0156] In various configurations, antenna 53 can be configured in a closed-loop shape, and one or more RF conductor rails 1106 can be directly coupled to antenna 53 (e.g., relative to the planar spiral conductor rail structure described above), as illustrated in FIG15. In various configurations, antenna 53 can be identical to antenna substrate 602, and vice versa. As an example, antenna 53 can be configured as a conductor loop.

[0157] The antenna substrate 602 may be mounted at the edge area of ​​the RF substrate 604. As an example, the antenna substrate 602 may be fixed to the RF substrate 604 by adhesive or mechanical clamping.

[0158] In various configurations, the antenna circuit 25 may be configured at an angle relative to the RF substrate 604, as illustrated in FIG16A. Further illustrated in FIG16A, in various configurations, one or more RF conductor rails 1106 may include a first portion and a second portion. The first portion may be configured at an angle relative to the second portion, and wherein the antenna 53 may be configured at least partially parallel to the second portion.

[0159] Furthermore, cable and connector losses (e.g., due to copper and mismatch) can be reduced. Eliminating cable losses improves the RF performance of the distributed wireless head circuit 20. In addition, the total cost of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 can be reduced because cable assemblies and connectors (e.g., coaxial cables) are not required.

[0160] In various configurations, one or more RF conductor rails 1106 can be standardized. Therefore, multiple different antenna circuits 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29, and any antenna circuit 25 can be connected to the RF circuit 29 by the supplier. In this way, the distributed wireless headband circuit 20 does not rely on antenna circuits 25 on the board of the RF circuit 29 (on the same RF substrate 604). Therefore, in various configurations, different types of antennas 53 other than (e.g., GSG) can be used. As an example, the RF circuit 29 can be provided that enables SMC multi-port antennas, single-antenna MiMo / multi-purpose, TBDC, etc., using one or more RF conductor rails 1106.

[0161] Depending on the configuration, one or more RF conductor rails 1106 can facilitate multi-feed support, such as using two or more separate antennas or array antennas. Alternatively or additionally, one or more RF conductor rails 1106 can facilitate methods for improving impedance matching. As an example, one or more RF conductor rails 1106 may include one or more stubs or taps configured for impedance matching.

[0162] In various configurations, direct feeding may include one or more RF conductor rails formed on or integrated into a substrate. One or more RF conductor rails may be formed in a single plane (e.g., a metallization layer of a printed circuit substrate). One or more RF conductor rails may be configured as one or more linear conductor rails. The first end of each of the one or more RF conductor rails may be directly connected to the RF FE circuit. However, one or more further conductor rails, such as one or more short or tap lines, may be formed between the one or more RF conductor rails 1106 and the RF FE circuit. The second end of each of the one or more RF conductor rails 1106 may be floating.

[0163] The antenna 53 may be configured at a predetermined distance relative to one or more RF conductor rails 1106. The predetermined distance corresponds to the frequency of the signal to be received or transmitted by the antenna 53.

[0164] The physical connection components of the antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29, such as mechanical substrate connection structures (e.g., plug and socket connection, adhesive connection, solder connection, or fusion connection), can facilitate the installation of the antenna circuit 25 at the RF circuit 29, for example, through independent self-electric connection. Therefore, the design freedom of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 is increased according to various patterns.

[0165] An RF FE-to-Ant connector (e.g., one or more RF conductor rails 1106) may be connected together with an antenna to an RF FE connector (e.g., an antenna planar spiral conductor rail 1206) to form at least one RF signal interface 27.

[0166] In various configurations, conductor rail 1106 is positioned at the output of the RF FE circuit. Conductor rail 1106 is used for direct feed (also indicated as exciter feed) to antenna 53, as illustrated in Figures 16B and 16C. Here, Figure 16B illustrates RF circuit 29 and Figure 16C illustrates distributed wireless head circuit 20, which includes RF circuit 29 illustrated in Figure 16B and antenna circuit 25. Antenna circuit 25 includes antenna 53 in the shape of a slot antenna, which is directly coupled to conductor rail 1106. Illustratively, a single conductor rail 1106 facilitates distributed wireless head circuit 20 with a single feed.

[0167] In various configurations, conductor rail 1106 may be coupled to further conductor rail 1620, which is coupled to the RF FE circuit. Further conductor rail 1620 may be embedded (also indicated as buried) in substrate 604. As an example, substrate 604 may be a printed circuit board having at least two metallized planes and conductor rail 1106, and further conductor rail 1620 may be formed in different metallized planes of the printed circuit board, which may be connected via vias. Therefore, the connection between conductor rail 1106 and the RF FE circuit can be shielded against RF interference. Furthermore, the conductor rail may be positioned or configured at a greater distance from the RF FE circuit, thereby reducing RF interference at the RF FE circuit.

[0168] In various configurations, substrate 604 may include a radio frequency (RF) shielding structure 1630 configured to shield the further conductor rail 1620 from RF interference from antenna 53. As an example, the RF shielding structure 1630 may be configured as a metal strip formed between antenna 53 and further conductor rail 1620, as illustrated in Figures 16B and 16C.

[0169] In various configurations, an adhesive mat (not shown) can secure (also indicated as mounting) the antenna circuit 25 to the RF circuit 29. Therefore, cable and connector losses, such as copper and mismatches, can be reduced, and overall RF performance is improved. Furthermore, this reduces costs (e.g., total solution cost) and system complexity. Moreover, better integration of the distributed wireless head circuit 20 into a platform (e.g., a mobile communication device) can be facilitated in this manner.

[0170] In various configurations, the RF circuit 29 may include at least a first conductor rail 1106-1 (configured to form a first RF signal interface 27-1 with the first antenna 53-1) and a second conductor rail 1106-2 (configured to form a second RF signal interface 27-2 with the second antenna 53-2), as illustrated in Figures 16D and 16E. The first and second antennas 53-1 and 53-2 may be configured for different frequency bands, as an example. Therefore, a dual-feed module can be facilitated. As described above, an adhesive mat (not shown) may be used to secure the first and second antennas 53-1 and 53-2 to the substrate 604 of the RF circuit 29.

[0171] However, in various configurations, more than two antennas 53 can be coupled to the RF circuit, as illustrated in Figures 16F and 16G. Here, the first antenna 53-1, the second antenna 53-2, and the third antenna 53-3 are coupled to the RF FE circuit to form the first RF signal interface 27-1, the second RF signal interface 27-2, and the third RF signal interface 27-3. The first conductor rail, the second conductor rail, and the third conductor rail 1106-1, 1106-2, 1106-3 can be used to couple the first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna 53-1, 53-2, 53-3 to the RF FE circuit independently of each other. The first antenna, the second antenna, and the third antenna 53-1, 53-2, 53-3 can be different from each other, for example, configured for different frequency bands, such as LB, HB, and UHB. On the other hand, one or more antennas can be configured for the same frequency band, but for different polarizations and / or separated from each other to avoid multipath and / or local interference signal loss.

[0172] Another important issue when locating the wireless head circuit 20 near the antenna 53 is the circuit packaging. Packaging for various types of interference, such as large and small signals, is challenging.

[0173] The antenna circuit 25 and the radio frequency circuit 29 can be configured according to one of the above-described configurations and can be positioned or configured within the enclosure 28, as illustrated in Figures 17 to 19. Figure 17 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a distributed wireless head unit 1700, which includes an enclosure 28 containing the antenna circuit 25 and the RF circuit. Figures 18 and 19 illustrate illustrative examples.

[0174] The enclosure 28 may be at least partially formed with a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706, which is formed in or on an electrically insulating material (such as, for example, a molding material or any other suitable electrically insulating encapsulating material) and encloses the cavity structure 1704 such that the cavity structure 1704 is substantially unaffected by radio frequency signals from outside the distributed wireless head unit 20 (in other words, shielded). The RF substrate 604 and the Ant-to-RF FE connector 235 may be disposed in the cavity structure 1704, and the antenna 53 may be at least partially disposed on the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706 of the enclosure 28 outside the cavity structure 1704.

[0175] In other words, the enclosure 28 may include a cavity structure 1704. The cavity structure 1704 may be surrounded by a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706 and an electrically insulating structure 1802 (also indicated as a dielectric structure 1802, as an example of encapsulation material). The enclosure 28 may be configured such that the cavity structure 1704 is substantially unaffected by radio frequency signals from outside the distributed wireless head unit 1700, for example, a Faraday cage structure. Illustratively, the enclosure 28 is designed to enhance the common RF shielding of the RF circuitry and the antenna circuitry. In other words, the distributed wireless head unit 1700 is configured in various ways such that the RF circuitry and the antenna 53 share a common RF shielding, and therefore are substantially free of RF interference. In this way, the distributed wireless head unit 1700 can be minimized and the length of the interconnect between the antenna and the RF circuitry can be minimized.

[0176] The antenna design utilizes the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706 of the enclosure 28 to form a box-like structure surrounding the cavity structure 1704. RF circuitry can be placed within the cavity structure 1704. The enclosure 28 can function as an RF shield to protect the RF circuitry from system noise. In various configurations, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) side of the enclosure 28 can be configured to have a metallic surface. This allows for better radiation performance in both enclosed and planar configurations. Furthermore, no additional space is required for the RF circuitry, as it is housed within the cavity structure 1704 inside the enclosure 28. Therefore, the RF circuitry within the cavity structure 1704 of the enclosure 28 can be placed in a location free from radio frequency interference. In various configurations, the enclosure 28 provides a miniaturized and robust design for the distributed wireless head unit 1700.

[0177] Enclosure 28 may include at least one slot 1702, and RF substrate 604 may further include a further substrate connection structure 211. A digital connection structure 40 (e.g., a digital signal interface 40) may be coupled to the further substrate connection structure 211, which connects the RF IC circuit 23 to the outside of the distributed wireless head unit 20 via the slot 1702. In other words, enclosure 28 may include at least one slot 1702. A connector, such as a cable (e.g., a flat cable), may be coupled to a first end to a terminal or pad of the RF circuit. A second end of the connector may be coupled to an electronic device, such as a baseband circuit, outside the distributed wireless head unit 1700. The connector can reach the outside of the distributed wireless head unit 1700 via the slot 1702.

[0178] In various configurations, the antenna 53 can be in direct contact with the enclosure 28.

[0179] The conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706 may include one or more metal walls. As an example, the enclosure 28 may be formed in the shape of a box. Alternatively or additionally, the conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) structure 1706 may include one or more metal or metal-coated sheets. As an example, the enclosure 28 may be formed in an encapsulating shape. The enclosure 28 may be substantially formed from metal, thus providing a thin and lightweight system design.

[0180] The enclosure 28 may include a first portion and a second portion in direct contact with the first portion. An RF substrate 604 may be disposed on the second portion. Alternatively, the enclosure 28 may include a bottom portion and a top portion opposite the bottom portion. The RF substrate 604 may be disposed on the bottom portion. The top portion may be configured at a distance from the bottom portion. This distance may correspond to a length associated with the frequency of the RF signal transmitted by the antenna 53.

[0181] The enclosure 28 may further include a dielectric structure 1802 that at least partially surrounds the cavity structure 1704, as illustrated in FIG18. The dielectric structure 1802 may be a radio frequency window.

[0182] Enclosure 28 can be configured for use within a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer. As an illustrative example, mobile communication device 1900 (e.g., smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer) may include housing 1902, which may include opening 1904, mounting structure 1906 adjacent to opening 1904, and distributed wireless head unit 20 in mounting structure 1906. Distributed wireless head unit 20 may be configured according to any of the above configurations, for example, as illustrated in Figures 17 and 18. Enclosure 28 may include dielectric structure 1802 at least partially surrounding cavity structure 1704, and dielectric structure 1802 may be an RF window. RF window may be positioned or configured to face opening 1904 of housing 1902.

[0183] As mentioned above, the challenge in packaging and / or encapsulating the antenna circuit and wireless head circuit 20 is to reduce or avoid interference.

[0184] The platform may include circuits or circuit systems that are susceptible to interference or prone to causing interference to other circuits or circuit systems. For example, the platform may include RF circuitry (e.g., an RFIC) that provides transmission within the RF range, and additional circuitry (e.g., a wireless head circuit) that is susceptible to interference within the RF range. Furthermore, interfaces between antenna circuitry and other devices (e.g., wireless head circuitry) may provide transmission within the RF range, which may cause interference within the RF circuitry, wireless head circuitry, or other circuits or circuit systems.

[0185] The platform may include an enclosure to shield the circuitry or circuit system from interference from external devices. Additionally, the platform may include an RF window to allow transmissions from the antenna circuitry to exit the enclosure. However, the platform may not shield the circuitry or circuit system from interference from internal devices (e.g., antenna circuitry, RF circuitry, wireless head circuitry, etc.). This may be because the antenna circuitry, RF circuitry, wireless head circuitry, etc., are located or configured within the platform.

[0186] Some embodiments described in this disclosure can isolate circuits or circuit systems from both external and internal devices (e.g., antenna circuits, RF circuits, wireless head circuits, etc.). A circuit or circuit system can be isolated from both external and internal devices because the circuit or circuit system (e.g., antenna circuits, RF circuits, wireless head circuits, etc.) is located or configured outside the platform. In some embodiments, antenna circuits and other devices (e.g., RF circuits, wireless head circuits, antenna circuits, or combinations thereof) can be isolated from the platform and external devices using an enclosure defining at least one volume. RF circuits, wireless head circuits, antenna circuits, or combinations thereof can be physically located or configured within at least one volume to shield the RF circuits, wireless head circuits, antenna circuits, or combinations thereof from interference from the platform.

[0187] Therefore, some of the embodiments described in this disclosure can provide RF shielding, which is shared between RF circuits, wireless head circuits, antenna circuits, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, some of the embodiments described in this disclosure can mitigate interference between antenna circuits, RF circuits, and wireless head circuits. Additionally, at least one embodiment described in this disclosure can use a thermal interface material (TIM) to provide increased thermal regulation of the RF circuit. Furthermore, at least one embodiment described in this disclosure can reduce the length of the interface device between the wireless head circuit and the antenna circuit.

[0188] FIG20 illustrates a partial view of an exemplary radio device platform 2000 according to at least one embodiment described in this disclosure. The radio device platform 2000 may include a housing 2002, an enclosure 2006, a radio head circuit 2012, an RF circuit 2004, and an antenna circuit 2014. The radio device platform 2000 may be implemented with any other suitable system described in this disclosure. The radio head circuit 2012 may be identical or similar to other radio head circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., distributed radio head unit 20). The RF circuit 2004 may be identical or similar to other RF circuits or RF circuit systems described in this disclosure (e.g., RF IC circuit 21). The antenna circuit 2014 may be identical or similar to other antenna circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., antenna circuit 25).

[0189] The enclosure 2006 may define a first volume 2008 and a second volume 2010. As illustrated in FIG20, the wireless head circuit 2012 and the RF circuit 2004 may be physically located or configured within the first volume 2008, while the antenna circuit 2014 may be physically located or configured within the second volume 2010. Alternatively, the wireless head circuit 2012, the RF circuit 2004, and the antenna circuit 2014 may be physically located or configured within different volumes other than those illustrated in FIG20. Furthermore, the radio device platform 2000 may include an RF window 2018, which defines a portion of the second volume 2010. Moreover, the wireless head circuit 2012, the RF circuit 2004, and the antenna circuit 2014 may be mechanically coupled to the enclosure 2006.

[0190] The radio device platform 2000 may include a TIM 2026. In some embodiments, the TIM 2026 may be mechanically coupled to the RF circuit 2004 to the enclosure 2006. In these and other embodiments, the TIM 2026 may be mechanically coupled to surface 2036 of the RF circuit 2004 and to surface 2038 of the enclosure 2006. Furthermore, the TIM 2026 may extend from surface 2036 of the RF circuit 2004 to surface 2038 of the enclosure 2006.

[0191] Furthermore, the radio device platform 2000 may include a first shielding interface device 2016. The first shielding interface device 2016 may be electrically coupled to a terminal 2028 of the radio head circuit 2012 and a terminal 2040 of the antenna circuit 2014. In some embodiments, the first shielding interface device 2016 may extend between the radio head circuit 2012 and the antenna circuit 2014 via a sidewall 2023 of the enclosure 2006. In other words, the first shielding interface device 2016 may electrically couple the radio head circuit 2012 to the antenna circuit 2014 through the sidewall 2023.

[0192] The radio device platform 2000 may include a second shielded interface device 2020. The second shielded interface device 2016 may be electrically coupled to another terminal 2034 of the radio head circuit 2012. In some embodiments, the second shielded interface device 2020 may extend from the radio head circuit 2012 to the external volume 2022 through the sidewall 2024 of the enclosure 2006. In these and other embodiments, the second shielded interface device 2020 may also be electrically coupled to an external device (not shown) to provide signals between the external device and the radio head circuit 2012. For example, the external device may provide control signals or signals to be transmitted.

[0193] The RF circuit 2004 may include a ball grid array (BGA) 2030 and an underfill layer 2032. In some embodiments, the BGA 2030 may electrically couple the RF circuit 2014 to the wireless head circuit 2012. In these and other embodiments, the BGA 2030, the underfill layer 2032, or a combination thereof may mechanically couple the RF circuit 2014 to the wireless head circuit 2012.

[0194] The enclosure of the platform can shield the RF circuit and the wireless head circuit from interference from the antenna circuit 25. For example, the enclosure can define a first volume (in which the RF circuit and the wireless head circuit are physically located or configured) and a second volume (in which the antenna circuit is physically located or configured). In addition, the enclosure can shield the RF circuit, the wireless head circuit, and the antenna circuit from interference from external devices or other devices within the platform.

[0195] In some embodiments, the platform may include an RF window that modifies one or more radio signals transmitted by the antenna circuitry. For example, the RF window may allow radio signals transmitted by the antenna circuitry to exit the second volume in a predetermined direction. In some embodiments, the RF window may include a transparent material. In other embodiments, the RF window may include a lens. In these and other embodiments, the RF window may include a material that generates impedance to cause loss in the radio signals transmitted by the antenna circuitry. Furthermore, the impedance-generating RF window may prevent radio signals from external devices from entering the second volume via the RF window due to loss caused by the material.

[0196] In some embodiments, the distance between the antenna circuit and the RF window may be based on the material of the RF window, the frequency of the radio signal transmitted by the antenna circuit, the amplitude of the radio signal transmitted by the antenna circuit, or a combination thereof. In these and other embodiments, the distance between the antenna circuit and the RF window can prevent reflection of the transmitted radio signal.

[0197] In some embodiments, the TIM can operate as a thermal bath to transfer heat from the RF circuitry to the platform housing. In these and other embodiments, the TIM can also electrically isolate or insulate the RF circuitry from the housing of the enclosure. Alternatively, the TIM can also electrically couple the RF circuitry to the housing of the enclosure to ground a portion of the RF circuitry.

[0198] In some embodiments, the TIM may be physically positioned or configured between the wireless head circuitry and the enclosure. The TIM may mechanically couple the wireless head circuitry to the enclosure. Furthermore, the TIM may function as a heat sink for transferring heat from the wireless head circuitry to the platform's housing. In some embodiments, the TIM may be physically positioned or configured between the antenna circuitry and the enclosure. The TIM may mechanically couple the antenna circuitry to the enclosure. Furthermore, the TIM may function as a heat sink for transferring heat from the antenna circuitry to the platform's housing. In these and other embodiments, the TIM may also electrically isolate or insulate the wireless head circuitry, the antenna circuitry, or a combination thereof from the enclosure's housing.

[0199] If the antenna circuit is not shielded from the RF circuit and the wireless head circuit by the enclosure, the distance between the antenna circuit and the wireless head circuit, the RF circuit, or a combination thereof can be increased, which may increase the length of the first shielding interface. The length of the first shielding interface can be reduced because the antenna circuit is shielded from the RF circuit and the wireless head circuit by the enclosure. The first shielding interface, the second shielding interface, or a combination thereof may include a metal sheath, metal braided strands, metal spiral windings, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the first shielding interface, the second shielding interface, or a combination thereof may include ferrite beads on the coaxial cable, a grounding point of the outer conductor, a flexible PCB (e.g., a flexible printed circuit (FPC)) including a copper layer, or a combination thereof. Ferrite beads on the coaxial cable may reduce or remove the outer conductor current of the first or second shielding interface within the enclosure. The grounding point of the outer conductor can be routed from an enclosure within the platform to reduce or remove external conductor current radiation from the first or second shielding interface within the enclosure. In some embodiments, the flexible PCB may include microstrip tracks, striplines, or combinations thereof. The flexible PCB may include copper layers, such as two or three copper layers, for implementing a single-sided solid-state ground reference or top and bottom double-sided contact for the microstrip track, to shield the enclosure (e.g., the enclosure) of RF circuitry, antenna circuitry, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the wireless head circuitry may receive control signals, signals to be transmitted, or combinations thereof via a second shielding interface device.

[0200] In some embodiments, the enclosure may define a single opening in which the antenna circuitry, RF circuitry, and wireless head circuitry are physically located or configured. In these and other embodiments, the RF circuitry may include shielding devices configured to prevent the RF circuitry from providing interference. Furthermore, the shielding devices may prevent the RF circuitry from being exposed to interference. In some embodiments, the wireless head circuitry may include wireless head shielding devices to shield the wireless head circuitry from interference from the RF circuitry, antenna circuitry, or a combination thereof.

[0201] In some embodiments, the enclosure may include a metallic material to shield the wireless head circuit, RF circuit, and antenna circuit from self-interference. Furthermore, the metallic material of the enclosure may create a Faraday cage around the wireless head circuit, RF circuit, antenna circuit, or a combination thereof to shield these circuits or circuit systems or to prevent interference between these circuits or circuit systems and other circuits or circuit systems within the platform.

[0202] Radio frequency (RF) circuitry can traditionally be connected to one or more antennas for the transmission and / or reception of wireless signals. In a multi-band context, it is common to connect RF circuitry to multiple antennas. Each antenna is configured for a different RF band and / or utilizes a different wireless technology (e.g., a first antenna configured to transmit one or more Bluetooth signals and a second antenna configured to transmit one or more Wi-Fi signals). In this configuration, coaxial cable is traditionally used to carry electrical signals between the RF circuitry and the antennas.

[0203] Figure 21 shows a conventional configuration 2100 of the radio frequency circuit 2114, which is connected to one or more antennas 2102, 2104, 2106 via coaxial cables 2108, 2110, 2112. In this configuration, the radio frequency circuit 2114 is configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on any of three different frequency bands. The radio frequency circuit 2114 is conductively connected to three different antennas 2102, 2104, 2106, and these connections are established via three coaxial cables 2108, 2110, 2112, each coaxial cable 2108, 2110, 2112 connecting the terminal of the radio frequency circuit 2114 to the terminal of one of the multiple antennas 2102, 2104, 2106.

[0204] This conventional approach can have several disadvantages. First, coaxial cables can be expensive, thus adding unnecessary or unacceptable costs to the RF device. Second, coaxial cables can be bulky and therefore undesirable in some implementations, such as where miniaturization is particularly important. Third, the use of coaxial cables is associated with insertion loss. This can be due to, for example, the length of the coaxial cable, or losses occurring at the connector between the RF circuit and the coaxial cable (or between the coaxial cable and the antenna, or otherwise). Finally, the coaxial cable requires a connection between the RF circuit and one or more antennas, increasing manufacturing and / or setup complexity. In view of the foregoing, it may be desirable to connect the RF circuit to one or more antennas without a coaxial cable.

[0205] The radio frequency circuitry and one or more antennas may be integrated together in a combined package. This may include radio frequency circuitry and at least one antenna on a common substrate. The common substrate may be (or include) a common printed circuit board.

[0206] FIG22 depicts a radio frequency circuit and antenna package 2200 according to the present disclosure. In this figure, the radio frequency circuit antenna package 2200 includes a base substrate 2202, a radio frequency circuit 2204, and multiple antennas, including a first antenna 2206 (e.g., mounted or formed on or in a first antenna substrate 2210) and a second antenna 2208 (e.g., mounted or formed on or in a second antenna substrate 2210). The radio frequency circuit 2204 is mounted on the base substrate 2202. The radio frequency circuit 2204 can be configured to operate in any of multiple frequency bands. The radio frequency circuit 2204 may include multiple transceivers, each of which can be configured to receive and / or transmit in multiple wireless communication frequency bands, such that the radio frequency circuit 2204 can transmit and / or receive simultaneously or in parallel in multiple frequency bands.

[0207] The first antenna substrate 2210 may be mounted on the base substrate 2202, and the first antenna 2206 may be configured to operate in the first radio frequency band. The second antenna substrate 2212 may be mounted on the first antenna substrate 2210, and the second antenna 2208 may be configured to operate in the second radio frequency band (which may differ from, for example, non-overlapping or only partially overlapping with, the first radio frequency band). The second antenna substrate 2212 is depicted herein as being mounted on the first antenna substrate 2210, although other configurations are also possible. For example, the second antenna substrate 2212 may be mounted on the upper side of the base substrate 2202 (e.g., on the side where the radio frequency circuit 2204 is mounted), or on the lower side of the base substrate 2202 (e.g., on the opposite side of the side where the radio frequency circuit 2204 is mounted).

[0208] The base substrate 2202 (and the first antenna substrate 2210 and / or the second antenna substrate 2212) may be, for example, a printed circuit board. In this configuration, it is possible to select from a variety of printed circuit board types, and a particular type of circuit board should not be construed as limiting. Possible types of circuit boards used for the RF and antenna packages described herein include (but are not limited to) single-layer printed circuit boards, multilayer printed circuit boards, stacked circuit boards, or others.

[0209] One or more antennas can be configured as one or more substrate integrated waveguide antennas. Substrate integrated waveguide antennas may include one or more rows of narrowly placed metal connectors (e.g., vias) within the substrate. The metal connections can simulate thin triangular waveguides and function as antennas. Details of how to design substrate integrated waveguide antennas for specific frequencies or bands will be understood by those skilled in the art, and therefore such details will not be repeated herein.

[0210] Figure 23 depicts various types of radio frequency circuit and antenna packages 2300 according to the present disclosure. In this figure, the radio frequency circuit and antenna package 2300 includes a plurality of substrates 2302, 2304, 2306, 2308, 2310, 2312, 2314, for example...

[0211] - First grounding substrate 2302, which provides a first grounding potential terminal and a first grounding potential to the first antenna 2316, and is configured to operate in the first wireless frequency band;

[0212] - First antenna substrate 2304 (e.g., mounted on first ground substrate 2302); First antenna 2316 may be formed on and / or in the first antenna substrate 2304;

[0213] - Radio frequency circuit substrate 2306 (e.g., mounted on the first antenna substrate 2304); Radio frequency circuit 2318 may be mounted on radio frequency circuit substrate 2306;

[0214] - Second antenna substrate 2308 (e.g. mounted on radio frequency circuit substrate 2306); a second antenna 2320 configured to operate in a second radio frequency band (which may be different from, for example, non-overlapping or only partially overlapping with, the first radio frequency band) may be formed on and / or in the second antenna substrate 2308;

[0215] - The second grounding substrate 2310 (e.g., mounted on the second antenna substrate 2308) provides a second grounding potential terminal and a second grounding potential to the second antenna 2320;

[0216] - A third antenna substrate 2312 (e.g., mounted on a second grounding substrate 2310); a third antenna 2322 configured to operate in a third radio frequency band (which may differ from, for example, non-overlapping or only partially overlapping with, the first radio frequency band and / or the second radio frequency band) may be formed on and / or in the third antenna substrate 2312; and

[0217] - The third grounding substrate 2314 (e.g., mounted on the third antenna substrate 2312) provides a third grounding potential termination and a third grounding potential to the third antenna 2322.

[0218] Due to the nature of antennas 2316, 2320, and 2322, and / or to provide sufficient isolation between antennas 2316, 2320, and 2322, one or more grounding substrates 2302, 2308, and 2312 may be provided to be implemented on the exterior of antennas 2316, 2320, and 2322. For example, as described above, a first antenna substrate 2304 (including the first antenna 2316) may be positioned or configured between the first grounding substrate 2302 and the radio frequency circuit substrate 2306 (including the radio frequency circuit 2318); a second antenna substrate 2308 may be between the radio frequency circuit substrate 2306 and the second grounding substrate 2310; and a third antenna substrate 2312 may be between the second grounding substrate 2310 and the third grounding substrate 2314. The radio frequency (integrated) circuit 2306 may include multiple terminals. At least some terminals are electrically connected to one or more of the first antenna substrate 2304 (and the first antenna 2316), the second antenna substrate 2308 (and the second antenna 2320), and the third antenna substrate 2312 (and the third antenna 2322).

[0219] FIG24 depicts another embodiment of the radio frequency circuit and antenna package 2400 according to the present disclosure. In this example, the radio frequency circuit and antenna package 2400 includes a base substrate 2402 and a radio frequency circuit substrate 2406 (including one or more radio frequency circuits) mounted on the base substrate 2402. The radio frequency circuit and antenna package 2400 may include one or more waveguide antenna substrates (each including one or more waveguide antennas), which are depicted herein as a first waveguide antenna substrate 2404; and a second waveguide antenna substrate, which may be positioned or disposed on the first waveguide antenna substrate 2404 (as shown in reference numeral 2408a) or directly on the base substrate 2402 (as shown in reference numeral 2408b) on the opposite side of the radio frequency circuit substrate 2404. In this case, the second waveguide antenna substrate is depicted as being placed on top of the first waveguide antenna substrate 2404 (as in 2408b), which may be positioned on top of the waveguide antenna substrate 2404 (and thus above or below the base substrate 2402, as desired). Considerations for placement may include (but are not limited to) substrate surface availability, maximum component height / depth, interference from other devices, or others.

[0220] The radio frequency circuit 2406 may include one or more terminals 2410, each of which may be electrically connected to the terminals of one or more antennas 2412, 2414, 2416. The number of antennas 2412, 2414, 2416 (and therefore the number of terminals) may vary depending on the implementation. According to one aspect of this disclosure, each antenna 2412, 2414, 2416 may be configured with at least one terminal connected to the terminal of the radio frequency circuit 2406. The number of terminals of the radio frequency circuit 2406 may, for example, be greater than or equal to the number of antennas 2412, 2414, 2416. While each antenna 2412, 2414, 2416 requires a connection to the radio frequency circuit 2406 for operation, the radio frequency circuit 2406 may be configured with additional (e.g., unused) terminals relative to the number of antennas 2412, 2414, 2416 used in a particular embodiment.

[0221] The RF circuit and antenna package 2400 of Figure 24 can be configured as a device including a base substrate 2402; an antenna circuit including a first substrate integrated waveguide antenna 2404, including a first terminal and mounted in or on one or more layers of the base substrate 2402. The first substrate integrated waveguide is configured to operate in a first frequency band; and an RF circuit (not separately labeled) including: a first digital transceiver circuit (an example of RF circuit 2406), including a second terminal electrically coupled to the first terminal. The first digital transceiver circuit is mounted on the base substrate 2402. The first digital transceiver circuit is configured to receive and / or transmit wireless signals via the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna.

[0222] According to the present disclosure, the antenna circuit may include a second substrate integrated waveguide antenna, which may include a third terminal electrically connected to a fourth terminal of the radio frequency circuit 2406. According to the present disclosure, the radio frequency circuit 2406 may include one or more digital transceiver circuits, such that a first digital transceiver circuit is configured to operate in a first frequency band, and a second digital transceiver circuit is configured to operate in a second radio frequency band. Each of the digital transceiver circuits may include a terminal electrically connected to a terminal of one of the substrate integrated waveguide antennas.

[0223] As described above, the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna can be directly mounted on the base substrate 2402, either on the upper surface or the lower surface of the base substrate 2402. If the second substrate integrated waveguide antenna is used, it can be directly mounted on the base substrate 2402 (either on the upper or lower surface of the substrate), or it can be mounted on the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna. As an extension of this concept, if the third substrate integrated waveguide antenna is used, it can be mounted on the substrate (either on the upper or lower surface of the substrate) or on either the first or second substrate integrated waveguide antenna. The third substrate integrated waveguide antenna (when used) may include a fifth terminal, which can be electrically connected to a sixth terminal located within the third digital transceiver circuit, as part of the radio frequency circuit 2406.

[0224] As described herein, multiple antennas and multiple digital transceiver circuits allow radio frequency circuits to use multiple (different, e.g., non-overlapping) frequency bands to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on multiple antennas.

[0225] Some multi-radio devices may include multiple single-feed antenna circuits. Each antenna circuit may be configured to operate in different frequency ranges. For example, the first antenna circuit may operate in the low-frequency band (LB) frequency range (e.g., the 2.4 GHz band), the second antenna circuit may operate in the high-frequency band (HB) frequency range (e.g., the 5 GHz band), and the third antenna circuit may operate in the ultra-high-frequency band (UHB) frequency range (e.g., the 6 GHz band).

[0226] The multi-radio device according to the configuration described in this disclosure can implement a multi-feed antenna circuit having separate feeds for radio signals in different frequency ranges. In some configurations, the multi-feed antenna circuit may include isolation to reduce rejection settings of correlation filters.

[0227] The multiple radio devices described in this disclosure may include a first radio circuit (which provides a first radio signal in a first frequency range) and a second radio circuit (which provides at least one of a second radio signal in a second frequency range and a third radio signal in a third frequency range). The multiple radio devices may also include a first antenna circuit electrically coupled to the first radio circuit and a second antenna circuit electrically coupled to the second radio circuit. The first antenna circuit can receive the first radio signal and transmit a first radio signal representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuit can receive the second radio signal and the third radio signal, and can transmit a second radio signal representing at least one of the second radio signal and the third radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit transmitting the first radio signal.

[0228] Some of the configurations described in this disclosure allow for the co-location of the wireless head circuitry and the antenna circuitry. This co-location allows for connection types other than the coaxial connection type to be implemented. Other connection types may include RF traces on a printed circuit board. Furthermore, the co-location of the wireless head circuitry and the antenna circuitry can reduce the cost of implementing tri-band dual parallelism (TBDC), mm-wave WiFi, or other communication types.

[0229] FIG25 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a multiple radio device 2500 according to at least one of the states described in this disclosure. The multiple radio device 2500 may be the same as or similar to the communication device 100, and is described above in relation to FIG1B. The multiple radio device 2500 may include a radio head circuit 2502, a first filter circuit 2512, a second filter circuit 2514, a first antenna circuit 2516, and a second antenna circuit 2518. The radio head circuit 2502 may include a STEP circuit 2504, a first time domain circuit 2506, a second time domain circuit 2507, a first radio circuit 2508, and a second radio circuit 2510.

[0230] The wireless head circuit 2502 may be the same as or similar to other wireless head circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., distributed wireless head unit 20). The first antenna circuit 2516 and the second antenna circuit 2518 may be the same as or similar to other antenna circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., antenna circuit 25).

[0231] STEP circuit 2504 can be electrically coupled to a first time-domain circuit 2506 and a second time-domain circuit 2507. The first time-domain circuit 2506 can be electrically coupled to a first radio circuit 2508. The second time-domain circuit 2507 can be electrically coupled to a second radio circuit 2510.

[0232] The first radio circuit 2508 may include a first terminal 2501 and a fifth terminal 2509. The second radio circuit 2510 may include a second terminal 2503 and a sixth terminal 2511. The first antenna circuit 2516 may include a third terminal 2505, and the second antenna circuit 2518 may include a fourth terminal 2541. The first filter circuit 2512 may include a seventh terminal 2513 and an eighth terminal 2515. The second filter circuit 2514 may include a ninth terminal 2517 and a tenth terminal 2519.

[0233] The first terminal 2501 can be electrically coupled to the seventh terminal 2513. Furthermore, the seventh terminal 2513 can be electrically coupled to the fifth terminal 2509. The second terminal 2503 can be electrically coupled to the ninth terminal 2517. Furthermore, the ninth terminal 2517 can be electrically coupled to the sixth terminal 2511. The eighth terminal 2515 can be electrically coupled to the third terminal 2505. Furthermore, the tenth terminal 2519 can be electrically coupled to the fourth terminal 2541.

[0234] STEP circuit 2504 may include a serial interface communicatively coupled to an additional electronic device (e.g., a System-on-a-Chip) (not shown in FIG. 25). For example, STEP circuit 2504 may be communicatively coupled to a WiFi digital signal processor (DSP) of the SOC. STEP circuit 2504 may generate a first STEP signal and a second STEP signal. STEP circuit 2504 may receive signals from the SOC in a first time domain, a second time domain, or a combination thereof. STEP circuit 2504 may generate a first STEP signal and a second STEP signal in a first time domain, a second time domain, or a combination thereof. First time domain circuit 2506 may generate a first time domain signal based on the first STEP signal. In some embodiments, first time domain circuit 2506 may generate a first time domain signal by modulating the first STEP signal in a corresponding time domain. Second time domain circuit 2507 may generate a second time domain signal based on the second STEP signal. In some cases, the second time-domain circuit 2507 can generate a second time-domain signal by adjusting the second STEP signal in the corresponding time domain.

[0235] The first radio circuit 2508 may provide a first radio signal within a first frequency range based on a first time-domain signal. Furthermore, the second radio circuit 2510 may provide at least one of a second radio signal within a second frequency range and a third radio signal within a third frequency range based on a second time-domain signal. In some embodiments, the first frequency range, the second frequency range, and the third frequency range may include different frequency ranges.

[0236] The first filter circuit 2512 can receive and filter out a portion of the first radio signal that is outside the first frequency range. The second filter circuit 2514 can receive and filter out a portion of the second radio signal that is outside the second frequency range. In addition, the second filter circuit 2514 can receive and filter out a portion of the third radio signal that is outside the third frequency range.

[0237] The first antenna circuit 2516 can receive a first radio signal. Furthermore, the first antenna circuit 2516 can transmit a first radio signal within a first frequency range representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2518 can receive a second radio signal and a third radio signal. Furthermore, the second antenna circuit 2518 can transmit a second radio signal representing at least one of the second and third radio signals. The second antenna circuit 2518 can transmit the second radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2516 transmitting the first radio signal. If the second radio signal represents a second radio signal, the second antenna circuit 2518 can transmit the second radio signal within a second frequency range. Alternatively, if the second radio signal represents a third radio signal, the second antenna circuit 2518 can transmit the second radio signal within a third frequency range.

[0238] The first antenna circuit 2516 can provide a first received radio signal within a first frequency range to the first radio circuit 2508. In some embodiments, the first antenna circuit 2516 can provide the first received radio signal to the first radio circuit 2508 via a first filter circuit 2512 and a fifth terminal 2509. The second antenna circuit 2518 can provide a second received radio signal within a second or third frequency range to the second radio circuit 2510. In some embodiments, the second antenna circuit 2518 can provide the second received radio signal to the second radio circuit 2510 via a second filter circuit 2514 and a sixth terminal 2511. The second antenna circuit 2518 can provide the second received signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2516 providing the first received signal.

[0239] FIG26 illustrates a block diagram of another example of a multiple radio device 2600 according to at least one of the embodiments described in this disclosure. The multiple radio device 2600 may be the same as or similar to the communication device 100, and is described above in relation to FIG1B. The multiple radio device 2600 may include a radio head circuit 2602, a first filter circuit 2628, a second filter circuit 2630, a third filter circuit 2632, a first antenna circuit 2634, a second antenna circuit 2636, and a third antenna circuit 2638. The radio head circuit 2602 may be the same as or similar to other radio head circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., distributed radio head unit 20). The first antenna circuit 2634, the second antenna circuit 2636, and the third antenna circuit 2638 may be the same as or similar to other antenna circuits described in this disclosure (e.g., antenna circuit 25).

[0240] The wireless head circuit 2602 may include a STEP circuit 2604, a first time-domain circuit 2606, a second time-domain circuit 2607, a cross switch / switch circuit 2620, a first radio circuit 2622, a second radio circuit 2624, and a third radio circuit 2626. The STEP circuit 2604 may be electrically coupled to the first time-domain circuit 2606 and the second time-domain circuit 2607. The first time-domain circuit 2606 and the second time-domain circuit 2607 may be electrically coupled to the cross switch / switch 2620. The cross switch / switch may be electrically coupled to the first radio circuit 2622, the second radio circuit 2624, and the third radio circuit 2626.

[0241] The first filter circuit 2628 can be electrically coupled between the first radio circuit 2622 and the first antenna circuit 2634. The second filter circuit 2630 can be electrically coupled between the second radio circuit 2624 and the second antenna circuit 2636. The third filter circuit 2632 can be electrically coupled between the third radio circuit 2626 and the third antenna circuit 2638.

[0242] STEP circuit 2604 may include a serial interface communicatively coupled to an additional electronic device (e.g., a System-on-a-Chip) (not shown in FIG. 26). For example, STEP circuit 2604 may be communicatively coupled to a WiFi DSP of the System-on-a-Chip. STEP circuit 2604 may generate a first STEP signal and a second STEP signal. STEP circuit 2604 may receive signals from the System-on-a-Chip in a first time domain, a second time domain, or a combination thereof. STEP circuit 2604 may generate a first STEP signal and a second STEP signal in a first time domain, a second time domain, or a combination thereof. First time domain circuit 2606 may generate a first time domain signal based on the first STEP signal. In some embodiments, first time domain circuit 2606 may generate a first time domain signal by modulating the first STEP signal in a corresponding time domain. Second time domain circuit 2607 may generate a second time domain signal based on the second STEP signal. In some configurations, the second time-domain circuit 2607 can generate a second time-domain signal by adjusting the second STEP signal in the corresponding time domain. The cross switch / switch 2620 can transmit the first time-domain signal, the second time-domain signal, or a combination thereof to the first radio circuit 2622, the second radio circuit 2624, the third radio circuit 2626, or a combination thereof.

[0243] The first radio circuit 2508 can provide a first radio signal within a first frequency range based on a first time-domain signal, a second time-domain signal, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the second radio circuit 2510 can provide a second radio signal within a second frequency range based on the first time-domain signal, the second time-domain signal, or a combination thereof. The third radio circuit 2626 can provide a third radio signal within a third frequency range based on the first time-domain signal, the second time-domain signal, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the first frequency range, the second frequency range, and the third frequency range may each include different frequency ranges.

[0244] The first filter circuit 2628 can receive and filter out a portion of the first radio signal that is outside the first frequency range. The second filter circuit 2630 can receive and filter out a portion of the second radio signal that is outside the second frequency range. The third filter circuit 2632 can receive and filter out a portion of the third radio signal that is outside the third frequency range.

[0245] The first antenna circuit 2634 can receive a first radio signal. Furthermore, the first antenna circuit 2634 can transmit a first radio signal within a first frequency range representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2636 can receive a second radio signal. In some embodiments, the second antenna circuit 2636 can transmit a second radio signal within a second frequency range representing the second radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2630 can transmit the second radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2634 transmitting the first radio signal.

[0246] The third antenna circuit 2638 can receive a third radio signal. Furthermore, the third antenna circuit 2638 can transmit a third radio signal within a third frequency range representing the third radio signal. The third antenna circuit 2638 can transmit the third radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2634 (transmitting a first radio signal), the second antenna circuit 2636 (transmitting a second radio signal), or a combination thereof.

[0247] The first antenna circuit 2634 can provide a first received radio signal in a first frequency range to the first radio circuit 2622 via the first filter circuit 2628. The second antenna circuit 2636 can provide a second received radio signal in a second frequency range to the second radio circuit 2624 via the second filter circuit 2630. The second antenna circuit 2636 can provide the second received signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2634 providing the first received signal. The third antenna circuit 2638 can provide a third received radio signal in a third frequency range to the third radio circuit 2626 via the third filter circuit 2632. The third antenna circuit 2638 can provide the third received signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2634 providing the first received signal, the second antenna circuit 2636 providing the second received signal, or some combination thereof.

[0248] FIG27 illustrates a block diagram of another example of a multiple radio device 2700 according to at least one of the embodiments described in this disclosure. The multiple radio device 2700 may be the same as or similar to the communication device 100, and is described above in relation to FIG1B. The multiple radio device 2700 may include a radio head circuit 2602, a filter circuit 2741, a duplexer circuit 2740, a first antenna circuit 2734, a second antenna circuit 2742, or some combination thereof.

[0249] The first radio circuit 2622 may include a first terminal 2701 and a sixth terminal 2707. The second radio circuit 2624 may include a second terminal 2703 and a seventh terminal 2709. The third radio circuit may include a third terminal 2705 and an eighth terminal 2710. The first antenna circuit 2734 may include a fourth terminal 2721, and the second antenna circuit 2742 may include a fifth terminal 2723. The filter circuit 2741 may include a ninth terminal 2711 and a tenth terminal 2713. The duplexer circuit 2740 may include an eleventh terminal 2715, a twelfth terminal 2717, and a thirteenth terminal 2719.

[0250] The first terminal 2701 can be electrically coupled to the ninth terminal 2711. Furthermore, the sixth terminal 2707 can be electrically coupled to the ninth terminal 2711. The second terminal 2703 can be electrically coupled to the eleventh terminal 2715. Furthermore, the seventh terminal 2709 can be electrically coupled to the eleventh terminal 2715. The third terminal 2705 can be electrically coupled to the twelfth terminal 2717. Furthermore, the eighth terminal 2710 can be electrically coupled to the twelfth terminal 2717. The tenth terminal 2713 can be electrically coupled to the fourth terminal 2721. The thirteenth terminal 2719 can be electrically coupled to the fifth terminal 2723.

[0251] Filter circuit 2741 can receive and filter out portions of a first radio signal that are outside a first frequency range. Duplexer circuit 2740 can receive and multiplex a second and a third radio signal. For example, duplexer circuit 2740 can multiplex the second and third radio signals to thirteenth terminal 2719. Duplexer circuit 2740 can generate multiplexed radio signals representing the second radio signal, the third radio signal, or a combination thereof. Duplexer circuit 2740 can generate multiplexed radio signals within a second or third frequency range based on the multiplexed radio signal system representing the second or third radio signal.

[0252] The first antenna circuit 2734 can receive a first radio signal. Furthermore, the first antenna circuit 2734 can transmit a first radio signal within a first frequency range representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2742 can receive a multiplexed radio signal. Furthermore, the second antenna circuit 2742 can transmit a second radio signal representing the multiplexed radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2742 can transmit the second radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2734 transmitting the first radio signal. If the multiplexed radio signal represents the second radio signal, then the second antenna circuit 2742 can transmit the second radio signal within a second frequency range. Alternatively, if the multiplexed radio signal represents a third radio signal, then the second antenna circuit 2742 can transmit the second radio signal within a third frequency range.

[0253] The first antenna circuit 2734 can provide a first received radio signal in a first frequency range to the first radio circuit 2722 via the fifth terminal 2721. The second antenna circuit 2742 can provide a second received radio signal in a second frequency range or a third frequency range to the second radio circuit 2724 or the third radio circuit 2726 via the fifth terminal 2723 and the duplexer circuit 2740. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second antenna circuit 2742 can provide a second received radio signal to the third radio circuit 2726 via the fifth terminal 2723 and the duplexer circuit 2740. The second antenna circuit 2742 can provide the second received signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2734 providing the first received signal.

[0254] FIG28 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a multiple radio device 2800 according to at least one of the embodiments described in this disclosure. The multiple radio device 2800 may be the same as or similar to the communication device 100, and is described above in relation to FIG1B. The multiple radio device 2800 may include a radio head circuit 2602, a filter circuit 2846, a duplexer circuit 2844, a first antenna circuit 2848, a second antenna circuit 2850, or some combination thereof.

[0255] The first antenna circuit 2848 may include a fourth terminal 2821, and the second antenna circuit 2850 may include a fifth terminal 2823. The filter circuit 2846 may include a ninth terminal 2811 and a tenth terminal 2813. The duplexer circuit 2844 may include an eleventh terminal 2815, a twelfth terminal 2817, and a thirteenth terminal 2819.

[0256] The first terminal 2701 can be electrically coupled to the eleventh terminal 2815. Furthermore, the sixth terminal 2707 can be electrically coupled to the eleventh terminal 2815. The second terminal 2703 can be electrically coupled to the twelfth terminal 2817. Furthermore, the seventh terminal 2709 can be electrically coupled to the twelfth terminal 2817. The third terminal 2705 can be electrically coupled to the ninth terminal 2811. Furthermore, the eighth terminal 2710 can be electrically coupled to the ninth terminal 2811. The tenth terminal 2813 can be electrically coupled to the fifth terminal 2823. The thirteenth terminal 2819 can be electrically coupled to the fourth terminal 2821.

[0257] The duplexer circuit 2844 can receive and multiplex a first radio signal and a second radio signal. For example, the duplexer circuit 2844 can multiplex the first radio signal and the second radio signal to a thirteenth terminal 2819. The duplexer circuit 2844 can generate multiplexed radio signals representing the first radio signal, the second radio signal, or a combination thereof. The duplexer circuit 2844 can generate multiplexed radio signals within a first frequency range or a second frequency range based on whether the multiplexed radio signal represents the first radio signal or the second radio signal. The filter circuit 2846 can receive and filter out portions of the third radio signal that are outside the third frequency range.

[0258] In some configurations, the first antenna circuit 2848 can receive multiplexed radio signals. Furthermore, the first antenna circuit 2848 can transmit a first radio signal representing the multiplexed radio signal. If the multiplexed radio signal represents the first radio signal, then the first antenna circuit 2848 can transmit the first radio signal within a first frequency range. Alternatively, if the multiplexed radio signal represents a second radio signal, then the first antenna circuit 2848 can transmit the first radio signal within a second frequency range. The second antenna circuit 2850 can receive a third radio signal. Furthermore, the second antenna circuit 2850 can transmit a second radio signal within a third frequency range representing the third radio signal. The second antenna circuit 2850 can transmit the second radio signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2848 transmitting the first radio signal.

[0259] The first antenna circuit 2848 can provide a first received radio signal in a first frequency range or a second frequency range to the first radio circuit 2622 or the second radio circuit 2624 via the fourth terminal 2821 and the duplexer circuit 2844. The second antenna circuit 2850 can provide a second received radio signal in a third frequency range to the third radio circuit 2626 via the fifth terminal 2823 and the filter circuit 2846. The second antenna circuit 2850 can provide the second received signal in parallel with the first antenna circuit 2848 providing the first received signal.

[0260] The multiple radio devices may include a radio head circuit, which includes a first radio providing a first radio signal having a first frequency range. The radio head circuit may also include a second radio circuit providing at least one of a second radio signal in a second frequency range and a third radio signal in a third frequency range. The multiple radio devices may also include an antenna circuit, which includes a first antenna circuit electrically coupled to the first radio circuit and a second antenna circuit electrically coupled to the second radio circuit. The first antenna circuit may receive the first radio signal and transmit the first radio signal in a first frequency range representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuit may receive the second radio signal and the third radio signal, and transmit the second radio signal representing at least one of the second radio signal and the third radio signal in parallel with the transmission of the first radio signal by the first antenna circuit. The second antenna circuit may transmit the second radio signal in a second frequency range or a third frequency range based on the second radio signal representing either the second radio signal or the third radio signal.

[0261] The multiple radio devices may include a first BPF circuit electrically coupled between the first radio circuit and the first antenna circuit. The first BPF circuit may filter out a portion of the first radio signal outside a first frequency range. Furthermore, the multiple radio devices may include a second BPF circuit electrically coupled between the second radio circuit and the second antenna circuit. The second BPF circuit may filter out a portion of the second radio signal outside a second frequency range and a portion of the third radio signal outside a third frequency range.

[0262] The multiple radio devices may include radio head circuitry, comprising a first radio circuit (providing a first radio signal in a first frequency range), a second radio circuit (providing a second radio signal in a second frequency range), and a third radio circuit (providing a third radio signal in a third frequency range). The multiple radio devices may also include antenna circuitry, comprising a first antenna circuit electrically coupled to the first radio circuit and a second antenna circuit electrically coupled to the second and third radio circuits. The first antenna circuitry may receive the first radio signal and transmit a first radio signal representing the first radio signal. The second antenna circuitry may receive the second radio signal and the third radio signal. The second antenna circuitry may transmit a second radio signal representing at least one of the second and third radio signals in parallel with the first antenna circuitry transmitting the first radio signal.

[0263] The multiple radio device may also include a BPF circuit electrically coupled between the first radio circuit and the first antenna circuit. The BPF circuit can filter out a portion of the first radio signal outside the first frequency range. The multiple radio device may also include a duplexer circuit electrically coupled between the second antenna circuit and the second radio circuit, and between the second antenna circuit and the third radio circuit. The duplexer circuit can multiplex the first radio signal and the second radio signal to provide a fourth radio signal representing at least one of the second radio signal and the third radio signal to the second antenna circuit. The second antenna circuit can transmit the second radio signal representing the fourth radio signal.

[0264] In some configurations, the first frequency range may include the LB frequency range, the second frequency range may include the HB frequency range, and the third frequency range may include the UHB frequency range. In other configurations, the first frequency range may include the HB frequency range, the second frequency range may include the LB frequency range, and the third frequency range may include the UHB frequency range. In other configurations, the first frequency range may include the UHB frequency range, the second frequency range may include the LB frequency range, and the third frequency range may include the HB frequency range.

[0265] In some embodiments, the radio circuit may include one or more power amplifiers (PAs). In other embodiments, the PA may be external to the radio circuit. The filter circuitry described in this disclosure may include a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter, a high-pass filter, or any other suitable type of filter. The multiple radio devices may include a duplexer circuit electrically coupled to the radio circuitry that provides radio signals within the LB and UHB. The multiple radio devices may also include filter circuitry between the radio circuitry and the duplexer circuitry.

[0266] The multiple radio devices may also include a first filter circuit electrically coupled between a second radio circuit and a duplexer, and a second filter circuit electrically coupled between a third radio circuit and a duplexer. The first and second filter circuits can filter out portions of their respective radio signals that are outside their respective frequency ranges.

[0267] The radio frequency circuit may include two or more digital transceivers configured to transmit and / or receive in different radio frequency bands and / or according to different radio frequency technologies. For example, radio frequency circuits are conventionally configured with two digital transceivers. The first transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive Bluetooth signals, while the second transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive Wi-Fi signals.

[0268] A conventional configuration of this setup may include a low-band (LB) / high-band (HB) duplexer with a 45dB rejection required to support lossless parallel dual-band (CDB) operation. The 45dB rejection may be required for the HB / UHB duplexer to enable HB+UHB parallel operation.

[0269] In these conventional configurations, each digital transceiver typically includes transmit and receive feeds connected to a switch that selectively connects either the transmit or receive feed to an antenna. For example, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth designs often include a Tx / Rx switch integrated in silicon to reduce overall size and cost. This Tx / Rx switch introduces insertion loss and various trade-offs between Tx and Rx optimization.

[0270] Figure 29 depicts a conventional configuration 2900 of this radio frequency circuit, configured to operate on two or more frequency bands using two or more wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth and Wi-Fi). In this figure, the radio frequency circuit 2902 includes a first digital transceiver circuit 2904 and a second digital transceiver circuit 2906, each including a transmit feed and a receive feed (respectively labeled "TRX" and "RF"), in Figure 29. In this example, the first digital transceiver circuit 2904 includes an LB signal transmitted to a duplexer 2908, while the second digital transceiver circuit 2906 includes an HB / UHB signal transmitted to a duplexer 2908. The duplexer 2908 selectively connects signals from the first digital transceiver circuit 2904 to the antenna, signals from the second digital transceiver circuit 2906 to the antenna 2910, or both signals from the first digital transceiver circuit 2904 and the second digital transceiver circuit 2906 to the antenna. It is noteworthy that, because the transmit and receive feeds of each digital transceiver are selected within the digital transceiver circuitry, only the transmit or receive feed is connected to the duplexer 2908. This configuration can be associated with unwanted insertion loss, which can be undesirable.

[0271] According to the configuration disclosed herein, these disadvantages can be reduced or eliminated by removing the switch within the digital transceiver between the Rx and Tx feed lines, and by utilizing one or more matching networks in a manner described herein to properly transmit signals to or from the multi-feed antenna. This configuration will be described below according to various configurations disclosed herein. In addition to the elements in this configuration described below with respect to the digital transceiver and multi-feed antenna, the apparatus described herein may include any of the elements disclosed in Figures 1 through 5, including (but not limited to) one or more amplifiers 231, 232, one or more tuners or filters 233, one or more digital-to-analog converters 213, one or more analog-to-digital converters 214, or others.

[0272] Figure 30 depicts a configuration 3000 of the radio frequency circuit 3002, which is configured to operate in at least two radio frequency bands, according to the pattern disclosed herein. In this figure, the radio frequency circuit 3002 includes a first digital transceiver circuit 3004 and a second digital transceiver circuit 3006, each including a transmit feed and a receive feed. In this example, the first digital transceiver circuit 3004 again includes its low-frequency band signal transmitted to the matching network 3008 (in this example, configured as a duplexer), while the second digital transceiver circuit 3006 includes its HB / UHB signal transmitted to the matching network 3008.

[0273] Compared to configuration 2900 depicted in FIG29, configuration 3000 in FIG30 does not include the disconnect switches within the respective digital transceiver circuits used for switching between the transmission feed and the receive feed. Instead, the configuration depicted in FIG30 includes two matching networks 3008 and 3010, which can be configured as a transmission duplexer 3008 and a receive duplexer 3010.

[0274] The transmission duplexer 3008 can receive two transmission feeds (from the first digital transceiver circuit 3004 and from the second digital transceiver circuit 3006) as inputs, and can output either the transmission feed from the first digital transceiver circuit 3004 or the transmission feed from the second digital transceiver circuit 3006. Conversely, the receive duplexer 3010 can receive a signal from the antenna 3012 as input, and can output the signal as either the receive feed to the first digital transceiver circuit 3004 or the receive feed to the second digital transceiver circuit 3006.

[0275] Both the receive duplexer 3010 and the transmit duplexer 3008 can be connected to the multi-feed antenna via matching networks 3008 and 3010. According to the configuration disclosed herein, the multi-feed antenna can be configured to receive and / or transmit on two different radio frequency bands and / or for two different radio frequency technologies (e.g., Bluetooth and Wi-Fi).

[0276] In this manner, each duplexer 3008, 3010 can be configured to selectively connect a single transmission feed (e.g., a transmission feed from a single digital transceiver) or a single receive feed (e.g., a receive feed from a single digital transceiver) to a maximum of feed antennas.

[0277] Figure 31 depicts a configuration 3100 of a digital transceiver and multi-feed antenna according to another disclosed configuration. In this figure, the radio frequency circuit 3102 includes a first digital transceiver circuit 3104 and a second digital transceiver circuit 3106. The first digital transceiver circuit 3104 can be configured for low-frequency band operation and includes a low-frequency band transmission feed and a low-frequency band receiving feed. The low-frequency band transmission feed is connected to a transmission bandpass filter 3108, and the low-frequency band receiving feed is connected to a receiving bandpass filter 3110. The transmission bandpass filter 3108 can be configured to receive the low-frequency band transmission feed and output the filtered low-frequency band transmission feed to the first multi-feed antenna 3112. The receiving bandpass filter 3110 can be configured to receive the signal from the first multi-feed antenna 3112 and output the filtered signal as a low-frequency band receiving feed to the first digital transceiver circuit 3104. The second digital transceiver circuit 3106 may include a high-frequency band transmission feed and a high-frequency band receiving feed. The second digital transceiver circuit 3106 may be connected to a transmission bandpass filter 3114 via the high-frequency band transmission feed and to a receiving bandpass filter 3116 via the high-frequency band receiving feed. The transmission bandpass filter 3114 may be configured to receive the high-frequency band transmission feed and output a filtered high-frequency band transmission feed to the second multi-feed antenna 3118. The receiving bandpass filter 3116 may be configured to receive the signal from the second multi-feed antenna 3118 and output the filtered signal as a high-frequency band receiving feed to the second digital transceiver circuit 3106. In this manner, the first multi-feed antenna 3112 may be configured to operate in a first radio frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz), and the second multi-feed antenna 3118 may be configured to operate in a second radio frequency band (e.g., 5-7 GHz). The resulting configuration removes the switch between the transmission feeder and the receiving feeder, as depicted in Figure 29, thereby improving efficiency and reducing insertion loss.

[0278] Figure 32 depicts a configuration of a digital transceiver and multiple feed antenna according to one of the disclosed additional configurations. In this example, the radio frequency circuit 3202 may include multiple digital transceivers. This example will be described with three digital transceivers; however, more or fewer digital transceivers may be used. In this case, the first digital transceiver circuit 3204 may be configured to operate in a first radio frequency band (e.g., 6-7 GHz); the second digital transceiver circuit 3206 may be configured to operate in a second radio frequency band (e.g., 5-6 GHz); and the third digital transceiver circuit 3208 may be configured to operate in a third radio frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz). Each digital transceiver circuit 3204, 3206, 3208 includes a transmit feed and a receive feed. The transmission feeds of each digital transceiver circuit 3204, 3206, and 3208 are connected to a transmission bandpass filter, and the receiving feeds of each digital transceiver circuit 3204, 3206, and 3208 are connected to a receiving bandpass filter, collectively shown as 3210. Each transmission bandpass filter 3210 can be configured to receive the transmission feeds from the respective digital transceiver circuits 3204, 3206, and 3208, and can be configured to output a filtered version of the received signal to its respective multi-feed antenna, collectively shown as 3212. Each receiving bandpass filter 3210 can be configured to receive the signal from its respective multi-feed antenna 3212 and output the filtered version of the received signal as a separate receiving feed to the respective digital transceiver circuit 3204, 3206, or 3208. In this way, the complex digital transceiver circuits 3204, 3206, and 3208 can be integrated into the radio frequency circuit 3202, allowing each of the complex digital transceiver circuits 3204, 3206, and 3208 to be configured to operate in different frequency bands, according to different radio frequency technologies, and using separate multi-feed antennas. In doing so, the switching between the transmit and receive feeds (as depicted in Figure 29) can be avoided, thereby improving efficiency and reducing insertion loss.

[0279] Figure 33 illustrates an example of a multi-band wireless device according to this disclosure. The multi-band wireless device may include an antenna 3310, electrically connected to a first radio circuit 3306 and a second radio circuit 3308 of a radio frequency integrated circuit 3304; the radio frequency integrated circuit 3304 includes a first radio circuit 3306 configured to output a first electrical signal representing a wireless signal to be transmitted in a first frequency band to a first matching network 3312 and to receive a second electrical signal representing a wireless signal received in the first frequency band from a second matching network 3314; and a second radio circuit 3308 configured to output a first electrical signal representing a wireless signal to be transmitted in a second frequency band to a first matching network 3312 and to receive a second electrical signal representing a wireless signal received in the first frequency band from a second matching network 3314; and a second radio circuit 3308 configured to output a first electrical signal representing a wireless signal to be transmitted in a second frequency band to a second matching network 3312. The third electrical signal of the wireless signal in the second frequency band is output to the first matching network 3312 and a fourth electrical signal representing the wireless signal received in the second frequency band is received from the second matching network 3314; and the first matching network 3312 is configured to selectively output either the first electrical signal or the third electrical signal to the antenna 3310; and the second matching network is configured to receive electrical signals from the antenna 3310 and selectively output either the second electrical signal to the first radio circuit 3306 or the fourth electrical signal to the second radio circuit 3308.

[0280] According to the present disclosure, a multi-band wireless device may include a substrate 3302. Any components described herein (including, but not limited to, antenna 3310, matching networks 3312 and 3314, and radio frequency integrated circuit 3304) may be mounted on or in any one or more layers of the substrate 3302.

[0281] According to the configuration disclosed herein, the antenna may be a substrate-integrated waveguide antenna. The substrate-integrated waveguide antenna may be placed on or within any layer or multiple layers of the substrate 3302. The substrate-integrated waveguide antenna may be configured according to any other example of the substrate-integrated waveguide antenna described herein.

[0282] The structures described in Figures 30 to 34 may include one or more antennas configured to operate in multiple radio frequency bands; one or more antennas configured to operate in a single radio frequency band; or combinations thereof. According to one aspect of this disclosure, the antennas or multiple antennas of the radio frequency device disclosed herein may be configured to operate in a radio frequency band between 2.4 GHz and 7 GHz. This may include, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 to 6 GHz, 6 to 7 GHz, or any combination thereof.

[0283] FIG34 depicts another aspect of a multi-band wireless device according to the present disclosure. The multi-band wireless device includes a substrate 3302; a first antenna 3310a, in or on one or more layers of the substrate; a second antenna 3310b, in or on one or more layers of the substrate; a radio frequency integrated circuit 3304 mounted on the substrate, including a first radio circuit 3306 configured to output a first electrical signal representing a wireless signal to be transmitted in a first frequency band and to receive a second electrical signal representing a wireless signal received in the first frequency band; a second radio circuit 3308 configured to output a third electrical signal representing a wireless signal to be transmitted in a second frequency band and to receive a fourth electrical signal representing a wireless signal received in the second frequency band; and a first bandpass filter network 3312 configured to receive the first electrical signal from the first radio circuit; perform one or more filtering operations on the first electrical signal; and output the filtered first electrical signal to the first antenna 3310a. The first bandpass filter network 3312 is further configured to receive electrical signals from the first antenna 3310a; perform one or more filtering operations on the received electrical signals from the first antenna 3310a; and output the filtered received signals from the first antenna 3310a to the first radio circuit as a second electrical signal. The second bandpass filter network 3314 is configured to receive a third electrical signal; perform one or more filtering operations on the third electrical signal; and output the filtered third electrical signal to the second antenna 3310b. The second bandpass filter network 3314 is further configured to receive signals from the second antenna 3310b; perform one or more filtering operations on the received signals from the second antenna 3310b; and output the filtered received signals from the second antenna 3310b to the second radio circuit 3308 as a fourth electrical signal.

[0284] According to the configuration disclosed herein, the first antenna can be configured to operate in any one of 2.4 GHz; 5 GHz to 6 GHz; 6 GHz to 7 GHz; or 5 GHz to 7 GHz, and the second antenna can be configured to operate in any one of 2.4 GHz; 5 GHz to 6 GHz; 6 GHz to 7 GHz; or 5 GHz to 7 GHz. The second antenna is configured in a frequency band different from that of the first antenna.

[0285] The matching network described herein may be or include a duplexer and / or a multiplexer. For example, and as depicted in Figure 30, the matching network may be configured as a single duplexer 3004, which may be configured to receive transmission feeds from multiple digital transceiver circuits, or a duplexer 3002, which may be configured to output to receive feeds from multiple digital transceivers. This concept is not limited to the use of duplexers, but may also utilize one or more multiplexers, such as when multiplexers are used for three or more digital transceivers. Alternatively, the matching network may be configured as a multiplexer, even when only two digital transceivers are used.

[0286] The matching network described herein can be configured as a bandpass filter. In this way, the bandpass filter can be configured to filter out any irrelevant frequencies that are not related to the desired transmission or reception frequency. For example, the bandpass filter can be configured to receive signals from a multi-feed antenna and filter out any frequencies other than those in the radio frequency band that its associated digital transceiver is configured to receive.

[0287] As disclosed herein, one or more radio circuits may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more Wi-Fi Alliance wireless network protocols. Additionally or alternatively, one or more radio circuits may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth Special Interest Group) wireless protocols.

[0288] The principles and methods described herein can enable enhanced multi-radio functionality by using a multi-feed antenna (as a non-limiting example, a dual-feed antenna having separate feeds for LB and HB / UHB), which has isolation within the antenna to reduce rejection requirements from bandpass filters replacing duplexers. It can use a multi-feed antenna to, for example, separate the Tx and Rx RF signal paths by using two duplexers.

[0289] The device disclosed herein is believed to enable dual-radio performance with reduced FE filter insertion loss, thereby improving Tx power and Rx sensitivity; enabling dual-radio filter implementation; reducing cost; enabling the removal of integrated Tx / Rx switches; reducing insertion loss and improving Tx power and Rx sensitivity. Furthermore, it is expected to improve design trade-offs between the Tx and Rx paths and separately enable optimization of each; enable separate design of Tx and Rx filters / duplexers; and reduce Rx insertion loss; and improve Rx sensitivity.

[0290] Figure 35 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless head unit circuit 3501 according to various configurations. The wireless head unit circuit 3501 may include multiple multi-feed antenna terminals 3501, for example, two or more multi-feed antenna terminals, and one or more radio frequency front-end circuits 3502. In some configurations, one or more radio frequency front-end circuits 3502 may include multiple radio frequency front-end circuits 3502 (also referred to as RF FE circuits), for example, two or more RF FE circuits.

[0291] For example, multiple multi-feed antenna terminals 3501 may be part of the RF electrical signal interface 27. Depending on the embodiment, the wireless head circuit 3501 may be implemented on a single silicon die or circuit board or on multiple silicon dies or circuit boards. In some embodiments, the wireless head circuit 3501 may be configured on a single silicon die or circuit board. In other embodiments, the wireless head circuit 3501 may be distributed over multiple dies or circuit boards. In some embodiments, the various components of the wireless head may be interconnected with each other as described in detail later, for example, at the die level, via internal connections within the chip package; or at the circuit board level, for example, via circuit board wires (also referred to as signal tracks or tracks).

[0292] The plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3503 may include a first multi-feed antenna terminal 3510, a second multi-feed antenna terminal 3520 and / or a third multi-feed antenna terminal 3530. For example, the plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3503 may include at least one multi-feed antenna terminal for each of the plurality of RF FE circuits 3502.

[0293] Each of the plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3503 can be configured to be connected to a feed port (also referred to as an antenna feed port) of the multi-feed antenna, as described in detail later, for signal transmission. Each of the plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3503 can be electrically connected to a feed port (also referred to as an antenna feed port) of the multi-feed antenna, as described in detail later, for signal transmission. During operation, the plurality of RF FE circuits 3502 can exchange power with the plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3503, for example, for communication via the multi-feed antenna.

[0294] In some embodiments, the plurality of RF FE circuits 3502 may include a first RF FE circuit 3512, a second RF FE circuit 3522, and / or a third RF FE circuit 3532. Each of the plurality of RF FE circuits 3502 may be coupled to at least one of the plurality of multi-feed antenna terminals 3501 (e.g., via connector 235 as described above). For example, the first RF FE circuit 3512 (if present) may be coupled to the first multi-feed antenna terminal 3510. For example, the second RF FE circuit 3522 (if present) may be coupled to the second multi-feed antenna terminal 3520. For example, the third RF FE circuit 3532 (if present) may be coupled to the third multi-feed antenna terminal 3530.

[0295] Each of the multiple RF FE circuits 3502 can be configured to communicate via a separate multi-feed antenna terminal, for example, by transmitting and / or receiving analog signals within the frequency range (also referred to as a block or communication channel) of a separate component carrier, via the multi-feed antenna terminal. In RF communication, the available spectrum can be divided into multiple frequency bands, each of which can be further divided into multiple frequency blocks (also referred to as sub-bands), which may not overlap with each other. For example, the 802.11 standard can provide several different radio frequency bands for Wi-Fi communication, such as the so-called 900 MHz band, 2.4 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, 4.9 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 5.9 GHz band, etc. (as indicated by the following frequency limits).

[0296] A communication channel may have a certain capability for transmitting information, measured by its bandwidth (also called channel bandwidth) in hertz (Hz) or its data rate in bits per second. Bandwidth (BW) is a continuous frequency band occupied by a modulated carrier signal and indicates the difference between the upper and lower frequency limits of a communication channel. The maximum possible data rate per user is increased, and more communication channels are allocated to wireless mobile devices, for example, for individual communications performed by wireless mobile devices (e.g., at the software level).

[0297] For example, the first RF FE circuit 3512 can be configured for communication having a first component carrier frequency range (also referred to as a first communication channel). The first communication channel (e.g., its lower frequency limit) can be configured in about 2.5 GHz (GHz) or more (also referred to as a high-frequency band frequency range), for example, in 3.5 GHz or more, for example, in about 5 GHz or more, for example, in the range of about 5 GHz to 7 GHz, for example, in the range of about 5.15-5.895 GHz (also referred to as a high-frequency band frequency) and 5.935-7.125 GHz (also referred to as an ultra-high-frequency band frequency). For example, the first communication channel may have a first bandwidth of about 160 MHz (MHz) or less (e.g., about 80 MHz or less).

[0298] For example, the second RF FE circuit 3522 can be configured for communication with a second component carrier frequency range (also referred to as a second communication channel). The second communication channel (e.g., its lower frequency) can be configured at about 2.5 GHz or more, for example, at about 3.5 GHz or more, for example, at about 5 GHz or more, for example, in the range of about 5 GHz to 7 GHz. For example, the second communication channel can have a second bandwidth of about 160 MHz or less (e.g., about 80 MHz or less).

[0299] For example, the third RF FE circuit 3532 can be configured for communication with a third component carrier frequency range (also referred to as a third communication channel). The third communication channel (e.g., its upper frequency) may be lower than the first communication channel (e.g., its lower frequency) and / or lower than the second communication channel (e.g., its lower frequency).

[0300] The wireless head circuit 3501 may further include one or more processors 3550 configured to implement carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may be based on two or more component carrier frequency ranges (also referred to as aggregated communication channels): a first, a second, and / or a third component carrier frequency range. Illustratively, two or more component carrier frequency ranges may be aggregated and assigned to a single wireless mobile device, for example, individual communications performed by the wireless mobile device (e.g., at the software level).

[0301] For example, carrier aggregation may be based on (e.g., in a first aggregation mode) a first component carrier frequency range and a second component carrier frequency range. For example, carrier aggregation may be based on (e.g., in a second aggregation mode) a first component carrier frequency range and a third component carrier frequency range.

[0302] Depending on the individual component carrier frequency ranges in the available spectrum, carrier aggregation can be so-called intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation, so-called intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation, or so-called inter-band carrier aggregation. Intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation can be based on two or more component carrier frequency ranges that are contiguous in the same frequency band. Intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation can be based on two or more component carrier frequency ranges that are in the same frequency band but separated from each other by a frequency gap (e.g., by an unused communication channel). Inter-band carrier aggregation can be based on two or more component carrier frequency ranges that are different from each other in the frequency band, wherein they are located or configured.

[0303] Typically, one or more processors 3550 can be configured to implement non-connected carrier aggregation or connected carrier aggregation.

[0304] In the following text, WiFi is used as an example of a mobile network communication protocol, which may or may not be defined by various standards. For example, communication via individual multi-feed antenna terminals may be based on WiFi (e.g., WiFi 7). WiFi 7 can be configured to support one or more communication channels (also referred to as 320 MHz communication channels) with a band width of up to 320 MHz (e.g., connected). It can be understood that the reference to WiFi (e.g., WiFi 7) can be similarly applied to other mobile network communication protocols.

[0305] Typically, the number of available communication channels with a high channel width (BW) (e.g., 320 MHz) is limited, for example, depending on regional regulations. For example, the United States allows a maximum of three 320 MHz communication channels, while the European Union allows a maximum of a single 320 MHz communication channel. However, the number of available communication channels with a lower channel width (e.g., 160 MHz) (also referred to as 160 MHz communication channels) in the 5-7 GHz band can be relatively high. In this context, the wireless head circuit 3501 can perform carrier aggregation based on at least one lower BW to allow for higher data rates.

[0306] For example, carrier aggregation can be based on a first communication channel with a BW of approximately 160 MHz and a second communication channel with a BW of approximately 160 MHz (also known as 160+160MHz carrier aggregation). This allows support for a connected 320 MHz Rx via 160+160 MHz carrier aggregation. In some cases, this allows for improved signal-to-noise ratio and / or robustness using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), such as 4096 quadrature amplitude modulation (4K-QAM). 4096-QAM provides 12 bits per symbol. For example, carrier aggregation can allow 5 Gbps WiFi (5.76 Gbps peak PHY rate) covering many possible combinations of 160+160MHz communication channels. It is understood that carrier aggregation can also be based on other combinations of communication channels, which do not necessarily have to be the same in their BW (also known as symmetrical carrier aggregation) and / or limited to 160 MHz.

[0307] One or more processors 3550 may be configured to control communications via and / or within the wireless head circuitry 3501. For example, one or more processors 3550 may be configured to control communications received and / or transmitted via multiple multi-feed antenna terminals 3503.

[0308] Depending on the configuration, software-level logic communication can be performed via the wireless head circuit 3501. For example, software-level logic communication may include streaming data (e.g., downloading or uploading data) via the wireless head circuit 3501, for example, to or from a wireless network. The wireless head circuit 3501 can be configured to output one or more analog signals (also called antenna signals) via multiple multi-feed antenna terminals 3503 to establish one or more wireless communications via the multi-feed antennas. For example, the first wireless communication may be based on one of two or more aggregated communication channels, and the second wireless communication may be based on another of two or more aggregated communication channels.

[0309] Depending on the configuration, communication at the software level may include receiving digital signals via wireless head circuitry 3501, for example, via digital interface 40. The digital signals may transmit one or more data streams, each of which will be transmitted to a wireless network (also referred to as upload data). One or more processors may assign one or more first portions of the digital signals to a first wireless communication and one or more second portions of the digital signals to a second wireless communication. Illustratively, one or more processors 3550 may be configured to distribute upload data to two or more of the multiple RF FE circuits 3502, which are used for carrier aggregation. Conversely, one or more processors 3550 may be configured to combine the data they receive from two or more of the multiple RF FE circuits 3502, which are used for carrier aggregation to generate digital signals.

[0310] Typically, carrier aggregation implementations may include one or more of the following functions: negotiating and / or determining the communication channel to be aggregated (in some cases, the communication channel to be used for carrier aggregation); allocating data (e.g., uploading data) to each of two or more aggregated communication channels; and merging data received via each of two or more aggregated communication channels (e.g., downloading data). Depending on the various cases, some (but not all) of these functions may be implemented by one or more processors 3550 or may be provided externally to the wireless head unit circuitry 3501.

[0311] Depending on the configuration, one or more processors 3550 can be configured to determine whether carrier aggregation is available (also known as an availability check), for example, by determining one or more unused communication channels and / or negotiating communication channels to be aggregated, for example, with an access point of a wireless network. In response to carrier aggregation being determined to be available, one or more processors 3550 can select two or more communication channels to be aggregated based on the result of the availability check, and enable the aggregation of the two selected communication channels (also known as aggregated communication channels in this case). Conversely, one or more processors 3550 can be configured to disable carrier aggregation, for example, by terminating the availability of carrier aggregation when communication ends and / or when an event is timed. For example, the wireless head circuitry can implement various transmission modes to enable or disable carrier aggregation. For example, communication can be initiated via a single 160 MHz communication channel or a 20 MHz-in-160 MHz communication channel, and carrier aggregation based on a combination of 160+160 MHz communication channels can be negotiated with the access point. For example, communication can begin via a single 320 MHz communication channel, and if the availability of the 320 MHz communication channel ends, carrier aggregation based on a combination of 160+160 MHz communication channels can be negotiated with the access point.

[0312] Figure 36 illustrates a block diagram of an example available spectrum between 5 GHz and 7 GHz, including up to three 160 MHz communication channels and up to seven 80 MHz communication channels in the band between 5.15 GHz and 5.895 GHz (also known as the high frequency band); and including up to three 320 MHz communication channels and up to seven 160 MHz and up to fourteen 80 MHz communication channels in the band between 5.935 GHz and 7.125 GHz (also known as the ultra-high frequency band).

[0313] Depending on the configuration, any non-connected communication channel combination can be used for carrier aggregation, specifically a 160+160MHz communication channel combination. The 160+160MHz communication channel combination allows the same data rate (illustratively, throughput) for a single connected 320 MHz communication channel, but covers more possible channel combinations (increasing flexibility in some configurations).

[0314] Typically, more than two (e.g., non-connected) communication channels can be aggregated. Therefore, the number of RF FEs, circuits, transmitters and / or receivers, and antenna feed ports can be increased.

[0315] Figure 37 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless head unit circuit 3501 according to various configurations 3701. The wireless head unit circuit 3501 may include a multiplexer 3701 coupled to multiple RF FE circuits 3502, for example, a time-domain multiplexer 3701. The multiplexer 3701 (also referred to as a MUX) may include one or more first input / output nodes (also referred to as MUXin) and one or more second input / output nodes (also referred to as MUXout). Each MUXout may be coupled to multiple RF FE circuits 3502. The multiplexer 3701 may be configured to selectively couple selected MUXin to selected MUXout, for example, according to carrier aggregation.

[0316] The wireless headband circuit 3501 may further include one or more baseband circuits 3702, each of which may include a time-domain processing entity (TD PHY) section. Each of the one or more baseband circuits 3702 may be coupled to one of the RF FE circuits 3502, for example, selectively via multiplexer 3701. For example, each of the one or more baseband circuits 3702 may be coupled to MUXin.

[0317] Figure 38 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 3801. Circuit 3801 may include wireless head circuit 3501 and multi-feed antenna 3810. Multi-feed antenna 3810 may include a first pair of ports, including a first feed port 3811 and a first ground port, which are connected to each other by a first antenna portion (e.g., a first rail portion). Multi-feed antenna 3810 may include a second pair of ports, including a second feed port 3812 and a first ground port, which are connected to each other by a second antenna portion (e.g., a second rail portion). The first antenna portion and the second antenna portion may at least partially overlap each other (e.g., share the same material) and / or may be monolithic.

[0318] The first feed port 3811 may be coupled to the first multi-feed antenna terminal 3510, for example, via a bandpass filter circuit 3821. The bandpass filter circuit 3821 may be configured according to a first bandwidth, for example, having approximately 80 MHz or 160 MHz.

[0319] The second feed port 3812 may be coupled to one or more of the following: the second multi-feed antenna terminal 3520 and / or the third multi-feed antenna terminal 3530. For example, the second feed port 3812 may be selectively coupled to the second multi-feed antenna terminal 3520 or the third multi-feed antenna terminal 3530, for example, via duplexer circuit 3822.

[0320] The duplexer circuit 3822 can be configured according to the second bandwidth, for example, having approximately 80 MHz or 160 MHz. If the third RF FE circuit 3532 is used for carrier aggregation, the duplexer circuit 3822 can be configured according to the bandwidth of the third RF FE circuit 3532.

[0321] Depending on the configuration, circuitry 3801 may include one or more circuit boards. The multi-feed antenna 3810 and wireless head circuitry 3501 may be configured (mounted, directly formed, or at least partially integrated) on and / or within one or more circuit boards. For example, the multi-feed antenna 3810 and wireless head circuitry 3501 may be configured (e.g., mounted, directly formed, or at least partially integrated) on the same circuit board, for example, configured to the same monolithic substrate of the circuit board. This achieves a more miniaturized architecture and facilitates signal transmission, for example, for integration in wireless mobile devices.

[0322] Depending on the configuration, the multi-feed antenna 3810 may include (e.g., a single track) a rail or one or more track portions disposed in or above a circuit board. This achieves a more miniaturized architecture and facilitates signal transmission, for example, for integration in wireless mobile devices. More generally, the multi-feed antenna 3810 may include or be formed into a self-patterned conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) layer, such as circuit board tracks.

[0323] For example, the use of the multi-feed antenna 3810 can utilize wireless head circuitry, which can be (in various configurations) co-located with the multi-feed antenna, as described in detail later. For example, carrier aggregation via a single multi-feed antenna 3810 reduces the size (e.g., compared to two separate antennas) and can be viewed as a single antenna by the host platform, thus making it easier to integrate and provide support.

[0324] Depending on the configuration, the multi-feed antenna 3810 can be isolated in the range of 10dB to 15dB (especially with DTX-digital Tx). This isolation level can be achieved by designing a miniature multi-feed antenna 3810.

[0325] The principles and methods described herein can enable enhanced multi-radio functionality by using a multi-feed antenna (as a non-limiting example, a dual-feed antenna having separate feeds for LB and HB / UHB), which has isolation within the antenna to reduce rejection requirements from bandpass filters replacing duplexers. The multi-feed antenna can be used to, for example, separate Tx and Rx RF signal paths by using two duplexers. The multi-feed antenna can be used to support symmetrical DL / UL non-connected carrier aggregation, including (but not limited to) 160+160 MHz.

[0326] WiFi 7 supports up to 320 MHz (connected) channel bandwidth; however, there is a limited number of non-overlapping 320 MHz channels, while many more 160 MHz channels are available in the 5 to 7 GHz band. Therefore, it may be desirable to configure the RF circuitry to operate in multiple RF bands, and to do so with increased efficiency and reduced insertion loss.

[0327] At least some of the devices disclosed herein enable dual-radio performance with reduced FE insertion loss, thereby improving Tx power and Rx sensitivity; enable dual-radio filter implementation; reduce cost; enable the removal of integrated Tx / Rx switches. Furthermore, at least some of the devices disclosed herein improve design trade-offs between the Tx and Rx paths and separately enable optimization of each; enable separate design of Tx and Rx filters / duplexers / triplexers / multiplexers; reduce Rx and / or Tx insertion loss; improve Rx sensitivity and Tx power; enable Wi-Fi channel aggregation covering many possible combinations of 160+160MHz, 160+80 MHz, or any other effective Wi-Fi channel; and support improved SNR and 4K-QAM robustness through connected 320MHz Rxes of connected 160+160MHz.

[0328] At least some of the devices disclosed herein enable dual-radio performance with reduced FE filter insertion loss, thereby improving Tx power and Rx sensitivity; enable dual-radio filter implementation; reduce cost; enable the removal of integrated Tx / Rx switches; reduce insertion loss and improve Tx power and Rx sensitivity. Furthermore, at least some of the devices disclosed herein improve design trade-offs between the Tx and Rx paths and separately enable optimization of each; enable separate design of Tx and Rx filters / duplexers; reduce Rx insertion loss; improve Rx sensitivity; enable 5Gbps WiFi (5.76Gbps peak PHY rate) covering many possible 160+160 MHz channel combinations; and support optimal SNR and 4K-QAM robustness through a connected 320MHz Rx at 160+160MHz.

[0329] Figure 39 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless head circuit 3901 according to various configurations. The wireless head circuit 3901 may include one or more antenna terminals 3910 (e.g., connector 235) for operating and / or sensing antennas. As an example, the one or more antenna terminals 3910 may include one or more multi-feed antenna terminals 3510, as detailed herein. The wireless head circuit 3901 may further include one or more RF FE circuits 3502, each coupled to one or more antenna terminals 3910. Each of the one or more RF FE circuits 3502 may be configured to transmit and / or receive signals (also referred to as antenna signals) via the antenna terminals.

[0330] The wireless head circuit 3901 may further include one or more processors 3950 configured to determine the operating point of the antenna (also known as operating point determination).

[0331] Depending on the configuration, the operating point determination may be based on antenna signals (also referred to as received antenna signals) received at or via one or more antenna terminals 3910. For example, the operating point determination may include sensing the received antenna signals, such as their frequency, amplitude, BW, electrical power, etc. For example, the wireless headband circuit 3901 may include one or more sensors configured to sense the received antenna signals. This enables consideration of one or more parameters representing the antenna impedance, such as VSWR and / or scattering parameters.

[0332] An example of a received antenna signal may be based on wireless communication received via an antenna (e.g., an RX signal). An example of a received antenna signal may be based on a response to an antenna signal transmitted via antenna terminal 3910 (also referred to as a transmitted antenna signal) (e.g., including reflection of the transmitted antenna signal), such as including the response of an antenna to a transmitted antenna signal.

[0333] Depending on the configuration, the operating point determination may be based on antenna signals transmitted at or via one or more antenna terminals 3910. For example, the operating point determination may include sensing antenna signals transmitted at or via antenna terminals, such as their frequency, bandwidth (BW), amplitude, power, etc. For example, the wireless head unit circuit 3901 may include one or more sensors configured to sense the transmitted antenna signals. This enables consideration of one or more physical parameters of wireless communication via the antenna, such as frequency, bandwidth (BW), power, etc.

[0334] Depending on the configuration, the operating point determination may be based on the operating point of one or more components of the wireless head circuit 3901, such as the transceiver chain 10a. For example, the operating point determination may include the operating point for sensing the RF FE circuit 3502 and / or the operating point for sensing one or more baseband circuits 3502. This enables consideration of one or more physical and / or logical parameters of the wireless communication, such as bandwidth, spectral efficiency, peer status, type of wireless communication, etc.

[0335] Examples of operating points (e.g., based on sensed operating parameters) may include: VSWR, carrier signal frequency (e.g., WiFi RF frequency), communication channel (e.g., WiFi RF frequency range), channel BW (e.g., WiFi RF BW), return loss of wireless communication, and / or peers (e.g., access point).

[0336] For example, operating point determination may include determining changes in the operating point of the antenna. Depending on the specific case, operating point determination may include determining (e.g., sensing) one or more of the following changes in the operating point: one or more changes in VSWR, one or more changes in WiFi RF frequency, one or more changes in WiFi signal bandwidth, or one or more changes in communication channel (also known as air link channel) and / or equivalent.

[0337] The wireless head circuit 3901 facilitates (e.g., precise) control of antenna properties, such as VSWR, frequency response, and communication channel relative to (e.g., varying with) its peers. Simultaneously, the wireless head circuit 3901 allows for the estimation of complex return losses and achieves high-quality VSWR.

[0338] Depending on the configuration, one or more processors 3950 may be configured to determine an impedance adjustment value (e.g., impedance setpoint or impedance change) based on an operating point. For example, one or more processors 3950 may be configured to generate an impedance control signal based on the determined impedance adjustment value. For example, the impedance control signal may include an analog signal or a digital signal that includes the impedance adjustment value.

[0339] For example, one or more of the following parameters may be adjusted (e.g., optimized) based on a determined operating point: VSWR, for example, to maximize Tx power; system scattering parameters (also known as S-parameters) relative to (e.g., varying with) channel frequencies, for example, for optimizing the used WiFi RF frequencies and bandwidths for air link utilization; system channel matrix relative to (e.g., varying with) peers, for example, for performance (e.g., including higher magnitudes and / or lower correlations).

[0340] As another example, a high-quality body proximity sensor circuit can be implemented based on a determined operating point, as described in detail later.

[0341] Figure 40 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless head circuit 3901 according to various configurations 4001. The wireless head circuit 3901 may further include a control terminal 3920 and / or a pair of antenna terminals 3910, 3930.

[0342] One or more processors may be further configured to generate impedance control signals based on determined operating points, for example, including instructions for generating analog impedance control signals (also known as impedance control instructions). The impedance control signals may be output at control terminal 3920.

[0343] For example, the wireless head unit circuit 3901 may include a signal generator 3921 (e.g., including a digital-to-analog converter) configured to generate an analog impedance control signal, for example, when receiving an impedance control command from one or more processors 3950. For example, the impedance control command may include a determined impedance adjustment value. Depending on the configuration, the signal generator 3921 may be located external to the wireless head unit circuit 3901. Alternatively, the wireless head unit circuit 3901 may include the signal generator 3921.

[0344] Depending on the configuration, the wireless head circuit 3901 may include a pair of antenna terminals 3910, 3930, for example, a daily antenna. The pair of antenna terminals 3910, 3930 may include a first antenna terminal 3910 (also referred to as a TX antenna terminal) and a second antenna terminal 3930 (also referred to as a sensing terminal 3930 or an RX antenna terminal 3930).

[0345] The wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., RF FE circuit 3502) can be configured to output a first antenna signal (also referred to as a transmitted antenna signal, TX antenna signal, or transmitted signal) via a TX antenna terminal. The TX antenna signal can control the operation of the antenna, for example, by including uploaded data (also referred to as TX traffic).

[0346] The wireless head circuit 3901 can be configured to receive a second antenna signal (also known as a received antenna signal or a return signal) via a sensing terminal. The received antenna signal may include downloaded data (also known as Rx traffic) or may include a reflection of the TX antenna signal.

[0347] Optionally, the wireless headband circuit 3901 may include a sensor circuit 3931 configured to sense a received antenna signal. In this case, one or more processors 3950 may be configured to receive the sensed signal from the sensor circuit 3931. Alternatively, one or more processors 3950 may be configured to process the received antenna signal. Due to processing the received antenna signal or the sensed signal, one or more processors 3950 may generate an impedance control signal, for example, including an impedance control command.

[0348] Figure 41 illustrates a block diagram of a circuit 4101 according to various configurations, including at least one of the following: a wireless head circuit 3901 and one or more antennas 4102 (e.g., one or more multi-feed antennas 3810), and / or matching network circuit 4102.

[0349] Matching network circuitry 4102 (also referred to as matching circuitry or matching network) may be coupled to antenna terminal 3920 and / or one or more antennas 4102. Matching network circuitry 4102 may include variable impedance. Variable impedance may be provided by one or more variable (e.g., controllable) circuit elements. Generally, matching network circuitry 4102 may be analog matching network circuitry 4102 and / or RF matching network circuitry 4102.

[0350] As an example, the variable impedance may be provided by one or more of the following variable (e.g., controllable) circuit elements: one or more variable coils of the matching network circuit 4102, one or more variable resistors of the matching network circuit 4102, one or more switches of the matching network circuit 4102, and / or one or more variable capacitors of the matching network circuit 4102.

[0351] The wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., one or more processors 3950) can be configured to control a variable impedance, for example, via an impedance control signal. For example, the wireless head circuit 3901 can supply an impedance control signal to the matching network circuit 4102. In this configuration, the wireless head circuit 3901 is configured to provide impedance control. In some configurations, the impedance control can be implemented by one or more processors (which may be part of the wireless head circuit 3901). In other configurations, the impedance control, or some functions thereof, can be implemented by one or more processors (which may be external to the wireless head circuit 3901), as detailed later.

[0352] Examples of impedance control functions may include: operating point determination, generating an impedance control signal based on the operating point, and outputting the control signal to the matching network circuit.

[0353] The matching network circuit 4102 can be configured to change the variable impedance according to the impedance control signal, for example, according to the determined impedance adjustment value represented by the impedance control signal.

[0354] Each of one or more antennas 4102 may be coupled to one of one or more antenna terminals 3910. For example, the wireless head circuit 3901 may include one of two antenna terminals 3910 connected to each antenna 4102 of the antenna 4102.

[0355] Optionally, circuit 4101 may include a directional coupler circuit 4103 that couples antenna 4102 to radio head circuit 3901. For example, directional coupler circuit 4103 may couple radio head circuit 3901 to matching network circuit 4102. Depending on the configuration, directional coupler circuit 4103 may be located outside of radio head circuit 3901. Alternatively, radio head circuit 3901 may include directional coupler circuit 4103.

[0356] The directional coupler circuit 4103 can be configured to supply a signal (also known as a return signal) from the antenna 4102 to the wireless head circuit 3901, for example, to the sensing terminal 3930. The directional coupler circuit 4103 can be further configured to supply a signal (also known as a transmitted signal) from the wireless head circuit 3901 (for example, from the TX antenna terminal 3910) to the antenna 4102. More generally, the directional coupler circuit 4103 can be configured to selectively couple the sensing terminal 3930 or the TX antenna terminal 3910 to the wireless head circuit 3901, for example, depending on the direction of the antenna signal (illustratively, the direction of communication via one or more antenna terminals).

[0357] Depending on the state, the transmitted signal and / or the returned signal can be affected by the matching network circuit 4102, for example, by the actual value of the variable impedance of the matching network circuit 4102. This provides more precise control of the operating point, for example, by controlling the variable impedance with one or more processors 3950.

[0358] Depending on the configuration, at least two of the following: antenna 4102, wireless head circuitry 3901, and / or matching network circuitry 4102 may be configured (e.g., mounted, directly formed, or at least partially integrated) on the same circuit board, for example, configured to the same monolithic substrate of the circuit board. This achieves a more miniaturized architecture and facilitates signal transmission, for example, for integration in wireless mobile devices.

[0359] Depending on the configuration, antenna 4102 may include (e.g., a single trace) a track or one or more track portions disposed in or above a circuit board. This achieves a more miniaturized architecture and facilitates signal transmission, for example, for integration in wireless mobile devices. More generally, antenna 4102 may include or be formed with a self-patterned conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) layer, such as circuit board tracks.

[0360] Depending on the configuration, joint tuning of the matching network circuit 4102 (e.g., analog and / or RF) and antenna 4102 at the wireless head circuit 3901 is provided for optimizing air link utilization. Simultaneously, high-quality estimations of complex return loss and VSWR are provided.

[0361] As an exemplary implementation, the wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., wireless head module) may be configured to be close to (e.g., adjacent to) the antenna 4102 and may be configured to change its variable impedance connected to the antenna 4102, for example, when one or more of the following are determined to be: VSWR change, WiFi RF frequency change, WiFi signal bandwidth change, or air link channel change relative to (e.g., varies with) peers.

[0362] An exemplary algorithm implemented by the wireless head circuit 110101 (e.g., by one or more processors 3950) may include: slow tracking for the operating point (e.g., matched configuration) of maximum Rx spectral efficiency and / or Tx spectral efficiency; slow tracking for the operating point (e.g., matched configuration) of maximum Rx spectral efficiency in a scenario with a primary Rx flow (e.g., with alternating jammers); slow tracking for the operating point (e.g., matched configuration) of maximum Rx spectral efficiency in a scenario with a primary Rx flow (e.g., without alternating jammers); slow tracking for the operating point (e.g., matched configuration) of maximum Tx spectral efficiency in a system scenario with a primary Tx flow; and slow tracking for returning the minimum absolute value of the loss and / or the operating point (e.g., matched configuration) with the maximum Tx power.

[0363] An exemplary algorithm implemented by the wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., by one or more processors 3950) may include proximity determination. Proximity determination may include determining the proximity of human tissue, for example, when determining the difference between the sensed return loss and the reference return loss (e.g., the return loss sensed in a production line, where there is no such proximity). Typically, proximity determination may be based on a comparison of the sensed return loss and the reference return loss. For example, the reference return loss may be stored by the wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., by the memory of the wireless head circuit 3901). For example, the reference return loss may be read from the memory by one or more processors 3950. The reference return loss may correspond to the return loss sensed in a proximityless environment of the antenna 4102.

[0364] The implementation method of proximity determination is described in more detail below.

[0365] Figure 42 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations, including wireless head circuit 3901. Furthermore, circuit 4201 may include specific absorption rate (SAR) sensor circuit 4202 (also referred to as SAR sensor circuit) and / or matching network circuit 4202.

[0366] Depending on the configuration, the sensor circuit (e.g., SAR sensor circuit 4202) may implement a measurement chain. The measurement chain may be implemented partially or completely by circuit 4201. In some configurations, the measurement chain includes appropriate infrastructure (e.g., one or more of the following: processor, signal generator, storage media and / or bus system, etc.) for implementing various functions of the measurement procedure. Examples of measurement procedures include: specific absorption rate determination, proximity determination, and operating point determination. Examples of functions of the measurement procedure include: initiating a sensing procedure, controlling a sensing procedure, processing the quantity sensed by the sensing procedure as an input variable, converting the quantity sensed by the sensing procedure as an output variable, and / or providing an electrical signal (also referred to as a sensing signal) as an output variable. The sensing signal may be based on the input variable at a time in the sensing procedure. The sensing signal may be an analog or digital signal.

[0367] In some configurations, one or more SAR determination functions may be implemented by one or more processors of the SAR sensor circuit 4202 or by one or more processors external to the SAR sensor circuit 4202 (e.g., external to circuit 4201). It is understood that references made for SAR determination can be similarly applied to the SAR sensor circuit 4202 and / or one or more processors.

[0368] The SAR sensor circuit 4202 may include or be formed from one or more integrated chips (ICs), for example, provided in a single chip package. Depending on the configuration, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be provided as a single IC (also referred to as sensor IC 4202), which reduces manufacturing and installation costs. It is understood that the reference made for sensor IC 4202 can be similarly applied to SAR sensor circuit 4202 provided in another configuration.

[0369] Depending on the configuration, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 can be configured adjacent to the SAR sensor circuit. Configuring the SAR sensor circuit 4202 adjacent to the wireless head circuit 3901 reduces the signal travel distance from one or more sensing pads and also reduces the cost of cabling and routing space in the system. For example, a separate circuit board for the wireless head circuit 3901 may not be necessary.

[0370] In this document, the term "proximity" may be used for various electrical components, such as circuits, circuit systems, antennas, sensing pads, etc., to describe their positional relationship. For example, the term "proximity" may represent their spatial location and / or electrical connection to each other. In some cases, two or more electrical components configured to be adjacent to each other (also referred to as a group of adjacent components) can be understood as being located or configured close to each other, for example, having a small spatial distance between them and / or being on the same circuit board. In some cases, a group of adjacent components can be understood as being coupled to each other by a short signal path (e.g., including wiring, signal tracks, and / or another conductor), for example, having a small impedance.

[0371] Depending on the type, groups of adjacent components can provide for smaller designs, can be provided within a single module, and / or reduce wiring costs and effort. Furthermore, groups of adjacent components (which are electrically coupled to each other) can provide higher signal quality (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio) and reduce detrimental effects on the signal path during information exchange (e.g., impedance, attenuation, internal reflection, scattering, etc.). Examples of groups of adjacent components (which are electrically coupled to each other) can include components that communicate with each other, components that sense each other, etc.

[0372] Exemplary implementations of a group of adjacent components may include: two or more electrical components disposed on and / or in the same circuit board; and / or two or more electrical components having a distance between them less than a spatial reference (e.g., less than 50% or 25%, or 10% of the spatial reference). In some embodiments, the spatial reference may be an extension of the wireless mobile device (e.g., its housing), such as the width and / or thickness of the wireless mobile device. This provides a microarchitecture for mobile device applications, for example, increasing available space. Depending on various embodiments, the spatial reference may be an extension of one component of the group of adjacent components. Depending on various embodiments, the spatial reference may be an extension of the antenna coupled to the wireless head circuit 3901. Depending on various embodiments, the spatial reference may be the distance between the antenna and the wireless head circuit 3901. Depending on various embodiments, the spatial reference may be 5 cm or less, for example, 3 cm or less, for example, 1 cm or less.

[0373] Arranging groups of adjacent components on the same circuit board allows for a reduction in signal path impedance and / or spatial distance between groups of adjacent components, and / or provides a miniature module including groups of adjacent components. The circuit board may include a substrate (e.g., foil, board, etc.) on which groups of adjacent components may be configured (e.g., integrated and / or mounted). For example, the substrate may be a monolithic substrate and / or an electrically isolated substrate. For example, the substrate may carry groups of adjacent components and / or one or more signal tracks coupled to groups of adjacent components. For example, the substrate may include or be formed from a polymer.

[0374] Illustratively, the closer a group of adjacent components is configured to each other, the lower the impedance of the signal path can be. In an exemplary embodiment of a group of adjacent components, the signal path (e.g., including wiring, signal tracks, and / or another conductor) coupling the group of adjacent components to each other can have less impedance than one or both of the components. Additionally or alternatively, the impedance of the signal path can be less than the impedance of the antenna and / or sensing pad.

[0375] In the example shown, the group of adjacent components includes wireless head circuitry 3901 and SAR sensor circuitry 4202. Wireless head circuitry 3901 and SAR sensor circuitry 4202 may (but are not necessary) be configured (mounted, directly formed, or at least partially integrated) on and / or in the same circuit board 4203. Further examples of groups of adjacent components are detailed below.

[0376] The wireless head circuit 3901 can be configured to control wireless communication, for example, via an antenna coupled to the wireless head circuit 3901. In some configurations, the wireless head circuit 3901 can be configured to transmit and / or receive antenna signals as described above, for example, via one or more antenna terminals. The SAR sensor circuit 4202 can be configured to perform SAR determination for wireless communication, for example, when the wireless communication is controlled by the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0377] Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) can be understood as the rate at which energy is absorbed per unit mass by the antenna's environment (e.g., by human tissue, such as the human body) when exposed to the radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field of wireless communication. Typically, SAR determination can be based on inductive measurements (also known as SAR representations) of the environment of the SAR sensor circuit 4202. Examples of SAR representations may include capacitance, return loss, and / or response to wireless communication, such as response to transmitted RF electromagnetic fields.

[0378] Examples of SAR determination functions may include: sensing a SAR quantity; determining SAR (e.g., its value) based on the sensed SAR quantity. The SAR quantity may be sensed via a so-called sensing pad, as detailed later. Illustratively, the sensing pad converts the SAR quantity into an electrical signal, which is sensed by the SAR sensor circuit 4202. For example, a response to a wireless communication may be received via the sensing pad. For example, capacitance may be sensed by sensing the phase shift of a test signal (which is transmitted to and returned by the sensing pad). For example, return loss may be sensed by sensing the electrical loss of a test signal (which is transmitted to and returned by the sensing pad).

[0379] A further example of the SAR determination function may include comparing the sensed SAR representation (e.g., return loss) with a reference SAR representation. The reference SAR representation (e.g., reference return loss) may correspond to the SAR representation sensed in a reference (e.g., free) environment of antenna 4102. For example, the reference SAR representation may be stored by storage media (e.g., memory) outside of circuit 4201. For example, the reference SAR representation may be read from one or more processors outside of circuit 4201. One or more processors may be configured to compare the sensed reference SAR representation (e.g., antenna return loss) with the reference SAR representation.

[0380] In some configurations, where SAR is correlated with the presence of human tissue, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 can perform a corresponding proximity determination (in this case, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 is also referred to as the proximity sensor circuit 4202). Illustratively, the proximity of human tissue can be determined based on SAR determination. In some configurations, this is permitted based on the determination of human proximity expressed by the sensed SAR. By means of SAR determination and / or proximity determination, human proximity to a laptop computer can be detected. This detection can be used to reduce RF emissions and / or Tx power. In various configurations, at least one SAR sensing pad is disposed on each side of the antenna.

[0381] As detailed below, one or more SAR sensing pads and SAR sensor circuits 4202 (e.g., sensor ICs) may be configured to be coherently coupled to each other in the same (e.g., printed and / or flexible) and / or communicatively via cables. Additionally or alternatively, an antenna may be used as a SAR sensing pad. In some cases, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be configured on or within a motherboard.

[0382] Figure 43 illustrates a block diagram of a circuit 4201 according to various states 4301, further including one or more sensing pads 4302 and / or antennas 4102.

[0383] Depending on the configuration, at least two electrical components of the following components may be configured adjacent to each other: one or more sensing pads 4302, SAR sensor circuit 4202, and / or at least one of antenna 4102. This improves the correlation between the SAR representation and the proximity of human tissue to the antenna 4102. For example, one or more sensing pads 4302 may be configured adjacent to antenna 4102. This reduces scattering or other effects on the response to wireless transmission. For example, at least one of one or more sensing pads 4302 may be configured adjacent to SAR sensor circuit 4202. This reduces the detrimental effects of the electrical path 4304 coupling SAR sensor circuit 4202 and at least one sensing pad 4302.

[0384] In the illustrated example, one or more sensing pads 4302 and SAR sensor circuitry 4202 may be configured (e.g., mounted, directly formed, or at least partially integrated) on and / or in the same circuit board 4203. One or more sensing pads 4302 may be electrically coupled to SAR sensor circuitry 4202, for example, via signal traces 4304 of circuit board 4203 or (if it is on a separate circuit board) via wiring and / or connectors.

[0385] Depending on the configuration, the impedance of antenna 4102 can be greater than the impedance of the first signal track 4304. This allows for more accurate sensing.

[0386] Depending on the configuration, circuit board 4203 may include or be formed on a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or a motherboard. For example, SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be configured on or in a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or motherboard.

[0387] Typically, circuit board 4203 may include connector 4205 coupled to SAR sensor circuitry 4202. Connector 4205 may include one or more connector pads. One or more connectors 4205 can be easily coupled to one or more circuits configured externally to circuit board 4203. This allows connection of circuit board 4203 to external components of circuitry 4201 (if present). It is understood that references to signal traces made herein can be similarly applied to other types of electrical conductors, for example, if communicatively coupled components are configured on or within different circuit boards.

[0388] Depending on the type, an electrical conductor may include one or more coaxial wires, one or more multifilament wires, one or more connectors, one or more signal tracks, etc.

[0389] In the example shown, antenna 4102 is configured on another circuit board, for example, separate from circuit board 4203.

[0390] The SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be configured to use one or more sensing pads 4302 to perform a specific absorption rate determination. For example, the specific absorption rate determination may include sensing SAR representation quantities via one or more sensing pads 4302.

[0391] Depending on the configuration, one or more sensing pads 4302 may include two or more sensing pads 4302, with the antenna 4102 disposed therebetween. This allows for more accurate proximity determination.

[0392] Figure 44 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 4401, which further includes a wireless head circuit 3901, configured together with the SAR sensor circuit 4202 on the same circuit board 4203. Circuit board 4203 may include a first signal line 4304 coupling the SAR sensor circuit 4202 to one or more sensing pads 4302. Circuit board 4203 may include a second signal line 4404 coupling the wireless head circuit 3901 to the antenna 4102.

[0393] Depending on the configuration, the impedance of antenna 4102 may be greater than one or more of the following: the impedance of the first signal track 4304 and / or the second signal track 4404 (if present).

[0394] In the example shown, antenna 4102 is configured together with SAR sensor circuitry 4202 on the same circuit board 4203. For example, the antenna may be manufactured (e.g., fabricated thereon) and / or directly connected to the circuit board, on which wireless head circuitry 3901 is configured. In some embodiments, antenna 4102 may also be configured on a separate circuit board, which may be connected to circuit board 4203 via one or more connectors 4205.

[0395] Depending on the configuration, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 and the wireless head circuit 3901 may be configured adjacent to each other (e.g., forming a group of adjacent components). For example, the distance from the SAR sensor circuit 4202 to the wireless head circuit 3901 may be less than the distance from the wireless head circuit 3901 to one or more of the following: antenna 4102 and / or one or more sensing pads 4302 (also referred to as sensor pads). Additionally or alternatively, the distance from the SAR sensor circuit 4202 to the wireless head circuit 3901 may be less than the distance from the SAR sensor circuit 4202 to one or more of the following: antenna 4102 and / or one or more sensing pads 4302 (also referred to as sensor pads). For example, the extension of the antenna 4102 may be greater than the distance from the antenna 4102 to one or more of the following: SAR sensor circuit 4202 and / or wireless head circuit 3901.

[0396] In the example shown, the wireless head circuit 3901 may be configured between the SAR sensor circuit 4202 and one or more of the following: antenna 4102 and / or one or more sensing pads 4302. In other embodiments, the SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be configured between the wireless head circuit 3901 and one or more of the following: antenna 4102 and / or one or more sensing pads 4302.

[0397] FIG45 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various types 4501, wherein SAR sensor circuit 4202 uses antenna 4102 (e.g., at least a portion of antenna 4102) as a sensing pad. Using antenna 4102 as a sensing pad may include sensing SAR representations via antenna 4102.

[0398] In the example shown, the SAR sensor circuit 4202, the wireless head circuit 3901, and the antenna 4102 are configured on or in the same circuit board 4203. In this case, the circuit board 4203 may include one or more signal tracks 4304 that couple the antenna 4102 to the SAR sensor circuit 4202 and / or to the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0399] Depending on the configuration, the impedance of antenna 4102 can be greater than the impedance of each first signal track 4304. This allows antenna 4102 to be used for more accurate sensing of the sensing pad.

[0400] Figure 46 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 4601, wherein SAR sensor circuit 4202 and wireless head circuit 3901 are configured on circuit board 4203. One or more sensing pads 4302 and / or antennas 4102 may be configured on another circuit board, which (e.g., in operation) may be coupled to connector 4205.

[0401] Generally, the circuit board 4203 may include one or more connectors 4205, through which the SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be coupled to one or more sensing pads 4302 and / or to the antenna 4102. Similarly, one or more connectors 4205 may allow coupling of the wireless head circuit 3901 to the antenna 4102.

[0402] Figure 47 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 4701, wherein circuit 4201 further includes a power controller 4702. The power controller 4702 can be configured to control the power (e.g., measured in watts) for wireless communication (e.g., transmitted and / or received by an antenna) based on a specific absorption rate determination. In some configurations, the power controller 4702 can be configured to control the power of the antenna signal 4810 output at the antenna terminal of the wireless head circuit 3901. In some configurations, the power controller 4702 can be coupled to the wireless head circuit 3901 to control the power of the antenna signal output by the wireless head circuit 3901. In some other configurations, the power controller 4702 can be part of the wireless head circuit 3901. The antenna signal 4810 can be supplied from the wireless head circuit 3901 to the antenna, as previously described.

[0403] Depending on the configuration, the power controller 4702 may be coupled to the SAR sensor circuit 4202 to receive sensing signals from the SAR sensor circuit 4202. The sensing signals may represent the result of a specific absorption rate determination, such as a determined SAR representation. For example, the determined SAR representation may include the SAR value and / or the nearest neighbor value.

[0404] In some configurations, the power controller 4702 may implement SAR (e.g., open-loop or closed-loop) control, for example, based on sensed SAR values. In other configurations, the power controller 4702 implements power control (e.g., open-loop or closed-loop) control of the antenna signal 4810 and / or wireless communication, for example, based on sensed SAR values.

[0405] Depending on the configuration, the power controller 4702 may be implemented by one or more processors, as detailed below.

[0406] Figure 48 illustrates a block diagram of a circuit 4201 according to various configurations 4801, wherein the circuit 4201 includes one or more processors 4820. As previously described, the wireless head circuit 3901 may include one or more RF FE circuits 3502. The one or more RF FE circuits 3502 may be configured to operate the antenna based on control signals 4802. For example, each RF FE circuit 3502 may be configured to output or receive antenna signals 4810 via the antenna terminal 3910 of the wireless head circuit 3901. The power of the antenna signals 4810 transmitted via the antenna terminal 3910 may be based on control signals 4802.

[0407] The SAR sensor circuit 4202 may include a sensing terminal 4805. The SAR sensor circuit 4202 may be configured to sense SAR quantities and provide a sensing signal 4806 at the sensing terminal 4805 based on the sensed SAR quantities. The SAR quantities may be sensed via one or more sensing pads 4302 and / or via an antenna, as detailed above.

[0408] Furthermore, circuit 4201 may include circuit board 4203, wherein wireless head circuit 3901 and SAR sensor circuit 4202 are configured on and / or in circuit board 4203. Optionally, one or more processors 4820 and / or antennas may be configured on and / or in circuit board 4203.

[0409] One or more processors 4820 may be coupled to the sensing terminal 4805 and to the wireless head circuit 3901, for example, to one or more RF FE circuits 3502 (e.g., to their amplifiers). One or more processors 130720 may be configured to receive the sensing signal 4806; determine the proximity of a human based on the sensing signal 4806; generate a control signal 4802 based on the proximity of a human; and output the control signal 4802 to the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0410] Figure 49 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4901 according to various configurations, including wireless head circuit 3901 and matching network circuit 4102 (also known as antenna circuit tuner circuit). Generally, the matching network circuit 4102 can be an analog matching network circuit 4102 and / or an RF matching network circuit 4102.

[0411] As detailed above, the wireless head circuit 3901 can be configured to exchange power (e.g., measured in watts) with the antenna to control the wireless communication transmitted by the antenna. Power can be exchanged with the antenna via antenna signals.

[0412] During operation, the matching network circuit 4102 may be coupled to the wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., antenna terminal 3920) and / or to one or more antennas (not shown). The matching network circuit 4102 may include a variable impedance. The variable impedance may be provided by one or more variable (e.g., controllable) circuit elements.

[0413] As an example, the variable impedance may be provided by one or more of the following variable (e.g., controllable) circuit elements: one or more variable coils of the matching network circuit 4102, one or more variable resistors of the matching network circuit 4102, one or more switches of the matching network circuit 4102, and / or one or more variable capacitors of the matching network circuit 4102.

[0414] The matching network circuit 4102 can be configured to affect the exchange of power, for example, affecting one or more electrical quantities of the antenna signal. Examples of one or more electrical quantities of the antenna signal may include: the amplitude of the antenna signal, the phase of the antenna signal, the damping of the antenna signal, etc.

[0415] Similar to the reference made to the SAR sensor circuit 4202, the matching network circuit 4102 may be configured adjacent to the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0416] Depending on the configuration, circuit 4101 enables a tunable antenna for WLAN, such as for WIFI-6E, which has an additional 6GHz band. For example, matching network circuit 4102 can provide a miniaturized antenna with better performance across all bands. Illustratively, configuring matching network circuit 4102 adjacent to wireless head circuit 3901 can reduce the complexity of the layout of matching network circuit 4102 and / or wireless head circuit 3901 in the system. Additionally or alternatively, cable routing from the modem or CPU can be reduced. Configuring matching network circuit 4102 adjacent to wireless head circuit 3901 can improve performance by enabling tuning antennas through band switching or impedance tuning.

[0417] Depending on the configuration, the matching network circuit 4102 and the wireless head circuit 3901 may be configured in or on the same circuit board 4203. For example, the circuit board 4203 may include or be formed on a self-printed circuit board (PCB), such as a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

[0418] Depending on the configuration, the matching network circuit 4102 and / or the wireless head circuit 3901 may be configured adjacent to the antenna. Alternatively or additionally, the antenna may be configured on or in the same circuit board 4203 as the matching network circuit 4102 and / or as the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0419] For example, the antenna, wireless head circuit 3901, and matching network circuit 4102 may be configured on or in the same circuit board 4203. This configuration on the same circuit board 4203 (e.g., FPCB) provides an all-in-one module that facilitates control and / or reduces antenna performance-related problems.

[0420] The matching network circuit 4102, located adjacent to the wireless head circuit 3901, can enable multiplexing of one or more interfaces (also referred to as matching control interfaces) to control the matching network circuit 4102, for example, via the wireless head circuit 3901. Examples of one or more matching control interfaces may include power rails, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interfaces, and / or General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interfaces.

[0421] Depending on the configuration, the matching network circuit 4102 may include or be formed from one or more integrated chips (ICs), for example, provided in a single chip package. Depending on the configuration, the matching network circuit 4102 may be provided as a single IC (also referred to as tuner IC 4102), which reduces manufacturing and installation costs. It is understood that the reference made for tuner IC 4102 can be similarly applied to the matching network circuit 4102 provided in another configuration.

[0422] The other states of circuit 4101 are described in detail below. It should be understood that the references made above for various electrical components (e.g., circuits 3510, 120101 and / or 4201) can be similarly applied to circuit 4101 if circuit 4201 includes individual electrical components.

[0423] Figure 50 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 5001, wherein matching network circuit 4102 and wireless head circuit 3901 are coupled to each other, for example, via one or more matching control interfaces 5001. Examples of one or more matching control interfaces may include power rails, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interfaces, and / or General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interfaces.

[0424] Circuit 4201 may include one or more processors configured to implement a matching control program. The matching control program may include controlling the matching network circuit 4102, for example, via one or more matching control interfaces 5001.

[0425] In some configurations, the control matching network circuit 4102 may include supplying control signals (also referred to as matching control signals) to the matching network circuit 4102 and / or to one or more matching control interfaces 5001. The matching network circuit 4102 may be configured to change the variable impedance (e.g., its value) based on the matching control signals it receives via one or more matching control interfaces 5001.

[0426] In some configurations, the control matching network circuit 4102 may include determining the operating point of the antenna 4102, as detailed above. The matching control signal may be based on the operating point of the antenna 4102.

[0427] In some configurations, one or more processors (configured to implement a matching control program) may be part of the wireless head circuit 3901 and / or may be external to the matching network circuit 4102. In some configurations, one or more processors (configured to implement a matching control program) may be provided as part of the matching network circuit 4102 and / or may be external to the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0428] Figure 51 shows a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 5101, wherein antenna 4102, wireless head circuit 3901 and matching network circuit 4102 can be configured on or in the same circuit board 4203. This increases signal quality and impedance matching.

[0429] Figure 52 illustrates a block diagram of circuit 4201 according to various configurations 5201, wherein antenna 4102, wireless head circuit 3901, SAR sensor circuit 4202, and matching network circuit 4102 can be configured on or in the same circuit board 4203. This reduces the complexity of circuit 4201. For example, SAR sensor circuit 4202 can be configured to use antenna 4102 as a sensor for one or more sensing pads 4302.

[0430] Generally speaking, the function of controlling the matching network circuit 4102 can be implemented by one or more processors, as detailed below.

[0431] Figure 53 illustrates a block diagram of a circuit 4201 according to various configurations 5301, wherein the circuit 4201 includes one or more processors 5310. The circuit 4201 may include a wireless head circuit 3901. The wireless head circuit 3901 may include one or more RF FE circuits 3502 configured to operate an antenna. Each RF FE circuit 3502 may include an antenna terminal 3910 and may be configured to output or receive antenna signals 4810 at the antenna terminal 3910.

[0432] Circuit 4201 may further include a matching network circuit 4102, which includes a variable impedance. The matching network circuit 4102 (e.g., the variable impedance) may be coupled to antenna terminal 3910, for example, to receive and / or influence antenna signal 4810. Furthermore, the matching network circuit 4102 may be configured to change the variable impedance based on a control signal (also known as an impedance control signal).

[0433] Circuit 4201 may further include circuit board 4203. According to various embodiments, wireless head circuit 3901 and matching network circuit 4102 may be configured on and / or in circuit board 4203. Optionally, one or more processors 5310 and / or antennas may be configured on and / or in circuit board 4203.

[0434] One or more processors 5310 may be coupled to one or more RF FE circuits 3502 and / or to matching network circuits 4102. As detailed above, one or more processors 5310 may be part of or outside of the wireless head circuit 3901.

[0435] One or more processors 5310 may be configured to determine the operating point of the antenna (also known as operating point determination). In some configurations, the operating point determination may be based on the antenna signal 4810 or on the operating point of the transceiver chain 10a, as detailed above.

[0436] For example, the operating point determination may be based on antenna signal 4810 (also referred to as received antenna signal) received or output at antenna terminal 3910. The operating point determination may include sensing the antenna signal, such as its frequency, amplitude, BW, power, etc. For example, one or more processors 5310 may be configured to receive sensor signal 5307 from wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., from RF FE circuit 3502). For example, wireless head circuit 3901 (e.g., RF FE circuit 3502) may include sensor circuitry configured to sense antenna signal 4810 and configured to output sensor signal.

[0437] One or more processors 5310 may be further configured to generate impedance control signals 5308 based on operating points and output impedance control signals 5308 to matching network circuits 4102.

[0438] Beamforming technology allows the beam of an electromagnetic signal to be guided along one or more planes, enabling a transceiver to transmit the beam in a desired direction and / or with a desired size (e.g., width, height). Beamforming devices can be operated by controlling the phase and / or amplitude of a signal from an antenna array, causing the resulting signal to generate destructive interference in some directions and constructive interference in one or more other directions, thereby effectively guiding the beam.

[0439] In some embodiments, it may be desirable to perform beamforming along the azimuth plane. That is, the antenna array can transmit beams along the azimuth plane, and the resulting beams can be transmitted in a desired direction and / or at a desired size (e.g., width). This can be conventionally achieved using vertical antenna arrays (such as arrays of fan-pattern antennas). The resulting antenna configuration can exhibit a relatively high profile shape factor, which may be undesirable in some embodiments. Furthermore, such conventional antenna arrays may require the use of phase shifters in beamforming, which may increase the complexity or cost of the beamforming implementation.

[0440] According to the present disclosure, one or more predetermined beamforming parameters may include parameters for controlling the beamforming pattern of a wireless signal along an azimuth plane. The azimuth plane may be understood, for example, as a plane on which a plurality of antennas are disposed. In this way, one or more codewords can determine the direction and / or width of the resulting beamforming beam.

[0441] Some examples can be used in various wireless communication devices, such as user equipment (UE), mobile device (MD), wireless station (STA), personal computer (PC), desktop computer, mobile computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, tablet computer, server computer, handheld computer, sensor device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, wearable device, handheld device, personal digital assistant (PDA) device, hybrid device, vehicle-mounted device, non-vehicle-mounted device, wireless communication station, wireless access point (AP), wireless router, wireless modem, video device, audio device, audio / video (A / V) device.

[0442] Some examples can be used for "point-to-point (PTP) communication," which can relate to device-to-device communication via a wireless link between devices ("point-to-point link"). PTP communication can include, for example, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication, such as WFD point-to-point (P2P) communication, wireless communication via a direct link within a Quality of Service (QoS) Basic Service Set (BSS), Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, Station-to-Station (STA-to-STA) communication in an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS), Wi-Fi Sensing communication, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, IoT communication, and so on. Other forms can be implemented in any other additional or alternative communication schemes and / or technologies.

[0443] Some examples may be used in devices operating according to existing IEEE 802.11 standards (including IEEE 802.11-2016 (IEEE 802.11-2016, IEEE Standards for Information Technology – Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between System Local and Metropolitan Area Networks – Requirements Specific Part 11: Wireless LAN Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification, December 7, 2016)), and / or future versions and / or derivatives thereof (e.g., Wireless Local Area Network Stations (WLAN STAs) or WiFi Stations (WiFi STAs)), including any device containing a Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) interface compliant with IEEE 802.11 to Wireless Media (WM).

[0444] Some examples can be used with WLAN (e.g., WiFi network). Other examples can be used with any other suitable wireless communication network (e.g., wireless LAN, "Virtual Network", WPAN, WVAN, etc.).

[0445] Some examples can be used with wireless communication networks that communicate via the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and / or 6-7 GHz frequency bands. However, other examples can be implemented using any other suitable wireless communication frequency band, such as the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (millimeter wave (mmWave) band), for example, the band between 20 GHz and 300 GHz, the WLAN band, the WPAN band, etc.

[0446] Some examples can be used in devices that operate in accordance with existing cellular specifications and / or protocols, such as the 3GPP, LTE, 3GPP 5G, and / or future versions and / or derivatives thereof, units and / or devices that are part of the aforementioned networks, etc.

[0447] Some examples can be used in one-way and / or two-way radio communication systems, cellular radio telephone communication systems, cellular telephones, WLAN telephones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, devices combining wireless communication devices, mobile devices or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices combining GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices combining RFID elements or chips, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single-input multiple-output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple-input single-output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices with one or more internal antennas and / or external antennas, digital video broadcasting (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard radio devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices, such as smartphones, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices, etc.

[0448] Some examples can be used with one or more types of wireless communication signals and / or systems, such as radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), spatial division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiplexing (TDM), time division multiple access (TDMA), multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), general packet radio service (GPRS), extended GPRS (EGPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), and CDMA. 2000, Single-carrier CDMA, Multi-carrier CDMA, Multi-carrier Modulation (MDM), Discrete Multi-modulation (DMT), Bluetooth®, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee™, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 5G mobile network, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, GSM Evolution Advanced Data Rate (EDGE), etc. Other formats can be used in various other devices, systems, and / or networks.

[0449] The various forms of this disclosure will be explained below:

[0450] Example 1a is a radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit may include a substrate that may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The substrate may include RF front-end circuitry monolithically integrated within the substrate. The substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a substrate-external antenna circuit. The substrate may include an edge region. The substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured within the edge region.

[0451] In Example 2a, the subject matter of the claim in Example 1a may optionally include that the substrate connection structure may include a solder bump or a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive.

[0452] In Example 3a, the subject matter of the claim of either Example 1a or 2a may optionally include that the substrate connection structure may include at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

[0453] In Example 4a, the subject matter of any of Examples 1a to 3a may optionally include that the substrate may further include a radio frequency integrated circuit system. The radio frequency front-end circuit and the radio frequency integrated circuit system may be coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0454] In Example 5a, the object of any of Examples 1a to 4a may optionally include that the radio frequency integrated circuit system and / or the radio frequency front-end circuit can be coupled to the substrate via a solder structure.

[0455] In Example 6a, the object of any of Examples 1a to 5a may optionally include a total thickness of less than about 1 mm.

[0456] In Example 7a, the object of any of Examples 4a to 6a may optionally further include a further substrate connection structure that is on the substrate and coupled to the RF integrated circuit system. The further substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The further substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with a substrate-external digital interface cable (e.g., a flat cable).

[0457] In Example 8a, the object of the claim in Example 7a may optionally include that the further substrate connection structure may be of the same kind as the substrate connection structure.

[0458] Example 9a is a radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit may include a substrate that may include an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a first substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The first substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The first substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a substrate-external antenna circuit. The substrate may include an RF front-end circuit monolithically integrated within the substrate and a second substrate connection structure coupled to the RF front-end circuit. The second substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure, and the second substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with a cable (e.g., a flat cable) of a substrate-external digital interface.

[0459] In Example 10a, the subject matter of the claim in Example 9a may optionally include a substrate that may include a first edge region and a second edge region. The first substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured in the first edge region, and the second substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured in the second edge region.

[0460] In Example 11a, the subject matter of the claim in Example 10a may optionally include the first and second edge regions located on the opposite side of the substrate.

[0461] In Example 12a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 11a may optionally include that the second substrate connection structure is of the same kind as the first substrate connection structure.

[0462] In Example 13a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 12a may optionally include that the first and / or second substrate connection structure may include a solder bump or a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive.

[0463] In Example 14a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 13a may optionally include that the first substrate connection structure may include at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

[0464] In Example 15a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 14a may optionally include a substrate that may further include an RF integrated circuit system. The RF front-end circuit and the RF integrated circuit system may be coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0465] In Example 16a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 15a may optionally include that the radio frequency integrated circuit system can be coupled to the substrate via a solder structure.

[0466] In Example 17a, the subject matter of any of Examples 15a or 16a may optionally include that its radio frequency front-end circuitry can be coupled to the substrate via a solder structure.

[0467] In Example 18a, the subject matter of any of Examples 9a to 17a may optionally include a total thickness of less than about 1 mm.

[0468] In Example 19a, the subject matter of any of Examples 1a to 18a may optionally include that the substrate may be a semiconductor substrate.

[0469] In Example 20a, the subject matter of any of Examples 1a to 19a may optionally include that the substrate may include silicon.

[0470] Example 21a is an antenna circuit. The antenna circuit may include a substrate, which may include an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna. The Ant-to-RF FE connector may include a substrate connection structure, which may be at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface with a substrate-external radio frequency circuit RF circuit connection structure. The substrate may include an edge region. The substrate connection structure may be positioned or disposed in the edge region.

[0471] In Example 22a, the object of the claim in Example 21a may optionally include that the antenna can be monolithically integrated into the substrate.

[0472] In Example 23a, the object of the claim in Example 21a or 22a may optionally include that the antenna may be selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0473] In Example 24a, the antenna of any of Examples 21a to 23a may optionally include a substrate connection structure that may include a solder bump or a conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) adhesive.

[0474] In Example 25a, the subject matter of any of Examples 21a to 24a may optionally include that the substrate connection structure may include at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the radio frequency circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the radio frequency circuit.

[0475] In Example 26a, the object of any of Examples 21a to 25a may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is of the same kind as the substrate-external radio frequency circuit.

[0476] In Example 27a, the object of any of Examples 21a to 26a may optionally include a total thickness of less than about 1 mm.

[0477] In Example 28a, the subject matter of any of Examples 21a to 27a may optionally include that the substrate may be a semiconductor substrate.

[0478] In Example 29a, the subject matter of any of Examples 21a to 24a may optionally include that the substrate may include silicon.

[0479] Example 30a is a distributed wireless head circuit. The distributed wireless head circuit may include a first substrate, which may include a radio frequency front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector may include a conductor rail structure and a first substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The first substrate may include an edge region, and the first substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The first substrate may include radio frequency front-end circuitry monolithically integrated within the first substrate. The distributed wireless head circuit may further include a second substrate, which may include an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna. The Ant-to-RF FE connector may include a second substrate connection structure. The second substrate may include an edge region. The second substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured in the edge region. The first and second substrate connection structures may be at least one of a soldered structure, a fused structure, or an adhesive structure. The first and second substrate connection structure can be configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface.

[0480] In Example 31a, the object of the claim in Example 30a may optionally include at least one first radio frequency signal interface and a second radio frequency signal interface that may be formed between the antenna circuit and the radio frequency circuit.

[0481] In Example 32a, the object of the claim in Example 30a or 31a may optionally include its first substrate further comprising a radio frequency integrated circuit system. The radio frequency front-end circuit and the radio frequency integrated circuit system may be coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0482] In Example 33a, the object of the claim of any of Examples 30a to 32a may optionally include that the antenna may be selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0483] In Example 34a, the object of any of Examples 32a to 33a may optionally include that the radio frequency integrated circuit system and / or the radio frequency front-end circuit can be coupled to the substrate via a solder structure.

[0484] In Example 35a, the object of any of Examples 30a to 34a may optionally include a total thickness of less than about 1 mm.

[0485] In Example 36a, the object of any of Examples 32a to 35a may optionally further include a further substrate connection structure coupled to the RF integrated circuit system. The further substrate connection structure may include at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure. The further substrate connection structure may be configured to form at least one RF signal interface with a substrate-external digital interface cable (e.g., a cable, such as a flat cable).

[0486] In Example 37a, the object of the claim in Example 36a may optionally further include that the further substrate connection structure may be of the same kind as the first substrate connection structure.

[0487] In Example 38a, the subject matter of any of Examples 30a to 37a may optionally include that the first and / or second substrates may be a semiconductor substrate.

[0488] In Example 39a, the subject matter of any of Examples 30a to 38a may optionally include that the first and / or second substrate may include silicon.

[0489] Example 1b is a radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit may include a substrate including an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector includes a conductor rail structure and a substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The substrate includes an RF front-end circuit monolithically integrated within the substrate. The substrate includes an edge region, and the substrate connection structure is positioned or disposed within the edge region. The substrate connection structure includes at least one of a friction connection or a form of closure, and the substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated within the substrate. The substrate connection structure is configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a substrate-external antenna circuit.

[0490] In Example 2b, the object of the claim in Example 1b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured (in a coupled state) to be coplanar with one of the substrate-external antenna circuits.

[0491] In Example 3b, the object of claim of either Example 1b or 2b may optionally include a recess in the edge region comprising the substrate. The substrate connection structure is positioned or configured in the recess.

[0492] In Example 4b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 3b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure includes at least one of a plug, a socket, or a spring-type connector.

[0493] In Example 5b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 3b may optionally include that the substrate includes at least one corner and that the substrate connection structure is formed at that corner.

[0494] In Example 6b, the object of any of Examples 1b to 5b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured such that a distance is formed between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0495] In Example 7b, the object of any of Examples 1b to 6b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured such that a direct contact is formed between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0496] In Example 8b, the object of any of Examples 1b to 7b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured to form an electrically insulating connection between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0497] In Example 9b, the object of the claim in Example 8b may optionally include that the radio frequency circuit and the antenna circuit are field-coupled in a connected state.

[0498] In Example 10b, the object of any of Examples 1b to 9b may optionally include that the RF circuit further includes at least one further RF FE-to-Ant connector, which includes a further conductor rail structure and a further substrate connection structure coupled to the further conductor rail structure. The further RF FE-to-Ant connector is electrically isolated from the RF FE-to-Ant connector. The further substrate connection structure is positioned or configured in an edge region different from the edge region of the substrate connection structure. The further substrate connection structure includes at least one of a friction connection or a form of closure, and wherein the substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated in the substrate. The further substrate connection structure is configured to form at least one RF signal interface with a further antenna circuit connection structure of a further substrate-external antenna circuit.

[0499] In Example 11b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 10b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure may include at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

[0500] In Example 12b, the object of any of Examples 1b to 11b may optionally include its substrate further comprising an RF integrated circuit system. The RF front-end circuit and the RF integrated circuit system are coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0501] In Example 13b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 12b may optionally include that the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.

[0502] In Example 14b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 13b may optionally include that the substrate comprises silicon.

[0503] In Example 15b, the subject matter of any of Examples 1b to 12b may optionally include that the substrate is a printed circuit board.

[0504] Example 16b is an antenna circuit. The antenna circuit may include a substrate comprising an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna. The Ant-to-RF FE connector includes a substrate connection structure. The substrate includes an edge region, and the substrate connection structure is positioned or disposed in the edge region. The substrate connection structure includes at least one of a friction connection or a form of closure, and the substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated into the substrate. The substrate connection structure is configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface with a substrate-external radio frequency circuit RF circuit connection structure.

[0505] In Example 17b, the object of the claim in Example 16b may optionally include that the antenna is monolithically integrated into the substrate;

[0506] In Example 18b, the subject matter of the claim of either Example 16b or 17b may optionally include that the antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0507] In Example 19b, the object of any of Examples 16b to 18b may optionally include the substrate connection structure corresponding to the substrate-external radio frequency circuit substrate connection structure.

[0508] In Example 20b, the object of any one of Examples 16b to 19b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured (in a coupled state) to be coplanar with one of the substrate-external antenna circuits.

[0509] In Example 21b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 20b may optionally include a recess in the edge region comprising the substrate. The substrate connection structure may be positioned or configured in the recess.

[0510] In Example 22b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 21b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure includes at least one of a plug, a socket, or a spring-type connector.

[0511] In Example 23b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 22b may optionally include that the substrate includes at least one corner and that the substrate connection structure is formed at that corner.

[0512] In Example 24b, the object of any of Examples 16b to 23b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured such that a distance is formed between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0513] In Example 25b, the object of any of Examples 16b to 24b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured such that a direct contact is formed between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0514] In Example 26b, the object of any of Examples 16b to 25b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure is configured to form an electrically insulating connection between the substrate and the antenna circuit in a connected state.

[0515] In Example 27b, the object of the claim in Example 26b may optionally include that the radio frequency circuit and the antenna circuit are field-coupled in a connected state.

[0516] In Example 28b, the object of any of Examples 16b to 27b may optionally include that the substrate connection structure includes at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

[0517] In Example 29b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 28b may optionally include that the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.

[0518] In Example 30b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 29b may optionally include that the substrate comprises silicon.

[0519] In Example 31b, the subject matter of any of Examples 16b to 30b may optionally include that the substrate is a printed circuit board.

[0520] Example 32b is a distributed wireless head circuit. The distributed wireless head circuit may include a first substrate comprising an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector, the RF FE-to-Ant connector including a conductor rail structure and a first substrate connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure. The first substrate includes an edge region, and the first substrate connection structure is positioned or disposed in the edge region. The first substrate includes an RF front-end circuit monolithically integrated within the first substrate. The distributed wireless head circuit may further include a second substrate comprising an antenna and an antenna to RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna. The Ant-to-RF FE connector includes a second substrate connection structure. The second substrate includes an edge region. The second substrate connection structure is positioned or disposed in the edge region. The first and second substrate connection structures are at least one of a friction connection or a form of closure. The first substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated in the first substrate, and the second substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated in the second substrate. The first and second substrate connection structures are configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface between the radio frequency circuit and the antenna circuit.

[0521] In Example 33b, the object of the claim in Example 32b may optionally include at least one first radio frequency signal interface and a second radio frequency signal interface formed between the antenna circuit and the radio frequency circuit.

[0522] In Example 34b, the object of the claim of either Example 32b or 33b may optionally include its first substrate further comprising a radio frequency integrated circuit system. The radio frequency front-end circuit and the radio frequency integrated circuit system are coupled to the conductor rail structure.

[0523] In Example 35b, the object of the claim of any of Examples 32b to 34b may optionally include that the antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0524] In Example 36b, the object of any of Examples 32b to 35b may optionally include that the first and second substrates are positioned or configured as coplanar.

[0525] In Example 37b, the object of claim of any of Examples 32b to 36b may optionally include at least one of its first and second substrates in a recess in the edge region. The substrate connection structure is positioned or disposed in the recess.

[0526] In Example 38b, the object of any of Examples 32b to 37b may optionally include at least one of its first and second substrate connection structures comprising a plug, a socket, or a spring-loaded connector. The first and second substrate connection structures are configured corresponding to each other.

[0527] In Example 39b, the subject matter of any of Examples 32b to 38b may optionally include that the first and / or second substrate includes at least one corner and that the substrate connection structure is formed at that corner.

[0528] In Example 40b, the object of claim of any of Examples 32b to 39b may optionally include a distance formed between the first and second substrates.

[0529] In Example 41b, the object of any of Examples 32b to 40b may optionally include a direct contact formed between the first and second substrates.

[0530] In Example 42b, the object of any of Examples 32b to 41b may optionally include that the first and second substrate connection structure is configured to form an electrically insulated connection between the first and second substrates.

[0531] In Example 43b, the object of the claim in Example 42b may optionally include that the radio frequency circuit and the antenna circuit are field-coupled.

[0532] In Example 44b, the object of claim of any of Examples 32b to 43b may optionally include that the first substrate includes at least one further RF FE-to-Ant connector, which includes a further conductor rail structure and a further substrate connection structure coupled to the further conductor rail structure. The further RF FE-to-Ant connector is electrically isolated from the RF FE-to-Ant connector. The further substrate connection structure is positioned or configured in an edge region different from the edge region of the substrate connection structure. The further substrate connection structure includes at least one of a friction connection or a form of closure, and the substrate connection structure is at least partially integrated in the substrate. The further substrate connection structure is configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface with a further antenna circuit connection structure of a further substrate-external antenna circuit.

[0533] In Example 45b, the subject matter of any of Examples 32b to 44b may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a semiconductor substrate.

[0534] In Example 46b, the subject matter of any of Examples 32b to 45b may optionally include at least one of its first and second substrates comprising silicon.

[0535] In Example 47b, the object of any of Examples 32b to 46b may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a printed circuit board.

[0536] Example 1c is a distributed wireless head circuit. The distributed wireless head circuit may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit, which includes a first substrate, comprising an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector and an RF front-end circuit connected to the RF FE-to-Ant connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector is configured as a first planar spiral conductor rail. The distributed wireless head circuit may further include an antenna circuit, which includes a second substrate, comprising an antenna and an antenna to RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna and configured as a second planar spiral conductor rail. The first planar spiral conductor rail and the second planar spiral conductor rail form an inductively coupled circuit.

[0537] In Example 2c, the object of the claim in Example 1c may optionally include its first substrate further including a radio frequency integrated circuit circuit system coupled to the planar helical conductor rail of the radio frequency circuit.

[0538] In Example 3c, the object of the claim of either Example 1c or 2c may optionally include that the antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0539] In Example 4c, the object of any of Examples 1c to 3c may optionally include that the inductively coupled circuit is a BALUN circuit.

[0540] In Example 5c, the object of any of Examples 1c to 4c may optionally include that the first substrate comprises an edge region and a central region. The RF front-end circuit is positioned or disposed in the central region, while the first planar helical conductor rail is positioned or disposed in the edge region.

[0541] In Example 6c, the subject matter of any of Examples 1c to 5c may optionally include that the second substrate is mounted at the edge region of the first substrate.

[0542] In Example 7c, the subject matter of any of Examples 1c to 6c may optionally include the second substrate being fixed to the first substrate by an adhesive.

[0543] In Example 8c, the subject matter of any of Examples 1c to 7c may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a semiconductor substrate.

[0544] In Example 9c, the subject matter of any of Examples 1c to 8c may optionally include at least one of its first and second substrates comprising silicon.

[0545] In Example 10c, the subject matter of any of Examples 1c to 9c may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a printed circuit board.

[0546] Example 11c is an antenna circuit. The antenna circuit may include a substrate comprising an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna and configured as a planar helical conductor rail. The planar helical conductor rail is configured to form at least one RF signal interface for a substrate-external RF circuit connection structure. The RF circuit connection structure includes another planar helical conductor rail, and the RF signal interface is an inductive coupling circuit.

[0547] In Example 12c, the object of the claim in Example 11c may optionally include that its antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0548] In Example 13c, the object of a claim of either Example 11c or 12c may optionally include that the inductively coupled circuit is a BALUN circuit.

[0549] In Example 14c, the object of any of Examples 11c to 13c may optionally include a substrate comprising an edge region and a central region. The antenna is positioned or disposed in the central region, while the planar helical conductor rail is positioned or disposed in the edge region.

[0550] In Example 15c, the object of the claim in Example 14c may optionally include that its edge region is configured to mount the substrate-external radio frequency circuit at the edge region of the substrate.

[0551] In Example 16c, the object of any of Examples 11c to 15c may optionally include that the antenna is monolithically integrated in the substrate;

[0552] In Example 17c, the subject matter of any of Examples 11c to 16c may optionally include that the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.

[0553] In Example 18c, the subject matter of any of Examples 11c to 17c may optionally include that the substrate comprises silicon.

[0554] In Example 19c, the subject matter of any of Examples 11c to 18c may optionally include that the substrate is a printed circuit board.

[0555] Example 1d is a distributed wireless head circuit. The distributed wireless head circuit may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit, which includes a first substrate comprising an RF front-end-to-antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector and an RF front-end circuit coupled to the RF FE-to-Ant connector. The RF FE-to-Ant connector is configured as a conductor rail. The distributed wireless head circuit may further include an antenna circuit, which includes a second substrate comprising an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna. The conductor rail is configured to be field-coupled to the antenna. The second substrate is fixed to the first substrate such that the conductor rail is field-coupled to the antenna.

[0556] In Example 2d, the object of the claim in Example 1d may optionally include its first substrate further including a radio frequency integrated circuit system coupled to the conductor rail of the radio frequency circuit.

[0557] In Example 3d, the object of the claim of either Example 1d or 2d may optionally include that the antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

[0558] In Example 4d, the object of the request of any of Examples 1d to 3d may optionally include that the antenna is configured in a closed loop shape.

[0559] In Example 5d, the claim of any of Examples 1d to 4d may optionally include that the first substrate includes an edge region and a central region. The RF front-end circuit is located or disposed in the central region, while the first conductor rail is located or disposed in the edge region.

[0560] In Example 6d, the object of the claim in Example 5d may optionally include that the second substrate is mounted at the edge region of the first substrate.

[0561] In Example 7d, the subject matter of any of Examples 1d to 6d may optionally include the second substrate being fixed to the first substrate by an adhesive.

[0562] In Example 8d, the subject matter of any of Examples 1d to 7d may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a semiconductor substrate.

[0563] In Example 9d, the subject matter of any of Examples 1d to 8d may optionally include at least one of its first and second substrates comprising silicon.

[0564] In Example 10d, the subject matter of any of Examples 1d to 9d may optionally include at least one of the first and second substrates as a printed circuit board.

[0565] In Example 11d, the subject matter of any of Examples 1d to 10d may optionally include that the antenna is fixed adjacent to the conductor rail to the RF circuit.

[0566] In Example 12d, the object of a claim of either Example 1d or 11d may optionally include that its antenna circuit at least partially surrounds the conductor rail.

[0567] In Example 13d, the claim of any of Examples 1d to 12d may optionally include that the antenna circuit is configured to be at one angle to the first substrate.

[0568] In Example 14d, the object of a claim of any of Examples 1d to 13d may optionally include that its conductor rail comprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured at an angle relative to the second portion, and the antenna is configured at least partially parall...

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising: a layer having a central region and an edge region at least partially surrounding the central region, the layer further comprising: an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector, the RF FE-to-Ant connector including a conductor rail structure and a layer connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure; an RF front-end circuitry monolithically integrated in the layer; wherein the layer connection structure includes at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure; wherein the layer connection structure is configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a layer-external antenna circuit; wherein the layer connection structure is disposed in the edge region of the layer.

2. The radio frequency circuit of claim 1, wherein the layer connection structure includes a solder bump or conductive adhesive.

3. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the layer connection structure includes at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

4. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the layer further includes a radio frequency integrated circuit system; wherein the radio frequency front-end circuit and the radio frequency integrated circuit system are coupled to the conductor rail structure.

5. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the radio frequency integrated circuit system and / or the radio frequency front-end circuit is coupled to the layer via a solder structure.

6. The radio frequency circuit of claim 4 further includes: a further layer connection structure on the layer and coupled to the radio frequency integrated circuit system, the further layer connection structure including at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure; wherein the further layer connection structure is configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface with a cable of one of the layer-external digital interfaces.

7. The radio frequency circuit of claim 6, wherein the further layer connection structure may be of the same type as the layer connection structure.

8. A radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising: a layer including an RF front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector, the RF FE-to-Ant connector including a conductor rail structure; and a first layer connection structure coupled to the conductor rail structure, wherein the first layer connection structure includes at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure, wherein the first layer connection structure is configured to form at least one RF signal interface with an antenna circuit connection structure of a layer-external antenna circuit; wherein the layer further includes a RF front-end circuit monolithically integrated in the layer and a second layer connection structure coupled to the RF front-end circuit; wherein the second layer connection structure includes at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure, and the second layer connection structure is configured to form at least one RF signal interface with a cable of a layer-external digital interface.

9. The radio frequency circuit of claim 8, wherein the layer includes a central region, a first edge region, and a second edge region, the first and second regions at least partially surrounding the central region; wherein the first layer connection structure is disposed in the first edge region; and wherein the second layer connection structure is disposed in the second edge region.

10. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the second layer connection structure is of the same type as the first layer connection structure.

11. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the first and / or second layer connection structure includes a solder bump or conductive adhesive.

12. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the first layer connection structure comprises at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the antenna circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the antenna circuit to form a second radio frequency signal interface.

13. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the layer further includes a radio frequency integrated circuit system; wherein the radio frequency front-end circuit and the radio frequency integrated circuit system can be coupled to the conductor rail structure.

14. The radio frequency circuit of any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the radio frequency integrated circuit system is coupled to the layer via a solder structure.

15. The radio frequency circuit of claim 13, wherein the radio frequency front-end circuit is coupled to the layer via a solder structure.

16. The radio frequency circuit of any of claims 8 or 9, wherein the layer is a semiconductor layer.

17. An antenna circuit comprising: a layer having a central region and an edge region at least partially surrounding the central region, the layer further comprising an antenna and an antenna-to-RF front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna; wherein the Ant-to-RF FE connector comprises a base layer connection structure, which is at least one of a solderable structure, a fusion-compatible structure, or an adhesive structure; wherein the layer connection structure is configured to form at least one radio frequency signal interface with a radio frequency circuit connection structure of a layer of an external radio frequency circuit; wherein the connection structure is disposed in the edge region.

18. The antenna circuit of claim 17, wherein the antenna is monolithically integrated in the layer.

19. An antenna circuit as claimed in either 17 or 18, wherein the antenna is selected from the group consisting of: GSG, GGSSG, a multi-port antenna, a MIMO antenna, and a TBDC.

20. An antenna circuit as claimed in either 17 or 18, wherein the layer connection structure includes a solder bump or a conductive adhesive.

21. An antenna circuit as claimed in any of claims 17 or 18, wherein the layer connection structure includes at least: a first port configured to be coupled to a first port of the radio frequency circuit to form a first radio frequency signal interface, and a second port configured to be coupled to a second port of the radio frequency circuit.

22. A distributed wireless head unit comprising: an enclosure at least partially formed by a conductive structure forming a cavity structure such that the cavity structure is substantially free of radio frequency signals from outside the distributed wireless head unit; a radio frequency circuit comprising one or more layers of package including a radio frequency front-end to antenna (RF FE-to-Ant) connector and a radio frequency front-end circuit coupled to the RF FE-to-Ant connector; an antenna circuit comprising an antenna and an antenna to radio frequency front-end (Ant-to-RF FE) connector coupled to the antenna and a radio frequency signal interface formed by connecting the RF FE-to-Ant connector and the Ant-to-RF FE connector; wherein the substrate and the Ant-to-RF FE connector are disposed in the cavity, and the antenna is at least partially disposed on the conductive structure of the enclosure outside the cavity.

23. An apparatus comprising: a substrate; a first substrate integrated waveguide antenna configured to operate in a first radio frequency band, wherein the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna is disposed in or on one or more layers of the substrate; and a radio frequency integrated circuit conductively connected to the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna and mounted on the substrate and configured to receive and / or transmit a wireless signal via the first substrate integrated waveguide antenna.

24. A radio device comprising: a radio head circuit including: a first radio circuit configured to provide a first radio signal within a first frequency range; and a second radio circuit configured to provide at least one of a second radio signal within a second frequency range different from the first frequency range and a third radio signal within a third frequency range different from both the first and second frequency ranges; and an antenna circuit including: a first antenna circuit electrically coupled to the first radio circuit and configured to receive the first radio signal within the first frequency range and transmit a first radio signal within the first frequency range representing the first radio signal; and a second antenna circuit electrically coupled to the second radio circuit and configured to receive the second radio signal within the second frequency range and the third radio signal within the third frequency range, and to transmit a second radio signal representing at least one of the second and third radio signals in parallel with the transmission of the first radio signal by the first antenna circuit, wherein the second radio signal is transmitted within the second or third frequency range based on the second radio signal representing either the second or third radio signal.

25. A wireless headband circuit comprising: an antenna terminal for operation as an antenna; a radio frequency front-end circuit coupled to the antenna terminal and configured to transmit and / or receive a signal via the antenna terminal; and one or more processors configured to determine an operating point of the antenna based on the signal received via the antenna terminal.