Software Technology for The RF radiohead has optical interconnection to the baseband processor

Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA)

A portable electronic device is an integrated circuit that is designed to produce data for communication and control signals. A portable electronic device includes an optical path which can be connected to the baseband integrat circuit to transmit data signals from the baseband. A radiohead is also included in the portable electronic device. It is connected to the optical path to receive signals for data from the baseband integrator circuit.

This disclosure is general in scope and relates to the application of transmitters inside electronic devices.

This section is designed to introduce readers to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure that are discussed and/or claimed below. This article is believed to aid in providing the thereader with additional background information that will aid in understanding the different aspects of the disclosure. Therefore, it must be understood that the claims should be considered as such, and not as admissions to prior art.

Wireless communication devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable devices, etc.) are proliferating. Multiple communication protocols can be supported by many wireless communication devices. For example, wireless communication devices mayuse Long-Term Evolution (LIE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), wireless local area networks (WLAN), Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (PPS), Near-Field Communication (NFC), and/or other suitable wireless communication protocols inaddition to cellular/connectivity transceivers, such as radio frequency transceivers. Typically, radio frequency transceivers are located close to the cellular/connectivity baseband integrated circuits to avoid long routing lines between thetransceivers and the baseband integrated circuits. Radio frequency transceivers may be placed close to the baseband integrated circuit that can lead to lengthy RF routing lines that connect the device that connect to one (or more) antennas. This could lead to the performance of the device to decrease (e.g. receive sensitivity degradation, increased current drain, and increased cost due to wiring complexities) and also an increase in costs to the device.

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is provided below. It is important to understand that these aspects are presented simply to give the reader a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are notintended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure may include several elements that are not described below.

In certain instances, the selective placement of one or more radio frequency transceivers within a device used by the user is achieved. Radio frequency transmitters can be placed adjacent to or directly in front of an antenna of the device. In this way, the impact of radio frequency on performance (e.g., degradation) is reduced and/or minimized. Furthermore, a single pathway can be used between any radio frequency transceiver as well as the baseband integrated circuit. An optical path, such as a fiber optic or another optical path, could be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, an optical connection (e.g. an interface) could also be employed for one or more of the radio frequency transceiver and the integrated circuit baseband. Utilizing the optical path may operate to decrease interference from the other subsystems within the device. The optical path might be able to provide one optical link between the radio frequency transceiver baseband integrated circuit. Furthermore the number of connections between the radio frequency transceiver and the baseband integrated circuit can be reduced, resulting in gains in terms of reduced complexity and cost associated with the interconnections.

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