PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11469526-B2
Application Number: US-202017031780-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic devices having multiple phased antenna arrays

Abstract:
An electronic device may include first and second phased antenna arrays that convey radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The second array may have fewer antennas than the first array. Control circuitry may control the first and second arrays in a diversity mode and in a simultaneous array mode. In the diversity mode, the first array may form a first signal beam while the second array is inactive. When the first array is blocked by an object or otherwise exhibits unsatisfactory performance, the second array may form a second signal beam while the first array is inactive. In the simultaneous mode, the first and second arrays may form a combined array that produces a third signal beam. The combined array may maximize gain. Hierarchical beam searching operations may be performed. The arrays may be distributed across one or more modules.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device comprising:
 a first phased antenna array; 
 a second phased antenna array having fewer antennas than the first phased antenna array, the first and second phased antenna arrays being configured to convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency greater than 10 GHz; and 
 control circuitry coupled to the first and second phased antenna arrays, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the first and second phased antenna arrays in:
 a first mode in which the first phased antenna array forms a first signal beam at a first beam pointing angle while the second phased antenna array is inactive, 
 a second mode in which antennas from both the first phased antenna array and the second phased antenna array form a second signal beam at a second beam pointing angle, and 
 a third mode in which the second phased antenna array forms a third signal beam at a third beam pointing angle while the first phased antenna array is inactive; and 
 
 a beam table that identifies a first set of signal beams for use in the first mode, a second set of signal beams for use in the second mode, and a third set of signal beams for use in the third mode, the first set of signal beams being larger than the third set of signal beams, and the second set of signal beams being larger than the first set of signal beams. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather wireless performance metric data associated with the first signal beam and is configured to transition the first and second phased antenna arrays from the first mode to the third mode when the gathered wireless performance metric data falls below a threshold level. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a sensor configured to gather sensor data, wherein the control circuitry is configured to transition the first and second phased antenna arrays from the first mode to the third mode when the gathered sensor data indicates that an external object is blocking the first phased antenna array. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of signal beams comprises signal beams formable using an entirety of the first phased antenna array, the control circuitry being configured to:
 sample each of the signal beams formable using the entirety of the first phased antenna array while gathering wireless performance metric data; and 
 transition the first and second phased antenna arrays from the first mode to the second mode when the gathered wireless performance metric data is below a threshold level. 
 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 peripheral conductive housing structures; 
 a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures; and 
 a rear housing wall mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the display, the first and second phased antenna arrays being configured to radiate through the rear housing wall. 
 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a main logic board; 
 a baseband processor mounted to the main logic board; 
 an intermediate frequency integrated circuit (IFIC) mounted to the main logic board and coupled to the baseband processor over a baseband path; and 
 a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) coupled to the first phased antenna array, the RFIC being coupled to the IFIC over an intermediate frequency (IF) path. 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an antenna module, wherein the first and second phased antenna arrays and the RFIC are on antenna module. 
 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a first antenna module mounted to the main logic board, wherein the first phased antenna array and the RFIC are on the first antenna module; and 
 a second antenna module external to the main logic board, wherein the second phased antenna array is on the second antenna module and the RFIC is coupled to the second phased antenna array over a radio-frequency path. 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an additional RFIC coupled to the second phased antenna array, wherein the IFIC is coupled to the additional RFIC over an additional IF path; 
 a first antenna module mounted to the main logic board, wherein the RFIC and the first phased antenna array are on the first antenna module; and 
 a second antenna module external to the main logic board, wherein the second phased antenna array and the additional RFIC are on the second antenna module. 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the RFIC is coupled to the additional RFIC over a local oscillator path, the RFIC being configured to generate a local oscillator signal and being configured to transmit the local oscillator signal to the additional RFIC over the local oscillator path. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an additional RFIC coupled to the second phased antenna array, wherein the IFIC is coupled to the additional RFIC over an additional IF path; 
 a first antenna module external to the main logic board, wherein the RFIC and the first phased antenna array are on the first antenna module; and 
 a second antenna module external to the main logic board, wherein the second phased antenna array and the additional RFIC are on the second antenna module. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an additional RFIC coupled to the second phased antenna array, wherein the IFIC is coupled to the additional RFIC over an additional IF path; 
 a first antenna module mounted to the main logic board, wherein the RFIC and the first phased antenna array are on the first antenna module; 
 a second antenna module on the main logic board, wherein the second phased antenna array and the additional RFIC are on the second antenna module; 
 a third antenna module external to the main logic board; and 
 a third phased antenna array on the third antenna module and coupled to the additional RFIC over a radio-frequency path, wherein the RFIC is coupled to the additional RFIC over a local oscillator path, the RFIC being configured to generate a local oscillator signal and being configured to transmit the local oscillator signal to the additional RFIC over the local oscillator path. 
 
     
     
       13. An electronic device comprising: a housing wall; a first phased antenna array; a second phased antenna array having fewer antennas than the first phased antenna array, wherein the first and second phased antenna arrays are configured to radiate at a frequency greater than 10 GHz through the housing wall; and control circuitry coupled to the first and second phased antenna arrays and configured to: sample a first set of signal beams, generated by the first phased antenna array while the second phased antenna array is inactive and generated by the second phased antenna array while the first phased antenna array is inactive, in an order from coarser beams to finer beams; and sample a second set of signal beams generated by a combined phased antenna array formed from the first and second phased antenna arrays subsequent to sampling the first set of signal beams. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 13 , wherein the first phased antenna array has first, second, third, and fourth antennas, the second phased antenna has fifth and sixth antennas, and the combined phased antenna array comprises the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth antennas. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
 sample one-antenna signal beams of the first and second phased antenna arrays; 
 sample two-antenna signal beams of the first and second phased antenna arrays subsequent to sampling the one-antenna signal beams; 
 sample four-antenna signal beams of the first phased antenna array subsequent to sampling the two-antenna signal beams; and 
 sample six-antenna signal beams of the combined phased antenna array subsequent to sampling the four-antenna signal beams. 
 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 13 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather wireless performance metric data associated with the first set of signal beams and is configured to control the first and second phased antenna arrays to form the combined phased antenna array in response to the wireless performance metric data being less than a threshold level. 
     
     
       17. An electronic device comprising:
 a logic board; 
 a baseband processor mounted to the logic board; 
 an intermediate frequency integrated circuit (IFIC) mounted to the logic board and coupled to the baseband processor over a baseband path; 
 a first antenna module, the first antenna module having a first phased antenna array and a first radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) coupled to the first phased antenna array; 
 a second antenna module on the logic board, the second antenna module having a second phased antenna array and a second RFIC coupled to the second phased antenna array, the first and second phased antenna arrays being configured to convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency greater than 10 GHz, wherein the IFIC is coupled to the second RFIC over an intermediate frequency path; and 
 a third antenna module external to the logic board and having a third phased antenna array that is coupled to the second RFIC over a radio-frequency path, wherein the first RFIC is coupled to the second RFIC over a local oscillator path, and the first and second RFICs share a local oscillator signal over the local oscillator path. 
 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the first antenna module is on the logic board and the IFIC is coupled to the first RFIC over an additional intermediate frequency path.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with wireless communications circuitry. 
     Electronic devices often include wireless communications circuitry. For example, cellular telephones, computers, and other devices often contain antennas and wireless transceivers for supporting wireless communications. 
     It may be desirable to support wireless communications in millimeter wave and centimeter wave communications bands. Millimeter wave communications, which are sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) communications, and centimeter wave communications involve communications at frequencies of about 10-300 GHz. Operation at these frequencies can support high throughputs but may raise significant challenges. For example, radio-frequency signals at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies can be characterized by substantial attenuation and/or distortion during signal propagation through various mediums. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved wireless communications circuitry such as communications circuitry that supports millimeter and centimeter wave communications. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry and a housing. The housing may have a housing wall. The wireless circuitry may include first and second phased antenna arrays that convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency greater than 10 GHz through the housing wall. The second phased antenna array may have fewer antennas than the first phased antenna array. 
     Control circuitry may control the first and second phased antenna arrays in a diversity mode of operation and in a simultaneous array mode of operation. In the diversity mode of operation, the control circuitry may control the first phased antenna array to form a first signal beam while the second phased antenna array is inactive. When the first phased antenna array is being blocked by an external object or otherwise exhibits unsatisfactory wireless performance, the control circuitry may control the second phased antenna array to form a second signal beam while the first phased antenna array is inactive. In the simultaneous mode of operation, the control circuitry may control the first and second phased antenna arrays to form a combined phased antenna array that produces a third signal beam. The control circuitry may use the combined phased antenna array to maximize gain and beam resolution. The control circuitry may perform a hierarchical beam searching operation using single-array signal beams and then signal beams of the combined phased antenna array. The first and second phased antenna arrays may be distributed across one or more antenna modules. The antenna modules may be mounted to and/or external to a main logic board. If desired, one of the antenna modules may produce a local oscillator signal that is provided to the other antenna module(s). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of illustrative circuitry in an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of illustrative wireless circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an illustrative phased antenna array that may be controlled using a codebook to form a radio-frequency signal beam at different beam pointing angles in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of an illustrative electronic device having a primary phased antenna array and a secondary phased antenna array in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a state diagram of illustrative operating modes for an electronic device having primary and secondary phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of an illustrative beam table for primary and secondary phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional plot of illustrative signal beams that may be formed by primary and secondary phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  is a plot showing how operating primary and secondary phased antenna array as a single combined phased antenna array may optimize wireless performance in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart of illustrative steps for performing beam searching operations using primary and secondary phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  is diagram showing how illustrative first and second phased antenna arrays may be formed on the same antenna module in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram showing how an illustrative radio-frequency integrated circuit may feed first and second phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 13 and 14  are diagrams showing how illustrative first and second phased antenna arrays may be fed by respective radio-frequency integrated circuits in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 15  is a diagram showing how illustrative first and second antenna arrays may share a local oscillator signal in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram showing how illustrative wireless circuitry may include first, second, and third phased antenna arrays in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An electronic device such as electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes antennas. The antennas may be used to transmit and/or receive wireless radio-frequency signals. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays that are used for performing wireless communications and/or spatial ranging operations using millimeter and centimeter wave signals. Millimeter wave signals, which are sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) signals, propagate at frequencies above about 30 GHz (e.g., at 60 GHz or other frequencies between about 30 GHz and 300 GHz). Centimeter wave signals propagate at frequencies between about 10 GHz and 30 GHz. If desired, device  10  may also contain antennas for handling satellite navigation system signals, cellular telephone signals, local wireless area network signals, near-field communications, light-based wireless communications, or other wireless communications. 
     Device  10  may be a portable electronic device or other suitable electronic device. For example, device  10  may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a somewhat smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, pendant device, headphone device, earpiece device, headset device, or other wearable or miniature device, a handheld device such as a cellular telephone, a media player, or other small portable device. Device  10  may also be a set-top box, a desktop computer, a display into which a computer or other processing circuitry has been integrated, a display without an integrated computer, a wireless access point, a wireless base station, an electronic device incorporated into a kiosk, building, or vehicle, or other suitable electronic equipment. 
     Device  10  may include a housing such as housing  12 . Housing  12 , which may sometimes be referred to as a case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, parts of housing  12  may be formed from dielectric or other low-conductivity material (e.g., glass, ceramic, plastic, sapphire, etc.). In other situations, housing  12  or at least some of the structures that make up housing  12  may be formed from metal elements. 
     Device  10  may, if desired, have a display such as display  14 . Display  14  may be mounted on the front face of device  10 . Display  14  may be a touch screen that incorporates capacitive touch electrodes or may be insensitive to touch. The rear face of housing  12  (i.e., the face of device  10  opposing the front face of device  10 ) may have a substantially planar housing wall such as rear housing wall  12 R (e.g., a planar housing wall). Rear housing wall  12 R may have slots that pass entirely through the rear housing wall and that therefore separate portions of housing  12  from each other. Rear housing wall  12 R may include conductive portions and/or dielectric portions. If desired, rear housing wall  12 R may include a planar metal layer covered by a thin layer or coating of dielectric such as glass, plastic, sapphire, or ceramic (e.g., a dielectric cover layer). Housing  12  may also have shallow grooves that do not pass entirely through housing  12 . The slots and grooves may be filled with plastic or other dielectric materials. If desired, portions of housing  12  that have been separated from each other (e.g., by a through slot) may be joined by internal conductive structures (e.g., sheet metal or other metal members that bridge the slot). 
     Housing  12  may include peripheral housing structures such as peripheral structures  12 W. Conductive portions of peripheral structures  12 W and conductive portions of rear housing wall  12 R may sometimes be referred to herein collectively as conductive structures of housing  12 . Peripheral structures  12 W may run around the periphery of device  10  and display  14 . In configurations in which device  10  and display  14  have a rectangular shape with four edges, peripheral structures  12 W may be implemented using peripheral housing structures that have a rectangular ring shape with four corresponding edges and that extend from rear housing wall  12 R to the front face of device  10  (as an example). In other words, device  10  may have a length (e.g., measured parallel to the Y-axis), a width that is less than the length (e.g., measured parallel to the X-axis), and a height (e.g., measured parallel to the Z-axis) that is less than the width. Peripheral structures  12 W or part of peripheral structures  12 W may serve as a bezel for display  14  (e.g., a cosmetic trim that surrounds all four sides of display  14  and/or that helps hold display  14  to device  10 ) if desired. Peripheral structures  12 W may, if desired, form sidewall structures for device  10  (e.g., by forming a metal band with vertical sidewalls, curved sidewalls, etc.). 
     Peripheral structures  12 W may be formed of a conductive material such as metal and may therefore sometimes be referred to as peripheral conductive housing structures, conductive housing structures, peripheral metal structures, peripheral conductive sidewalls, peripheral conductive sidewall structures, conductive housing sidewalls, peripheral conductive housing sidewalls, sidewalls, sidewall structures, or a peripheral conductive housing member (as examples). Peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, or other suitable materials. One, two, or more than two separate structures may be used in forming peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W. 
     It is not necessary for peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W to have a uniform cross-section. For example, the top portion of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may, if desired, have an inwardly protruding ledge that helps hold display  14  in place. The bottom portion of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may also have an enlarged lip (e.g., in the plane of the rear surface of device  10 ). Peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may have substantially straight vertical sidewalls, may have sidewalls that are curved, or may have other suitable shapes. In some configurations (e.g., when peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W serve as a bezel for display  14 ), peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may run around the lip of housing  12  (i.e., peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may cover only the edge of housing  12  that surrounds display  14  and not the rest of the sidewalls of housing  12 ). 
     Rear housing wall  12 R may lie in a plane that is parallel to display  14 . In configurations for device  10  in which some or all of rear housing wall  12 R is formed from metal, it may be desirable to form parts of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W as integral portions of the housing structures forming rear housing wall  12 R. For example, rear housing wall  12 R of device  10  may include a planar metal structure and portions of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W on the sides of housing  12  may be formed as flat or curved vertically extending integral metal portions of the planar metal structure (e.g., housing structures  12 R and  12 W may be formed from a continuous piece of metal in a unibody configuration). Housing structures such as these may, if desired, be machined from a block of metal and/or may include multiple metal pieces that are assembled together to form housing  12 . Rear housing wall  12 R may have one or more, two or more, or three or more portions. Peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W and/or conductive portions of rear housing wall  12 R may form one or more exterior surfaces of device  10  (e.g., surfaces that are visible to a user of device  10 ) and/or may be implemented using internal structures that do not form exterior surfaces of device  10  (e.g., conductive housing structures that are not visible to a user of device  10  such as conductive structures that are covered with layers such as thin cosmetic layers, protective coatings, and/or other coating/cover layers that may include dielectric materials such as glass, ceramic, plastic, or other structures that form the exterior surfaces of device  10  and/or serve to hide peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W and/or conductive portions of rear housing wall  12 R from view of the user). 
     Display  14  may have an array of pixels that form an active area AA that displays images for a user of device  10 . For example, active area AA may include an array of display pixels. The array of pixels may be formed from liquid crystal display (LCD) components, an array of electrophoretic pixels, an array of plasma display pixels, an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels or other light-emitting diode pixels, an array of electrowetting display pixels, or display pixels based on other display technologies. If desired, active area AA may include touch sensors such as touch sensor capacitive electrodes, force sensors, or other sensors for gathering a user input. 
     Display  14  may have an inactive border region that runs along one or more of the edges of active area AA. Inactive area IA of display  14  may be free of pixels for displaying images and may overlap circuitry and other internal device structures in housing  12 . To block these structures from view by a user of device  10 , the underside of the display cover layer or other layers in display  14  that overlap inactive area IA may be coated with an opaque masking layer in inactive area IA. The opaque masking layer may have any suitable color. Inactive area IA may include a recessed region or notch that extends into active area AA (e.g., at speaker port  16 ). Active area AA may, for example, be defined by the lateral area of a display module for display  14  (e.g., a display module that includes pixel circuitry, touch sensor circuitry, etc.). 
     Display  14  may be protected using a display cover layer such as a layer of transparent glass, clear plastic, transparent ceramic, sapphire, or other transparent crystalline material, or other transparent layer(s). The display cover layer may have a planar shape, a convex curved profile, a shape with planar and curved portions, a layout that includes a planar main area surrounded on one or more edges with a portion that is bent out of the plane of the planar main area, or other suitable shapes. The display cover layer may cover the entire front face of device  10 . In another suitable arrangement, the display cover layer may cover substantially all of the front face of device  10  or only a portion of the front face of device  10 . Openings may be formed in the display cover layer. For example, an opening may be formed in the display cover layer to accommodate a button. An opening may also be formed in the display cover layer to accommodate ports such as speaker port  16  or a microphone port. Openings may be formed in housing  12  to form communications ports (e.g., an audio jack port, a digital data port, etc.) and/or audio ports for audio components such as a speaker and/or a microphone if desired. 
     Display  14  may include conductive structures such as an array of capacitive electrodes for a touch sensor, conductive lines for addressing pixels, driver circuits, etc. Housing  12  may include internal conductive structures such as metal frame members and a planar conductive housing member (sometimes referred to as a conductive support plate or backplate) that spans the walls of housing  12  (e.g., a substantially rectangular sheet formed from one or more metal parts that is welded or otherwise connected between opposing sides of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W). The conductive support plate may form an exterior rear surface of device  10  or may be covered by a dielectric cover layer such as a thin cosmetic layer, protective coating, and/or other coatings that may include dielectric materials such as glass, ceramic, plastic, or other structures that form the exterior surfaces of device  10  and/or serve to hide the conductive support plate from view of the user (e.g., the conductive support plate may form part of rear housing wall  12 R). Device  10  may also include conductive structures such as printed circuit boards, components mounted on printed circuit boards, and other internal conductive structures. These conductive structures, which may be used in forming a ground plane in device  10 , may extend under active area AA of display  14 , for example. 
     In regions  22  and  20 , openings may be formed within the conductive structures of device  10  (e.g., between peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W and opposing conductive ground structures such as conductive portions of rear housing wall  12 R, conductive traces on a printed circuit board, conductive electrical components in display  14 , etc.). These openings, which may sometimes be referred to as gaps, may be filled with air, plastic, and/or other dielectrics and may be used in forming slot antenna resonating elements for one or more antennas in device  10 , if desired. 
     Conductive housing structures and other conductive structures in device  10  may serve as a ground plane for the antennas in device  10 . The openings in regions  22  and  20  may serve as slots in open or closed slot antennas, may serve as a central dielectric region that is surrounded by a conductive path of materials in a loop antenna, may serve as a space that separates an antenna resonating element such as a strip antenna resonating element or an inverted-F antenna resonating element from the ground plane, may contribute to the performance of a parasitic antenna resonating element, or may otherwise serve as part of antenna structures formed in regions  22  and  20 . If desired, the ground plane that is under active area AA of display  14  and/or other metal structures in device  10  may have portions that extend into parts of the ends of device  10  (e.g., the ground may extend towards the dielectric-filled openings in regions  22  and  20 ), thereby narrowing the slots in regions  22  and  20 . Region  22  may sometimes be referred to herein as lower region  22  or lower end  22  of device  10 . Region  20  may sometimes be referred to herein as upper region  20  or upper end  20  of device  10 . 
     In general, device  10  may include any suitable number of antennas (e.g., one or more, two or more, three or more, four or more, etc.). The antennas in device  10  may be located at opposing first and second ends of an elongated device housing (e.g., at lower region  22  and/or upper region  20  of device  10  of  FIG. 1 ), along one or more edges of a device housing, in the center of a device housing, in other suitable locations, or in one or more of these locations. The arrangement of  FIG. 1  is merely illustrative. 
     Portions of peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may be provided with peripheral gap structures. For example, peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may be provided with one or more dielectric-filled gaps such as gaps  18 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The gaps in peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W may be filled with dielectric such as polymer, ceramic, glass, air, other dielectric materials, or combinations of these materials. Gaps  18  may divide peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W into one or more peripheral conductive segments. The conductive segments that are formed in this way may form parts of antennas in device  10  if desired. Other dielectric openings may be formed in peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W (e.g., dielectric openings other than gaps  18 ) and may serve as dielectric antenna windows for antennas mounted within the interior of device  10 . Antennas within device  10  may be aligned with the dielectric antenna windows for conveying radio-frequency signals through peripheral conductive housing structures  12 W. Antennas within device  10  may also be aligned with inactive area IA of display  14  for conveying radio-frequency signals through display  14 . 
     In order to provide an end user of device  10  with as large of a display as possible (e.g., to maximize an area of the device used for displaying media, running applications, etc.), it may be desirable to increase the amount of area at the front face of device  10  that is covered by active area AA of display  14 . Increasing the size of active area AA may reduce the size of inactive area IA within device  10 . This may reduce the area behind display  14  that is available for antennas within device  10 . For example, active area AA of display  14  may include conductive structures that serve to block radio-frequency signals handled by antennas mounted behind active area AA from radiating through the front face of device  10 . It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide antennas that occupy a small amount of space within device  10  (e.g., to allow for as large of a display active area AA as possible) while still allowing the antennas to communicate with wireless equipment external to device  10  with satisfactory efficiency bandwidth. 
     In a typical scenario, device  10  may have one or more upper antennas and one or more lower antennas. An upper antenna may, for example, be formed in upper region  20  of device  10 . A lower antenna may, for example, be formed in lower region  22  of device  10 . Additional antennas may be formed along the edges of housing  12  extending between regions  20  and  22  if desired. An example in which device  10  includes three or four upper antennas and five lower antennas is described herein as an example. The antennas may be used separately to cover identical communications bands, overlapping communications bands, or separate communications bands. The antennas may be used to implement an antenna diversity scheme or a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna scheme. Other antennas for covering any other desired frequencies may also be mounted at any desired locations within the interior of device  10 . The example of  FIG. 1  is merely illustrative. If desired, housing  12  may have other shapes (e.g., a square shape, cylindrical shape, spherical shape, combinations of these and/or different shapes, etc.). 
     A schematic diagram of illustrative components that may be used in device  10  is shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may include control circuitry  28 . Control circuitry  28  may include storage such as storage circuitry  30 . Storage circuitry  30  may include hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid-state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. 
     Control circuitry  28  may include processing circuitry such as processing circuitry  32 . Processing circuitry  32  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . Processing circuitry  32  may include on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, host processors, baseband processor integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits, central processing units (CPUs), etc. Control circuitry  28  may be configured to perform operations in device  10  using hardware (e.g., dedicated hardware or circuitry), firmware, and/or software. Software code for performing operations in device  10  may be stored on storage circuitry  30  (e.g., storage circuitry  30  may include non-transitory (tangible) computer readable storage media that stores the software code). The software code may sometimes be referred to as program instructions, software, data, instructions, or code. Software code stored on storage circuitry  30  may be executed by processing circuitry  32 . 
     Control circuitry  28  may be used to run software on device  10  such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. To support interactions with external equipment, control circuitry  28  may be used in implementing communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using control circuitry  28  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as WiFi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol or other WPAN protocols, IEEE 802.11ad protocols, cellular telephone protocols, MIMO protocols, antenna diversity protocols, satellite navigation system protocols, antenna-based spatial ranging protocols (e.g., radio detection and ranging (RADAR) protocols or other desired range detection protocols for signals conveyed at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies), etc. Each communication protocol may be associated with a corresponding radio access technology (RAT) that specifies the physical connection methodology used in implementing the protocol. 
     Device  10  may include input-output circuitry  24 . Input-output circuitry  24  may include input-output devices  26 . Input-output devices  26  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Input-output devices  26  may include user interface devices, data port devices, sensors, and other input-output components. For example, input-output devices may include touch screens, displays without touch sensor capabilities, buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, speakers, status indicators, light sources, audio jacks and other audio port components, digital data port devices, light sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers or other components that can detect motion and device orientation relative to the Earth, capacitance sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., a capacitive proximity sensor and/or an infrared proximity sensor), magnetic sensors, and other sensors and input-output components. 
     Input-output circuitry  24  may include wireless circuitry such as wireless circuitry  34  for wirelessly conveying radio-frequency signals. While control circuitry  28  is shown separately from wireless circuitry  34  in the example of  FIG. 2  for the sake of clarity, wireless circuitry  34  may include processing circuitry that forms a part of processing circuitry  32  and/or storage circuitry that forms a part of storage circuitry  30  of control circuitry  28  (e.g., portions of control circuitry  28  may be implemented on wireless circuitry  34 ). As an example, control circuitry  28  may include baseband processor circuitry or other control components that form a part of wireless circuitry  34 . 
     Wireless circuitry  34  may include millimeter and centimeter wave transceiver circuitry such as millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38 . Millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may support communications at frequencies between about 10 GHz and 300 GHz. For example, millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may support communications in Extremely High Frequency (EHF) or millimeter wave communications bands between about 30 GHz and 300 GHz and/or in centimeter wave communications bands between about 10 GHz and 30 GHz (sometimes referred to as Super High Frequency (SHF) bands). As examples, millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may support communications in an IEEE K communications band between about 18 GHz and 27 GHz, a K a  communications band between about 26.5 GHz and 40 GHz, a K u  communications band between about 12 GHz and 18 GHz, a V communications band between about 40 GHz and 75 GHz, a W communications band between about 75 GHz and 110 GHz, or any other desired frequency band between approximately 10 GHz and 300 GHz. If desired, millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may support IEEE 802.11ad communications at 60 GHz (e.g., WiGig or 60 GHz Wi-Fi bands around 57-61 GHz), and/or 5 th  generation mobile networks or 5 th  generation wireless systems (5G) New Radio (NR) Frequency Range 2 (FR2) communications bands between about 24 GHz and 90 GHz. Millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may be formed from one or more integrated circuits (e.g., multiple integrated circuits mounted on a common printed circuit in a system-in-package device, one or more integrated circuits mounted on different substrates, etc.). 
     Millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  (sometimes referred to herein simply as transceiver circuitry  38  or millimeter/centimeter wave circuitry  38 ) may perform spatial ranging operations using radio-frequency signals at millimeter and/or centimeter wave frequencies that are transmitted and received by millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38 . The received signals may be a version of the transmitted signals that have been reflected off of external objects and back towards device  10 . Control circuitry  28  may process the transmitted and received signals to detect or estimate a range between device  10  and one or more external objects in the surroundings of device  10  (e.g., objects external to device  10  such as the body of a user or other persons, other devices, animals, furniture, walls, or other objects or obstacles in the vicinity of device  10 ). If desired, control circuitry  28  may also process the transmitted and received signals to identify a two or three-dimensional spatial location of the external objects relative to device  10 . 
     Spatial ranging operations performed by millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  are unidirectional. If desired, millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may also perform bidirectional communications with external wireless equipment such as external wireless equipment  10  (e.g., over a bi-directional millimeter/centimeter wave wireless communications link). The external wireless equipment may include other electronic devices such as electronic device  10 , a wireless base station, wireless access point, a wireless accessory, or any other desired equipment that transmits and receives millimeter/centimeter wave signals. Bidirectional communications involve both the transmission of wireless data by millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  and the reception of wireless data that has been transmitted by external wireless equipment. The wireless data may, for example, include data that has been encoded into corresponding data packets such as wireless data associated with a telephone call, streaming media content, internet browsing, wireless data associated with software applications running on device  10 , email messages, etc. 
     If desired, wireless circuitry  34  may include transceiver circuitry for handling communications at frequencies below 10 GHz such as non-millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  36 . For example, non-millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  36  may handle wireless local area network (WLAN) communications bands such as the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) bands, wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications bands such as the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® communications band, cellular telephone communications bands such as a cellular low band (LB) (e.g., 600 to 960 MHz), a cellular low-midband (LMB) (e.g., 1400 to 1550 MHz), a cellular midband (MB) (e.g., from 1700 to 2200 MHz), a cellular high band (HB) (e.g., from 2300 to 2700 MHz), a cellular ultra-high band (UHB) (e.g., from 3300 to 5000 MHz, or other cellular communications bands between about 600 MHz and about 5000 MHz (e.g., 3G bands, 4G LTE bands, 5G New Radio Frequency Range 1 (FR1) bands below 10 GHz, etc.), a near-field communications (NFC) band (e.g., at 13.56 MHz), satellite navigations bands (e.g., an L1 global positioning system (GPS) band at 1575 MHz, an L5 GPS band at 1176 MHz, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) band, a BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) band, etc.), ultra-wideband (UWB) communications band(s) supported by the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol and/or other UWB communications protocols (e.g., a first UWB communications band at 6.5 GHz and/or a second UWB communications band at 8.0 GHz), and/or any other desired communications bands. The communications bands handled by the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may sometimes be referred to herein as frequency bands or simply as “bands,” and may span corresponding ranges of frequencies. Non-millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  36  and millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may each include one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, low-noise input amplifiers, passive radio-frequency components, switching circuitry, transmission line structures, and other circuitry for handling radio-frequency signals. 
     In general, the transceiver circuitry in wireless circuitry  34  may cover (handle) any desired frequency bands of interest. As shown in  FIG. 2 , wireless circuitry  34  may include antennas  40 . The transceiver circuitry may convey radio-frequency signals using one or more antennas  40  (e.g., antennas  40  may convey the radio-frequency signals for the transceiver circuitry). The term “convey radio-frequency signals” as used herein means the transmission and/or reception of the radio-frequency signals (e.g., for performing unidirectional and/or bidirectional wireless communications with external wireless communications equipment). Antennas  40  may transmit the radio-frequency signals by radiating the radio-frequency signals into free space (or to freespace through intervening device structures such as a dielectric cover layer). Antennas  40  may additionally or alternatively receive the radio-frequency signals from free space (e.g., through intervening devices structures such as a dielectric cover layer). The transmission and reception of radio-frequency signals by antennas  40  each involve the excitation or resonance of antenna currents on an antenna resonating element in the antenna by the radio-frequency signals within the frequency band(s) of operation of the antenna. 
     In satellite navigation system links, cellular telephone links, and other long-range links, radio-frequency signals are typically used to convey data over thousands of feet or miles. In Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® links at 2.4 and 5 GHz and other short-range wireless links, radio-frequency signals are typically used to convey data over tens or hundreds of feet. Millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may convey radio-frequency signals over short distances that travel over a line-of-sight path. To enhance signal reception for millimeter and centimeter wave communications, phased antenna arrays and beam forming (steering) techniques may be used (e.g., schemes in which antenna signal phase and/or magnitude for each antenna in an array are adjusted to perform beam steering). Antenna diversity schemes may also be used to ensure that the antennas that have become blocked or that are otherwise degraded due to the operating environment of device  10  can be switched out of use and higher-performing antennas used in their place. 
     Antennas  40  in wireless circuitry  34  may be formed using any suitable antenna types. For example, antennas  40  may include antennas with resonating elements that are formed from stacked patch antenna structures, loop antenna structures, patch antenna structures, inverted-F antenna structures, slot antenna structures, planar inverted-F antenna structures, monopole antenna structures, dipole antenna structures, helical antenna structures, Yagi (Yagi-Uda) antenna structures, hybrids of these designs, etc. If desired, one or more of antennas  40  may be cavity-backed antennas. Different types of antennas may be used for different bands and combinations of bands. For example, one type of antenna may be used in forming a non-millimeter/centimeter wave wireless link for non-millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  36  and another type of antenna may be used in conveying radio-frequency signals at millimeter and/or centimeter wave frequencies for millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38 . Antennas  40  that are used to convey radio-frequency signals at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies may be arranged in one or more phased antenna arrays. In one suitable arrangement that is described herein as an example, the antennas  40  that are arranged in a corresponding phased antenna array may be stacked patch antennas having patch antenna resonating elements that overlap and are vertically stacked with respect to one or more parasitic patch elements. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing how a given antenna  40  may be fed by a corresponding radio-frequency transmission line path. As shown in  FIG. 3 , millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  may be coupled to a given antenna  40  using a radio-frequency transmission line path such as radio-frequency transmission line path  42 . 
     To provide antenna structures such as antenna  40  with the ability to cover different frequencies of interest, antenna  40  may be provided with circuitry such as filter circuitry (e.g., one or more passive filters and/or one or more tunable filter circuits). Discrete components such as capacitors, inductors, and resistors may be incorporated into the filter circuitry. Capacitive structures, inductive structures, and resistive structures may also be formed from patterned metal structures (e.g., part of an antenna). If desired, antenna  40  may be provided with adjustable circuits such as tunable components that tune the antenna over communications (frequency) bands of interest. The tunable components may be part of a tunable filter or tunable impedance matching network, may be part of an antenna resonating element, may span a gap between an antenna resonating element and antenna ground, etc. 
     Radio-frequency transmission line path  42  may include one or more radio-frequency transmission lines (sometimes referred to herein simply as transmission lines). Radio-frequency transmission line path  42  (e.g., the transmission lines in radio-frequency transmission line path  42 ) may include a positive signal conductor such as positive signal conductor  46  and a ground signal conductor such as ground conductor  48 . 
     The transmission lines in radio-frequency transmission line path  42  may, for example, include coaxial cable transmission lines (e.g., ground conductor  48  may be implemented as a grounded conductive braid surrounding signal conductor  46  along its length), stripline transmission lines (e.g., where ground conductor  48  extends along two sides of signal conductor  46 ), a microstrip transmission line (e.g., where ground conductor  48  extends along one side of signal conductor  46 ), coaxial probes realized by a metalized via, edge-coupled microstrip transmission lines, edge-coupled stripline transmission lines, waveguide structures (e.g., coplanar waveguides or grounded coplanar waveguides), combinations of these types of transmission lines and/or other transmission line structures, etc. 
     Transmission lines in radio-frequency transmission line path  42  may be integrated into rigid and/or flexible printed circuit boards. In one suitable arrangement, radio-frequency transmission line path  42  may include transmission line conductors (e.g., signal conductors  46  and ground conductors  48 ) integrated within multilayer laminated structures (e.g., layers of a conductive material such as copper and a dielectric material such as a resin that are laminated together without intervening adhesive). The multilayer laminated structures may, if desired, be folded or bent in multiple dimensions (e.g., two or three dimensions) and may maintain a bent or folded shape after bending (e.g., the multilayer laminated structures may be folded into a particular three-dimensional shape to route around other device components and may be rigid enough to hold its shape after folding without being held in place by stiffeners or other structures). All of the multiple layers of the laminated structures may be batch laminated together (e.g., in a single pressing process) without adhesive (e.g., as opposed to performing multiple pressing processes to laminate multiple layers together with adhesive). 
     A matching network may include components such as inductors, resistors, and capacitors used in matching the impedance of antenna  40  to the impedance of radio-frequency transmission line path  42 . Matching network components may be provided as discrete components (e.g., surface mount technology components) or may be formed from housing structures, printed circuit board structures, traces on plastic supports, etc. Components such as these may also be used in forming filter circuitry in antenna(s)  40  and may be tunable and/or fixed components. 
     Radio-frequency transmission line path  42  may be coupled to antenna feed structures associated with antenna  40 . As examples, antenna  40  may form an inverted-F antenna, a planar inverted-F antenna, a patch antenna, a stacked patch antenna, a dipole antenna, a helical antenna, a monopole antenna, or another type of antenna having an antenna feed  44 . Antenna feed  44  may have a positive antenna feed terminal and a ground antenna feed terminal. The positive antenna feed terminal may be coupled to an antenna resonating element for antenna  40 . The ground antenna feed terminal may be coupled to an antenna ground for antenna  40 . Signal conductor  46  may be coupled to the positive antenna feed terminal and ground conductor  48  may be coupled to the ground antenna feed terminal. Other types of antenna feed arrangements may be used if desired. The illustrative feeding configuration of  FIG. 3  is merely illustrative. 
     Antennas  40  that are used to convey radio-frequency signals at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies may be arranged in one or more phased antenna arrays.  FIG. 4  is a diagram showing how antennas  40  for handling radio-frequency signals at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies may be formed in a phased antenna array. As shown in  FIG. 4 , phased antenna array  50  (sometimes referred to herein as array  50 , antenna array  50 , or array  50  of antennas  40 ) may be coupled to radio-frequency transmission line paths  42 . For example, a first antenna  40 - 1  in phased antenna array  50  may be coupled to a first radio-frequency transmission line path  42 - 1 , a second antenna  40 - 2  in phased antenna array  50  may be coupled to a second radio-frequency transmission line path  42 - 2 , an Mth antenna  40 -M in phased antenna array  50  may be coupled to an Mth radio-frequency transmission line path  42 -M, etc. While antennas  40  are described herein as forming a phased antenna array, the antennas  40  in phased antenna array  50  may sometimes also be referred to as collectively forming a single phased array antenna (e.g., where each antenna  40  in the phased array antenna forms an antenna element of the phased array antenna). Radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  may each be coupled to millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  of  FIG. 3 . 
     The antennas  40  in phased antenna array  50  may be arranged in any desired number of rows and columns or in any other desired pattern (e.g., the antennas need not be arranged in a grid pattern having rows and columns). During signal transmission operations, radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  may be used to supply signals (e.g., radio-frequency signals such as millimeter wave and/or centimeter wave signals) from millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  ( FIG. 3 ) to phased antenna array  50  for wireless transmission. During signal reception operations, radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  may be used to convey signals received at phased antenna array  50  to millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     The use of multiple antennas  40  in phased antenna array  50  allows radio-frequency beam forming arrangements (sometimes referred to herein as radio-frequency beam steering arrangements) to be implemented by controlling the relative phases and magnitudes (amplitudes) of the radio-frequency signals conveyed by the antennas. In the example of  FIG. 4 , the antennas  40  in phased antenna array  50  each have a corresponding radio-frequency phase and magnitude controller  58  (e.g., a first phase and magnitude controller  58 - 1  interposed on radio-frequency transmission line path  42 - 1  may control phase and magnitude for radio-frequency signals handled by antenna  40 - 1 , a second phase and magnitude controller  58 - 2  interposed on radio-frequency transmission line path  42 - 2  may control phase and magnitude for radio-frequency signals handled by antenna  40 - 2 , an Mth phase and magnitude controller  58 -M interposed on radio-frequency transmission line path  42 -M may control phase and magnitude for radio-frequency signals handled by antenna  40 -M, etc.). 
     Phase and magnitude controllers  58  may each include circuitry for adjusting the phase of the radio-frequency signals on radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  (e.g., phase shifter circuits) and/or circuitry for adjusting the magnitude of the radio-frequency signals on radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  (e.g., power amplifier and/or low noise amplifier circuits). Phase and magnitude controllers  58  may sometimes be referred to collectively herein as beam steering or beam forming circuitry (e.g., beam steering circuitry that steers the beam of radio-frequency signals transmitted and/or received by phased antenna array  50 ). 
     Phase and magnitude controllers  58  may adjust the relative phases and/or magnitudes of the transmitted signals that are provided to each of the antennas in phased antenna array  50  and may adjust the relative phases and/or magnitudes of the received signals that are received by phased antenna array  50 . Phase and magnitude controllers  58  may, if desired, include phase detection circuitry for detecting the phases of the received signals that are received by phased antenna array  50 . The term “beam,” “signal beam,” “radio-frequency beam,” or “radio-frequency signal beam” may be used herein to collectively refer to wireless signals that are transmitted and received by phased antenna array  50  in a particular direction. The signal beam may exhibit a peak gain that is oriented in a particular beam pointing direction at a corresponding beam pointing angle (e.g., based on constructive and destructive interference from the combination of signals from each antenna in the phased antenna array). The term “transmit beam” may sometimes be used herein to refer to radio-frequency signals that are transmitted in a particular direction whereas the term “receive beam” may sometimes be used herein to refer to radio-frequency signals that are received from a particular direction. 
     If, for example, phase and magnitude controllers  58  are adjusted to produce a first set of phases and/or magnitudes for transmitted radio-frequency signals, the transmitted signals will form a transmit beam as shown by beam B 1  of  FIG. 4  that is oriented in the direction of point A. If, however, phase and magnitude controllers  58  are adjusted to produce a second set of phases and/or magnitudes for the transmitted signals, the transmitted signals will form a transmit beam as shown by beam B 2  that is oriented in the direction of point B. Similarly, if phase and magnitude controllers  58  are adjusted to produce the first set of phases and/or magnitudes, radio-frequency signals (e.g., radio-frequency signals in a receive beam) may be received from the direction of point A, as shown by beam B 1 . If phase and magnitude controllers  58  are adjusted to produce the second set of phases and/or magnitudes, radio-frequency signals may be received from the direction of point B, as shown by beam B 2 . 
     Each phase and magnitude controller  58  may be controlled to produce a desired phase and/or magnitude based on a corresponding control signal S received from control circuitry  28  over control paths  56  (e.g., the phase and/or magnitude provided by phase and magnitude controller  58 - 1  may be controlled using control signal S 1  on control path  56 - 1 , the phase and/or magnitude provided by phase and magnitude controller  58 - 2  may be controlled using control signal S 2  on control path  56 - 2 , the phase and/or magnitude provided by phase and magnitude controller  58 -M may be controlled using control signal SM on control path  56 -M, etc.). If desired, control circuitry  28  may actively adjust control signals S in real time to steer the transmit or receive beam in different desired directions (e.g., to different desired beam pointing angles) over time. Phase and magnitude controllers  58  may provide information identifying the phase of received signals to control circuitry  28  if desired. 
     When performing wireless communications using radio-frequency signals at millimeter and centimeter wave frequencies, the radio-frequency signals are conveyed over a line of sight path between phased antenna array  50  and external wireless equipment. If the external wireless equipment is located at point A of  FIG. 4 , phase and magnitude controllers  58  may be adjusted to steer the signal beam towards point A (e.g., to form a signal beam having a beam pointing angle directed towards point A). Phased antenna array  50  may then transmit and receive radio-frequency signals in the direction of point A. Similarly, if the external wireless equipment is located at point B, phase and magnitude controllers  58  may be adjusted to steer the signal beam towards point B (e.g., to form a signal beam having a beam pointing angle directed towards point B). Phased antenna array  50  may then transmit and receive radio-frequency signals in the direction of point B. In the example of  FIG. 4 , beam steering is shown as being performed over a single degree of freedom for the sake of simplicity (e.g., towards the left and right on the page of  FIG. 4 ). However, in practice, the beam may be steered over two or more degrees of freedom (e.g., in three dimensions, into and out of the page and to the left and right on the page of  FIG. 4 ). Phased antenna array  50  may have a corresponding field of view over which beam steering can be performed (e.g., in a hemisphere or a segment of a hemisphere over the phased antenna array). If desired, device  10  may include multiple phased antenna arrays that each face a different direction to provide coverage from multiple sides of the device. 
     Control circuitry  28  may identify a desired beam pointing angle for the signal beam of phased antenna array  50  and may adjust the control signals S provided to phased antenna array  50  to configure phased antenna array  50  to form (steer) the signal beam at that beam pointing angle. Each possible beam pointing angle that can be used by phased antenna array  50  during wireless communications may be identified by a beam steering codebook such as codebook  54 . Codebook  54  may be stored at control circuitry  28 , elsewhere on device  10 , or may be located (offloaded) on external equipment and conveyed to device  10  over a wired or wireless communications link. 
     Codebook  54  may identify each possible beam pointing angle that may be used by phased antenna array  50 . Control circuitry  28  may store or identify phase and magnitude settings for phase and magnitude controllers  58  to use in implementing each of those beam pointing angles (e.g., control circuitry  28  or codebook  54  may include information that maps each beam pointing angle for phased antenna array  50  to a corresponding set of phase and magnitude values for phase and magnitude controllers  58 ). Codebook  54  may be hard-coded or soft-coded into control circuitry  28  or elsewhere in device  10 , may include one or more databases stored at control circuitry  28  or elsewhere in device  10  (e.g., codebook  54  may be stored as software code), may include one or more look-up-tables at control circuitry  28  or elsewhere in device  10 , and/or may include any other desired data structures stored in hardware and/or software on device  10 . In one suitable arrangement that is described herein as an example, codebook  54  may include a beam table that identifies each beam pointing angle formable using phased antenna array  50  and the corresponding phase and magnitude settings for each phase and magnitude controller  58  to form beams at those beam pointing angles. Codebook  54  may be generated during calibration of device  10  (e.g., during design, manufacturing, and/or testing of device  10  prior to device  10  being received by an end user) and/or may be dynamically updated over time (e.g., after device  10  has been used by an end user). 
     Control circuitry  28  may generate control signals S based on codebook  54 . For example, control circuitry  28  may identify a beam pointing angle that would be needed to communicate with external wireless equipment (e.g., a beam pointing angle pointing towards the external wireless equipment). Control circuitry  28  may subsequently identify the beam pointing angle in codebook  54  that is closest to this identified beam pointing angle. Control circuitry  28  may use codebook  54  to generate phase and magnitude values for phase and magnitude controllers  58 . Control circuitry  28  may transmit control signals S identifying these phase and magnitude values to phase and magnitude controllers  58  over control paths  56 . The beam formed by phased antenna array  50  using control signals S will be oriented at the beam pointing angle identified by codebook  54 . Control circuitry  28  may perform beam sweeping operations to identify a beam pointing angle to use. In performing beam sweeping operations, control circuitry  28  may sweep over some or all of the different beam pointing angles identified by codebook  54  until the external wireless equipment is found and may use the corresponding beam pointing angle at which the external wireless equipment was found to communicate with the external wireless equipment. 
     If desired, device  10  may include multiple phased antenna arrays  50 . Mounting different phased antenna arrays  50  at different locations on device  10  may allow each phased antenna array to collectively provide millimeter/centimeter wave coverage across an entire sphere around device  10 . If desired, device  10  may include multiple phased antenna arrays that point in the same direction. For example, device  10  may include a first phased antenna array and a second phased antenna array that both radiate through a given housing wall of device  10 . In one suitable arrangement that is described herein as an example, device  10  may include first and second phased antenna arrays  50  that both radiate through rear housing wall  12 R of device  10  ( FIG. 1 ). 
       FIG. 5  is a rear view showing how device  10  may include first and second phased antenna arrays  50  that both radiate through rear housing wall  12 R of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , device  10  may include a first phased antenna array  50 A and a second phased antenna array  50 B. Phased antenna arrays  50 A and  50 B may both be aligned with rear housing wall  12 R for radiating through rear housing wall  12 R (e.g., for radiating through one or more dielectric windows in a conductive support plate in rear housing wall  12 R, for radiating through a dielectric cover layer in rear housing wall  12 R, etc.). Phased antenna arrays  50 A and  50 B may therefore provide millimeter/centimeter wave coverage across some or all of the hemisphere under the rear face of device  10 . Phased antenna arrays  50 A and  50 B may both lie within upper region  20  of device  10 , within lower region  22  of device  10 , or may be distributed across different regions of device  10  (e.g., where phased antenna array  50 B is located within upper region  20  whereas phased antenna array  50 A is located outside of upper region  20 , etc.). This example is merely illustrative and, in general, phased antenna arrays  50 A and  50 B may radiate through any desired wall of device  10 . 
     In one suitable arrangement that is described herein as an example, phased antenna array  50 A includes more antennas  40  than phased antenna array  50 B. This may configure phased antenna array  50 A to support greater peak gain and greater signal beam resolution than phased antenna array  50 B. Phased antenna array  50 A may therefore sometimes be referred to herein as primary phased antenna array (PAA)  50 A whereas phased antenna array  50 B is sometimes referred to herein as secondary phased antenna array (PAA)  50 B. 
     In the example of  FIG. 5 , primary PAA  50 A is a one-dimensional phased antenna array having four antennas  40  arranged in a single row and secondary PAA  50 B is a one-dimensional phased antenna array having two antennas  40  arranged in a single row. This is merely illustrative. In general, primary PAA  50 A may include any desired number of antennas  40  arranged in any desired number of rows and columns or in any other desired pattern overlapping rear housing wall  12 R. Similarly, secondary PAA  50 B may include any desired number of antennas  40  arranged in any desired number of rows and columns or in any other desired pattern overlapping rear housing wall  12 R (e.g., where the number of antennas  40  in secondary PAA  50 B is less than the number of antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A). 
     If desired, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may be operated in a diversity mode in which only primary PAA  50 A is used to convey radio-frequency signals until the wireless performance of primary PAA  50 A drops below a predetermined threshold level (e.g., due to an external object such as hand, tabletop, or other object blocking primary PAA  50 A). When this occurs, primary PAA  50 A may be switched out of use and secondary PAA  50 B may instead be used to convey radio-frequency signals until primary PAA  50 A is no longer blocked (or until primary PAA  50 A once again exhibits wireless performance greater than the predetermined threshold level). Because secondary PAA  50 B has fewer antennas  40  than primary PAA  50 A, secondary PAA  50 B may occupy less space within device  10 . Secondary PAA  50 B may therefore have increased placement flexibility within device  10  (e.g., while allowing space for other components in device  10 ). In this way, primary PAA  50 A (e.g., the PAA having greater peak gain and signal beam resolution) may be used most of the time until the primary PAA  50 A no longer exhibits satisfactory wireless performance, in which case secondary PAA  50 B may be used temporarily until primary PAA  50 A once again exhibits satisfactory wireless performance. 
     In the diversity mode, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B are each independently steerable (e.g., primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may each be controlled by different phase and magnitude controllers  58  of  FIG. 4 ). Secondary PAA  50 B may be separated from primary PAA  50 A by a distance (e.g., measured parallel to the Y-axis) that is greater than one-half of the effective wavelengths of operation of phased antenna arrays  50 A and  50 B (e.g., where the effective wavelength is equal to a free space wavelength multiplied by a constant value based on the dielectric material surrounding the antennas). At the same time, each antenna  40  in primary PAA  50 A may be separated from one or more adjacent antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A by a distance approximately equal to one-half of the effective wavelength of operation of primary PAA  50 A. Similarly, each antenna  40  in secondary PAA  50 B may be separated from one or more adjacent antennas  40  in secondary PAA  50 B by a distance approximately equal to one-half of the effective wavelength of operation of secondary PAA  50 B. The antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A may produce a signal beam in a desired beam pointing direction (e.g., as identified by codebook  54  of  FIG. 4 ). When secondary PAA  50 B is in use, the antennas  40  in secondary PAA  50 B may produce a signal beam in a desired beam pointing direction. In other words, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may be separate, independently controllable phased antenna arrays in device  10 . 
     In one suitable arrangement that is described herein as an example, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAAB may also be operable in a simultaneous array mode of operation. In the simultaneous mode of operation, the antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A and the antennas  40  in secondary PAA  50 B may be simultaneously active. In the simultaneous mode of operation, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may be controlled as a single combined phased antenna array (PAA)  50 ′. Combined PAA  50 ′ may produce a single signal beam (e.g., with signal contributions from each of the antennas  40  in both primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B) oriented in a corresponding beam pointing direction (e.g., as identified by codebook  54  of  FIG. 4 ). Because combined PAA  50 ′ has more total antennas than primary PAA  50 A (e.g., six antennas  40  as shown in  FIG. 5 ), combined PAA  50 ′ may exhibit greater peak gain and higher beam resolution than primary PAA  50 A. 
       FIG. 6  is a state diagram of illustrative operating modes for wireless circuitry  34  and device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the wireless circuitry may be operable in a first mode (state) such as diversity mode  62  and in a second mode (state) such as simultaneous array mode  60 . 
     In diversity mode  62 , only one of primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B is active at a given time. For example, primary PAA  50 A may convey radio-frequency signals over a corresponding signal beam unless primary PAA  50 A is being blocked by an external object or otherwise exhibits unsatisfactory wireless performance. If primary PAA  50 A is being blocked by an external object or exhibits unsatisfactory wireless performance, secondary PAA  50 B may convey radio-frequency signals over a corresponding signal beam. 
     Control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) may gather wireless performance metric data and/or sensor data to determine whether primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B is active in diversity mode  62 . The wireless performance metric information may include error rate data, signal-to-noise-ratio data, noise data, received power level data, or any other desired radio-frequency performance metric information. The sensor data may include impedance sensor data, phase and magnitude sensor data, proximity sensor data, ambient light sensor data, image sensor data, orientation sensor data, temperature sensor data, or any other desired sensor data. Control circuitry  28  may switch between primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B over time to ensure that the optimal PAA is used at any given time (e.g., to allow continuous and uninterrupted wireless communications with external communications equipment even if external objects temporarily block one of the arrays). 
     In simultaneous array mode  60 , control circuitry  28  may form a signal beam using a combination of the antennas  40  in both primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., control circuitry  28  may convey radio-frequency signals using combined PAA  50 ′ of  FIG. 5 ). The signal beam produced by combined PAA  50 ′ may have greater peak gain and greater beam resolution than either primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B. 
     Control circuitry  28  may transition the wireless circuitry from diversity mode  62  to simultaneous array mode  60 , as shown by arrow  64 , in response to any desired trigger condition. The trigger condition may occur, for example, when neither primary PAA  50 A nor secondary PAA  50 B exhibits satisfactory wireless performance or when combined PAA  50 ′ exhibits greater wireless performance than either primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., wireless performance that exceeds the wireless performance of either primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B by a predetermined margin). The trigger condition may also occur when there is a corresponding application call by an application running on device  10 , when the gathered wireless performance metric data and/or sensor data exhibits a predetermined value, when a user provides a user input instructing device  10  to switch operating modes, etc. 
     Similarly, control circuitry  28  may transition the wireless circuitry from simultaneous array mode  60  to diversity mode  62 , as shown by arrow  66 , in response to any desired trigger condition. The trigger condition may occur, for example, when either primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B exhibits satisfactory wireless performance (e.g., wireless performance that exceeds a predetermined threshold) or when combined PAA  50 ′ exhibits worse wireless performance than primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., when the wireless performance of primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B is greater than or within a predetermined margin of the wireless performance of combined PAA  50 ′). The trigger condition may also occur when there is a corresponding application call by an application running on device  10 , when the gathered wireless performance metric data and/or sensor data exhibits a predetermined value, when a user provides a user input instructing device  10  to switch operating modes, etc. 
     Codebook  54  ( FIG. 5 ) may store each of the signal beams formable by primary PAA  50 A, secondary PAA  50 B, and combined PAA  50 ′ within a corresponding beam table.  FIG. 7  is a diagram of an illustrative beam table for primary PAA  50 A, secondary PAA  50 B, and combined PAA  50 ′. As shown in  FIG. 7 , codebook  54  may include beam table  72 . Beam table  72  may be hard-coded into control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) or elsewhere on device  10 , may be stored in one or more look-up tables on control circuitry  28  or elsewhere on device  10 , may be stored in a database or other data structure stored on device  10 , etc. 
     Beam table  72  may include one or more blocks such as blocks  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 , and  84 . The relative size of each of these blocks generally corresponds to the number of formable signal beams contained by that block. Block  78  may identify the phase and magnitude settings (e.g., for phase and magnitude controllers  58  of  FIG. 4 ) for forming signal beams using only one antenna  40  in primary PAA  50 A. Block  80  may identify the phase and magnitude settings for forming signal beams using only one antenna  40  in secondary PAA  50 B. As each of the signal beams identified by blocks  78  and  74  are produced using only a single antenna, each of the signal beams may correspond to a relatively low beam resolution (e.g., a wide beam width) and a relatively low gain. 
     Block  80  of beam table  72  may identify the phase and magnitude settings for forming signal beams using two antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A. Block  76  may identify the phase and magnitude settings for forming signal beams using two antennas  40  in secondary PAA  50 B. As each of the signal beams identified by blocks  80  and  76  are produced using two antennas, each of the signal beams may be a relatively coarse signal beam having a beam resolution that is greater than the beam resolution of the signal beams identified by blocks  78  and  74  (e.g., signal beams having a beam width that is narrower than the beam width of the signal beams identified by blocks  78  and  74 ). Similarly, each of the signal beams identified by blocks  80  and  76  may have greater gain than the signal beams identified by blocks  78  and  74 . 
     Block  82  of beam table  72  may identify the phase and magnitude settings for forming signal beams using four antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A (e.g., using every antenna  40  in primary PAA  50 A). In this example, secondary PAA  50 B only includes two antennas  40 . As such, beam table  72  does not include any four-antenna beams for secondary PAA  50 B. Since each of the signal beams identified by block  82  are produced using four antennas, each of the signal beams may be a relatively fine signal beam having a beam resolution that is greater than the beam resolution of the signal beams identified by blocks  80  and  76  (e.g., signal beams having a beam width that is narrower than the beam width of the signal beams identified by blocks  80  and  76 ). Similarly, each of the signal beams identified by block  82  may have greater gain than the signal beams identified by blocks  80  and  76 . Blocks  78 ,  74 ,  76 ,  80 , and  82  each identify signal beams that are produced by only one of primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B. These signal beams may be used while the wireless circuitry is in diversity mode  62  of  FIG. 6 , for example, and may therefore sometimes be referred to herein as diversity array beams. 
     Block  84  of beam table  72  may identify the phase and magnitude settings for forming signal beams using combined PAA  50 ′ (e.g., using every antenna  40  in primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B). Each of the signal beams identified by block  84  may be a very fine signal beam having a beam resolution that is greater than the beam resolution of the signal beams identified by block  82  (e.g., signal beams having a beam width that is narrower than the beam width of the signal beams identified by block  82 ). Similarly, each of the signal beams identified by block  84  may have greater gain than the signal beams identified by block  82 . In other words, block  84  identifies signal beams that are produced by the concurrent operation of the antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., in forming a single signal beam across combined PAA  50 ′). These signal beams may be used while the wireless circuitry is in simultaneous array mode  60  of  FIG. 6 , for example, and may therefore sometimes be referred to herein as simultaneous array beams. 
     The example of  FIG. 7  is merely illustrative. Beam table  72  may include additional blocks for forming beams using any desired number of antennas in one or both of primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B. The simultaneous array beams need not be produced by every antenna in both primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B and may, if desired, be produced using at least one antenna in primary PAA  50 A and at least one antenna in secondar PAA  50 B (e.g., beam table  72  may include multiple blocks of simultaneous array beams where each block corresponds to a different number of active antennas). Primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may be two dimensional arrays and beam table  72  may be adapted to include signal beams formed by antennas arranged in two dimensional patterns or any other patterns if desired. 
     Control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) may perform beam searching operations to identify which of the signal beams in beam table  72  to use at any given time. The beam searching operations may be hierarchal and may generally proceed in an order from coarse to fine, as shown by arrow  70 . This may allow the control circuitry to progressively home in on a signal beam that overlaps external wireless equipment, thereby minimizing the amount of time required to establish and maintain a wireless communication link with the external wireless communications equipment. 
       FIG. 8  shows plots (e.g., cross-sectional diagrams) of illustrative signal beams formable by primary PAA  50 A and combined PAA  50 ′ (e.g., signal beams as identified by beam table  72  of  FIG. 7 ). The horizontal axes of  FIG. 8  plot azimuth angle in degrees and the vertical axes of  FIG. 8  plot elevation angle in degrees (e.g., within the hemisphere under rear housing wall  12 R of  FIG. 5 ). 
     Plot  86  of  FIG. 8  shows exemplary signal beams  88  formed using all of the antennas  40  in primary PAA  50 A. Signal beams  88  may, for example, be identified by block  82  of beam table  72  ( FIG. 7 ). As shown by plot  86 , signal beams  88  are relatively fine (narrow-width), high gain signal beams that collectively cover a relatively large region (envelope)  90  within the hemisphere overlapping primary PAA  50 A. Control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) may select a given signal beam  88  to use at any given time (e.g., the signal beam  88  that overlaps the position of external wireless communications equipment). 
     Plot  92  of  FIG. 8  shows exemplary signal beams  94  formed using all of the antennas  40  in combined PAA  50 ′ (e.g., using all of the antennas in both primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B). Signal beams  94  may, for example, be identified by block  84  of beam table  72  ( FIG. 7 ). As shown by plot  92 , signal beams  94  are very fine (narrow-width), very-high gain signal beams. The signal beams  94  may collectively cover a relatively large region (envelope)  96  within the hemisphere overlapping combined PAA  50 ′. Region  96  may be larger and/or more uniform in shape than region  90 , for example. Because signal beams  94  are smaller (higher gain) than signal beams  88 , beam table  72  may store more signal beams  94  than signal beams  88  (e.g., block  84  of  FIG. 7  may be larger than block  82 ). Control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) may select a given signal beam  94  to use at any given time (e.g., the signal beam  94  that overlaps the position of external wireless communications equipment). 
     The example of  FIG. 8  is merely illustrative. In general, signal beams  88  and  94  and regions  90  and  96  may have other shapes or sizes. Region  96  may include any desired number of signal beams  94 . Region  90  may include any desired number of signal beams  88 . Regions  96  and  90  may span other ranges of azimuth angle and elevation angle. 
       FIG. 9  is a plot showing how combined PAA  50 ′ may optimize wireless performance for device  10 . The horizontal axis of  FIG. 9  plots power in dB (e.g., EARP). The vertical axis of  FIG. 9  plots full-spherical cumulative distribution function (CDF). Curve  98  plots the wireless performance of either primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., operating in diversity mode  62  of  FIG. 6 ). Curve  100  plots the wireless performance of combined PAA  50 ′ (e.g., operating in simultaneous array mode  60  and producing signal beams  94  of  FIG. 8 ). Conveying radio-frequency signals using combined PAA  50 ′ may improve the wireless performance of device  10  relative to conveying radio-frequency signals using only primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B, as shown by arrow  102  (e.g., by as much as 3 dB or greater). 
       FIG. 10  is a flow chart of illustrative steps that may be processed by control circuitry  28  ( FIG. 4 ) in performing beam searching operations (e.g., using beam table  72  and proceeding in the direction of arrow  70  of  FIG. 7 ). At step  104  of  FIG. 10 , control circuitry  28  may sample beams from all of the phased antenna arrays in device  10 . For example, control circuitry  28  may produce one or more signal beams using each of the phased antenna arrays and may gather wireless performance metric data for each of the signal beams. Control circuitry  28  may process the wireless performance metric data to identify one or more phased antenna arrays to use for further communications (e.g., phased antenna arrays having wireless performance metric data that exceeds a threshold value). 
     In response to determining that one of primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B should be used (e.g., a rear-facing phased antenna array that radiates through rear housing wall  12 R), processing may proceed to step  106 . Control circuitry  28  may determine that primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B should be used when primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B exhibits greater wireless performance (e.g., as identified by the gathered wireless performance metric data) than the other phased antenna arrays in device  10  or when primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B has wireless performance metric data that exceeds a threshold value. 
     At step  106 , control circuitry  28  may sample (e.g., sweep through) single-antenna beams for primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B. For example, control circuitry  28  may produce one or more of the signal beams identified by blocks  78  and  74  of  FIG. 7 . Control circuitry  28  may gather wireless performance metric data for each of the signal beams. Because these signal beams are single-antenna beams, the signal beams are relatively wide and low-gain. The wireless performance metric data may, for example, identify a general direction of the external wireless equipment. Control circuitry  28  may identify a single-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., based on the gathered wireless performance metric data) for further processing. 
     At step  108 , control circuitry  28  may sample (e.g., sweep through) two-antenna beams for the phased antenna array that produced the single-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., as identified at step  106 ). For example, if the single-antenna beam having the best wireless performance was produced by primary PAA  50 A, control circuitry  28  may sample two-antenna beams as identified by block  80  of  FIG. 7 . Control circuitry  28  may gather wireless performance metric data for each of the signal beams. The wireless performance metric data may, for example, identify a more precise direction of the external wireless equipment than was identified using the single-antenna beams. Control circuitry  28  may identify the two-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., based on the gathered wireless performance metric data) for further processing. 
     At step  110 , control circuitry  28  may sample four-antenna beams (e.g., signal beams  88  of  FIG. 8 ) for the phased antenna array that produced the two-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., as identified at step  108 ). For example, if the two-antenna beam having the best wireless performance was produced by primary PAA  50 A, control circuitry  28  may sample four-antenna beams as identified by block  82  of  FIG. 7 . If desired, to minimize processing time, the sampled four-antenna beams may be only those four-antenna beams overlapping or adjacent the identified two-antenna beam having the best wireless performance. Control circuitry  28  may identify the four-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., based on the gathered wireless performance metric data) for further processing. 
     If desired, control circuitry  28  may determine whether the identified four-antenna beam having the best wireless performance has satisfactory wireless performance. The four-antenna beam may have satisfactory wireless performance if the wireless performance metric data gathered for that four-antenna beam exceeds a threshold level, for example. If the wireless performance metric data gathered for the four-antenna beam exceeds the threshold level, that four-antenna beam may be used to perform further communications with the external wireless equipment. 
     In the example of  FIG. 10 , steps  104 - 110  are performed while the wireless circuitry is in diversity mode  62  of  FIG. 6 . If the wireless performance metric data gathered for the four-antenna beam is less than the threshold level, processing may proceed to step  112 . This may, for example, be indicative of the four-antenna beam not exhibiting sufficient gain to establish a reliable wireless link with the external wireless equipment. Control circuitry  28  may subsequently place device  10  in simultaneous array mode  60  of  FIG. 6 . 
     At step  112  (e.g., in simultaneous array mode  60  of  FIG. 6 ), control circuitry  28  may sample (e.g., sweep through) signal beams for combined array  50 ′. In the example where combined array  50 ′ includes six antennas, control circuitry  28  may sample six-antenna signal beams (e.g., signal beams  94  of  FIG. 8 ) as identified by block  84  of  FIG. 7 . If desired, to minimize processing time, the sampled six-antenna beams may be only those six-antenna beams overlapping or adjacent the identified four-antenna beam having the best wireless performance. Control circuitry  28  may identify the six-antenna beam having the best wireless performance (e.g., based on the gathered wireless performance metric data) as the optimal signal beam for performing further communications. Control circuitry  28  may subsequently use the optimal signal beam to communicate with the external wireless equipment. If desired, processing may loop back to step  104  when the wireless performance metric data gathered for the optimal signal beam falls below a threshold value (e.g., when the external wireless equipment moves away from the area subtended by the optimal signal beam). 
     The example of  FIG. 10  is merely illustrative. Other beam searching operations can be used. If desired, control circuitry  28  may periodically check the signal beams used at one or more of the steps of  FIG. 10  and/or the optimal signal beam identified at step  112  to determine whether the active signal beam needs to be adjusted (e.g., to determine whether the signal beam needs to be steered to a new beam pointing direction, to determine whether device  10  needs to transition between diversity mode  62  or simultaneous array mode  60  of  FIG. 6 , etc.). Any desired trigger condition such as the gathered wireless performance metric data falling below a predetermined threshold level may trigger a new beam searching operation, a switch between the diversity mode and the simultaneous array mode, a switch between the active phased antenna array within the diversity mode, etc. As one example, if primary PAA  50 A is being used to sample two-antenna beams (at step  108 ) or four-antenna beams (at step  110 ) and the gathered wireless performance metric data identifies a drop in beam power that exceeds a threshold level, this may indicate that primary PAA  50 A has become blocked by an external object. Control circuitry  28  may subsequently switch secondary PAA  50 B into use and may subsequently perform wireless communications and/or beam searching operations using secondary PAA  50 B (e.g., until primary PAA  50 A is no longer blocked by the external object). Sensor data may also be used to determine whether primary PAA  50 A has become blocked by an external object. 
     If desired, primary PAA  50 A and secondary PAA  50 B may be combined within the same antenna module.  FIG. 11  is a diagram showing how the phased antenna arrays may be combined within the same antenna module. As shown in  FIG. 11 , wireless circuitry  34  may include an antenna module or package such as antenna module  116 . The components of antenna module  116  may be mounted to a common (shared) antenna module substrate such as a rigid printed circuit board substrate or a flexible printed circuit substrate. The components in antenna module  116  may be mounted to the antenna module substrate using surface-mount technology (SMT), solder balls, conductive pins, a ball grid array, etc. 
     A radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) such as RFIC  118  may be mounted to the antenna module substrate. A first phased antenna array (PAA)  50 - 1  (e.g., primary PAA  50 A or secondary PAA  50 B) and a second PAA  50 - 2  (e.g., secondary PAA  50 B or primary PAA  50 A) may also be formed on the antenna module substrate. RFIC  118  may be coupled to PAA  50 - 1  over radio-frequency paths  120 . RFIC  118  may be coupled to PAA  50 - 2  over radio-frequency paths  122 . Radio-frequency paths  120  and  122  may include radio-frequency transmission line paths (e.g., radio-frequency transmission line paths  42  of  FIG. 4 ) that convey radio-frequency signals. 
     RFIC  118  may be coupled to an intermediate frequency integrated circuit (IFIC)  126  over intermediate frequency (IF) path  124 . RFIC  118  and IFIC  126  may collectively form millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry  38  ( FIG. 2 ). IFIC  126  and RFIC  118  may convey IF signals over IF path  124 . Conveying signals at intermediate frequencies may incur less loss than conveying signals at millimeter/centimeter wave frequencies. RFIC  118  may include mixer circuitry (e.g., upconversion and downconversion circuitry) that converts the IF signals from IF frequencies into radio-frequency signals at radio-frequencies for transmission over PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2 . Similarly, the mixer circuitry in RFIC  118  may convert the radio-frequency signals at radio-frequencies into IF signals at IF frequencies for transmission to IFIC  126  over IF path  124 . RFIC  118  may also include the phase and magnitude controllers for PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  (e.g., phase and magnitude controllers  58  of  FIG. 4 ). 
     IFIC  126  may include mixer circuitry (e.g., upconversion and downconversion circuitry) that converts the IF signals received over IF path  124  into baseband signals at a baseband frequency for transmission to baseband (BB) processor  128  over baseband path  130 . Similarly, the mixer circuitry in IFIC  126  may convert baseband signals received over baseband path  130  into IF signals for transmission over IF path  124 . Power and control signals may also be conveyed over IF path  124 . 
     In the example of  FIG. 11 , IFIC  126 , baseband processor  128 , baseband path  130 , and a portion of IF path  124  are formed on an underlying substrate  114  (e.g., a rigid printed circuit board, flexible printed circuit, etc.) that is separate from the antenna module substrate of antenna module  116 . In one suitable arrangement that is sometimes described herein as an example, substrate  114  may be a main logic board for device  10 . Substrate  114  may therefore sometimes be referred to herein as main logic board (MLB)  114 . By forming both PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  on the same antenna module  116  and by sharing RFIC  118  between PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  in this way, the cost, manufacturing complexity, and routing complexity of wireless circuitry  34  may be minimized. In addition, by simplifying the interconnections between baseband processor  128  and the phased antenna arrays in this way, wireless circuitry  34  may exhibit reduced impedance mismatch loss, reduced transmission line loss, and increased reliability, as examples. If desired, flexible printed circuit boards may be used to couple any antenna modules external to MLB  114  (e.g., for forming IF path  124  of  FIG. 11 ). 
     The example of  FIG. 11  is merely illustrative. If desired, PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  may be formed on separate antenna modules.  FIG. 12  is a diagram showing one example of how PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  may be formed on separate antenna modules. As shown in  FIG. 12 , PAA  50 - 1  may be formed on a first antenna module  116 - 1  whereas PAA  50 - 2  is formed on a second antenna module  116 - 2  (e.g., antenna module  116 - 1  may have a first antenna module substrate whereas antenna module  116 - 2  has a second antenna module substrate that is separate from the first antenna module substrate). RFIC  118  may be mounted (e.g., surface-mounted) to antenna module  116 - 2 . 
     In the example of  FIG. 12 , antenna module  116 - 2  is mounted (e.g., surface-mounted) to MLB  114 . This is merely illustrative and, in another suitable arrangement, antenna module  116 - 2  may be separate from MLB  114 . Forming antenna module  116 - 1  separate from MLB  114  may allow antenna module  116 - 1  to be flexibly placed at a desired location within device  10 . Mounting antenna module  116 - 2  to MLB  114  may allow the corresponding radio-frequency traces (e.g., portions of radio-frequency paths  122  and/or  120 ), IF traces (e.g., portions of IF path  124 ), control traces (e.g., in IF path  124 ), and power traces (e.g., in IF path  124 ) to be integrated within the routing of MLB  114 . Board-to-board (B2B) connectors, flex traces, and/or radio-frequency traces may be used to couple RFIC  118  to antenna module  116 - 1 . 
     The arrangement of  FIG. 12  in which the same RFIC  118  is shared by both PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  is merely illustrative. In another suitable arrangement, PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  may each be fed by a respective RFIC. As shown in  FIG. 13 , a first RFIC such as RFIC  118 - 1  may be mounted to antenna module  116 - 1 . A second RFIC such as RFIC  118 - 2  may be mounted to antenna module  116 - 2 . IFIC  126  may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 1  over IF path  124 - 1 . IFIC  126  may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 2  over IF path  124 - 2 . IF signals, control signals, and power signals may be conveyed over IF paths  124 - 1  and  124 - 2 . 
     The example of  FIG. 13  in which antenna module  116 - 2  is mounted to MLB  114  is merely illustrative. In another suitable arrangement, antenna module  116 - 2  may be formed external to MLB  114 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . This may, for example, allow for maximum flexibility in the placement of PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  within device  10 . 
     If desired, RFIC  118 - 2  may provide timing (clock) signals such as a local oscillator signal to RFIC  118 - 1 .  FIG. 15  is a diagram showing how RFIC  118 - 2  may provide a local oscillator signal to RFIC  118 - 1 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , RFIC  118 - 2  may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 1  over local oscillator path  132 . RFIC  118 - 2 , other portions of antenna module  116 - 2 , or MLB  114  may include a local oscillator generator that produces local oscillator signal LO. RFIC  118 - 2  may transmit local oscillator signal LO to RFIC  118 - 1  over local oscillator path  132 . RFIC  118 - 1  and RFIC  118 - 2  may each use local oscillator signal LO for performing upconversion and downconversion and/or for performing other timing operations associated with the transmission and/or reception of radio-frequency signals using PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2 . By sharing local oscillator signal LO between RFIC  118 - 1  and RFIC  118 - 2 , the operation of PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  may be synchronized. This synchronization may, for example, support coherence between the antennas in PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  when PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  are being used as a single combined PAA  50 ′ ( FIG. 5 ). 
     In scenarios where RFIC  118 - 2  provides local oscillator signal LO to RFIC  118 - 1 , RFIC  118 - 2  operates as a master RFIC whereas RFIC  118 - 1  operates as a slave RFIC. This is merely illustrative. In another suitable arrangement, RFIC  118 - 1  may operate as a master RFIC and may produce local oscillator signal LO for RFIC  118 - 2  (e.g., RFIC  118 - 2  may be a slave RFIC). 
     The examples of  FIGS. 11-15  are merely illustrative. If desired, any of the arrangements of  FIGS. 11-15  may be combined. Wireless circuitry  34  may include more than two phased antenna arrays (e.g., three or more phased antenna arrays operable in a diversity mode of operation and in a simultaneous array mode of operation in which each of the phased antenna arrays operate as a single combined phased antenna array as described above in connection with  FIGS. 5-10 ). The phased antenna arrays may be formed on respective antenna modules or two or more (e.g., all) of the phased antenna arrays may be formed on the same antenna module. 
       FIG. 16  is a diagram showing one example of how wireless circuitry  34  may include three phased antenna arrays. As shown in  FIG. 16 , wireless circuitry  34  may include a first PAA  50 - 1  on first antenna module  116 - 1 , a second PAA  50 - 2  on second antenna module  116 - 2 , and a third PAA  50 - 3  on third antenna module  116 - 3 . Antenna module  116 - 2  and antenna module  116 - 3  may be mounted to MLB  114 . A first RFIC  118 - 1  may be mounted to antenna module  116 - 2  and may be shared by PAA  50 - 1  and PAA  50 - 2  (e.g., RFIC  118 - 1  may be coupled to PAA  50 - 1  by radio-frequency paths  120  and may be coupled to PAA  50 - 2  by radio-frequency paths  122 ). A second RFIC  118 - 2  may be mounted to antenna module  116 - 3 . RFIC  118 - 2  may be used to feed PAA  50 - 3 . IFIC  126  may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 1  over IF path  134 . IFIC may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 2  over IF path  136 . IF signals, control signals, and power signals may be conveyed over IF paths  134  and  136 . 
     RFIC  118 - 2  may be coupled to RFIC  118 - 1  over LO path  140 . RFIC  118 - 2  may generate local oscillator signal LO and may transmit local oscillator signal LO to RFIC  118 - 1  over LO path  140 . The example of  FIG. 16  is merely illustrative. If desired, RFIC  118 - 1  may generate local oscillator signal LO. Any desired combination of antenna modules  116 - 1 ,  116 - 2 , and  116 - 3  may be mounted to MLB  114  or formed external to MLB  114 . Each antenna module  116  may have a respective RFIC or one or more antenna module may share one or more RFIC. Each antenna module  116  may include one or more phased antenna arrays. Wireless circuitry  34  may include more than three phased antenna arrays and/or more than three antenna modules if desired. 
     Device  10  may gather and/or use personally identifiable information. It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200924
Publication Date: 20221011
Grant Date: 20221011
Priority Date: 20200924
Inventors: MA, Kexin
YONG, Siwen
WU, JIANGFENG
BEGASHAW, SIMON G.
CHAUDHARY, MADHUSUDAN
ZHANG, LIJUN
JIANG, YI
XU, HAO
PASCOLINI, MATTIA
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01Q21/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/2617", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/2208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/36", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/243", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/26", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/2208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/2617", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80741779