# US 2018/0323834 A1 · Methods for Performing Antenna Beam Scanning > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0323834 A1 - Document ID: US20180323834A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/584,889 - Filed: 2017-05-02 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-02 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Yi Jiang; Siwen Yong; Jiangfeng Wu; Lijun Zhang; Mattia Pascolini - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323834A1 ## CPC - H04B 7/0408: using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity - G01S 3/32: derived from different combinations of signals from separate antennas, e.g. comparing sum with difference - G01S 3/40: adjusting orientation of a single directivity characteristic to produce maximum or minimum signal, e.g. rotatable loop antenna or equivalent goniometer system - G01S 3/42: the desired condition being maintained automatically - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H01Q 1/24: with receiving set - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H01Q 3/28: varying the amplitude - H01Q 3/36: with variable phase-shifters - H01Q 21/205: {providing an omnidirectional coverage (turnstile aerials H01Q21/26)} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract An electronic device may communicate with an external device and may include one or more phased antenna arrays that transmit and receive a beam of millimeter wave signals. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the phased antenna array and may be adjusted to steer a direction of the beam. Control circuitry may control the beam steering circuitry to sweep the beam of millimeter wave signals over multiple beam directions. The control circuitry may gather wireless performance data and may compare the wireless performance metric data at each beam direction in the sweep prior to gathering wireless performance metric data at other beam directions in the sweep. The first beam direction in the sweep may be selected based on an initial position of the external device and/or based on sensor data gathered by the control circuitry. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device configured to communicate with an external device, the electronic device comprising: a first phased antenna array configured to transmit and receive millimeter wave signals; a second phased antenna array configured to transmit and receive additional millimeter wave signals, wherein the second phased antenna array is adjacent to the first phased antenna array; beam steering circuitry coupled to the phased antenna array; additional beam steering circuitry coupled to the second phased antenna array; an electronic device orientation sensor configured to generate orientation data; and control circuitry coupled to the beam steering circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: control the beam steering circuitry to steer the millimeter wave signals in a first direction, determine whether the millimeter wave signals in the first direction satisfy predetermined wireless performance criteria, and in response to determining that the millimeter wave signals in the first direction fail to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria, control the additional beam steering circuitry to steer the additional millimeter wave signals in a second direction based on the orientation data, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: determine whether the additional millimeter wave signals in the second direction satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria; and control the additional beam steering circuitry to steer the additional millimeter wave signals in a third direction that is adjacent to the second direction in response to determining that the additional millimeter wave signals in the second direction fail to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: determine whether the additional millimeter wave signals in the third direction satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria; and control the additional beam steering circuitry to steer the additional millimeter wave signals in a fourth direction that is adjacent to the third direction in response to determining that the additional millimeter wave signals in the third direction fail to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: control the additional millimeter wave signals to remain in the second direction in response to determining that the additional millimeter wave signals in the second direction satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the millimeter wave signals in the first direction satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria by gathering wireless performance metric data and comparing the wireless performance metric data to a predetermined range of wireless performance metric values. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic device defined in claim 5, further comprising: a non-millimeter wave antenna, wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive the wireless performance metric data from the external device using the non-millimeter wave antenna. ### Claim 7 (canceled) ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: an electronic device housing, wherein the first phased antenna array is formed at a first side of the electronic device housing and the second phased antenna array is formed at a second side of the electronic device housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to select the second direction based on a change in orientation of the electronic device identified by the orientation data. ### Claim 10 A method of operating an electronic device to communicate with an external device, wherein the electronic device includes control circuitry and at least one phased antenna array that is configured to transmit and receive a steerable beam of millimeter wave signals, the method comprising: with the control circuitry, gathering first wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in a first direction and determining whether the first wireless performance data satisfies a predetermined wireless performance criteria; in response to determining that the first wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria, with the control circuitry, steering the millimeter wave signals in a second direction that is adjacent to the first direction, gathering second wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in the second direction, and determining whether the second wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria, wherein the first direction is the last direction for which successful communications with the external device were performed; in response to determining that the second wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria, with the control circuitry, steering the millimeter wave signals in a third direction that is different from the first and second directions; and in response to determining that the second wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria, with the control circuitry, controlling the millimeter wave signals to remain steered in the second direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, wherein the second direction is adjacent to the first direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, further comprising: with an inertial measurement unit, generating device orientation data, wherein steering the millimeter wave signals in the second direction comprises steering the millimeter wave signals based on the generated device orientation data. ### Claim 13 (canceled) ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, wherein determining whether the first wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria comprises comparing the first wireless performance data to a predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method defined in claim 14, wherein the first wireless performance data comprises an error rate value and comparing the first wireless performance data to the predetermined threshold value comprises comparing the error rate value to a maximum error rate threshold value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, further comprising: with the control circuitry, gathering third wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in the third direction; with the control circuitry, determining whether the third wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria; in response to determining that the third wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria, with the control circuitry, steering the millimeter wave signals in a fourth direction that is different from the first, second, and third directions; and in response to determining that the third wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria, with the control circuitry, controlling the millimeter wave signals to remain steered in the third direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, wherein the at least one phased antenna array comprises first and second phased antenna arrays on different sides of the electronic device, gathering the first wireless performance data comprises gathering the first wireless performance data based on signals transmitted by the first phased antenna array, and steering the millimeter wave signals in the second direction comprises steering the second phased antenna array in the second direction based on sensor data gathered by the control circuitry. ### Claim 18 An electronic device configured to communicate with an external device, the electronic device comprising: a phased antenna array configured to transmit and receive a beam of millimeter wave signals; beam steering circuitry coupled to the phased antenna array; and control circuitry coupled to the beam steering circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: control the beam steering circuitry to place the beam of millimeter wave signals in a first orientation, determine whether the beam of millimeter wave signals in the first orientation satisfies a wireless performance criteria, place the beam of millimeter wave signals in a second orientation adjacent to the first orientation in response to determining that the beam of millimeter wave signals in the first orientation fails to satisfy the wireless performance criteria, and determine whether the beam of millimeter wave signals in the second orientation satisfies the wireless performance criteria prior to gathering wireless performance data at any other orientation of the beam of millimeter wave signals. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: place the beam of millimeter wave signals in a third orientation that is different from the first and second orientations in response to determining that the beam of millimeter wave signals in the second orientation fails to satisfy the wireless performance criteria. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The electronic device defined in claim 19, further comprising: sensor circuitry configured to generate sensor data, wherein the control circuitry is configured to place the millimeter wave beam in the third orientation based on the sensor data generated by the sensor circuitry. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic device orientation sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit configured to generate the orientation data. ### Claim 22 (depends on 10) The method defined in claim 10, further comprising: before gathering the first wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals while the millimeter wave signals are steered in the first direction and determining whether the first wireless performance data satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria, performing bi-directional communications with the external device while the millimeter wave signals are steered in the first direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method defined in claim 22, further comprising, in response to determining that the second wireless performance data fails to satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria: repeatedly steering the millimeter wave signals in a different direction and determining whether wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals at the different direction satisfies the predetermined wireless performance criteria until the wireless performance data associated with the millimeter wave signals at a most-recent different direction satisfy the predetermined wireless performance criteria.