Self-adaptive antenna systems for electronic devices having multiple form factors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10193213-B2
Application number	US-201514883254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2015
Priority date	Oct 14, 2015
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device is described that is configurable to be transitioned from a first operating mode having a first form factor to a second operating mode having a second form factor. The electronic device includes a first device portion and a second device portion that is connected to the first device portion. The first device portion includes an RF antenna. The second device portion includes an antenna adaptation element. The antenna adaptation element is positioned more closely to the RF antenna in the second operating mode than in the first operating mode. The antenna adaptation element is configured to, in the second operating mode, passively counteract or mitigate a shifting of a resonant frequency of the RF antenna that would otherwise occur as a result of the electronic device being transitioned from the first operating mode to the second operating mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device that is configurable to be transitioned from a first operating mode having a first form factor to a second operating mode having a second form factor, the electronic device comprising:
a first device portion that includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna; and
a second device portion that is connected to the first device portion and includes a first antenna adaptation element;
the first antenna adaptation element being positioned more closely to the RF antenna in the second operating mode than in the first operating mode and the first antenna adaptation element being configured to, in the second operating mode, passively counteract a shifting of first and second resonant frequencies of the RF antenna that would otherwise occur as a result of the electronic device being transitioned from the first operating mode to the second operating mode so that the first resonant frequency of the RF antenna remains within a first target frequency band for RF communication and the second resonant frequency of the RF antenna remains within a second target frequency band for RF communication.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the RF antenna comprises one of a microstrip antenna, a planar inverted-F antenna, a monopole antenna, and a loop antenna.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna adaptation element comprises one or more of a metal, a ceramic, and a dielectric material.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna adaptation element is positioned such that, in the second operating mode, the first antenna adaptation element covers at least part of the RF antenna in a direction that is particular to a plane of contact between the first device portion and the second device portion.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna adaptation element is connected to a ground.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first antenna adaptation element is connected to the ground via a discrete component.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the discrete component comprises a capacitor, an inductor, or a switch.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the RF antenna and the first antenna adaptation element is disposed within an internal cavity of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the RF antenna and the first antenna adaptation element is external to the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a foldable display that spans the first device portion and the second device portion and wherein transitioning the electronic device from the first operating mode to the second operating mode comprises folding the foldable display.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first device portion comprises a tablet computer and the second device portion comprises a keyboard.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first device portion comprises a display portion of a laptop computer and the second device portion comprises a keyboard portion of the laptop computer.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first target frequency band includes lower frequencies than the second target frequency band.

14. A foldable electronic device, comprising:
a first portion that includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna;
a second portion that includes a first antenna adaptation element;
a first flexible connector that connects the first portion to the second portion; and
a foldable display that spans at least the first portion, the first flexible connector, and the second portion;
the first flexible connector and the foldable display enabling the foldable electronic device to be selectively configured in either a first operating mode in which the first portion and the second portion are not folded toward each other or a second operating mode in which the first portion and the second portion are folded toward each other, the first antenna adaptation element being closer to the RF antenna in the second operating mode than in the first operating mode;
the first antenna adaptation element being a passive element that is configured to, in the second operating mode, mitigate a shifting of first and second resonant frequencies of the RF antenna that would otherwise occur as a result of the foldable electronic device being transitioned from the first operating mode to the second operating mode so that the first resonant frequency of the RF antenna remains within a first target frequency band for RF communication and the second resonant frequency of the RF antenna remains within a second target frequency band for RF communication.

15. The foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first operating mode comprises a tablet mode or phablet mode and wherein the second operating mode comprises a phone mode.

16. The foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first target frequency band includes lower frequencies than the second target frequency band.

17. A foldable electronic device, comprising:
a first portion that includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna;
a second portion that includes a first antenna adaption element;
a third portion that includes a second antenna adaptation element;
a first flexible connector that connects the first portion to the second portion;
a second flexible connector that connects the second portion to the third portion; and
a foldable display that spans at least the first portion, the first flexible connector, the second portion, the second flexible connector and the third portion;
the first flexible connector and the foldable display enabling the foldable electronic device to be selectively configured in either a first operating mode in which the first portion and the second portion are not folded toward each other or a second operating mode in which the first portion and the second portion are folded toward each other, the first antenna adaptation element being closer to the RF antenna in the second operating mode than in the first operating mode;
the second flexible connector and the foldable display further enabling the foldable electronic device to be selectively configured in a third operating mode in which the second portion and the third portion are folded toward each other, the second portion and the third portion not being folded toward each other in the second operating mode, the second antenna adaptation element being closer to the RF antenna in the third operating mode than in the first operating mode and the second operating mode;
the first antenna adaptation element being a passive element that is configured to, in the second operating mode, mitigate a shifting of a resonant frequency of the RF antenna that would otherwise occur as a result of the foldable electronic device being transitioned from the first operating mode to the second operating mode;
the second antenna adaptation element being a passive element that is configured to, in the third operating mode, mitigate a shifting of the resonant frequency of the RF antenna that would otherwise occur as a result of the foldable electronic device being transitioned from the second operating mode to the third operating mode.

18. The foldable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the first operating mode comprises a tablet mode, wherein the second operating mode comprises a phablet mode, and wherein the third operating mode comprises a phone mode.

19. The foldable electronic dev

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Liu Luyi

Classifications

• H01Q5/378

  Combination of fed elements with parasitic elements · CPC title

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/2266

  disposed inside the computer · CPC title

• H04M1/0247

  comprising more than two body parts · CPC title