Electronic device antennas with ground isolation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10250289-B2
Application number	US-201615257521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2016
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display cover layer mounted to a metal housing. Electrical component layers such as a display layer, touch sensor layer, and near-field communications antenna layer may be mounted under the display cover layer. An antenna feed may have a positive feed terminal coupled to the electrical component layers and a ground feed terminal coupled to the metal housing. The electrical component layers may serve as an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The antenna may cover cellular telephone bands and may receive satellite navigation system signals. A system-in-package device may be mounted to the metal housing. A flexible printed circuit may extend between the electrical component layers and the system-in-package device. A mounting bracket for the system-in-package device may be provided with electrical isolation to enhance antenna performance in bands such as a satellite navigation system band.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device having front and rear faces, comprising:
a metal housing;
a display cover layer coupled to the metal housing on the front face;
at least one electrical component layer adjacent to the display cover layer;
a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads; and
a plurality of metal brackets including:
a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing and that forms a grounding path between the first grounding solder pad and the housing; and
a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing without forming a grounding path between the second grounding solder pad and the housing.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a flexible printed circuit that extends between the at least one electrical component layer and the system-in-package device.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising:
an antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the at least one electrical component layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the at least one electrical component layer forms at least part of an antenna resonating element for an antenna and the metal housing forms at least part of a ground for the antenna.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver coupled to the antenna feed.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the second bracket comprises:
a metal member with first and second opposing ends; and
a plastic coating at the second end.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the second end includes a screw hole and the plastic coating electrically isolates the metal member from the metal housing.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising:
a screw that is received within the screw hole, that attaches the second end to the metal housing, and that is electrically isolated from the second end by the plastic coating.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the plastic coating creates a capacitance between the metal housing and the second grounding solder pad of 1 to 25 pF.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the at least one electrical component layer comprises a display layer, a touch sensor layer, and a near-field communications antenna layer.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a metal housing;
a display cover layer coupled to the housing;
at least one electrical component layer adjacent to the display cover layer;
a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads and having a ground plane formed from a metal trace that is shorted to the first grounding solder pad and that is coupled to the second grounding pad by a tank circuit; and
a plurality of metal brackets including:
a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing; and
a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising an antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the at least one electrical component layer.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the at least one electrical component layer comprises a display layer and a touch sensor layer.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 , wherein the at least one electrical component layer forms at least part of an antenna resonating element for an antenna.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the at least one electrical component layer further comprises a near-field communications antenna layer.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the metal trace forms a ground plane mesh with openings.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising:
a flexible printed circuit that extends between the at least one electrical component layer and the system-in-package device; and
a satellite navigation system receiver coupled to the antenna feed.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the second grounding solder pad has a horseshoe shape with a central opening and wherein the metal trace has a mesh portion under the central opening.

19. An electronic device, comprising:
a metal housing;
electrical component layers including a touch sensor layer, a display layer, and a near-field communications antenna layer;
a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads and having a ground plane formed from a metal trace that is shorted to the first grounding solder pad and that is shorted to the second grounding solder pad;
an antenna feed for an antenna, the antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the electrical component layers, wherein the electrical component layers form a resonating element for the antenna;
a plurality of metal brackets including:
a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing and that forms a grounding path between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing; and
a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing without forming a short circuit through the second bracket between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 further comprising:
a flexible printed circuit that extends between the positive antenna feed and the system-in-package device; and
a plastic support structure that biases the flexible printed circuit against at least part of the metal housing.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Jiang Yi
• Wu Jiangfeng
• Zhang Lijun
• Yong Siwen
• Niu Jiaxiao
• Pascolini Mattia
• Nath Jayesh
• Di Nallo Carlo
• Wang Zheyu
• Martinis Mario
• Da Costa Bras Lima Eduardo Jorge
• Cardinali Steven P
• Ehman Rex Tyler
• Horiuchi James G
• Ness Trevor J
• Morrison Scott D
• Nangia Siddharth
• Sarwar Mushtaq A

Classifications

• G06F1/1658

  related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G06F1/1698

  the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone (details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266) · CPC title

• H04M1/0202 Primary

  Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets (constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03) · CPC title