Handheld electronic device with cable grounding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313497-B2
Application number	US-201414158403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Jun 21, 2007
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:
a radio-frequency transceiver;
an antenna ground plane;
an antenna resonating element that forms an antenna with the antenna ground plane;
a coaxial cable connected between the radio-frequency transceiver and the antenna, wherein the coaxial cable has an outer ground conductor;
a conductive fastener that is connected to the outer ground conductor;
a metal housing that forms part of the antenna ground plane, the antenna ground plane including two or more side walls of the metal housing;
a metal tab that is electrically connected to the metal housing and configured to ground the antenna resonating element to the metal housing that forms part of the antenna ground plane; and
a biasing member that presses the conductive fastener against the metal tab.

2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member comprises a resilient material.

3. The handheld electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the resilient material comprises urethane.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule that is crimped over the outer ground conductor.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of additional conductive fasteners that are crimped to the outer ground conductor.

7. The handheld electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a conductive housing frame that forms a part of the antenna ground plane, wherein at least some of the plurality of additional conductive fasteners are electrically shorted to the conductive housing frame.

8. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 7 , further comprising a metal bracket that has a plurality of extensions each of which is crimped over a respective conductive fastener of the plurality of additional conductive fasteners.

9. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 8 , wherein the conductive housing frame comprises a planar sheet of metal that is welded to the metal bracket.

10. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising a button that allows a user to supply an input command to the handheld electronic device, wherein the button is round and has a concave exterior surface.

11. A handheld electronic device, comprising:
a radio-frequency transceiver;
a conductive housing frame;
an antenna having an antenna ground plane formed at least partly from the conductive housing frame, the antenna ground plane including two or more sides of the conductive housing frame;
a coaxial cable coupled between the radio-frequency transceiver and the antenna, wherein the coaxial cable has an outer ground conductor;
a conductive fastener connected to the outer ground conductor of the coaxial cable; and
a conductive member that mechanically and electrically connects the conductive fastener to the conductive housing frame and configured to ground the antenna to the conductive housing frame that forms part of the antenna ground plane.

12. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the conductive member is welded to the conductive housing frame.

13. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the conductive member is crimped to the conductive fastener.

14. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the coaxial cable has a first coaxial cable connector that is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver and a second coaxial cable connector that is connected to the antenna.

15. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule that is crimped to the outer ground conductor.

16. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of additional conductive fasteners connected to the outer ground conductor of the coaxial cable.

17. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 16 , wherein the conductive fasteners comprise ferrules that are crimped to the outer ground conductor.

18. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 17 , wherein the conductive member comprises a metal bracket having fingers that are bent over the ferrules.

19. Apparatus, comprising:
a coaxial cable having a ground conductor;
a conductive electronic device housing structure that forms part of an antenna ground plane, the antenna ground plane including two or more side walls of the conductive electronic device housing structure;
a plurality of ferrules crimped over the coaxial cable that are electrically connected to the ground conductor; and
a metal member connected to the conductive electronic device housing structure and having extensions that are connected to the ferrules, the metal member configured to ground an antenna to the conductive electronic device housing structure that forms part of the antenna ground plane.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19 , wherein the metal member is welded to the conductive electronic device housing structure.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 19 , wherein the metal member has extensions that are crimped over the ferrules.

Assignees

• Apple Inc
• Seid Vincent Keane

Inventors

• Hobson Phillip Michael
• Wang Erik L
• Jenks Kenneth A
• Hill Robert J
• Schlub Robert W
• Dinh Richard H
• Tan Tang Yew
• Mittleman Adam D
• Andre Bartley K
• Coster Daniel J
• De Iullis Daniele
• Howarth Richard P
• Ive Jonathan P
• Jobs Steven P
• Kerr Duncan Robert
• Nishibori Shin
• Rohrbach Matthew Dean
• Satzger Douglas B
• Seid Calvin Q
• Stringer Christopher J
• Whang Eugene Antony
• Zorkendorfer Rico

Classifications

• H01Q9/0421 Primary

  with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element (H01Q9/0414 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · 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

• H04M1/0266

  for a display module assembly · CPC title

• H05K5/0247

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title