Electronic device housing with integrated antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11769940-B2
Application number	US-202117544837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2021
Priority date	Sep 9, 2021
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display, and a housing at least partially surrounding the display and comprising a first housing member defining a first portion of an exterior surface of the electronic device and a second housing member defining a second portion of the exterior surface of the electronic device and configured to function as an antenna. The electronic device also includes a joining structure positioned between the first housing member and the second housing member including a reinforcement plate and a molded element at least partially encapsulating the reinforcement plate and engaged with the first housing member and the second housing member, thereby retaining the first housing member to the second housing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display;
a housing at least partially surrounding the display and comprising:
a first housing member defining a first portion of an exterior surface of the electronic device; and
a second housing member defining a second portion of the exterior surface of the electronic device and configured to function as an antenna; and

a joining structure positioned between the first housing member and the second housing member and comprising:
a reinforcement plate; and
a molded element at least partially encapsulating the reinforcement plate and engaged with the first housing member and the second housing member, thereby retaining the first housing member to the second housing member.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a cover member over the display and defining a front surface of the electronic device;
the reinforcement plate defines a first planar side and a second planar side parallel to the first planar side; and
the reinforcement plate is oriented in the joining structure such that the first and second planar sides are perpendicular to the front surface.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first housing member defines a first slot configured to receive a first portion of the reinforcement plate therein; and
the second housing member defines a second slot configured to receive a second portion of the reinforcement plate therein.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a cover member over the display and defining a front surface;
the first slot is at least partially defined by a first bottom surface and a pair of first side surfaces;
the second slot is at least partially defined by a second bottom surface and a pair of second side surfaces; and
the first and second bottom surfaces and the pairs of first and second side surfaces are configured to retain the reinforcement plate in a perpendicular orientation relative to the front surface.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the reinforcement plate has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE); and
the molded element has a second CTE that is greater than the first CTE.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein:
the molded element has a residual tensile stress at a location within the molded element; and
the reinforcement plate has a residual compressive stress at a location within the reinforcement plate.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the joining structure is less than 50% greater than a CTE of the first housing member and the second housing member.

8. A tablet computer comprising:
a display;
a transparent cover member over the display and defining a touch-sensitive input surface;
a housing at least partially surrounding the display and coupled to the transparent cover member, the housing comprising:
a first housing member defining a first portion of a side surface of the tablet computer; and
a second housing member defining a second portion of the side surface of the tablet computer; and

a joining structure positioned between the first housing member and the second housing member and defining a third portion of the side surface of the tablet computer, the joining structure comprising:
a composite plate comprising a plurality of ceramic-fiber reinforced layers; and
a molded element bonded to the composite plate and to the first and second housing members.

9. The tablet computer of claim 8 , wherein the first housing member and the second housing member are portions of a unitary metal structure.

10. The tablet computer of claim 8 , wherein:
the housing defines a back surface of the tablet computer;
the tablet computer has a first height dimension extending from the back surface of the tablet computer; and
the composite plate has a second height dimension that is greater than 80% of the first height dimension.

11. The tablet computer of claim 8 , wherein:
the composite plate defines:
a first planar side; and
a second planar side parallel to the first planar side; and

the first and second planar sides are parallel to the touch-sensitive input surface of the transparent cover member.

12. The tablet computer of claim 11 , wherein the composite plate defines a hole extending from the first planar side to the second planar side.

13. The tablet computer of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of ceramic-fiber reinforced layers comprises ceramic fibers extending along a direction parallel to the touch-sensitive input surface.

14. The tablet computer of claim 8 , wherein:
a first subset of the plurality of ceramic-fiber reinforced layers comprises ceramic fibers extending along a first direction parallel to the touch-sensitive input surface; and
a second subset of the plurality of ceramic-fiber reinforced layers comprises ceramic fibers extending along a second direction perpendicular to the touch-sensitive input surface.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a transparent cover positioned over a display and defining a touch-sensitive input surface of the electronic device;
a housing coupled to the transparent cover and comprising:
a first housing member formed of a conductive material and defining a first portion of an exterior surface of the electronic device; and
a second housing member formed of the conductive material and defining a second portion of the exterior surface of the electronic device; and

a joining structure positioned between the first housing member and the second housing member and comprising:
a molded element positioned between the first housing member and the second housing member and defining a third portion of the exterior surface of the electronic device; and
a reinforcement plate at least partially encapsulated by the molded element and defining first and second major surfaces oriented perpendicular to the touch-sensitive input surface.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the reinforcement plate comprises a plurality of nonconductive fibers in a polymer matrix.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of nonconductive fibers are ceramic fibers.

18. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:
the first housing member defines a slot configured to receive the reinforcement plate therein; and
the reinforcement plate defines:
a first ridge along the first major surface and in contact with a first side of the slot; and
a second ridge along the second major surface and in contact with a second side of the slot.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the contact between the first ridge and the first side of the slot and between the second ridge and the second side of the slot retains the reinforcement plate in the perpendicular orientation relative to the touch-sensitive input surface.

20. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein:
the first ridge defines a first flat face in contact with the first side of the slot; and
the second ridge defines a second flat face in contact with the second side of the slot.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Renda Nicholas A
• Catalano Carlo
• Wang Chen
• Cramer David R
• Atom Kellen M
• Corbet Lindsay D
• Kuna Melody L
• Durand Robert J
• Ternullo Stephanie L
• Venkatesh Sunita
• Lele Suvrat
• Cheung Wang Chung Alston

Classifications

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/42

  Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome · CPC title

• H01Q13/10

  Resonant slot antennas · CPC title

• H01Q9/42

  with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength · CPC title