Electronic device antennas with narrow border display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12394887-B2
Application number	US-202318465014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2023
Priority date	Sep 11, 2023
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with sidewalls and a conductive plate. A segment of the sidewalls may form a radiating arm of an antenna. A display may be mounted to the sidewalls. The display may include a conductive frame and a flexible printed circuit. The flexible circuit may have a bend. Conductive foam may short a conductive trace on the flexible circuit to the conductive frame near the bend. Low injection pressure overmolding (LIPO) may be molded over the flexible circuit, the foam, and the frame. A conductive spring may short the frame to the conductive plate. The spring may include a wider and/or thinner portion that optionally includes one or more notches for reducing its inductance. The conductive plate, the spring, the frame, the foam, and the conductive trace may form part of the antenna ground for the antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein a segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures forms an antenna resonating element arm for an antenna; and
a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the display includes
a conductive frame,
a flexible printed circuit having a first portion with pixel circuitry and a second portion that is folded with respect to the first portion about an axis,
conductive foam that couples a conductive trace on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the conductive frame, and
a plastic overmold molded over the flexible printed circuit at the bend, at least some of the conductive frame, and at least some of the conductive foam.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plastic overmold comprises a low injection pressure overmolding (LIPO).

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the axis extends parallel to the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein at least some of the plastic overmold is interposed between the flexible printed circuit and the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive trace extends into the first portion of the flexible printed circuit around the axis.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the display comprises a display cover layer, the pixel circuitry is configured to emit light through the display cover layer, and the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit extend parallel to the display cover layer.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a conductive plate extending from a first wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures to a second wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the first wall, the conductive plate being separated from the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures by a slot; and
a dielectric cover layer mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the display.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the conductive plate is separated from the dielectric cover layer by a non-zero distance.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a conductive spring that couples the conductive frame to the conductive plate.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the conductive spring comprises sheet metal extending from a first end to a second end, the first end is coupled to the conductive plate, the second end is coupled to the conductive frame, and the sheet metal includes at least three bends.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the sheet metal has a first bend about a first axis, a second bend about a second axis parallel to the first axis, and a third bend about a third axis non-parallel to the second axis, the sheet metal having a first portion extending from the first end to the first bend, a second portion extending from the second bend to the third bend, and a third portion extending from the third bend to the second end.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the third portion is wider than the second portion.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the third portion is thinner than the second portion.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the third portion comprises at least one notch.

15. An electronic device comprising:
peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein a segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures forms a radiating arm for an antenna; and
a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the display includes
a conductive frame,
a flexible printed circuit mounted to the conductive frame, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a bend about an axis and the bend faces the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures,
conductive foam that couples the flexible printed circuit to the conductive frame, the conductive foam overlapping the axis, and
a low injection pressure overmolding (LIPO), wherein the bend of the flexible printed circuit, at least some of the conductive frame, and at least some of the conductive foam are embedded within the LIPO.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the conductive foam shorts a conductive trace on the flexible printed circuit to the conductive frame.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the antenna comprises an antenna ground that includes the conductive trace, the conductive frame, and the conductive foam.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , further comprising:
a conductive plate extending from a first wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures to a second wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the first wall, the conductive plate being separated from the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures by a slot, and the conductive plate forming part of the antenna ground; and
a conductive spring that shorts the conductive frame to the conductive plate.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a housing having peripheral conductive housing structures, a dielectric cover layer mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures, and a conductive plate that extends from a first wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures to a second wall of the peripheral conductive housing structures;
an antenna having a radiating arm formed from a segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures and having an antenna ground that includes the conductive plate, the conductive plate being separated from the segment by a slot;
a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the dielectric cover layer, the conductive plate being interposed between the dielectric cover layer and the display, and the display including a conductive frame; and
a conductive spring that couples the conductive frame to the conductive plate, wherein the conductive spring is bent about a first axis, a second axis parallel to the first axis, and a third axis non-parallel with respect to the second axis.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the conductive spring comprises:
a first portion extending from the conductive plate to the first axis;
a second portion extending from the second axis to the third axis;
a third portion extending from the third axis to the conductive frame, the third portion being bent at an angle between 0 and 90 degrees with respect to the second portion; and
at least one notch in the third portion and extending along a longitudinal axis of the third portion.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Chen Ming
• Ayala Vazquez Enrique
• Ravi Joel
• Bae Woonyong
• Burke Laura M
• Xu Yuancheng
• Rupakula Bhaskara R
• Tian Haozhan
• Yarga Salih
• Irci Erdinc
• Yu Tiejun
• Amjadi Seyed Mohammad
• Nafe Ahmed Ali Abdelhaliem
• Hu Hongfei
• Di Nallo Carlo
• Pascolini Mattia

Classifications

• H05K5/0247

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

• G02F2202/16

  conductive · CPC title

• H01Q1/48

  Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises · CPC title

• H01Q1/242

  specially adapted for hand-held use · CPC title

• G02F1/133331

  Cover glasses · CPC title