Antenna and electronic device including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12424733-B2
Application number	US-202318171897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2023
Priority date	Aug 25, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a flexible display comprising a display panel which includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, and is disposed to be at least partially visible in a folded state, an array antenna which is formed on a dielectric sheet disposed on the display panel and includes a first mesh pattern portion disposed at a position corresponding to the first portion, a second mesh pattern portion disposed at a position corresponding to the third portion, and at least one third mesh pattern portion formed at a position spaced apart from the first mesh pattern portion, at a position corresponding to the first portion, a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal through the array antenna, and a phase shifting means disposed in an electrical path between the wireless communication circuit and the array antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing foldably connected to the first housing via a first hinge module;
a flexible display disposed to be supported by the first housing and the second housing, wherein the flexible display includes:
a first portion corresponding to the first housing,
a second portion corresponding to the second housing,
a third portion extending from the first portion to the second portion and corresponding to the first hinge module, and
a display panel disposed to be at least partially visible in a folded state;

an array antenna provided on a dielectric sheet disposed on the display panel, wherein the array antenna includes:
a first mesh pattern portion disposed at a position corresponding to the first portion,
a second mesh pattern portion disposed at a position corresponding to the third portion, and
at least one third mesh pattern portion provided at a position spaced apart by a first separation distance from the first mesh pattern portion;

a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal via the array antenna; and
a phase conversion mechanism disposed in an electrical path between the wireless communication circuit and the array antenna,
wherein the dielectric sheet disposed on the display panel is disposed between a window layer and the display panel, and
wherein a beam pattern formed by the array antenna is radiated to an outside of the electronic device through the window layer, opposite to the display panel.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein phase values applied to the array antenna via the phase conversion mechanism may be set to be different from each other depending on the folded and unfolded states of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to cause, via the phase conversion mechanism, the array antenna to operate such that, depending on the folded state and an unfolded state, a direction of a beam pattern formed by the first mesh pattern portion and the third mesh pattern portion and a direction of a beam pattern formed by the second mesh pattern portion are substantially equal to each other.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein, in the folded state, the beam patterns are formed in a first direction in which the first portion is oriented, in a second direction in which the third portion is oriented, or in a predetermined direction between the first direction and the second direction.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first mesh pattern portion, the second mesh pattern portion, and the third mesh pattern portion are arranged to have an equal center-to-center distance.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a predetermined first separation distance is provided from a center between the first mesh pattern portion and the third mesh pattern portion to the center of the second mesh pattern portion.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 ,
wherein the first mesh pattern portion is disposed such that a second separation distance is provided between the center of the first mesh pattern portion and the center of the third mesh pattern portion, and
wherein the second separation distance is smaller than the first separation distance.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the second separation distance has an electrical length of λ/4, wherein λ is a wavelength of the wireless signal.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a fourth mesh pattern portion disposed at a position corresponding to the third portion,
wherein a third separation distance between the center of the fourth mesh pattern portion and the center of the second mesh pattern portion is equal to the first separation distance.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a beam pattern is formed in a second direction in which the second mesh pattern portion is oriented in the folded state, in a third direction in which the fourth mesh pattern portion is formed, or in a predetermined direction between the second direction and the third direction.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one processor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive folded angle information between the folded state and an unfolded state via a folding detector, and
control the wireless communication circuit to change a direction of a beam pattern via the phase conversion mechanism based on the folded angle information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to control the direction of the beam pattern based on a phase value stored in a memory and corresponding to the received folded angle information.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first mesh pattern portion and the third mesh pattern portion is provided with ½ of the power applied to the second mesh pattern portion.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first mesh pattern portion, the second mesh pattern portion, and the third mesh pattern portion are configured in a mesh structure with a plurality of conductive lines disposed on the dielectric sheet.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first mesh pattern portion, the second mesh pattern portion, and the third mesh pattern portion are arranged in a direction parallel to an edge of the flexible display in the dielectric sheet.

16. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the folded angle includes at least one of 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, 150 degrees, 180 degrees, or 210 degrees.

17. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the array antenna is disposed at a position that at least partially overlaps a display area of the display panel when the flexible display is viewed from above.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Kookjoo
• Yun Sumin
• Lee Chaejun
• Jung Jinwoo
• Chun Jaebong
• Hwang Hochul

Classifications

• H01Q3/30

  varying the {relative} phase {between the radiating elements of an array (H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title