Electronic Device with Antenna Connections Between Curved Conductors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025087873-A1
Application number	US-202418626251-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 3, 2024
Priority date	Sep 7, 2023
Publication date	Mar 13, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device such as a head-mounted display device may include an antenna that radiates through a cover. The antenna may have an antenna resonating element layered onto the cover and having a three-dimensional curvature. The antenna resonating element may have an antenna ground. A pressure-activated connector may electrically couple the antenna resonating element to the antenna ground. If desired, the pressure-activated connector may lock the antenna resonating element to the antenna ground. The pressure-activated connector may include a metal finger, a metal spring, a metal ball, a curling metal receptacle, a dimple, a metal screw, a screw receptacle, metal burs, and/or rotational locking structures. The pressure-activated connector may form a robust mechanical connection between the first and second conductors despite the curvature of the antenna resonating element, which minimizes electrical discontinuities that can otherwise deteriorate antenna performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a conductive chassis; a cover mounted to the conductive chassis, the cover having a surface with a three-dimensional curvature; and an antenna that includes
a first conductor layered onto the cover and extending parallel to the surface with the three-dimensional curvature,
a second conductor, and
a pressure-activated connector that electrically couples the first conductor to the second conductor.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna has an antenna resonating element that includes the first conductor and has an antenna ground that includes the second conductor.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second conductor comprises a portion of the conductive chassis.

4 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second conductor comprises a ground trace on a printed circuit board.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna has an antenna resonating element that includes the first conductor and the second conductor.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor is layered onto the surface with the three-dimensional curvature and the second conductor has the three-dimensional curvature.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises a metal finger compressed between the first conductor and the second conductor.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises a metal spring compressed between the first conductor and the second conductor.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises a metal ball and a curling metal receptacle deformed around the metal ball.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises a metal ball and a dimple that receives the metal ball.

11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises a metal screw and a screw receptacle.

12 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises metal spurs.

13 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure-activated connector comprises rotational locking structures.

14 . An electronic device comprising:
a conductive housing; a dielectric cover mounted to the conductive housing and having a compound curvature; an antenna having an antenna resonating element mounted against the dielectric cover and having the compound curvature; a ground conductor; and a conductive interconnect that couples the antenna resonating element to the ground conductor, the conductive interconnect comprising a locking structure configured to hold the antenna resonating element to the ground conductor.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the locking structure comprises a metal ball and a curling metal receptacle deformed around the metal ball.

16 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the locking structure comprises a metal screw.

17 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the locking structure comprises metal spurs on the ground conductor that dig into the antenna resonating element.

18 . A head-mounted device comprising:
a first conductive chassis; a logic board mounted to the first conductive chassis; first and second displays mounted to the logic board and configured to display respective left and right images; a second conductive chassis that extends around the first conductive chassis and the logic board; a cover mounted to the second conductive chassis opposite the first and second displays, the cover having a third display configured to display images through the cover; an antenna having an antenna resonating element layered on a surface of the cover and having an antenna ground; and a pressure-activated grounding connection that couples the antenna resonating element to the antenna ground.

19 . The head-mounted device of claim 18 , wherein the pressure-activated grounding connection comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of: a metal finger, a metal spring, a curling metal receptacle, a metal ball, a dimple, a metal screw, metal spurs, and a rotational locking structure.

20 . The head-mounted device of claim 18 , wherein the antenna resonating element lies in a surface with a three-dimensional curvature.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Poore Killian J
• Gajaria Jas Mukesh
• Wu Jiangfeng
• Chi Mei-Li
• Sauers Jason C
• Yong Siwen
• Jiang Yi
• Lu Shirley S

Classifications

• 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

• H01Q1/273 Primary

  Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals · CPC title

• H01Q1/48 Primary

  Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises · CPC title