Electronic device with near-field antenna operating through display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9356661-B2
Application number	US-201414259861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2014
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a display having a periphery;
a near-field communications loop antenna that is overlapped by the display and that has coils that run along the periphery of the display, so that the near-field communications loop antenna operates using electromagnetic near-field communications signals that pass through the display;
a display cover layer that comprises sapphire, wherein the display cover layer has a concave inner surface;
a housing;
a wrist strap attached to the housing;
a transparent display member having a convex surface that mates with the concave inner surface of the display cover layer, wherein the transparent display member comprises sapphire, wherein the display comprises a display pixel layer and a touch sensor, wherein the transparent display member is interposed between the touch sensor and the display cover layer, and wherein the touch sensor is interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member; and
a ferromagnetic shielding layer, wherein the near-field communications loop antenna is interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a non-near-field antenna having an antenna resonating element adjacent to the concave inner surface of the display cover layer.

3. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a wrist strap attached to the housing;
a near-field communications loop antenna;
a display in the housing that overlaps the near-field communications loop antenna so that the near-field communications loop antenna wirelessly communicates using electromagnetic signals passing through the display;
a touch sensor;
a near-field communications antenna substrate that contains metal coils forming the near-field communications loop antenna;
a display pixel layer that has an array of display pixels forming images for the display;
a ferromagnetic shielding layer, wherein the near-field communications antenna substrate is between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the touch sensor;
a display cover layer that overlaps the display; and
a dielectric substrate having an inverted-F antenna resonating element, wherein the dielectric substrate having the inverted-F antenna resonating element is mounted adjacent to an inner surface of the display cover layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the display cover layer comprises sapphire.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the dielectric substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit.

6. An electronic device, comprising:
a display having a periphery;
a display cover layer that overlaps the display, wherein the display cover layer comprises sapphire, and wherein the display cover layer has an inner surface;
a near-field communications loop antenna that is overlapped by the display and that has coils that run along the periphery of the display, so that the near-field communications loop antenna operates using electromagnetic near-field communications signals that pass through the display;
a dielectric substrate having an inverted-F antenna resonating element, wherein the dielectric substrate having the inverted-F antenna resonating element is mounted adjacent to an inner surface of the display cover layer;
a housing;
a wrist strap attached to the housing;
a ferromagnetic shielding layer;
a touch sensor, wherein the near-field communications loop antenna is between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the touch sensor; and
a transparent display member with a surface that mates with the inner surface of the display cover layer, wherein the transparent display member comprises sapphire, wherein the inner surface of the display cover layer comprises a concave inner surface, and wherein the surface of the transparent display member comprises a convex surface.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Samardzija Miroslav
• Wang Yiren
• Ouyang Yuehui
• Hakim Joseph
• Li Qingxiang
• Schlub Robert W
• Caballero Ruben
• Yong Siwen
• De Jong Erik G

Classifications

• G04G21/04

  using radio waves (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• H01Q1/526

  Electromagnetic shields · CPC title

• H01Q1/273

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

• H01Q21/28

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title