Peripheral electronic device housing members with gaps and dielectric coatings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9634378-B2
Application number	US-201514612217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 20, 2010
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device such as a handheld device may have a rectangular housing with a rectangular periphery. A conductive peripheral housing member may run along the rectangular periphery and may surround the rectangular housing. Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry within the electronic device may be coupled to antenna structures for transmitting and receiving radio-frequency signals. The conductive peripheral housing member may form part of the antenna structures. A gap in the conductive peripheral housing member may be filled with dielectric. The conductive peripheral housing member may be configured to form a recess. The recess may have the shape of a rectangle, oval, diamond, or other shape that overlaps and is bisected by the gap. The recess may also have the shape of a groove that extends around the entire periphery of the housing. The dielectric in the recess may include one or more different materials such as clear and opaque polymers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device having a periphery, a length, a width, and a height, the electronic device comprising:
at least one antenna that is formed at least partly from a conductive peripheral housing member that runs along the periphery and has an exterior, and interior, and a gap at the exterior;
ground structures;
a first antenna feed connected to the conductive peripheral housing member;
a second antenna feed connected to the ground structures; and
a dielectric structure formed on the conductive peripheral housing member that overlaps the gap, wherein the dielectric structure extends parallel to the length and the conductive peripheral housing member has inwardly extending protrusions at the gap that extend from the interior of the conductive peripheral housing member towards an interior of the electronic device.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein portions of the exterior of the conductive peripheral housing member form sidewalls for the electronic device.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the dielectric structure has a rectangular shape on the exterior.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the width is less than the length, the height is less than the width, the gap in the conductive peripheral housing member extends across the height, and the dielectric structure extends across the length.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 , wherein the dielectric structure extends across the width.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises a rectangular housing with a rectangular periphery, the conductive peripheral housing member comprises a metal ring that surrounds the rectangular periphery, and the dielectric structure runs along an entire length of at least one side of the rectangular periphery.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 , wherein the dielectric structure runs along four sides of the rectangular periphery.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the dielectric structure comprises a first layer of material that lines the conductive peripheral housing member and a second layer of material that coats the first layer of material, the first and second layers of material being formed from different materials.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive peripheral housing member comprises a plurality of gaps and the dielectric structure overlaps each of the gaps in the plurality of gaps.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of gaps comprises first and second gaps formed on a first side of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of gaps comprises first and second gaps formed on respective first and second opposing sides of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a first dielectric material that bridges the protrusions and a second dielectric material that forms the dielectric structure.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive peripheral housing member has slanted surfaces that form a retention feature that holds the dielectric structure to the conductive peripheral housing member.

14. An electronic device having a length, a width that is less than the length, and a height that is less than the width, the electronic device comprising:
a radio-frequency transceiver;
antenna structures coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver;
a rectangular housing with a rectangular periphery, wherein the rectangular housing comprises a conductive peripheral housing member that runs along the rectangular periphery and has an exterior and an interior, the conductive peripheral housing member comprises at least one dielectric-filled gap at the exterior that extends across the height from a front face to a rear face of the electronic device, and the conductive peripheral housing member forms an antenna resonating element of the antenna structures;
ground structures;
a first antenna feed connected to the rectangular housing;
a second antenna feed connected to the ground structures; and
a dielectric that is formed over the exterior of the conductive peripheral housing member, that overlaps the gap, and that extends parallel to the length.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the dielectric comprises a plastic ring.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the dielectric extends around substantially all of the rectangular periphery.

17. An electronic device having a length, a width, and a height, the electronic device comprising:
a rectangular housing having a rectangular periphery;
a ring-shaped rectangular peripheral housing member that runs along the rectangular periphery and surrounds the rectangular housing, wherein the ring-shaped rectangular peripheral housing member has an interior, an exterior, a gap at the exterior, and a dielectric on the exterior that overlaps the gap and extends parallel to the length;
an antenna having an antenna resonating element formed from the ring-shaped rectangular peripheral housing member;
ground structures that are formed within the interior and that are separated from the antenna resonating element by an opening;
a first antenna feed connected to the ring-shaped rectangular peripheral housing member at a first side of the opening; and
a second antenna feed connected to the ground structures at a second side of the opening.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the dielectric runs along the rectangular periphery and surrounds the rectangular housing and the ring-shaped rectangular peripheral housing member comprises first and second chamfers that run along the rectangular periphery on opposing sides of the dielectric.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Golko Albert J
• Jarvis Daniel W

Classifications

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q13/10

  Resonant slot antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/2266 Primary

  disposed inside the computer · CPC title

• H01Q21/00

  Antenna arrays or systems (arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system H01Q3/00) · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title