Electronic device printed circuit board patch antenna

• US 10,141,626 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tan, Liquan, Wang, Paul X., Gomez Angulo, Rodney A., Brooks, Ryan P., Azad, Umar, Low, Wing Kong
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh
• Application Number:
  US14/339,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a radio-frequency transceiver circuit and an antenna. The antenna may be a patch antenna formed from a patch antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. The patch antenna resonating element may be formed from a metal patch on a printed circuit board. The antenna ground may be formed from a metal housing having a planar rear wall that lies in a plane parallel to the metal patch. The radio-frequency transceiver circuit may be coupled to the metal patch through traces on the printed circuit and may be coupled to rear wall of the housing through a screw and a screw boss in the housing. Buttons and other electrical components may be mounted on the printed circuit board and may be coupled to control circuitry on the printed circuit board through the metal patch.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a metal portion that serves as an antenna ground for an antenna;

a printed circuit having a metal layer that forms an antenna resonating element for the antenna; and

a capacitive touch sensor;

a glass layer that covers the antenna resonating element and the capacitive touch sensor; and

at least one button extending through the glass layer, wherein the metal layer includes an opening that is aligned with the at least one button.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the metal layer has at least one slot.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a support structure under the printed circuit, wherein the support structure is interposed between the printed circuit and the metal portion of the housing.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the support structure comprises a plastic support structure with an array of recesses.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the metal portion of the housing forms a rear surface for the housing and the glass layer forms an opposing front surface for the housing.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a screw that couples a ground trace on the printed circuit to the metal portion of the housing.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a flexible printed circuit; and

a dielectric structure on the printed circuit that prevents the flexible printed circuit from coming too close to the metal layer.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the dielectric structure comprises a plastic shim and the capacitive touch sensor is coupled to the flexible printed circuit.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the metal portion of the housing forms a rear surface for the housing and the glass layer forms an opposing front surface for the housing.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

control circuitry that is coupled to the at least one button through at least one inductor.

11. A remote control, comprising:

a housing having a metal portion that serves as an antenna ground for an antenna;

a printed circuit having a metal layer that forms an antenna resonating element for the antenna;

a capacitive touch sensor;

a glass layer that covers the antenna resonating element and the capacitive touch sensor; and

at least one button extending through the glass layer, wherein the metal layer includes an opening that is aligned with the at least one button.

12. The remote control defined in claim 11 wherein the glass layer has an array of openings and wherein the at least one button comprises a plurality of buttons respectively in the array of openings.

13. The remote control defined in claim 11, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises a patch antenna resonating element.

14. The remote control defined in claim 11, further comprising:

a switch mounted on the printed circuit at the opening of the metal layer, wherein the switch is aligned with the at least one button and the opening of the metal layer.

15. The remote control defined in claim 14, wherein a transmission line couples the metal layer to radio-frequency transceiver circuitry.

16. The remote control defined in claim 11, wherein the printed circuit includes a substrate, wherein the antenna resonating element is interposed between the substrate and the glass layer.

17. The remote control defined in claim 16, wherein the antenna resonating element is interposed between the substrate and a first portion of the glass layer, the capacitive touch sensor is interposed between a second portion of the glass layer and the substrate, and the first and second portions of the glass layer are nonoverlapping.

18. A remote control, comprising:

a housing having a metal portion that serves as an antenna ground for an antenna;

a printed circuit having a metal layer that forms an antenna resonating element for the antenna, the antenna resonating element comprising a patch antenna resonating element;

a capacitive touch sensor located at one end of the housing;

a glass layer that covers the antenna resonating element and the capacitive touch sensor; and

a plurality of buttons extending through a first portion of the glass layer, wherein the printed circuit includes a substrate, the metal layer is interposed between the substrate and the first portion of the glass layer, the capacitive touch sensor is interposed between a second portion of the glass layer and the substrate, and the first and second portions of the glass layer are nonoverlapping.