Antenna device and electronic device including same

• US 10,297,909 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Tae-Young, Lee, Yoon-Jae, Lee, In-Young, Jeong, Won-Seok, Choi, Sang-Hoon, Cheon, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh V
• Application Number:
  US14/840,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20160064804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/045 Mounting of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 60/06 Antennas attached to or integrated in clock or watch bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/008 said selective devices having Sievenpipers' mushroom elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

An antenna device implemented to prevent the deterioration in radiation performance due to a metal mechanical part and an electronic device including the same is provided. The electronic device includes a metal member in a shape of a loop that is disposed in at least one area of the electronic device and a substrate (printed circuit board (PCB)) for supplying power to a preset location of the metal member in order to use the metal member as an antenna radiator, wherein at least one location of the metal member that differs from the power-supplied location is grounded through the substrate.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a metal bezel comprising an antenna radiator in a shape of a loop that is disposed in at least one area of the electronic device, the antenna radiator comprising two grounded locations of which the electrical lengths from a preset power-supplied location are different from each other;

a substrate (printed circuit board (PCB)) for supplying power to the preset power-supplied location of the antenna radiator; and

an inner housing including a first portion having a first conductive pattern, a second portion having a second conductive pattern different from the first conductive pattern and a third portion having a third conductive pattern different from the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern and configured to electrically connect the metal bezel and the substrate through each of the first portion, second portion and the third portion,

wherein at least one location of the antenna radiator that differs from the power-supplied location is grounded through the substrate, and

wherein an operation frequency band of the antenna radiator is adjusted based on at least one of the first conductive pattern, second conductive pattern and the third conductive pattern.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the metal bezel is disposed such that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display,

wherein the metal bezel is disposed in such a manner as to surround at least part of the periphery of the display.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein an area other than the area where the power-supplied location and the grounded location of the metal bezel are connected to each other comprises at least one cutaway portion.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein an operating frequency band of the antenna radiator is adjusted by adjusting the electrical length between the power-supplied location and the grounded location of the metal bezel according to the grounded location.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the metal bezel is operated as a loop type antenna radiator, which includes operating frequency bands of a high frequency band and a low frequency band based on the two grounded locations.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the frequency band of the metal bezel is adjusted by adjusting the electrical length of the conductive pattern disposed on the inner housing.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive pattern disposed on the inner housing is physically and electrically connected in the process of assembling the inner housing, the metal member, and the substrate.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first conductive pattern of the inner housing and the metal bezel and the first conductive pattern and the substrate are electrically connected by an electrical connection member.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electrical connection member comprises at least one of a conductive Poron tape, a conductive gasket, and a conductive tape.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive pattern disposed on the inner housing is formed on the inner housing through a laser direct structuring (LDS) method or an in-mold antenna (IMA) method, through a method of attaching at least one of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), on which a thin metal plate or pattern is formed, and a metal tape to the inner housing, through a method of applying a conductive spray to the inner housing, or through insert molding or double injection molding in such a manner that the conductive pattern is or is not exposed through the inner or outer surface of the inner housing.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second conductive pattern is disposed on the side surface of the inner housing.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a wearable electronic device that comprises a main body and a connection part by which the main body is worn on a user'"'"'s wrist.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the metal bezel is disposed to surround at least part of the periphery of a window or a display that is disposed on the main body.

15. The electronic device of claim 14,

wherein the metal bezel is disposed on the connection part, and

wherein the metal bezel is electrically connected to the substrate for supplying power only by an operation of mounting the main body on the connection part.