MOBILE WIRELESS DEVICE WITH MULTI-LAYER FLEX ANTENNA AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20110111719A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MAN, YING TONG, WONG, JOSHUA KWAN HO, QI, YIHONG
• Application Number:
  US12/902,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/269
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 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

Abstract

A mobile wireless communications device may include a portable housing, a circuit board carried by the portable housing, a wireless communications circuit carried by the circuit board, and an antenna carrier frame carried by the circuit board and having a plurality of surfaces. The device may also include a flex antenna assembly carried on at least some of the plurality of surfaces of the antenna carrier frame and comprising a plurality of flexible dielectric layers, and a plurality of conductive layers between adjacent flexible dielectric layers. Moreover, the conductive layers may be electrically coupled to the communications circuit.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a portable housing;

a circuit board carried by said portable housing;

an audio circuit carried by said circuit board;

a wireless communications circuit carried by said circuit board;

an antenna carrier frame carried by said antenna circuit board and having a plurality of surfaces defining a cavity therein;

a flex antenna assembly carried on at least some of the plurality of surfaces of said antenna carrier frame and comprising a plurality of flexible dielectric layers, and a plurality of conductive layers between adjacent flexible dielectric layers; and

an audio output transducer carried within the cavity of said antenna carrier frame and coupled to said audio circuit;

said conductive layers being electrically coupled to said wireless communications circuit.

2. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said plurality of conductive layers comprise patterned conductive layers.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 2 wherein said plurality of patterned conductive layers have different respective patterns.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said flexible dielectric layers comprise a polyimide.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said flex antenna assembly further comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive layer for securing said flexible dielectric layers and conductive layers to said antenna carrier frame.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said flex antenna assembly further comprises a respective adhesive layer coupling each conductive layer to an adjacent flexible dielectric layer.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said audio circuit comprises an audio data storage device and an audio output amplifier coupled thereto.

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising at least one filter element coupled between said audio circuit and said audio output transducer.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications circuit comprises a cellular communications circuit.

10. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a portable housing;

a circuit board carried by said portable housing;

an audio circuit carried by said circuit board;

a wireless communications circuit carried by said circuit board;

an antenna carrier frame carried by said antenna circuit board and having a plurality of surfaces defining a cavity therein;

a flex antenna assembly carried on at least some of the plurality of surfaces of said antenna carrier frame and comprising a plurality of flexible dielectric layers, and a plurality of patterned conductive layers between adjacent flexible dielectric layers; and

an audio output transducer carried within the cavity of said antenna carrier frame and coupled to said audio circuit;

said conductive layers being electrically coupled to said wireless communications circuit, and said flexible dielectric layers comprising a polyimide.

11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 wherein said plurality of patterned conductive layers have different respective patterns.

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 wherein said flex antenna assembly further comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive layer for securing said flexible dielectric layers and conductive layers to said antenna carrier frame.

13. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 wherein said flex antenna assembly further comprises a respective adhesive layer coupling each patterned conductive layer to an adjacent flexible dielectric layer.

14. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 wherein said audio circuit comprises an audio data storage device and an audio output amplifier coupled thereto.

15. A method for making a mobile wireless communications device comprising:

positioning an audio circuit and a wireless communications circuit on a circuit board;

positioning an audio output transducer within the cavity of an antenna carrier frame having a plurality of surfaces, and positioning a flex antenna assembly on at least some of the plurality of surfaces of the antenna carrier frame, the flex antenna assembly comprising a plurality of flexible dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers between adjacent flexible dielectric layers; and

positioning the circuit board and antenna carrier frame within a portable housing, and electrically coupling the audio output transducer to the audio circuit and the conductive layers to the wireless communications circuit.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of conductive layers comprise patterned conductive layers.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of patterned conductive layers have different respective patterns.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the flexible dielectric layers comprise a polyimide.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the flex antenna assembly further comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive layer for securing the flexible dielectric layers and conductive layers to the antenna carrier frame.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the flex antenna assembly further comprises a respective adhesive layer coupling each conductive layer to an adjacent flexible dielectric layer.