Corner Bracket Slot Antennas

• US 20130293424A1
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zhu, Jiang, Li, Qingxiang, Schlub, Robert W., Gomez Angulo, Rodney A., Jiang, Yi, Shiu, Boon W., Yarga, Salih, McMilin, Emily B., Caballero, Ruben, Samardzija, Miroslav, Coutts, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 9,318,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• 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 13/10 Resonant slot antennas

Abstract

A display cover layer may be mounted in an electronic device housing using housing structures such as corner brackets. A slot antenna may be formed from a corner bracket opening, metal traces on a hollow plastic support structure, or other conductive structures. The slot antenna may have a main portion with opposing ends. An antenna feed may be located at one of the ends. The slot antenna may have a slot with one or more bends. The bends may provide the slot antenna with a C-shaped outline. A side branch slot may extend from the main portion of the slot at a location between the two bends. The presence of the side branch slot may enhance antenna bandwidth. A hollow enclosure may serve as an antenna support structure and as a speaker box enclosing a speaker driver. The antenna feed may be positioned so as to overlap the speaker driver.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

an electronic device housing;

a metal bracket in the electronic device housing; and

a slot antenna formed from an opening in the metal bracket.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device housing has four corners and wherein the metal bracket comprises a corner bracket located mounted in one of the four corners.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the opening comprises a slot with at least one bend.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the opening comprises a C-shaped slot.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the opening comprises a slot that has at least one end and wherein the slot antenna has an antenna feed located at the end.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 further comprising an antenna cavity for the slot antenna.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 further comprising a hollow support structure on which conductive structures for the antenna cavity are formed.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 further comprising a speaker driver in the hollow support structure.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein the antenna feed is configured to overlap the speaker driver.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a hollow plastic support structure on which the slot antenna is formed; and

a speaker driver in the hollow plastic support structure.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein the slot antenna comprises an antenna feed, wherein the speaker driver has a center and has a maximum width, and wherein the antenna feed lies within three times the maximum width from the center.

12. Apparatus, comprising:

a hollow dielectric support structure;

a slot antenna formed from a slot in conductive structures on the hollow dielectric support structure, wherein the slot has opposing ends and wherein the slot antenna has an antenna feed an one of the ends; and

an electrical component in the hollow dielectric support structure, wherein electrical component has a maximum width and wherein the slot antenna is configured so that the antenna feed is located within three times the maximum width of the electrical component.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the electrical component comprises a speaker driver.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the slot antenna is configured so that the antenna feed overlaps the speaker driver.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the slot comprises a C-shaped slot.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the conductive structures comprise metal traces on the hollow dielectric support structure.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein the metal traces are configured to form an antenna cavity for the slot antenna.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the conductive structures comprise a metal bracket in which the slot is formed.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the slot comprises a main portion and a side branch that branches from the main portion at a location between the ends.

20. Apparatus comprising:

antenna ground plane structures having a slot-shaped opening with opposing ends and having a side branch slot that extends from the slot-shaped opening at a location between the opposing ends; and

an antenna feed having first and second antenna feed terminals that are located on opposing sides of the slot-shaped opening, wherein the slot-shaped opening and the antenna feed form a slot antenna.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the slot-shaped opening comprises a main slot segment and at least first and second slot segments respectively extending from the main slot segment at the first and second ends.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 21 further comprising:

third and fourth end slot segments that extend from the first and second slot segments at the first and second ends.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 20 further comprising a conductive antenna cavity for the slot antenna.

24. The apparatus defined in claim 23 wherein the conductive structures comprise a metal bracket.

25. The apparatus defined in claim 20 further comprising:

a hollow plastic support structure on which the antenna ground plane structures are formed; and

an electrical component in the hollow plastic support structure, wherein the antenna feed overlaps the electrical component.

26. The apparatus defined in claim 20 further comprising a display cover glass mounted over the slot antenna.