Electronic Device With Indirectly Fed Slot Antennas

• US 20150270618A1
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zhu, Jiang, Gomez Angulo, Rodney A., Li, Qingxiang, Schlub, Robert W., Raff, John, Rajagopalan, Harish
• Granted Patent: US 9,583,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/103 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna tuning resonant circuits H03J
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/40 Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with antennas. Antennas for the electronic device may be formed from slot antenna structures. A slot antenna structure may be formed from portions of a metal housing for an electronic device. The slots of the slot antenna structures may be indirectly fed to form first and second indirectly fed slot antennas. The first and second indirectly fed slot antennas may be formed from slots in a rear surface of an electronic device and a sidewall of the electronic device. The slots may have open ends along an edge of the sidewall and may have closed ends that face each other. A hybrid antenna may also be formed in the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing, wherein a slot is formed in the metal housing; and

an indirectly fed slot antenna formed from the slot.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the slot has a bend.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the housing has a planar rear wall and a sidewall that extends from the rear wall and wherein the slot is formed in the rear wall and the sidewall.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the sidewall has an edge and wherein the slot has an opening along the edge.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the indirectly fed slot antenna comprises a near-field-coupled antenna feed structure that is formed from a planar metal structure that is near-field coupled to the slot.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the metal housing has an edge and wherein the slot has an opening along the edge.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the indirectly fed slot antenna comprises a near-field-coupled antenna feed structure that is formed from a planar metal structure that is near-field coupled to the slot.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the planar metal structure comprises a patch of metal that overlaps the slot.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a display mounted in the housing.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing having at least first and second slots, wherein portions of the metal housing run along opposing sides of the first slot and wherein portions of the metal housing run along opposing sides of the second slot;

a first indirectly fed slot antenna formed from the first slot; and

a second indirectly fed slot antenna formed from the second slot.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the metal housing has a metal rear wall and has metal sidewalls, wherein the first slot has a portion in the metal rear wall and a portion in a given one of the metal sidewalls, and wherein the second slot has a portion in the metal rear wall and a portion in the given one of the metal sidewalls.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a third antenna having a third slot in the metal housing.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the third slot is formed at least partly in the given one of the metal sidewalls.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the third antenna comprises a hybrid antenna having a slot antenna portion formed from the third slot and having a planar inverted-F antenna portion.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein a portion of the third slot is formed in the metal rear wall so that portions of the metal rear wall run along opposing sides of the third slot.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the given one of the metal sidewalls has an edge and wherein the first and second slots are open slots having respective first and second slot openings that are located along the edge of the given one of the metal sidewalls.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 10 further comprising a third antenna having a third slot in the metal housing.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the third antenna comprises a hybrid antenna having a slot antenna portion formed from the third slot and having a planar inverted-F antenna portion.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing having first and second slots, wherein the first slot has an open end and an opposing closed end, wherein the second slot has an open end and an opposing closed end, wherein portions of the metal housing are on opposing sides of the first slot and at the closed end of the first slot, wherein portions of the metal housing are on opposing sides of the second slot and at the closed end of the second slot;

a first indirectly fed slot antenna formed from the first slot; and

a second indirectly fed slot antenna formed from the second slot.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the open ends of the first and second slots are located along an edge of the metal housing.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the closed ends of the first and second slots face each other and are separated by portions of the metal housing.