Apparatus Comprising an Antenna and a Ground Plane,and a Method of Manufacture

• US 20150288053A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Saxe, Christian, Vistisen, Rasmus, Hansen, Martin Feilberg, Linden, OIIe Henrik
• Granted Patent: US 11,018,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

An apparatus including a portion of a first external housing sidewall; an antenna at least partially encapsulated by the portion of the first external housing sidewall; a portion of a second external housing sidewall opposing the first external housing sidewall; an internal rigid chassis extending laterally from within the portion of a first housing sidewall to within the portion of the second housing sidewall, wherein the rigid chassis provides a ground plane for the antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a portion of a first external housing sidewall;

an antenna at least partially encapsulated by the portion of the first external housing sidewall;

a portion of a second external housing sidewall opposing the first external housing sidewall; and

an internal rigid chassis extending laterally from within the portion of the first external housing sidewall to within the portion of the second external housing sidewall, wherein the rigid chassis provides a ground plane for the antenna.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rigid chassis comprises at least one conductive portion.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rigid chassis is formed from rigid conductive material.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising a galvanic electrical interconnection between a conductive portion of the rigid chassis and a ground feed of the antenna, wherein the conductive portion of the rigid chassis provides a ground plane for the antenna.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the antenna lies in a first plane that is substantially orthogonal to a plane occupied by the interconnected conductive portion of the rigid chassis.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the antenna and the internal rigid chassis are formed from a common, deformed and patterned sheet of metal.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising an internally exposed radio frequency feed connector of the antenna.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of antennas each of which is at least partially encapsulated by a portion of an external housing sidewall from which the internal rigid chassis extends laterally.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, comprising a galvanic electrical interconnection between one or more conductive portions of the rigid chassis and a ground feed of each of the antennas, wherein the one or more conductive portion of the rigid chassis provides a ground plane for the antennas wherein the antennas lie in planes that are substantially orthogonal to a plane occupied by the interconnected one or more conductive portion of the rigid chassis and wherein the antennas comprise extensions of the one or more conductive portion of the internal rigid chassis.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal rigid chassis is configured to operate as a heat sink.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the internal rigid chassis comprises a conductive portion used as the ground plane for the antenna and also used as a heat sink.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal rigid chassis has a first side and an opposing second side, wherein the first side of the internal rigid chassis supports one or more components and the second side of the internal rigid chassis supports one or more components selected from the group comprising at least:

an internal battery of the apparatus supported by the first side of the internal rigid chassis in thermal contact with the internal rigid chassis;

a circuit board, carrying electronic components, supported on the second side of the internal rigid chassis wherein one or more of the electronic components carried by the circuit board are positioned between the circuit board and the rigid internal chassis and are in thermal contact with the internal rigid chassis.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein a radio frequency electronic component carried by the circuit board is positioned between the circuit board and the rigid internal chassis and is in thermal contact with the internal rigid chassis and in electrical contact with a feed for the antenna.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, further comprising connectors for securing the circuit board to the internal rigid chassis.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a front face component of an external housing of the apparatus is supported by at least the portion of the first external housing sidewall and the portion of the second external housing sidewall wherein a rear face component of an external housing of the apparatus is supported by at least the portion of the first external housing sidewall and the portion of the second external housing sidewall.

35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the rear face component is an external cover comprising an aperture for a camera.

36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cavity is defined by an aperture in a battery adjacent the internal rigid chassis and an aperture in the internal rigid chassis and wherein the apparatus comprises a camera module received in the cavity.

38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a module for an electronic device or an electronic device.

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40. A method comprising:

providing a rigid chassis and an antenna configured to use the rigid chassis as a ground plane;

forming a portion of a first external housing sidewall over at least some of said antenna and at least a first extremity of the rigid chassis

forming a portion of a second external housing sidewall over at least a second extremity of the rigid chassis, wherein the second external housing sidewall opposes the first external housing sidewall and the rigid chassis extends internally from within the portion of a first housing sidewall to within the portion of a second housing sidewall.

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47. An apparatus comprising:

a portion of a first external housing sidewall;

at least one antenna at least partially encapsulated by the portion of the first external housing sidewall;

a portion of a second external housing sidewall opposing the first external housing sidewall;

an internal rigid chassis extending laterally from within the portion of the first external housing sidewall to within the portion of the second external housing sidewall, wherein the rigid chassis comprises at least one conductive portion providing a ground plane for the antenna; and

a galvanic electrical interconnection between the at least one conductive portion of the rigid chassis and a ground feed of the antenna,

wherein the portion of the first external sidewall and the portion of the second external sidewall are formed from plastics,

wherein the antenna lies in a first plane that is substantially orthogonal to a plane occupied by the interconnected at least one conductive portion of the rigid chassis and wherein the antenna and the internal rigid chassis are formed from a common, deformed and patterned sheet of metal.