Antenna for electronic product and method for fabricating the same

• US 7,525,491 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lin, Yeu-Lih, Tan, Li-Kuang, Hu, Tseng-Hsiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US11/690,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700.MS, 343/895, 343/872
• US Class Current: 343/702
• 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

An antenna device (10) of a consumer electronic product is formed on an outer surface (302) of a shell (30) of the electronic product. The shell of the consumer electronic product is adapted for forming an enclosure of an electronic product. The antenna device extends on a planar plane and is integrally formed with and is coated on the outer surface of the shell. A method for making the antenna device includes: (A) providing a consumer electronic product having a shell for forming the antenna device on an outer surface thereof, the shell being adapted for enclosing components of the consumer electronic product therein; (B) coating a copper layer on the outer surface of the shell of the electronic product; (C) forming circuitry out of the copper layer to form the antenna device.

Claims

1. An antenna device comprising:

a shell having an outer surface, the shell being adapted for forming an enclosure of an electronic product; and

an antenna extending on a planar plane and being integrally formed with and coated on the outer surface of the shell, one end of the antenna forming a signal input/output terminal adapted for electronically connecting with a signal processing circuit of the electronic product, and another end of the antenna being a ground terminal adapted for being electrically connected with ground.

2. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is wave-shaped.

3. The antenna device of claim 2, wherein the antenna has one of the following shapes:

rectangular wave, sine wave shape, sawtooth wave, pulsating wave shape, and longitudinal wave shape.

4. The antenna device of claim 2, wherein the antenna forms a trademark for the electronic product.

5. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of circuit segments interconnected together to form a plurality of junctions, and the junctions form the signal input/output terminal and the ground terminal.

6. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is made of copper.

7. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the electronic product is one of the following products:

mobile phones, PDAs, cordless telephones, interphones, notebook computers, desktop computers and wireless handheld devices.

8. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the electronic product is a mobile phone, and the antenna is formed on an outer surface of a back wall of the shell of the mobile phone and is located near a top side of the mobile phone.

9. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the shell defines a concave receiving the antenna therein.

10. The antenna device of claim 9, wherein the concave has a shape and size the same as that of the antenna.

11. A method for making an antenna device of consumer electronic products, comprising:

providing a consumer electronic product having a metal shell for forming the antenna device on an outer surface thereof, the metal shell being adapted for enclosing components of the consumer electronic product therein;

forming an insulating layer on the outer surface of the metal shell;

coating a copper layer on the insulating layer; and

forming circuitry out of the copper layer to form the antenna device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the metal shell is made of Mg—

Al alloy, and the insulating layer is formed through one of the following methods;

vacuum sputtering, vaporization and anodizing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is formed on the insulating layer by firstly covering the insulating layer with a copper foil layer thereon through one of the following methods:

sputtering, hot-press, electroless copper deposition and electrodeposition, and then photoresist coating, exposing and etching the copper foil layer.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of surface activation before coating the copper layer, the surface activation being one of the following methods:

silver spraying, sandblast, and coursing.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of forming a concave in the metal shell before forming the insulating layer, and the insulating layer is formed in the concave.

16. An electronic product comprising:

a metal shell adapted for enclosing components of the electronic product therein, the metal shell having an outer surface defining a concave therein, the concave having a bottom surface;

an insulating layer being coated on the bottom surface; and

an antenna being coated on the bottom surface for receiving and transmitting wireless signal.

17. The electronic product of claim 16, wherein the antenna forms a part of a trademark of the electronic product.

18. The electronic product of claim 16, wherein the antenna has a wave-like configuration.

19. The electronic product of claim 16 further comprising an input section for inputting data into the electronic product, wherein the input section is located at a front surface of the shell and the antenna is located at a rear surface of the shell.