Antenna for portable electronic device wireless communications adapter

• US 7,623,078 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Shu-Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Shih-Chao
• Application Number:
  US11/639,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/841, 343/895, 343/906
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0243 Printed circuits associated with mounted high frequency components

Abstract

Antennas are provided for portable electronic devices. A portable electronic device may have a port that receives a wireless communications adapter. The adapter may be used to provide wireless functionality for the portable electronic device. The adapter may contain a chip antenna that serves as an antenna resonating element. A printed circuit board within the adapter may contain conductor that has been patterned to form a ground plane for the antenna. The portable electronic device may have a conductive structure such as a housing portion. The conductive structure of the portable electronic device serves as a parasitic antenna element that improves antenna efficiency. The portable electronic device may be a handheld electronic device with music player functionality that communicates with a compact portable wireless device in a piece of sports equipment.

Claims

1. An antenna associated with a wireless communications adapter for a portable electronic device, wherein the antenna is formed partly using a conductive structure in the portable electronic device that serves as a parasitic antenna element, the antenna comprising:

a discrete surface mount antenna structure in the wireless communication adapter that forms a resonating element for the antenna;

a printed circuit board ground plane in the wireless communications adapter that forms an antenna ground for the antenna, wherein the discrete surface mount antenna structure is mounted to the printed circuit board; and

a resistor that electrically connects the ground plane and the conductive structure in the portable electronic device that serves as the parasitic antenna element.

2. The antenna defined in claim 1 wherein the discrete surface mount antenna comprises a helical chip antenna.

3. The antenna defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive structure comprises a conductive handheld electronic device housing and a portion of at least one multipin connector.

4. The antenna defined in claim 1 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a handheld electronic device having a housing, wherein the discrete surface mount antenna structure comprises a chip antenna, and wherein the conducting structure comprises at least a conductive portion of the housing of the handheld electronic device.

5. An antenna that is associated with a handheld electronic device and a separate wireless communications adapter that is mounted to the handheld electronic device, the antenna comprising:

an antenna structure in the wireless communication adapter that forms a resonating element for the antenna;

a ground plane in the wireless communications adapter that forms an antenna ground for the antenna; and

a conductive handheld electronic device housing portion of the handheld electronic device that forms a parasitic antenna element for the antenna.

6. The antenna defined in claim 5, wherein the wireless communications adapter and handheld electronic devices each comprise a respective mating multipin connector, the antenna further comprising:

metal shield portions formed from the multipin connectors that are electrically connected to the conductive handheld electronic device housing portion and that form part of the parasitic antenna element, wherein the metal shield portions are not shorted to the ground plane.

7. The antenna defined in claim 5 further comprising a resistor that is electrically connected between the ground plane in the wireless communications adapter and the conductive handheld electronic device housing portion.

8. Electronic equipment comprising:

a handheld electronic device comprising;

processing circuitry that generates and consumes data; and

a conductive housing portion that forms a parasitic antenna element;

a handheld electronic device connector having a shield that is electrically connected to the conductive housing portion; and

a wireless communications adapter that is mounted to the handheld electronic device, comprising;

a printed circuit board;

a wireless communications connector that is mounted to the printed circuit board and that has a shield that is electrically connected to the handheld electronic device connector;

an antenna ground plane formed on the printed circuit board;

a resonating antenna element mounted to the printed circuit board, wherein the resonating antenna element, the antenna ground plane, and the parasitic antenna element form an antenna for the wireless communications adapter; and

a radio-frequency transceiver mounted to the printed circuit board that transmits and receives the data as radio-frequency signals through the antenna.

9. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device comprises a device with music player functionality and wherein the conductive housing portion comprises metal.

10. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the ground plane is formed from at least one metal layer within the printed circuit board and is spaced at least 2 mm from the resonating antenna element and wherein the resonating element comprises a chip antenna.

11. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 further comprising:

a resistor that is mounted to the circuit board and that is electrically connected between the antenna ground plane and the shield of the wireless communications adapter connector.

12. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device connector and the wireless communications adapter connector comprise mating pins.

13. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device connector and the wireless communications adapter connector comprise mating pins, the handheld electronic device further comprising a printed circuit board comprising a digital ground, wherein at least one of the pins electrically connects the ground plane in the wireless communications adapter to the digital ground of the handheld electronic device.

14. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device connector comprises a first plurality of pins, wherein the wireless communications adapter connector comprises a second plurality of pins, wherein the shield of the wireless communications adapter connector mates with the shield of the handheld electronic device connector and is electrically connected to the shield of the handheld electronic device connector, and wherein the first pins mate with the second pins, the handheld electronic device further comprising a printed circuit board comprising a digital ground, wherein at least one of the first pins and at least one of the second pins electrically connect the ground plane in the wireless communications adapter to the digital ground of the handheld electronic device.

15. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the shield of the handheld electronic device connector comprises a first metal shield, wherein the handheld electronic device connector comprises a first plurality of pins, wherein the shield of the wireless communications adapter connector comprises a second metal shield, wherein the wireless communications adapter connector comprises a second plurality of pins, wherein the first metal shield mates with the second metal shield and is electrically connected to the second metal shield, and wherein the first pins mate with the second pins, the handheld electronic device further comprising a printed circuit board comprising a digital ground, wherein at least one of the first pins and at least one of the second pins electrically connect the ground plane in the wireless communications adapter to the digital ground of the handheld electronic device, and wherein the printed circuit board in the wireless communications adapter and the printed circuit board in the handheld electronic device are coplanar.

16. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the shield of the handheld electronic device connector comprises a first metal shield, wherein the handheld electronic device connector comprises a first plurality of pins, wherein the shield of the wireless communications adapter connector comprises a second metal shield, wherein the wireless communications adapter connector comprises a second plurality of pins, wherein the first metal shield mates with the second metal shield and is electrically connected to the second metal shield, and wherein the first pins mate with the second pins, the handheld electronic device further comprising a printed circuit board comprising a digital ground, wherein at least one of the first pins and at least one of the second pins electrically connect the ground plane in the wireless communications adapter to the digital ground of the handheld electronic device, and wherein the wireless communications adapter wirelessly communicates with a compact portable wireless device in a shoe over a communications link operating in a frequency range of 2.4-2.7 GHz, the antenna being configured to transmit and receive radio-frequency signals in the frequency range of 2.4-2.7 GHz.

17. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device comprises a display and a user input interface.

18. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device has lateral dimensions that are less than about 11 cm and wherein the conductive housing portion comprises metal.

19. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device has lateral dimensions in the range of 2 cm to 12 cm and wherein the conductive housing portion comprises metal.

20. The electronic equipment defined in claim 8 wherein the handheld electronic device connector and the wireless communications adapter connector are each 30 pin connectors having 30 pins for conveying data and ground signals.