Handheld electronic device with cable grounding

• US 7,889,139 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Erik L., Hobson, Phillip M., Jenks, Kenneth A., Schlub, Robert W., Tan, Tang Yew, Mittleman, Adam D., Hill, Robert J., Dinh, Richard Hung Minh
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, CHUC
• Application Number:
  US11/821,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20080316116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/709, 343/700.MS, 343/833, 343/836, 439/92, 439/881, 174/75, 174/78, 174/756
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• 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 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring

Abstract

A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency transceiver;

an antenna ground plane;

at least a first antenna resonating element that forms a first antenna with the antenna ground plane;

at least a first coaxial cable having an outer ground conductor, having a first coaxial cable connector that is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver, and having a second coaxial cable connector that is connected to the antenna;

a plurality of conductive fasteners connected to the outer ground conductor of the coaxial cable at locations along its length between the first and second coaxial cable connectors;

a conductive member that mechanically and electrically connects the conductive fasteners to the ground plane;

a second radio-frequency transceiver;

a second antenna resonating element that forms a second antenna with the antenna ground plane;

a second coaxial cable that is connected between the second antenna and the second radio-frequency transceiver and that has an outer ground conductor; and

a plurality of conductive fasteners that are attached to the outer ground conductor of the second coaxial cable, wherein the conductive member comprises extensions that are crimped to the conductive fasteners of the first coaxial cable and the second coaxial cable to short the outer ground conductors of the first and second coaxial cables to the antenna ground plane.

2. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive handheld electronic device housing and a frame, wherein the conductive member is crimped to the conductive fasteners of the first coaxial cable and the second coaxial cable and is electrically and mechanically connected to the frame.

3. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive fasteners comprise metal ferrules that are crimped to the outer ground conductors of the first and second coaxial cables.