Electronic device with conductive housing and near field antenna

• US 7,973,722 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Qingxiang, Hill, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIH CHAO
• Application Number:
  US11/897,097
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/742, 343/867, 343/895
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/06 with core of ferromagnetic material H01Q7/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/08 Ferrite rod or like elongated core
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas

Abstract

An electronic device such as a computer monitor is provided that has an antenna that supports near field communications. The electronic device may have a housing with conductive housing surfaces. A display may be mounted in the housing. The conductive housing surfaces may contain a dielectric-filled hole. The antenna may have a substrate and one or more loops of conductive traces. The loops may exhibit mirror symmetry. The loops may overlap the display and the conductive housing surface. The loops may surround an inner loop-free portion of the antenna. The loop-free portion of the antenna may overlap the hole. Ferrite layers may be interposed between the loops of the antenna that overlap the display and the loops of the antenna that overlap the conductive housing.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a conductive housing surface;

a dielectric-filled region in the conductive housing surface; and

a substantially planar antenna that at least partly overlaps the dielectric-filled region, wherein the conductive housing surface comprises a metal surface and a display having an exterior surface, wherein the metal surface surrounds the display, wherein the dielectric-filled region is formed in the metal surface, and wherein a portion of the planar antenna lies on the exterior surface of the display.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the substantially planar antenna comprises a near field communications antenna having at least one antenna loop.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor having a planar display, wherein the metal surface comprises a layer of metal, wherein the layer of metal surrounds the display, wherein the layer of metal comprises a lip, and wherein the dielectric-filled region is formed in the lip.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein:

the antenna comprises a substrate and a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate;

the plurality of conductive loops are bisected by a line;

the plurality of conductive loops exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line;

the plurality of conductive loops surround a loop-free region of the antenna; and

the antenna is attached to the electronic device so that at least some of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region and so that a portion of the antenna lies on the exterior surface of the display.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising at least one layer of ferrite interposed between the conductive housing surface and the antenna, wherein:

the antenna comprises a substrate and a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate;

the plurality of conductive loops are bisected by a line;

the plurality of conductive loops exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line;

the plurality of conductive loops surround a loop-free region of the antenna; and

the antenna is attached to the electronic device so that at least some of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises:

a substrate; and

a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate, wherein the plurality of conductive loops surround a loop-free region of the antenna, and wherein the antenna is attached to the electronic device so that at least some of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises:

at least one conductive loop, wherein the conductive loop is bisected by a line and wherein the conductive loop exhibits mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises:

a substrate; and

a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate, wherein the plurality of conductive loops are bisected by a line and wherein the plurality of conductive loops exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises:

a substrate;

a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate, wherein the plurality of conductive loops are bisected by a line, wherein the plurality of conductive loops exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line, wherein the plurality of conductive loops surround a loop-free region of the antenna, and wherein the antenna is attached to the electronic device so that at least some of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein:

the antenna comprises a substrate and has a plurality of conductive loops formed on the substrate;

the plurality of conductive loops are bisected by a line;

the plurality of conductive loops exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line;

the plurality of conductive loops surround a loop-free region of the antenna; and

the antenna is attached to the electronic device so that at least some of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a layer of ferrite interposed between the antenna and the conductive housing surface.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of loops and communicates using near field communications at a frequency of 13.56 MHz.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a conductive housing surface;

a dielectric-filled region in the conductive housing surface;

a substantially planar antenna that at least partly overlaps the dielectric-filled region;

a display mounted in the conductive housing surface, wherein the planar antenna comprises a loop antenna having a plurality of loops, wherein the loops overlap at least part of the display, and wherein the loops overlap at least part of the conductive housing surface;

first and second layers of ferrite, wherein the first layer of ferrite is interposed between the display and the loops that overlap the display and wherein the second layer of ferrite is interposed between the conductive housing surface and the loops that overlap the conductive housing surface.

14. A computer monitor, comprising:

a display;

a conductive housing wall in which the display is mounted, wherein a dielectric-filled region is formed in the conductive housing wall; and

a near-field communications antenna mounted in the computer monitor that overlaps the dielectric-filled region, wherein the near-field communications antenna has at least one antenna loop.

15. The computer monitor defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna comprises:

a flex circuit substrate; and

a plurality of conductive traces that form loops on the flex circuit substrate surrounding a loop-free region on the flex circuit substrate, wherein the antenna is mounted to the computer monitor so that some of the loops overlap the conductive housing surface, some of the loops overlap the display, and at least a portion of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region.

16. The computer monitor defined in claim 14, wherein the antenna comprises:

a flex circuit substrate;

a plurality of conductive traces that form loops on the flex circuit substrate surrounding a loop-free region on the flex circuit substrate, wherein the antenna is mounted to the computer monitor so that some of the loops overlap the conductive housing surface, some of the loops overlap the display, and at least a portion of the loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled region; and

a layer of ferrite interposed between the antenna and an interior surface of the conductive housing wall.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

planar conductive structures having interior surfaces and exterior surfaces; and

a substantially planar near-field communications antenna, wherein a portion of the antenna lies on a given one of the interior surfaces of the planar conductive structures and wherein a portion of the antenna lies on a given one of the exterior surfaces of the planar conductive structures.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the planar conductive structures have portions defining a hole, wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of conductive traces that exhibit mirror symmetry and comprises a central trace-free region, and wherein at least a portion of the trace-free region overlaps the hole, the electronic device further comprising:

a first layer of ferrite interposed between the antenna and the given one of the exterior surfaces of the planar conductive structures; and

a second layer of ferrite interposed between the antenna and the given one of the interior surfaces of the planar conductive structures.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17, wherein the planar conductive structures comprise a display and a metal housing wall, wherein the antenna lies on an interior surface of the metal housing wall, and wherein the antenna lies on an exterior surface of the display.