Antennas for handheld electronic devices

• US 8,872,708 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Robert J., Schlub, Robert W., Zavala, Juan, Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US13/718,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/725, 343/729, 343/767, 343/770, 343/771, 343/846, 343/702
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/40 Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements
• 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: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

Handheld electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry having at least one antenna. The antenna may have a planar ground element and a planar resonating element. The planar ground element may have a rectangular shape that matches a rectangular housing shape for a handheld electronic device. A dielectric-filled slot may be formed in one end of the planar ground element. The planar resonating element may be located above the slot. The antenna may be a hybrid antenna that contains both a slot antenna structure formed from the slot and a planar inverted-F structure formed from the planar resonating element and the planar ground element. The antenna may be fed using a single transmission line or two transmission lines. With two transmission lines, one transmission line may be associated with the slot antenna structure and one transmission line may be associated with the planar inverted-F antenna structure.

Claims

1. Handheld electronic device antenna structures comprising:

a ground plane that surrounds and encloses a dielectric-filled slot antenna; and

a planar inverted-F resonating element located above the slot antenna, wherein the planar inverted-F resonating element comprises at least two conductive arms that each have a bend, wherein the planar inverted-F resonating element comprises a conductive portion, wherein at least one of the conductive arms has a 180°

bend, and wherein each of the conductive arms extends from the conductive portion along a common side of the conductive portion.

2. The handheld electronic device antenna structures defined in claim 1, wherein the dielectric-filled slot antenna forms a slot antenna portion of a hybrid antenna and wherein the planar inverted-F resonating element forms a planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna.

3. The handheld electronic device antenna structures defined in claim 2, wherein the planar inverted-F resonating element is configured to resonate in a first frequency band and wherein the dielectric-filled slot is configured to resonate in a second frequency band.

4. The handheld electronic device antenna structures defined in claim 1, wherein the planar inverted-F resonating element comprises a conductor formed on a flex circuit substrate.

5. The handheld electronic device antenna structures defined in claim 2 further comprising:

a transmission line having a signal conductor and a ground conductor, wherein the signal conductor is electrically connected to the planar inverted-F resonating element, wherein the ground conductor is connected to the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot antenna, and wherein the transmission line conveys radio-frequency signals for the planar inverted-F resonating element and the dielectric-filled slot antenna.

6. The handheld electronic device antenna structures defined in claim 5 further comprising:

a conductive path that couples the planar inverted-F resonating element to the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot antenna, wherein the conductive path conveys radio-frequency signals for the dielectric-filled slot antenna.

7. A handheld electronic device antenna comprising:

a ground plane, wherein portions of the ground plane define a dielectric-filled slot;

a planar resonating element located above the slot, wherein the planar resonating element comprises a conductor formed on a flex circuit substrate; and

a dielectric support structure, wherein the flex circuit substrate is attached to the dielectric support structure, the planar resonating element comprises a conductive portion and at least two conductive arms that each have a bend, and wherein at least one of the conductive arms has a 180°

bend and each of the first and second arms extends from the conductive portion along a common side of the conductive portion.

8. The handheld electronic device antenna defined in claim 7, wherein the dielectric-filled slot comprises a slot antenna and wherein the planar resonating element comprises a planar inverted-F resonating element.

9. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:

hybrid antenna structures comprising a ground plane with a dielectric-filled slot for a slot antenna in the hybrid antenna structures and a planar resonating element for a planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures;

a ground terminal in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot;

a first terminal, wherein the first terminal and the ground terminal serve as antenna feed points for the planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures;

a second terminal in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot, wherein the second terminal is coupled to the first terminal by a conductive path, and wherein the second terminal and the ground terminal serve as antenna feed points for the slot antenna in the hybrid antenna structures; and

a transmission line having signal and ground conductors, wherein the ground terminal is coupled to the ground conductor of the transmission line and wherein the first terminal is coupled to the signal conductor of the transmission line.

10. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 9, wherein the transmission line conveys radio-frequency signals in a first frequency band for the planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures and in a second frequency band for the slot antenna in the hybrid antenna structures.

11. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 9, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures and wherein the conductive path comprises a portion of the planar inverted-F resonating element.

12. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 11 wherein the conductive path further comprises a capacitor that couples the first terminal to the planar inverted-F resonating element.

13. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 12 wherein the conductive path further comprises a shorting path that couples the planar inverted-F resonating element to the ground plane at the second terminal.

14. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 9, wherein the planar antenna resonating element comprises a conductor formed on a flex circuit substrate.

15. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 9, wherein the ground plane surrounds and encloses the dielectric-filled slot.

16. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 9, wherein the first terminal is different from the second terminal.

17. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:

hybrid antenna structures comprising a ground plane with a dielectric-filled slot for a slot antenna in the hybrid antenna structures and a planar resonating element for a planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures;

a ground terminal in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot;

a first terminal, wherein the first terminal and the ground terminal serve as antenna feed points for the planar inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna structures; and

a second terminal in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot, wherein the second terminal is coupled to the first terminal by a conductive path, and wherein the second terminal and the ground terminal serve as antenna feed points for the slot antenna in the hybrid antenna structures, wherein the ground terminal is at a first location in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot, wherein the second terminal is at a second location in the ground plane adjacent to the dielectric-filled slot, and wherein the first location is different from the second location.

18. The wireless communications circuitry defined in claim 17, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are formed at different locations on the wireless communications circuitry.