Handheld electronic devices with isolated antennas

• US 8,907,850 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlub, Robert W., Hill, Robert J., Zavala, Juan, Caballero, Ruben
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US13/092,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/767, 343/829, 343/846
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• 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 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

Handheld electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry having at least first and second antennas. An antenna isolation element reduces signal interference between the antennas, so that the antennas may be used in close proximity to each other. A planar ground element may be used as a ground by the first and second antennas. The first antenna may be formed using. a hybrid planar-inverted-F and slot arrangement in which a planar resonating element is located above a rectangular slot in the planar ground element. The second antenna may be formed from an L-shaped strip. The planar resonating element of the first antenna may have first and second arms. The first arm may resonate at a common frequency with the second antenna and may serve as the isolation element. The second arm may resonate at approximately the same frequency as the slot portion of the hybrid antenna.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a housing having lateral dimensions;

a ground plane having at least some lateral dimensions substantially equal to the lateral dimensions of the housing, wherein the ground plane is formed at least partly from a conductive layer on a printed circuit board; and

an antenna resonating element that is formed from a metal deposited on a plastic substrate, wherein at least some of the antenna resonating element is located above the ground plane and wherein at least some of the ground plane underneath the antenna resonating element has been removed to form a dielectric-filled region, wherein the ground plane and the dielectric-filled region form a slot antenna.

2. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the dielectric-filled region is configured to reduce near-field electromagnetic coupling between the antenna resonating element and the ground plane and to allow at least some of the antenna resonating element to be located at a vertical height of less than 2 mm above the ground plane.

3. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the antenna resonating element comprises a planar antenna resonating element.

4. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the antenna resonating element comprises at least one arm.

5. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the antenna resonating element and the ground form a planar inverted-F antenna.

6. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising a radio-frequency transceiver that operates in at least one cellular telephone band.

7. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein at least some of the antenna resonating element is located at a vertical height of less than 2 mm above the ground plane.

8. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises a planar antenna resonating element having first and second arms and wherein the first arm has a bend.

9. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the second arm has a bend.

10. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the first and second arms each have an 180°

bend.

11. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a housing having lateral dimensions;

a ground plane having at least some lateral dimensions substantially equal to the lateral dimensions of the housing, wherein the ground plane is formed at least partly from a conductive layer on a printed circuit board; and

an antenna resonating element that is formed from a metal deposited on a plastic substrate, wherein at least some of the antenna resonating element is located above the ground plane and wherein at least some of the ground plane underneath the antenna resonating element has been removed to form a dielectric-filled region, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises a planar antenna resonating element having at least one arm, and wherein the arm forms an isolation element that is coplanar with the planar antenna resonating element.

12. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a housing having lateral dimensions;

a ground plane having at least some lateral dimensions substantially equal to the lateral dimensions of the housing, wherein the ground plane is formed at least partly from a conductive layer on a printed circuit board;

an antenna resonating element that is formed from a metal deposited on a plastic substrate, wherein at least some of the antenna resonating element is located above the ground plane and wherein at least some of the ground plane underneath the antenna resonating element has been removed to form a dielectric-filled region, wherein the dielectric-filled region reduces near-field electromagnetic coupling between the antenna resonating element and the ground plane and allows at least some of the antenna resonating element to be located at a vertical height of less than 2 mm above the ground plane, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises a planar antenna resonating element, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises at least one arm, wherein the arm forms an isolation element, and wherein the antenna resonating element comprises an additional arm that is longer than the at least one arm.