Electronic device with conductive housing and near field antenna

• US 9,130,265 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Robert J., Li, Qingxiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US13/149,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/741, 343/787, 343/788, 343/895, 343/866, 343/867, 455/575.5, 455/575.7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. A computer monitor, comprising:

a conductive computer monitor housing having a front side, the conductive computer monitor housing defining a dielectric-filled opening at the front side of the housing, wherein the conductive computer monitor housing has a length and a width and the dielectric-filled opening has a length that is substantially less than the length and the width of the conductive computer monitor housing;

a display mounted in the front side of the conductive computer monitor housing; and

an antenna that at least partially overlaps the dielectric-filled opening, the antenna comprising a flex circuit substrate and a plurality of conductive traces that form loops on the flex circuit substrate.

2. The computer monitor defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a substantially planar antenna.

3. The computer monitor defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a near-field communications antenna.

4. The computer monitor defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna has at least one antenna loop.

5. The computer monitor defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises at least one conductive trace having first and second portions, wherein the first portion of the conductive trace overlaps the dielectric-filled opening and wherein the second portion of the conductive trace overlaps the conductive computer monitor housing.

6. The computer monitor defined in claim 1, wherein the antenna is mounted to the computer monitor so that some of the loops overlap the conductive computer monitor housing, some of the loops overlap the display, and at least a portion of a loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled opening.

7. The computer monitor defined in claim 1, wherein the antenna is mounted to the computer monitor so that some of the loops overlap the conductive computer monitor housing, some of the loops overlap the display, and at least a portion of a loop-free region overlaps the dielectric-filled opening, the antenna further comprising:

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

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a conductive electronic device housing having a planar surface, wherein the conductive electronic device housing defines a dielectric-filled opening in the planar surface;

an antenna that at least partially overlaps the dielectric-filled opening, wherein the antenna is formed in a separate plane from the planar surface of the conductive electronic device housing and the antenna comprises a loop antenna having at least one conductive loop; and

a display mounted in the conductive electronic device housing, wherein the antenna is interposed between the display and the planar surface of the conductive electronic device housing.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the antenna comprises a near field communications antenna having a plurality of conductive loops.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 8 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 opening.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the conductive loop is bisected by a line and wherein the conductive loop exhibits mirror symmetry with respect to the bisecting line.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising a layer of ferrite interposed between the antenna and the conductive electronic device housing.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the conductive loop has first and second portions, wherein the first portion of the conductive loop overlaps the dielectric-filled opening and wherein the second portion of the conductive loop overlaps the conductive electronic device housing.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the antenna comprises a substantially planar antenna.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the antenna comprises a near-field communications antenna.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of loops and communicates using near field communications at a frequency of 13.56 MHz.