Electronic device with NFC antenna adjacent display and related methods

• US 9,609,096 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Zhu, Lizhong, Zhu, Libo, Dill, Scott Leonard, Dikun, Raymond Michael, Nguyen, Pha Cong, Ooi, Soo Liam, Wiessner, Randy Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US14/164,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/90.3, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/526 Electromagnetic shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

An electronic device may include a housing having a display opening therein, processing circuitry within the housing, and wireless transceiver circuitry within the housing and coupled to the processing circuitry. The electronic device may also include NFC transceiver circuitry within the housing and coupled to the processing circuitry, a display within the housing and coupled to the processing circuitry, the display having an external surface exposed through the display opening and having an internal surface within the housing, and an NFC antenna positioned within the housing behind and aligned with the internal surface of the display and coupled to the NFC transceiver circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

at least one wireless transceiver carried by the housing;

a near field communications (NFC) device carried by the housing;

a display carried by the housing and having an internal surface within the housing and a display surface opposite the internal surface; and

an NFC antenna extending across at least a portion of the internal surface of the display, wherein the NFC antenna is mounted on the internal surface of the display and coupled to the NFC device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the NFC antenna comprises a backing layer, a substrate on the backing layer and electrically conductive traces thereon defining a plurality of loops.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the substrate has a rectangular shape, wherein the backing layer comprises an inductive shield that shields the NFC antenna, and wherein the plurality of loops is adjacent a periphery of the substrate.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the substrate comprises a ferrite layer.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a flexible circuit coupling the NFC antenna to the NFC device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a frame carried by the housing behind the internal surface of the display, wherein the frame is fastened to the display, and wherein the NFC antenna is mounted on the frame.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the NFC antenna is mounted directly to the internal surface of the display.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless transceiver comprises at least one of a cellular transceiver, a WiMAX transceiver, and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising tablet computer processing circuitry carried by the housing and coupled to the at least one wireless transceiver.

11. A tablet computing device comprising:

a housing;

tablet computing circuitry carried by the housing;

at least one wireless transceiver carried by the housing and coupled to the tablet computing circuitry;

a near field communications (NFC) device carried by the housing and coupled to the tablet computing circuitry;

a display carried by the housing and coupled to the tablet computing circuitry, the display having an internal surface within the housing and a display surface opposite the internal surface;

an NFC antenna extending across at least a portion of the internal surface of the display, wherein the NFC antenna is mounted on the internal surface of the display; and

a flexible circuit coupling the NFC antenna to the NFC device.

12. The tablet computing device of claim 11 wherein the NFC antenna comprises a substrate and electrically conductive traces thereon defining a plurality of loops.

13. The tablet computing device of claim 12 wherein the substrate comprises a ferrite layer.

14. The tablet computing device of claim 11 further comprising a frame within the housing behind the internal surface of the display, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of foot portions that couple the frame to the display, and wherein the NFC antenna is mounted on the frame.

15. The tablet computing device of claim 11 wherein the NFC antenna is mounted to the internal surface of the display.

16. The tablet computing device of claim 11 wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

17. The tablet computing device of claim 11 wherein the at least one wireless transceiver comprises at least one of a cellular transceiver, a WiMAX transceiver, and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

18. A method of making an electronic device comprising:

mounting at least one wireless transceiver within a housing;

mounting a near field communications (NFC) device within the housing;

mounting a display to the housing, the display having an internal surface within the housing and a display surface opposite the internal surface; and

mounting an NFC antenna to the internal surface of the display within the housing, wherein the NFC antenna extends across at least a portion of the internal surface of the display.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the NFC antenna comprises a substrate and electrically conductive traces thereon defining a plurality of loops.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the substrate has a rectangular shape and wherein the plurality of loops is adjacent a periphery of the substrate.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the substrate comprises a ferrite layer.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising coupling a flexible circuit between the NFC antenna and the NFC device.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising mounting a frame within the housing and behind the internal surface of the display;

and wherein mounting the NFC antenna comprises mounting the NFC antenna on the frame.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein mounting the NFC antenna comprises mounting the NFC antenna to the internal surface of the display.