Antenna mounting for electronic devices

• US 9,317,074 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ohtani, Tetsuya, Morino, Takayuki, Uchino, Akinori, Ji, Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFFBERG, ROBERT JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/351,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090179806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,657 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.21, 36167926-67927, 361/697.55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266

Abstract

The invention broadly contemplates an electronic apparatus that provides improved antenna characteristics, while maintaining a thin size and light weight. The electronic apparatus of the present invention includes a display casing having a nonconductive resin region and a conductive resin region in a bottom surface thereof; a display module accommodated in the display casing; an antenna disposed in the nonconductive resin region; and a system casing accommodating a wireless module connected to the antenna. By disposing the antenna in the nonconductive resin region formed in the bottom surface of the display casing, it is possible to secure high radio wave sensitivity while preventing an antenna mounting portion from being exposed to the outside of the display casing. The casing structure of the electronic apparatus does not become thick because of butt joining even when the joint portions are in a projection area of an LCD module.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a display casing, the display casing comprising;

a conductive resin region in a central portion of the display casing;

a nonconductive resin region forming a peripheral portion of the display casing substantially surrounding the conductive resin region, the nonconductive resin region having an antenna mounting space disposed therein;

wherein a joint between the nonconductive resin region and the conductive resin region forms a plurality of curves; and

a display module accommodated in the display casing;

an antenna disposed in the antenna mounting space; and

a system casing rotatably coupled to the display casing.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive resin region comprises a carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nonconductive resin region comprises a glass fiber reinforced plastic.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is disposed only within the nonconductive resin region.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the system casing comprises a wireless module in operable connection with the antenna.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the nonconductive resin region, having the antenna disposed therein, is between 1 and 1.5 millimeters in thickness.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the antenna further comprises:

a ground sheet element having at least a portion disposed between the display module and the nonconductive resin region; and

a radiation element being disposed between a sidewall of the display casing and the display module.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the conductive resin region and the nonconductive resin region are butt joined in a projection area of the display module.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the radiation element comprises a plurality of radiation subelements which correspond to respective frequency bands and are attached to a frame formed of synthetic resin.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ground sheet element is comprised of aluminum.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is positioned on an upper side of the display casing so that when the display casing is opened the antenna has improved radio wave sensitivity.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive resin region is 1.5 millimeters in thickness.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a display casing, the display casing comprising;

a conductive resin region in a central portion of the display casing; and

a nonconductive resin region forming a peripheral portion of the display casing substantially surrounding the conductive resin region, the nonconductive resin region having an antenna mounting space disposed therein;

wherein a joint between the nonconductive resin region and the conductive resin region forms a plurality of curves.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display module accommodated in the display casing; and

an antenna disposed within the antenna mounting space.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a system casing; and

a display casing rotatably coupled to the system casing, the display casing comprising;

a conductive resin region in a central portion of the display casing; and

a nonconductive resin region forming a peripheral portion of the display casing substantially surrounding the conductive resin region, the nonconductive resin region having an antenna mounting space disposed therein;

wherein a joint between the nonconductive resin region and the conductive resin region forms a plurality of curves.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the conductive resin region comprises a carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the nonconductive resin region comprises a glass fiber reinforced plastic.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein an antenna is disposed within the antenna mounting space only within the nonconductive resin region;

and wherein the antenna comprises a ground sheet element having at least a portion disposed between a display in the display casing and the nonconductive resin region and a radiation element being disposed between a sidewall of the display casing and the display.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the system casing comprises a wireless module in operable connection to the antenna.