Patent Application
20220158326
Computing devices, such as laptops, include antennas for wireless communication purposes. For instance, the antennas may be used to receive and transmit wireless signals, such as Wi-Fi™ signals and Bluetooth® signals. An antenna may be disposed within a part of a computing device.
The detailed description is provided with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
Computing devices include antennas for wireless communication purposes. An antenna is disposed in or on a part of a computing device. In some cases, a slot is formed in a chassis of a display unit of the computing device and the antenna is disposed in the slot. The presence of the slot in the chassis reduces the strength of the chassis. Further, the slot is to be closed, such as using mylar, after disposition of the antenna in the slot. The provision of the slot in the chassis and the subsequent closure of the slot also increases the cost of manufacturing the chassis.
The present subject matter relates to disposition of antennas in computing devices. With the implementations of the present subject matter, computing devices can be provided with a chassis devoid of slots.
In accordance with an example implementation of the present subject matter, a computing device includes a knuckle hinge assembly to facilitate rotation of a first component relative to a second component. The first component may be, for example, a display cover of a display unit of the computing device and the second component may be, for example, a base cover of a base unit of the computing device. The knuckle hinge assembly may facilitate rotation of the display unit relative to the base unit about an axis. The axis may extend parallel to the directions in which the widths of the first component and the second component extend.
The knuckle hinge assembly may include a knuckle hinge. The knuckle hinge may be coupled to the first component, for example, through a leaf. Further, the knuckle hinge may face a portion of the first component and may be separated from the portion by the clearance gap. The portion of the first component may be part of a display cover of the first component. For instance, the display cover may include a rear housing and a front plate, and the portion of the first component may be part of the front plate. The clearance gap may be provided, for example, to prevent friction between the first component and the knuckle hinge during rotation of the first component.
In an example, an antenna may be disposed on the first component, such that the disposed antenna is separated from the knuckle hinge by the clearance gap. For instance, a part of the antenna may be disposed on the portion of the first component, which is separated from the knuckle hinge by the clearance gap. Thus, the part of the antenna may face the knuckle hinge and may be separated from the knuckle by the clearance gap.
The present subject matter eliminates the provision of slots for antennas in chassis of computing devices, as the antenna is disposed on a surface of a component, such as a display cover or a base cover. Thus, the manufacturing of the chassis is simplified. Also, since the antenna is disposed such that it faces a knuckle hinge and since the antenna is separated from the knuckle by a clearance gap, the knuckle hinge may reflect signals emitted by the antenna and the signals to be received by the antenna. Therefore, the present subject matter facilitates increasing gain of the antenna. Further, the present subject matter leverages a clearance gap between the component and a hinge assembly for reflection of the signals. Therefore, a separate clearance gap for reflection of signals is not to be provided. Thus, the present subject matter facilitates disposition of the antenna without increasing the size of the computing device of the computing device or its parts.
The present subject matter is further described with reference to
Further, in the description provided below, a laptop is used, as an example of a computing device in which the antenna is disposed, to explain various aspects of the present subject matter. However, it is to be understood that the techniques of the present subject matter can be utilized for any type of computing device that includes an antenna and that has units that are rotatably coupled to each other using a hinge assembly
The first component 102 may be rotatable relative to the second component 104, as illustrated by arrows 108 and 110. For instance, the display unit can be closed on the base unit by rotating the display unit towards the base unit and can be opened by rotating the display unit away from the base unit. To facilitate the rotation, the computing device 100 may include a knuckle hinge assembly 112. The knuckle hinge assembly 112 may include a knuckle hinge 114 that is coupled to both the first component 102 and the second component 104. In an example, the knuckle hinge 114 may be located between proximately-located edges of the first component 102 and the second component 104. The knuckle hinge 114 may face a first portion 116 of the first component 102. The knuckle hinge 114 may be separated from the first portion 116 by a gap 118.
The computing device 100 further includes an antenna 120, which may include a first antenna part 122. In an example, the first antenna part 122 is disposed on the first portion 116. The antenna 120 may extend beyond the first portion 116. For instance, the antenna 120 may include a second antenna part 124 that is disposed on another portion (not marked in
The knuckle hinge 114 may be separated from the display unit 202 by the gap 118, interchangeably referred to as the clearance gap 118. In an example, a portion of the knuckle hinge 114 may be separated from the display unit 202 by the clearance gap 118. For instance, the knuckle hinge 114 may be substantially cylindrical in shape and the portion of the knuckle hinge 114 may be an outer circumferential surface (not numbered in
The computing device 100 may further include the antenna 120. A part of the antenna 120, such as the first antenna part 122, is separated from the knuckle hinge 114 by the clearance gap 118.
The second cover 304 may include a second surface 308. If the second cover 304 is the display cover, the second surface 308 may be the surface of a plate of the first cover 302. If the second cover 304 is the base cover, the second surface 308 may be the interior surface of the base cover.
The first cover 302 may be rotatably coupled to the second cover 304, For instance, the first cover 302 can rotate about a first axis 310. The rotation of the first cover 302 relative to the first axis 310 is illustrated by arrows 312-1 and 312-2. The first surface 306 and the first cover 302 may extend in width parallel to the first axis 310. A direction in which the first surface 306 and the first cover 302 extends in width is represented by an arrow 314.
The computing device 100 may further include a first knuckle hinge 318, which may be the same as the knuckle hinge 114. The first knuckle hinge 318 may include a knuckle 320. The knuckle 320 may be disposed between the first cover 302 and the second cover 304 and may be coupled to the first cover 302. The knuckle 320 may be rotatable about the first axis 310. For instance, the knuckle 320 may be cylinder-shaped and may extend in length along the first axis 310. Accordingly, the knuckle 320 may rotate about the first axis 310 to allow rotation of the first cover 302 relative to the second cover 304. For instance, if the first cover 302 is the display cover, when a force is applied on the display unit 202 by a user of the computing device 100 for rotating the display unit 202, the force applied may be transferred to the knuckle 320. This causes rotation of the knuckle 320 about the first axis 310, as illustrated by arrows 322-1 and 322-2.
The first knuckle hinge 318 may be separated from the first cover 302 by a clearance gap 324, which may be the same as the clearance gap 118. A first antenna 326 may be disposed on the first surface 306. The first antenna 326 may be separated from the first knuckle hinge 318 by the first clearance gap 324. For instance, the first surface 306 may include the first portion 116 (not shown in
The various aspects of the present subject matter will be explained in greater detail with respect to
The front plate 406 may be a metallic plate and may be substantially rectangular in shape. Further, the front plate 406 may have a blank area 408 around its center. The blank area 408 may also be substantially rectangle-shaped. Through the blank area 408, a display screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, may be exposed, to allow the viewer to view content displayed on the display screen. In an example, the computing device 100, may include a plate (not shown in
The base cover 404 may be the second cover 304 (explained with reference to
The computing device 100 may also include a plurality of knuckle hinge assemblies, interchangeably referred to as hinge assemblies in the below description. In an example, the hinge assemblies facilitate a complete 360° rotation of the display unit 202 relative to the base unit 204. The plurality of hinge assemblies may include a first hinge assembly 412 and a second hinge assembly 414. The first hinge assembly 412 and the second hinge assembly 414 may be similar in structure and functions to the knuckle hinge assembly 112. The first hinge assembly 412 may include a first knuckle 416, which may be the same as the knuckle 320. In addition, the first hinge assembly 412 may include a first leaf 418 coupled to the first knuckle 416. The first leaf 418 may extend laterally from the first knuckle 416. For instance, the first knuckle 416 may be substantially cylindrical in shape and may have a first axial end 420 and a second axial end 422. The first leaf 418 may be coupled to the first axial end 420, as illustrated, or to the second axial end 422. The first leaf 418 may be coupled to the first knuckle 416 using a known coupling technique, such as welding. Alternatively, the first knuckle 416 and the first leaf 418 may be manufactured as a single piece.
In an example, the first knuckle 416 may be hollow. For instance, if the first, knuckle 416 is cylinder-shaped, an opening may extend through the body of the first knuckle 416 and along the length of the first knuckle 416. Accordingly, the first knuckle 416 may resemble a loop. A first pin (not shown in
The first leaf 418 may couple the first knuckle 416 with the display cover 402. For the coupling, the first leaf 418 may be fastened to the display cover 402 using fasteners, such as screws 426-1, 426-2, and 426-3. Since the display cover 402 is coupled to the first knuckle 416, the display cover 402 can be rotated about the axis 424, When the user of the computing device 100 applies a force on the display unit 202 to rotate the display unit 202 relative to the base unit 204, the display cover 402, the first leaf 418, and the first knuckle 416 rotate about the axis 424. The axis 424, about which the display unit 202 can be rotated, may be referred to as the display axis 424. The display axis 424 may be the first axis 310 explained with reference to
In an example, the first hinge assembly 412 may also include a second knuckle 428. The second knuckle 428 may be disposed between the display cover 402 and the base cover 404. Also, the second knuckle 428 may be disposed between the first knuckle 416 and the base cover 404. The first hinge assembly 412 may also include a second leaf 430 coupled to the second knuckle 428. The second knuckle 428 and the second leaf 430 may have a structure similar to that of the first knuckle 416 and the first leaf 418 respectively. Further, the second leaf 430 may be coupled to the second knuckle 428 in a manner similar to the coupling between the first leaf 418 and the first knuckle 416. The second leaf 430 may be coupled to the base cover 404 using fasteners, such as screws 432-1, 432-2, and 432-3.
A second pin (not shown in
The first hinge assembly 412 further includes a hinge housing 434 in which the first knuckle 416 and the second knuckle 428 are enclosed. The hinge housing 434 may be substantially cylindrical in shape and may extend in length parallel to the first knuckle 416 and the second knuckle 428. In an assembled state of the computing device 100, the hinge housing 434 may be visible, while the first knuckle 416 and the second knuckle 428 may be hidden from view. However, in
In an example, a relative motion exists between the hinge housing 434 and the display cover 402 during the rotation of the display cover 402 about the display axis 424. Similarly, a relative motion exists between the hinge housing 434 and the base cover 404 during the rotation of the base cover 404 about the base axis 433. The relative motion may cause wear of the surfaces of the hinge housing 434, the display cover 402, and the base cover 404 if the surface of the hinge housing 434 is in contact with that of the display cover 402 and that of the base cover 404. To prevent wear of the surfaces, a clearance gap 436 may be provided between the hinge housing 434 and the display cover 402. The clearance gap 436 may exist, for example, between an outer circumferential surface 437 of the hinge housing 434 and the display cover 402. The clearance gap 436 may be, for example, the clearance gap 118, if the display cover 402 is the first component 102. A clearance gap 438 may be provided between the hinge housing 434 and the base cover 404. If the base cover 404 is the first component 102, the clearance gap 438 may be the clearance gap 118 explained with reference to
To provide the clearance gap 436 between the first hinge 318 and the display cover 402, in an example, some portions of a bottom section 440 of the front plate 406 may cut out to form a well, into which a hinge may be received. For instance, on the bottom section 440, a well may be formed in the portion 442 that faces the first hinge 318. Similarly, a well may be formed also in the rear housing of the display cover 402, The portion 442 may be the first portion 116 explained with reference to
In an example, the first antenna 326 may be disposed on the front plate 406. The first antenna 326 may be disposed such that at least a portion of the first antenna 326 faces the first hinge 318. For instance, the first antenna part 122 may be disposed on the portion 442. Thus, the first antenna part 122 is separated from the first hinge 318 by the clearance gap 436. In
The disposition of first antenna part 122 on the portion 442 causes the wireless signals emitted by the first antenna part 122 to cross the clearance gap 436 and to be incident on the first hinge 318. If the hinge housing 434 is made of a metal, the hinge housing 434 reflects the incident wireless signals. If the hinge housing 434 is made of a non-metal, such as plastic, it may not reflect the wireless signals. In such a case, the wireless signals may penetrate the hinge housing 434, and can be reflected by the first knuckle 416, which is made of a metal. Similarly, the wireless signals emitted by other components, such as a wireless router and a mobile phone, in the vicinity of the computing device 100 may also be incident on the hinge housing 434 or the first knuckle 416. Such wireless signals may be reflected by the hinge housing 434/first knuckle 416. The reflected wireless signals can be picked up by the first antenna part 122. Thus, the hinge housing 434/first knuckle 416 acts as a reflector for the first antenna 326, and helps in increasing the gain of the first antenna 326.
In addition to the first antenna part 122, the first antenna 326 may include a second antenna part 444. The first antenna 326 may be disposed on the front plate 406 such that the second antenna part 444 is adjacent to the first portion 116 in the widthwise direction 314 of the front plate 406. Further, the first antenna part 122 may be disposed between the second antenna part 444 and the first leaf 418 on the front plate 406. In an example, the second antenna part 444 may have a greater cross-sectional area as compared to that of the first antenna part 122, as illustrated in
It s to be noted that the shape of the first antenna 326 explained herein is an example, and the shape may be modified based on size and shape of the surface on which it is to be disposed, size of the display cover 402, size of the knuckle hinge assemblies, and the like.
In addition to the first hinge assembly 412, the computing device 100 may also include the second hinge assembly 414. Similar to the first hinge assembly 412, the second hinge assembly 414 may also be disposed between the display cover 402 and the base cover 404. The first hinge assembly 412 and the second hinge assembly 414 may be disposed opposite each other in a widthwise direction 314 of the display unit 202 and a widthwise direction of the base unit 204. The second hinge assembly 414 may include a second knuckle hinge 446.
The second knuckle hinge 446 includes a third knuckle 448, a fourth knuckle 450, and a second hinge housing 452. The second hinge assembly 414 may also include a third leaf 454 and a fourth leaf 456. The third knuckle 448, the fourth knuckle 450, the second hinge housing 452, the third leaf 454, and the fourth leaf 456 may be similar to the first knuckle 416, the second knuckle 428, the hinge housing 434, the first leaf 418, and the second leaf 430 respectively in structure and may have similar functions. Further, the third knuckle 448 and the fourth knuckle 450 may be disposed offset along the display axis 424 and the base axis 433 from the first knuckle 416 and the second knuckle 428 respectively.
The second knuckle hinge 446 may be separated from the front plate 406 by a second clearance gap (not marked in
As mentioned earlier, the motherboard 410 of the computing device 100 may be housed in the base cover 404. The motherboard 410 may include a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 462, which can allow the computing device 100 to connect to a Wi-Fi™ network for communication over the Internet. The WLAN module 462 is to be connected to the antennas to receive and transmit wireless signals. The WLAN module 462 may be connected to the antennas using cables, also referred to as antenna cables. In an example, the antenna cables may be routed around the hinge assemblies. For instance, a first antenna cable 464 connecting the first antenna 326 with the WLAN module 462 may be routed around the hinge housing 434 and be connected to the WLAN module 462. It may be noted that, in the present subject matter, the antennas are disposed closer to the WLAN module 462 as compared to the techniques in which the antennas are disposed in slots in the chassis. Therefore, the present subject matter reduces the length of the antenna cables.
Although, in
Although
The present subject matter eliminates the use of slots for antenna in chassis of computing devices, as the antenna is disposed on a component, such as a display cover or a base cover. Thus, the manufacturing of the chassis is simplified. Since the antenna is disposed to face a knuckle hinge and since the antenna is separated from the knuckle by a clearance gap, the knuckle hinge may reflect signals emitted by the antenna and the signals to be received by the antenna. Therefore, gain of the antenna can be increased. Further, in the present subject matter, a clearance gap that is part of the existing design of computing devices is leveraged for reflection of the signals. Therefore, a separate clearance gap for reflection of signals is not to be provided. Thus, an increase in the size of the computing device or its parts is prevented.
Although examples and implementations of present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed and explained in the context of a few example implementations of the present subject matter,
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/045635 | 8/8/2019 | WO | 00 |
