Patent Grant
12074368
Examples relate to an electronic computing device, more particularly an electronic computing device with a self-shielding antenna.
Wi-Fi radio is one of the key components in electronic computing devices, such as notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, or the like. The Wi-Fi radio requires reliable connections and high throughput performance. However, many high-speed digital input/output (I/O) devices, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Solid State Drive (SSD), display, camera, Double Data Rate (DDR) memory devices, and switching power supply modules on a motherboard in the electronic computing devices generate radiating radio frequency (RF) noises. These platform-generated RF noises are broadband in nature and can be easily picked up by the antennas in the electronic computing devices. This can result in an unacceptable Wi-Fi user experience, such as connection failures, slow download speed, reduced access range, or the like.
Some examples of apparatuses and/or methods will be described in the following by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which
Various examples will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some examples are illustrated. In the figures, the thicknesses of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.
Accordingly, while further examples are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, some particular examples thereof are shown in the figures and will subsequently be described in detail. However, this detailed description does not limit further examples to the particular forms described. Further examples may cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. Like numbers refer to like or similar elements throughout the description of the figures, which may be implemented identically or in modified form when compared to one another while providing for the same or a similar functionality.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, the elements may be directly connected or coupled or via one or more intervening elements. If two elements A and B are combined using an “or”, this is to be understood to disclose all possible combinations, i.e. only A, only B as well as A and B. An alternative wording for the same combinations is “at least one of A and B”. The same applies for combinations of more than 2 elements.
The terminology used herein for the purpose of describing particular examples is not intended to be limiting for further examples. Whenever a singular form such as “a,” “an” and “the” is used and using only a single element is neither explicitly or implicitly defined as being mandatory, further examples may also use plural elements to implement the same functionality. Likewise, when a functionality is subsequently described as being implemented using multiple elements, further examples may implement the same functionality using a single element or processing entity. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, processes, acts, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, processes, acts, elements, components and/or any group thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) are used herein in their ordinary meaning of the art to which the examples belong.
In order to reduce or eliminate the interferences caused by the platform-generated RF noises, the RF noise sources on a motherboard in electronic computing devices may be identified and an electro-magnetic interference (EMI) shield may be applied to enclose the RF noise sources (aggressors). The RF noise sources can be located anywhere on the motherboard. Therefore, an on-board EMI shield covering a substantial or entire motherboard area is needed to isolate the antenna(s) from the platform RF noise sources.
The on-board EMI shields (e.g. a metal enclosure) may enclose all radiating RF noise sources in a motherboard.
Another method is applying an EMI absorber(s) onto the radiating RF noise sources such as an integrated circuit (IC) chip.
The conventional EMI shields and absorbers have some disadvantages. The on-board EMI shields may increase the motherboard size (in X and Y directions) and the system height (in Z direction). In conventional notebook computers or other similar electronic computing devices, the increased dimensions would limit the size of other components such as a battery and development of slim product designs. The EMI shields can also increase the bill-of-material (BOM) cost. The EMI shield itself (mechanical fences, lids, and contact gaskets) increases the cost, and it also requires more expensive micro-via printed circuit board (PCB) process rather than typical plated through hole (PTH) via process for high density ball grid array (BGA) breakouts because of EMI shield fine ground stitching. The EMI shields may block air flows of active cooling systems and limit system thermal design power (TDP) or performance. The EMI shields and absorbers may introduce additional complexities in assembly and disassembly and rework/repair in factories.
Hereinafter, examples for an electronic computing device with a self-shielding antenna will be explained with reference to a notebook computer (i.e. laptop computer). The drawing figures show only a case of notebook computer. However, it should be noted that the reference to the notebook computer is merely an example and the examples disclosed herein are applicable to any electronic computing devices with an antenna(s).
Contrast to the on-board EMI shields applied to cover all RF noise sources on a circuit board, in accordance with the examples disclosed herein, an antenna self-shielding is implemented. For implementing the antenna self-shielding, a specific WiFi antenna type may be selected for physical and electrical isolations from the chassis, and a new scheme is used to integrate the antenna onto either metallic or non-metallic (e.g. plastic) chassis, which will be explained in detail below. In accordance with the examples disclosed herein, the antenna is isolated from the platform RF noise sources without sacrificing the antenna performances by creating a small EMI shield for the antenna rather than widespread RF noise sources.
In accordance with an example, an electronic computing device may include a frame 110, an antenna 120, and an antenna shielding 130. The electronic computing device may be a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a desk-top computer, or any other types of electronic computing device. The frame 110 includes a top cover 112 and a bottom cover 114. The frame 110 is a housing for accommodating various electronic components and circuitries needed for the electronic computing device, such as a circuit board(s), USB devices, DDR and SSD devices, display, camera, speaker, microphone, I/O devices, or the like. The electronic components are included in a space formed between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114. The antenna is provided for wireless transmissions and receptions. The antenna 120 may be included near an edge of the frame 110. The antenna shielding 130 is provided around the antenna 120 for providing electro-magnetic shielding from the RF radiations (i.e. RF noises) from the electronic components included in the frame 110.
The antenna shielding 130 may be a metal wall disposed between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114 around the antenna. The metal wall encloses the antenna 120 from the inside of the frame, i.e. the antenna 120 located along the edge of the frame 110 is blocked from the RF noise sources inside the frame 110 by the metal wall. The metal wall may include an antenna cable feed-through hole 132 for connecting the antenna 120 to the circuitry (e.g. a transceiver) inside the frame 110. An antenna cable 134 may be connected to the antenna 120 via a conductive grommet 140 that is inserted into the antenna cable feed-through hole 132. The conductive grommet 140, such as a conductive rubber grommet may seal the antenna cable feed-through hole 132 so that no RF noise may leak through the antenna cable feed-through hole 132. Alternatively, the antenna 120 may be connected to a circuitry inside the frame 110 via a pogo pin 150.
The frame 110 may include a non-metallic area 170 on the top cover 112 and/or the bottom cover 114 above and below the antenna 120, respectively. The non-metallic area 170 is provided for RF radiations to and from the antenna 120.
The frame may be a metallic frame, such as a metallic single body frame. For the non-metallic area 170, the frame 110 may include a cut-out 174 in the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114 above and below the antenna 120, and a non-metallic cover 172 may be provided in the cut-out 174. In case of a metallic body, the antenna shielding 130 and the frame 110 may be formed integrally, i.e. as a single body.
The frame 110 may be a non-metallic frame with a metallic coating. The frame 110 may further include an augmented antenna shielding 180 in addition to the antenna shielding 130. The augmented antenna shielding 180 may include a metallic layer 182 on the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114, respectively, outside the antenna shielding 130 and a vertical shielding fence 184 formed along an outer edge of the metallic layer 182. The vertical shielding fence 184 may include a plurality metallic pins or contacts formed between a metallic layer on the top cover 112 and a metallic layer on the bottom cover 114.
The antenna 120 may be an antenna that does not require an RF ground, e.g. a dipole antenna. The antenna may be configured to operate on a 2.4 GHz band or a 5 GHz band. The electronic device may be one of a notebook computer, a table computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, or a desk-top computer. The antenna may be a replaceable antenna module.
With the self-shielding antenna in accordance with the examples disclosed herein, it is possible to eliminate the on-board EMI shields or absorbers, such as the ones shown in
The lid 102 of the notebook computer 100 may include a display screen. The base 104 includes a frame 110, which may be referred to as a chassis or a case. Numerous electronic components needed for the notebook computer 100 may be included in the frame 110. The frame 110 may be in a thin, flat, and generally rectangular shape and provides structural support for the electronic components. The frame 110 houses a circuit board(s), I/O devices, memories, a storage device(s), a camera, an antenna(s), and/or other devices.
The antenna(s) 120 (not shown in
The frame 110 may comprise a top cover 112 that may be referred to as a “C” cover and a bottom cover 114 that maybe referred to as a “D” cover. A cavity may be formed between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114, and the electronic components of the notebook computer 100 may be included in the cavity. The top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114 may form an integrated single piece of a frame (i.e. a single body frame). Alternatively, the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114 may be separate pieces and may be assembled into a frame 110. The frame 110 may be a metallic frame (e.g. an aluminum frame) or a non-metallic frame (e.g. a plastic frame) with a metallic coating.
As shown in
In one example, an antenna shielding 130 may be provided around the antenna 120 in order to electrically isolate the antenna 120 from the platform-generated RF noises. The antenna shielding 130 may be a metallic wall surrounding the antenna 120 between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114. The metallic wall may block the inner sides of the frame 110 around the antenna 120 while the outer edge side of the frame 110 around the antenna 120 and the top and bottom surfaces of the frame 110 above and below the antenna may be open for RF radiation to and from the antenna 120. The metallic wall covering the antenna may be a C or U shape as shown in
The antenna shielding 130 (e.g. the metallic wall) may include an antenna cable feed-through hole 132 for connecting the antenna 120 to a circuitry (e.g. a transceiver) inside the frame 110. For example, the antenna 120 may be connected to a circuitry inside the frame 110 using an antenna cable 134 via the antenna cable feed-through hole 132. There is a potential for RF noise leakage through the antenna cable feed-through hole 132. Therefore, the antenna cable feed-through hole 132 should be sealed properly.
In one example, a conductive grommet 140 may be used for sealing the antenna cable feed-through hole 132.
In another example, a pogo pin 150 may be used for sealing the antenna cable feed-through hole 132.
In one example, the antenna integration area of the frame 110 (i.e. in the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114) may be cut out as shown in
In case where the frame 110 is a metallic body (e.g. a single metallic body), the antenna shielding 130 (i.e. the metallic wall) may be integrated with the metallic body frame 110 instead of installing the antenna shielding 130 separately. The C-shape metallic side wall 192 may be integrally formed with the single metallic body (i.e. a C-shaped side wall is formed in the cut-out section 174 between the top and bottom covers 112/114 of the metallic frame). In this example, by properly designing the metallic chassis (e.g. the cut-out section 174 with the side wall 192), the antenna 120 can be completely isolated from the platform RF noise sources located inside the chassis.
In one example, as shown in
In another example, in order to enhance the shielding effectiveness for the antenna in a non-metallic chassis (e.g. a plastic chassis with metallic coating), an augmented antenna shielding 180 may be formed in addition to the antenna shielding 130 as shown in
A cost of a metallic unibody chassis can be prohibitively high for some product segments. Therefore, a plastic chassis with metallic coating may be the choice because it has a price advantage. However, a plastic chassis typically has metallic coating quality issues (e.g. discontinuity and non-uniformity of the metallic coating) and a chassis assembly gap between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114 is most likely present. The augmented antenna shielding 180 in accordance with the example above can provide effective shielding for the antenna in a plastic chassis, which allows the use of a plastic chassis for low cost high-volume PC manufacturing.
In order to integrate a full metallic shield around an antenna 120, the use of a conventional Wi-Fi antenna (a monopole antenna) should be avoided. The conventional monopole Wi-Fi antenna requires antenna ground connections to a chassis ground and this makes it hard to electrically isolate one from the other. In addition, the conventional monopole Wi-Fi antenna efficiency is extremely sensitive to the size of the antenna ground and a metallic object in proximity. Normally, any metallic object placed close to an antenna causes an unacceptable Wi-Fi antenna efficiency degradation.
In one example, a dipole antenna (or any antenna that does not require an RF ground) may be used to overcome the above issues.
The about 30 dB improvement is achievable even with the consideration of a 0.2 mm mechanical chassis gap between the top cover 112 and the bottom cover 114, which is a realistic case.
In some aspects, application processor 1305 may include, for example, one or more CPU cores and one or more of cache memory, low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as serial peripheral interface (SPI), inter-integrated circuit (I2C) or universal programmable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC), timer-counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purpose input-output (TO), memory card controllers such as secure digital/multi-media card (SD/MMC) or similar, universal serial bus (USB) interfaces, mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interfaces and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports.
In some aspects, baseband module 1310 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, and/or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.
Another example is a computer program having a program code for performing at least one of the methods described herein, when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor, or a programmable hardware component. Another example is a machine-readable storage including machine readable instructions, when executed, to implement a method or realize an apparatus as described herein. A further example is a machine-readable medium including code, when executed, to cause a machine to perform any of the methods described herein.
The examples as described herein may be summarized as follows:
Example 1 is an electronic device. The electronic device includes a frame including a top cover and a bottom cover, wherein electronic components are included in a space formed between the top cover and the bottom cover, an antenna for wireless transmission and reception, wherein the antenna is included in the frame near an edge of the frame, and an antenna shielding disposed around the antenna for providing electro-magnetic shielding from the electronic components included in the frame.
Examine 2 is the electronic device of example 1, wherein the antenna shielding is a metal wall disposed between the top cover and the bottom cover around the antenna.
Example 3 is the electronic device of example 2, wherein the metal wall includes an antenna cable feed-through hole.
Example 4 is the electronic device of example 3, wherein an antenna cable is connected to the antenna via a conductive grommet that is inserted into the antenna cable feed-through hole.
Example 5 is the electronic device of example 3, wherein the antenna is connected to a circuitry inside the frame via a pogo pin.
Example 6 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the frame includes a non-metallic area on the top cover and/or the bottom cover above and below the antenna.
Example 7 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the frame is a metallic frame.
Example 8 is the electronic device of example 7, wherein the frame includes a cut-out in the top cover and the bottom cover above and below the antenna, and a non-metallic cover is provided in the cut-out.
Example 9 is the electronic device of example 8, where the antenna shielding and the frame are formed integrally.
Example 10 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the frame is a non-metallic frame with a metallic coating.
Example 11 is the electronic device of example 10, further comprising an augmented antenna shielding.
Example 12 is the electronic device of example 11, wherein the augmented antenna shielding comprises a metallic layer on the top cover and the bottom cover, respectively, outside the antenna shielding and a vertical shielding fence formed along an outer edge of the metallic layer.
Example 13 is the electronic device of example 12, wherein the vertical shielding fence comprises a plurality metallic pins or contacts formed between a metallic layer on the top cover and a metallic layer on the bottom cover.
Example 14 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the antenna is an antenna that does not require an RF ground.
Example 15 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the antenna is a dipole antenna.
Example 16 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the antenna is configured to operate on a 2.4 GHz band or a 5 GHz band.
Example 17 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the electronic device is one of a notebook computer, a table computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, or a desk-top computer.
Example 18 is the electronic device as in any one of examples 1-5, wherein the antenna is a replaceable antenna module.
Example 19 is a method for manufacturing an electronic device. The method includes providing a frame including a top cover and a bottom cover, wherein electronic components are included in a space formed between the top cover and the bottom cover, installing an antenna for wireless transmission and reception in the frame near an edge of the frame, and forming an antenna shielding disposed around the antenna for providing electro-magnetic shielding from the electronic components included in the frame.
The aspects and features mentioned and described together with one or more of the previously detailed examples and figures, may as well be combined with one or more of the other examples in order to replace a like feature of the other example or in order to additionally introduce the feature to the other example.
Examples may further be or relate to a computer program having a program code for performing one or more of the above methods, when the computer program is executed on a computer or processor. Steps, operations or processes of various above-described methods may be performed by programmed computers or processors. Examples may also cover program storage devices such as digital data storage media, which are machine, processor or computer readable and encode machine-executable, processor-executable or computer-executable programs of instructions. The instructions perform or cause performing some or all of the acts of the above-described methods. The program storage devices may comprise or be, for instance, digital memories, magnetic storage media such as magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. Further examples may also cover computers, processors or control units programmed to perform the acts of the above-described methods or (field) programmable logic arrays ((F)PLAs) or (field) programmable gate arrays ((F)PGAs), programmed to perform the acts of the above-described methods.
The description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art. All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
A functional block denoted as “means for . . . ” performing a certain function may refer to a circuit that is configured to perform a certain function. Hence, a “means for s.th.” may be implemented as a “means configured to or suited for s.th.”, such as a device or a circuit configured to or suited for the respective task.
Functions of various elements shown in the figures, including any functional blocks labeled as “means”, “means for providing a sensor signal”, “means for generating a transmit signal.”, etc., may be implemented in the form of dedicated hardware, such as “a signal provider”, “a signal processing unit”, “a processor”, “a controller”, etc. as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which or all of which may be shared. However, the term “processor” or “controller” is by far not limited to hardware exclusively capable of executing software but may include digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included.
A block diagram may, for instance, illustrate a high-level circuit diagram implementing the principles of the disclosure. Similarly, a flow chart, a flow diagram, a state transition diagram, a pseudo code, and the like may represent various processes, operations or steps, which may, for instance, be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown. Methods disclosed in the specification or in the claims may be implemented by a device having means for performing each of the respective acts of these methods.
It is to be understood that the disclosure of multiple acts, processes, operations, steps or functions disclosed in the specification or claims may not be construed as to be within the specific order, unless explicitly or implicitly stated otherwise, for instance for technical reasons. Therefore, the disclosure of multiple acts or functions will not limit these to a particular order unless such acts or functions are not interchangeable for technical reasons. Furthermore, in some examples a single act, function, process, operation or step may include or may be broken into multiple sub-acts, -functions, -processes, -operations or -steps, respectively. Such sub acts may be included and part of the disclosure of this single act unless explicitly excluded.
Furthermore, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim may stand on its own as a separate example. While each claim may stand on its own as a separate example, it is to be noted that—although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims—other examples may also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent or independent claim. Such combinations are explicitly proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended. Furthermore, it is intended to include also features of a claim to any other independent claim even if this claim is not directly made dependent to the independent claim.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/068649 | 12/27/2019 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2021/133404 | 7/1/2021 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20220294109 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |
