This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 201721927735.4, filed on Dec. 29, 2017, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201711499644.X, filed on Dec. 29, 2017, the disclosures of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
This disclosure relates to electronic devices, and particularly to electronic devices with enhanced antenna performance.
With the development of intelligent mobile terminals, the use of mobile networks becomes more and more frequent, thus it is necessary for the mobile terminals to provide stable and reliable signals. Signal stability of the mobile terminal depends on antenna performance, and stability of the antenna performance in turn depends on reliability of an antenna feed mode.
As screen occupation ratio is getting increasingly high, especially in a full screen recently emerged, an antenna clearance area is reduced to be small. Since the antenna performance is extremely sensitive to an environment (such as a feed position) of the antenna clearance area, how to perform antenna feed to ensure good antenna performance or improve the antenna performance has become a problem to be solved.
Implementations of the present disclosure provide an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance.
According to a first aspect of the implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, a first connection structure, and an antenna module. The metal frame is provided with a first contact portion extending outwardly from an inner surface of the metal frame. The first connection structure includes a first resilient piece, which has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end of the resilient piece is electrically coupled with the first contact portion via abutting against the first contact portion. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board. The antenna module is electrically coupled with the second end of the first resilient piece extending through the circuit board and electrically coupled with the metal frame via the first resilient piece, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
According to a second aspect of the implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, a connection structure, and an antenna module. The metal frame is provided with a contact portion extending outwardly from an inner surface of the metal frame. The connection structure extends through the circuit board, and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, and the first end is electrically coupled with the contact portion via abutting against the contact portion. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board, and the antenna module is electrically coupled with the second end of the connection structure and electrically coupled with the metal frame via the connection structure, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
According to a third aspect of the implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, an antenna module, and a connection structure. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board. The connection structure extends through the circuit board and electrically coupled with the metal frame and the antenna module, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
To illustrate the technical solutions embodied by the implementations of the present disclosure more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for describing the implementations. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description merely illustrate some implementations of the present disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art may also obtain other drawings based on these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
Technical solutions in implementations of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in the implementations of the present disclosure. Apparently, the described implementations are merely some rather than all implementations of the present disclosure. All other implementations obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the implementations of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that, relationships of orientations or positions indicated by terms such as “upward” and “downward” are based on that illustrated in the accompanying drawings according to the implementations of the present disclosure, and merely to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and simplify the description rather than to suggest or indicate that devices or elements referred to must have particular orientations and be constructed and operated in particular orientations, and therefore is not to be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure. The terms such as “first” and “second” are used for distinguishing between different objects rather than describing a particular order.
According to a first aspect of implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, a first connection structure, and an antenna module. The metal frame is provided with a first contact portion extending outwardly from an inner surface of the metal frame. The first connection structure includes a first resilient piece, which has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end of the resilient piece is electrically coupled with the first contact portion via abutting against the first contact portion. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board. The antenna module is electrically coupled with the second end of the first resilient piece extending through the circuit board and electrically coupled with the metal frame via the first resilient piece, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
In one implementation, the circuit board is disposed close to the first contact portion of the metal frame, and the circuit board and the first contact portion define a height difference therebetween. The antenna module is disposed on a first surface of the circuit board away from the first contact portion. The first resilient piece further has a body connected between the first end and the second end, the body of the first resilient piece extends from the first end to the second end via extending into a second surface of the circuit board opposite to the first surface and extending out of the first surface of the circuit board. The first end of the first resilient piece abuts against the first contact portion, and the second end of the first resilient piece is fixed on the first surface of the circuit board and electrically coupled with the antenna module disposed on the first surface of the circuit board.
In one implementation, a side of the circuit board close to the first contact portion of the metal frame defines a first cutout, the first cutout is positioned correspondingly to the first contact portion, and the first resilient piece extends through the circuit board via the first cutout.
In one implementation, the second end of the first resilient piece is in a flat plate shape, the body of the first resilient piece is coupled with a side of the second end close to the metal frame, each of two opposite sides of the second end adjacent to the side of the second end close to the metal frame is provided with a protruding portion extending outwardly in a direction parallel to the side of the second end close to the metal frame, and each of the two protruding portions is fixed on the first surface of the circuit board via extending out from the first cutout.
In one implementation, the first end of the first resilient piece is a bending end extending away from the first contact portion by a distance, and a bending top of the first end contacts with the first contact portion.
In one implementation, the bending top of the first end abutting against the first contact portion is subjected to a surface roughening treatment to increase a closeness of contact between the first end and the first contact portion.
In one implementation, the first contact portion is a step-shaped structure extending from the inner surface of the metal frame, the first contact portion has a first stepped surface and a second stepped surface extending from the inner surface of the metal frame, a distance defined between the second stepped surface and the circuit board is larger than that between the first stepped surface and the circuit board, and the first end of the first resilient piece abuts against the second stepped surface.
In one implementation, the electronic device further includes a front shell and a display screen, the front shell is operable to support the display screen, the circuit board is disposed on a side of the front shell without supporting the display screen, and the front shell is operable to be a reference ground of the electronic device.
In one implementation, a thickness of a region of the front shell corresponding to the first resilient piece is less than an overall thickness of the front shell.
In one implementation, the front shell extends close to and is spaced apart from the metal frame, and the contact portion and front shell define a distance therebetween in a direction perpendicular to a display screen of the electronic device.
In one implementation, the electronic device further includes a second connection structure and a first grounding switch. The second connection structure includes a second resilient piece, the second resilient piece has a structure same as that of the first resilient piece, and the metal frame of the electronic device is further provided with a second contact portion extending outwardly from the inner surface of the metal frame. The first grounding switch is disposed on the circuit board, the second resilient piece extends through the circuit board, the second resilient piece has an end abutting against the second contact portion and has another end electronically coupled with the first grounding switch.
In one implementation, the electronic device further includes a third connection structure and a second grounding switch. The third connection structure includes a third resilient piece, the third resilient piece has a structure same as that of the first resilient piece, the metal frame of the electronic device is further provided with a third contact portion extending outwardly from the inner surface of the metal frame, and the third contact portion and the second contact portion are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the first contact portion. The second grounding switch is disposed on the circuit board, the third resilient piece extends through the circuit board, the third resilient piece has an end abutting against the third contact portion, and has another end electronically coupled with second grounding switch.
In one implementation, the electronic device further defines a second cutout and a third cutout, the second resilient piece extends through the circuit board via the second cutout, and the third resilient piece extends through the circuit board via the third cutout.
In one implementation, thicknesses of regions of the front shell corresponding to the second resilient piece and the third resilient piece are less than an overall thickness of the front shell.
In one implementation, the electronic device further includes at least one electronic connector electronically coupled with the front shell and the metal frame, and the at least one electronic connector is operable to divide the metal frame into at least two antenna resonating elements.
In one implementation, the antenna module is coupled with one of the at least two antenna resonating elements via the first contact portion, when the antenna module performs a feed excitation, the resonating element coupled with the antenna module is enabled to resonate in an antenna mode different from that in which the remaining of the at least two resonating elements resonates, such that the at least two antenna resonating elements resonate in different modes to produce a resonance.
In one implementation, the at least one electronic connector is fixed on and electronically coupled with the metal frame and the front shell by one manner of welding connection, screw connection, and snap-fit connection.
According to a second aspect of implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, a connection structure, and an antenna module. The metal frame is provided with a contact portion extending outwardly from an inner surface of the metal frame. The connection structure extends through the circuit board, and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, and the first end is electrically coupled with the contact portion via abutting against the contact portion. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board, and the antenna module is electrically coupled with the second end of the connection structure and electrically coupled with the metal frame via the connection structure, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
In one implementation, the circuit board is disposed close to the contact portion of the metal frame, and the circuit board and the contact portion define a height difference therebetween. The antenna module is disposed on a first surface of the circuit board away from the contact portion. The connection structure further has a body connected between the first end and the second end, the body of the connection structure extends from the first end to the second end via extending into a second surface of the circuit board opposite to the first surface and extending out of the first surface of the circuit board. The first end of the connection structure abuts against the contact portion, and the second end of the connection structure is fixed on the first surface of the circuit board and electrically coupled with the antenna module disposed on the first surface of the circuit board.
According to a third aspect of implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device with enhanced antenna performance is provided. The electronic device includes a metal frame, a circuit board, an antenna module, and a connection structure. The antenna module is disposed on the circuit board. The connection structure extends through the circuit board and electrically coupled with the metal frame and the antenna module, such that the metal frame is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module.
Referring to
The metal frame 1 is provided with a first contact portion B1 extending outwardly from an inner surface S1 of the metal frame 1. The connection structure 3 includes a resilient piece T1, the resilient piece T1 has a first end P1 and a second end P2 opposite to the first end P1, and the first end P1 is electrically coupled with the contact portion B1 via abutting against the contact portion B1. The antenna module 4 disposed on the circuit board 2 is electrically coupled with the second end P2 of the resilient piece T1 extending through the circuit board 2, and is electrically coupled with the metal frame 1 via the resilient piece T1, such that the metal frame 1 is operable to be antenna resonating elements of the antenna module 4.
Compared with an antenna feed manner with a high assembly difficulty in which the resilient piece T1 is resiliently disposed facing a side of a circuit board, and an antenna feed manner with an extremely poor antenna performance due to a small antenna clearance area in which the resilient piece T1 is directly disposed on the circuit board 2, by means of the antenna feed manner in the present disclosure in which the resilient piece T1 directly extends through the circuit board 2, the assembly difficulty can be reduced and the radiation performance of the antenna module 4 can be improved in a case of a small clearance area, for example, a full screen.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one implementation, the antenna module 4 is electronically coupled with one of the protruding portions R1 fixed on the first surface F1 of the circuit board 2.
The second end P2 is parallel to the circuit board 2, and the body T11 of the resilient piece T1 and the second end P2 define an angle therebetween. When assembling, a distance between the circuit board 2 and the contact portion B1 is set to a specific value, such that the resilient piece T1 has a certain resilient force when being fixed between the circuit board 2 and the contact portion B1, thereby ensuring that the resilient piece T1 is in close contact and electrical connection with the circuit board 2 and the contact portion B1.
In one implementation, the two protruding portions R1 of the second end P2 are fixed on the circuit board 2 by welding.
As illustrated in
In one implementation, the bending top of the first end P1 abutting against the contact portion B1 is subjected to a surface roughening treatment to increase a closeness of contact between the first end P1 and the contact portion B1.
In one implementation, the body T11 of the resilient T1 of the body T11 may be formed in a substantially straight, bar shape.
As illustrated in
The front shell 5 extends close to and is spaced apart from the metal frame 1, and the front shell 5 and the contact portion B1 define a certain distance therebetween in a direction perpendicular to the display screen 6. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The partial region A1 of the front shell 5 corresponding to the resilient piece T1 refers to a region of the front shell 5 where the projection of the resilient piece T1 is positioned, and the shape of the partial region A1 of the front shell 5 corresponding to the resilient piece T1 may be similar to the projection of the resilient piece T1 on the front shell 5. Alternatively, the partial region A1 of the front shell 5 corresponding to the resilient piece T1 may be a rectangular region including the region of the front shell 5 where the projection of the resilient piece T1 is positioned.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The metal frame 1 of the electronic device 100 is further provided with a contact portion B2 and a contact portion B3 extending outwardly from the inner surface S1 of the metal frame 1. The contact portion B2 and the contact portion B3 are arranged on two sides of the contact portion B1, respectively. The contact portion B2, the contact portion B3, and the contact portion B1 have a same structure.
As illustrated in
The resilient piece T2 extends through the circuit board 2, has an end abutting against the contact portion B2, and has another end electronically coupled with the grounding switch K1. The resilient piece T3 extends through the circuit board 2, has an end abutting against the contact portion B3, and has another end electronically coupled with the grounding switch K2.
A feed length of the metal frame 1 acting as the antenna resonating elements of the antenna module 4 can be changed by switching an on-state and an off-state of at least one of the grounding switch K1 and the grounding switch K2 and is further adjusted through matching, thereby further improving the antenna performance.
The grounding switches K1 and K2 are electrically coupled with grounding points on the circuit board 2. The grounding points on the circuit board 2 may also be electrically coupled with the front shell 5 acting as the reference ground of the electronic device 100.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The area of the second stepped surface M2 of the contact portion B1 is larger than that of the first end of the resilient pieces T1, and the area of the second stepped surface M4 of the contact portion B2 is larger than that of the first end of the resilient pieces T2, thereby ensuring that the first ends of the resilient pieces T1, T2 can be moved within a certain region with a close contact with the contact portions B1, B2.
The grounding switch K1 is electronically coupled with one of the two protruding portions R2 of the second end P4 of the resilient piece T2, and the one of the two protruding portions R2 is fixed on the first surface F1 of the circuit board 2.
The second end P4 of the resilient piece T2 is parallel to the circuit board 2. The body T21 of the resilient piece T2 and the second end P4 defines an angle therebetween.
The two protruding portions R2 of the second end P4 of the resilient piece T2 are fixed on the circuit board 2 by welding.
As illustrated in
Similarly, the first end P3 of the resilient piece T2 is also a bending end extending away from the contact portion B2 by a distance to form a hook, and the first end P3 contacts with the contact portion B2 at a bending top (that is, an apex portion of the bending end). Similarly, in some implementations, the bending top of the first end P3 abutting against the contact portion B2 is subjected to a surface roughening treatment to increase a closeness of contact between the first end P3 and the contact portion B2.
Referring back to
In some implementations, the at least one electronic connector J1 is fixed on and electronically coupled with the metal frame 1 and the front shell 5 by welding connection, screw connection, or snap-fit connection. The at least one electronic connector J1 may be a metal piece.
The antenna module 4 is coupled with one of the antenna resonating elements via the connection structure 3. When the antenna module 4 performs a feed excitation, the resonating element coupled with the antenna module 4 is enabled to resonate in an antenna mode different from in which the remaining of the antenna resonating elements resonates, such that the antenna resonating elements resonate in different antenna modes to produce a resonance, thereby increasing a bandwidth of a particular frequency band.
As illustrated in
The two electronic connectors J1 divide the metal frame 1 into at least a first antenna resonating element 11, a second antenna resonating element 12, and a third antenna resonating element 13. The contact portions B1, B2, and B3 are all positioned on the first antenna resonating element 11. The antenna module 4, the grounding switch K1, and the grounding switch K2 are respectively coupled with the first antenna resonating element 11 through a corresponding connection structure.
The antenna module 4 is coupled with one of the antenna resonating elements via the connection structure 3. When the antenna module 4 performs a feed excitation, the three antenna resonating elements are enabled to resonate in different antenna modes to produce a resonance, thereby increasing a bandwidth of a particular frequency band.
Therefore, the antenna performance can be further improved by arranging the at least one electronic connector J1 electrically coupled between the metal frame 1 and the front shell 5.
As illustrated in
The grounding switches K1 and K2 may be numerical control switches, or may be switches such as metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors and bipolar junction transistors (BJT).
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The camera hole X1 is positioned at a corner position of the rear casing 7, and for example, as illustrated in
In one implementation, the contact portions B1, B2, and B3 may be integrally formed with the metal frame 1, and alternatively, may be metal members fixed on the inner surface S1 of the metal frame 1 by welding.
In one implementation, the first end, the second end, and the body of the aforementioned resilient pieces T1, T2, and T3 are integrally formed structures.
In some implementations, the first end and the body of the aforementioned resilient pieces T1, as well as the resilient pieces T2 and T3, are integrally formed, and the second end and the body of the aforementioned resilient pieces T1, as well as the resilient pieces T2 and T3, are connected with each other by welding. The cutouts 21, 22 and 23 of the circuit board 2 may also be through holes. The bodies of the resilient pieces T1, T2, and T3 respectively extend through corresponding through holes and are respectively connected to corresponding second ends by welding, thereby avoiding the damage to large regions of the circuit board 2 and increasing the available area of the circuit board 2.
In some implementations, the aforementioned contact portions B1, B2, B3 may also be metal plates perpendicular to the inner surface S1 of the metal frame 1. The contact portions B1, B2, and B3 extend from a portion of the inner surface S1 of the metal frame 1 farther from the circuit board 2. Thus, a requirement of a large height difference between the contact portion B1 and the circuit board 2 can also be satisfied, such that the sizes of the projections of the resilient pieces T1, T2, and T3 on the front shell 5 are small.
The first end and the second end of the resilient piece T1, as well as the resilient pieces T2 and T3, may be in other shapes as long as they are in close contact with corresponding contact portions and are electrically coupled with the components on the circuit board 2.
The electronic device 100 may be a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The display screen 6 may be a touch display screen.
For the electronic device 100 with enhanced antenna performance provided by the present disclosure, the metal frame 1 is electrically coupled with the antenna module 4 disposed on the circuit board 2 via the connection structure 3 which includes the resilient piece T1, such that the metal frame 1 can act as the third antenna resonating element 13. In addition, the resilient piece T1 is connected to the antenna module 4 on the circuit board 2 by extending through the circuit board 2, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty, and effectively improving the radiation performance of the antenna module 4 when the clearance area is small.
The above descriptions are implementations of implementations according to the present disclosure. It should be noted that, as will occur to those skilled in the art, the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and polishes without departing from the spirit and principle of the present disclosure. These improvements and polishes shall be construed to be the protection scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2017 1 1499644 | Dec 2017 | CN | national |
2017 2 1927735 U | Dec 2017 | CN | national |
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Entry |
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Extended European search report issued in corresponding European application No. 18206457.6 dated May 27, 2019. |
International search report issued in corresponding international application No. PCT/CN2018/115220 dated Jan. 30, 2019. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190207300 A1 | Jul 2019 | US |