Electronic device with folding antenna module

Abstract

An electronic device can be provided with a conductive housing sidewall and a phased antenna array that transmits radio frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. Each antenna in the array can radiate through a corresponding aperture in the sidewall. The antenna module can include a folded flexible printed circuit having a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion and folded relative to the first portion. The antennas in the phased antenna array can have antenna resonating elements distributed between the first and second portions. Forming the antenna module in this way from a folded flexible printed circuit can serve to minimize the thickness of the antenna module, allowing it to fit between a flange of the sidewall and a rear housing wall without occupying excessive space within the device.

Description

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 246,290, filed April 30, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices having wireless communication circuitry.

[0003] Electronic devices often include wireless communication circuitry. For example, cellular telephones, computers, and other devices often contain antennas and wireless transceivers for supporting wireless communication. It can be desirable to support wireless communication in millimeter wave and centimeter wave communication bands. Millimeter wave communication (sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) communication) and centimeter wave communication involve communication at frequencies on the order of 10 GHz - 300 GHz.

[0004] Operation at these frequencies can support high throughput, but can present significant challenges. For example, radio frequency signals at millimeter wave and centimeter wave frequencies are characterized by substantial attenuation and / or distortion during propagation of the signals through various media. Additionally, antennas can be undesirably bulky if not careful, and there exist conductive electronic device components that can make it difficult to incorporate circuitry for handling millimeter wave and centimeter wave communication into electronic devices.

[0005] Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved wireless communication circuitry, such as communication circuitry that supports millimeter and centimeter wave communication. SUMMARY

[0006] An electronic device can be provided with a housing, a display, and wireless circuitry. The housing can include a peripheral conductive housing structure extending around a periphery of the device. The display can include a display cover layer mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structure. The housing can include a rear housing wall opposite the display cover layer. The wireless circuitry can include a phased antenna array that transmits radio frequency signals at centimeter wave frequencies and / or millimeter wave frequencies.

[0007] An aperture can be formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure. The phased antenna array can be formed on an antenna module. The antenna module can be mounted in the housing such that each antenna in the phased antenna array radiates through a respective one of the apertures. The antenna module can be mounted to a dielectric substrate in the apertures using an adhesive. The antenna module can include a folded flexible printed circuit.

[0008] A flexible printed circuit can include a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion. The second portion can be folded about an axis relative to the first portion. Antennas in the phased antenna array can have antenna resonating elements distributed between the first portion and the second portion. For example, the antennas can include a ground trace in the first portion, a patch element in the second portion, and optionally a patch element in the first portion aligned with the patch element in the second portion. An adhesive can adhere the first portion to the second portion such that the patch elements of each antenna are laterally aligned relative to each other and separated by a predetermined distance.

[0009] If desired, the flexible printed circuit can have multiple folded branches with antennas in the phased antenna array. If desired, the flexible printed circuit can include additional folds for additional layers of patch elements in the antennas. Forming the antenna module from a folded flexible printed circuit in this way can be used to minimize the thickness of the antenna module, allowing the antenna module to fit between the flange and the rear housing wall of the peripheral conductive housing structure without taking up excessive space within the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example electronic device in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of example circuitry in an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of example wireless circuitry in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example phased antenna array in accordance with some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an example patch antenna structure in accordance with some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 6 is a perspective view of an example antenna module in accordance with some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 7 is a front view of an example electronic device in accordance with some embodiments, showing an example location for mounting an antenna module that radiates through a peripheral conductive housing structure.

[0017] Figure 8 is a side view of an example electronic device with a peripheral conductive housing structure having an aperture aligned with an antenna in an antenna module in accordance with some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 9is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary antenna module formed from a folded flexible printed circuit according to some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary antenna module formed from a flexible printed circuit having multiple folded branches according to some embodiments.

[0020] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary antenna module formed from a flexible printed circuit having multiple folded branches according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary antenna module formed from a flexible printed circuit having a folded tab according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional side view showing how an exemplary antenna module of the type shown in Figures 9 to 12 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Electronic devices such as Figure 1 Electronic device 10 can be provided with wireless circuitry including an antenna. The antenna can be used to transmit and / or receive wireless radio frequency signals. The antenna can include a phased antenna array for performing wireless communication and / or spatial ranging operations using millimeter wave and centimeter wave signals. Millimeter wave signals, sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) signals, propagate at frequencies above about 30 GHz (e.g., at 60 GHz or other frequencies between about 30 GHz and 300 GHz). Centimeter wave signals propagate at frequencies between about 10 GHz and 30 GHz. If desired, device 10 can also include an antenna for processing satellite navigation system signals, cellular telephone signals, wireless local area network signals, near field communications, light-based wireless communications, or other wireless communications.

[0024] Device 10 can be a portable electronic device or other suitable electronic device. For example, device 10 can be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a slightly smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, pendant device, headphone or earpiece device, or other wearable or miniature device, a handheld device such as a cellular telephone, a media player, or other small portable device. Device 10 can also be a set-top box, a desktop computer, a display that has integrated computer or other processing circuitry, a display that does not have integrated computer, a wireless access point, a wireless base station, an electronic device incorporated into a kiosk, a building, or a vehicle, or other suitable electronic equipment.

[0025] ​Device 10 can include a housing such as housing 12. Housing 12 (which can sometimes be referred to as a case) can be formed from plastic, glass, ceramic, fiber composite, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some cases, components of housing 12 can be formed from a dielectric or other low-conductivity material (e.g., glass, ceramic, plastic, sapphire, etc.). In other cases, housing 12 or at least some of the structures that make up housing 12 can be formed from a metal element.

[0026] If desired, device 10 can have a display such as display 14. Display 14 can be mounted on a front face of device 10. Display 14 can be a touch screen that incorporates capacitive touch electrodes or that can be insensitive to touch. A back face of housing 12 (i.e., a face of device 10 opposite the front face of device 10) can have a substantially planar housing wall such as rear housing wall 12R (e.g., a planar housing wall). Rear housing wall 12R can have a slot that extends completely through the rear housing wall and thus separates portions of housing 12 from each other. Rear housing wall 12R can include conductive portions and / or dielectric portions. If desired, rear housing wall 12R can include a planar metal layer covered by a thin layer or dielectric coating such as glass, plastic, sapphire, or ceramic (e.g., a dielectric cover layer). Housing 12 can also have a shallow groove that does not extend completely through housing 12. The slot or groove can be filled with plastic or other dielectric material. If desired, portions of housing 12 that are separated from each other (e.g., by a through-slot) can be joined by internal conductive structures (e.g., a metal sheet or other metal member that bridges the slot).

[0027] Housing 12 can include a peripheral housing structure such as peripheral structure 12W. Conductive portions of peripheral structure 12W and conductive portions of rear housing wall 12R can sometimes be collectively referred to herein as conductive structures of housing 12. Peripheral structure 12W can extend around a periphery of device 10 and display 14. In configurations in which device 10 and display 14 have a rectangular shape with four edges, peripheral structure 12W can be implemented using a peripheral housing structure that has a rectangular ring shape with four corresponding edges and that extends from rear housing wall 12R to a front face of device 10 (as an example). In other words, device 10 can have a length (e.g., measured parallel to a Y-axis), a width (e.g., measured parallel to an X-axis) that is less than the length, and a height (e.g., measured parallel to a Z-axis) that is less than the width. If desired, peripheral structure 12W or a portion of peripheral structure 12W can serve as a bezel for display 14 (e.g., surround all four sides of display 14 and / or assist in holding display 14 to device 10). If desired, peripheral structure 12W can form a sidewall structure of device 10 (e.g., by forming a metal band with vertical sidewalls, curved sidewalls, etc.).

[0028] The peripheral structure 12W can be formed of an electrically conductive material, such as a metal, and thus can sometimes be referred to as a peripheral conductive housing structure, a conductive housing structure, a peripheral metal structure, a peripheral conductive sidewall, a peripheral conductive sidewall structure, a conductive housing sidewall, a peripheral conductive housing sidewall, a sidewall, a sidewall structure, or a peripheral conductive housing member, as examples. The peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can be formed of a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, an alloy, or other suitable material. One, two, or more separate structures can be used to form the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W.

[0029] The peripheral conductive housing structure 12W does not necessarily have a uniform cross-section. For example, the top of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can have an inwardly projecting flange that helps hold the display 14 in place, if desired. The bottom of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can also have an enlarged lip (e.g., in the plane of the back of the device 10). The peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can have substantially straight vertical sidewalls, can have curved sidewalls, or can have other suitable shapes. In some configurations (e.g., when the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W is used as a bezel for the display 14), the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can extend around the lip of the housing 12 (i.e., the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can cover only the edge of the housing 12 around the display 14, but not the rest of the sidewalls of the housing 12).

[0030] Rear housing wall 12R can lie in a plane parallel to display 14. In configurations of device 10 in which some or all of rear housing wall 12R is formed of metal, it can be desirable to form a portion of peripheral conductive housing structure 12W as an integral part of the housing structure forming rear housing wall 12R. For example, rear housing wall 12R of device 10 can comprise a planar metal structure, and a portion of peripheral conductive housing structure 12W on the side of housing 12 can be formed as a flat or curved vertically-extending integral metal portion of the planar metal structure (e.g., housing structures 12R and 12W can be formed of a single monolithic continuous sheet of metal). If desired, housing structures such as these can be machined from a block of metal, and / or can comprise multiple pieces of metal that are assembled together to form housing 12. Rear housing wall 12R can have one or more, two or more, or three or more portions. Peripheral conductive housing structure 12W and / or conductive portions of rear housing wall 12R can form one or more outer surfaces of device 10 (e.g., surfaces of device 10 that are visible to a user of device 10), and / or can be implemented using internal structures that do not form outer surfaces of device 10 (e.g., conductive housing structures of device 10 that are not visible to a user, such as conductive structures covered with a layer such as a thin decorative layer, a protective coating, and / or other coatings that can include a dielectric material such as glass, ceramic, plastic) or other structures that form outer surfaces of device 10 and / or that are used to conceal conductive portions of peripheral conductive housing structure 12W and / or rear housing wall 12R from view by a user.

[0031] Display 14 can have an array of pixels forming an active area AA that displays an image of a user of device 10. For example, active area AA can include an array of display pixels. The array of pixels can be formed of liquid crystal display (LCD) components, an array of electrophoretic pixels, an array of plasma display pixels, an array of organic light emitting diode display pixels or other array of light emitting diode pixels, an array of electrowetting display pixels, or a display based on other display technology. If desired, active area AA can include touch sensors such as touch sensor capacitive electrodes, force sensors, or other sensors for gathering user input.

[0032] Display 14 can have an inactive border region extending along one or more edges of active area AA. Inactive region IA of display 14 can lack pixels for displaying images, and can overlap circuitry and other internal device structures in housing 12. To prevent these structures from being viewed by a user of device 10, the underside of a display cover layer or other layer in display 14 that overlaps inactive region IA can be coated with an opaque masking layer in inactive region IA. The opaque masking layer can have any suitable color. Inactive region IA can include recessed regions or notches that extend into active area AA (e.g., at speaker port 16). Active area AA can be defined, for example, by the lateral area of a display module of display 14 (e.g., a display module that includes pixel circuitry, touch sensor circuitry, etc.).

[0033] Display 14 can be protected using a display cover layer, such as a layer of transparent glass, light-transmitting plastic, transparent ceramic, sapphire or other transparent crystalline material, or one or more other transparent layers. The display cover layer can have a planar shape, a convexly curved profile, a shape with planar and curved portions, a layout that includes a planar main region surrounded on one or more edges (with a portion of the one or more edges being bent out of the plane of the planar main region), or other suitable shape. The display cover layer can cover the entire front face of device 10. In another suitable arrangement, the display cover layer can cover substantially all of the front face of device 10 or only a portion of the front face of device 10. An opening can be formed in the display cover layer. For example, an opening can be formed in the display cover layer to accommodate a button. An opening can also be formed in the display cover layer to accommodate a port such as speaker port 16 or a microphone port. If desired, openings can be formed in housing 12 to form communication ports (e.g., audio jack ports, digital data ports, etc.) and / or audio ports for audio components such as speakers and / or microphones.

[0034] Display 14 can include electrically conductive structures, such as an array of capacitive electrodes of a touch sensor, electrically conductive lines for addressing pixels, driver circuitry, etc. Housing 12 can include internal electrically conductive structures such as metal frame members and planar electrically conductive housing members (sometimes referred to as electrically conductive support plates or back plates) that span walls of housing 12 (e.g., a substantially rectangular sheet formed of one or more metal portions that are connected between opposite sides of a peripheral electrically conductive housing structure 12W by welding or otherwise). The electrically conductive support plates can form an outer rear surface of device 10, or can be covered by a dielectric cover layer (such as a thin decorative layer, a protective coating, and / or other coating that can include a dielectric material such as glass, ceramic, plastic) or other structure that forms an outer surface of device 10 and / or that is used to hide the electrically conductive support plates from view by a user (e.g., the electrically conductive support plates can form part of a rear housing wall 12R). Device 10 can also include electrically conductive structures such as printed circuit boards, components mounted on printed circuit boards, and other internal electrically conductive structures. For example, these electrically conductive structures, which can be used as ground planes in forming device 10, can extend under an active area AA of display 14.

[0035] In regions 22 and 20, openings can be formed within electrically conductive structures of device 10 (e.g., between a peripheral electrically conductive housing structure 12W and an opposing electrically conductive ground structure such as an electrically conductive portion of a rear housing wall 12R, electrically conductive traces on a printed circuit board, electrically conductive electronic components in display 14, etc.). If desired, these openings, which can sometimes be referred to as gaps, can be filled with air, plastic, and / or other dielectric and can be used to form slot antenna resonant elements of one or more antennas in device 10.

[0036] The electrically conductive housing structures and other electrically conductive structures in device 10 can be used as ground planes for antennas in device 10. The openings in regions 22 and 20 can be used as slots in open slot antennas or closed slot antennas, can be used as central dielectric regions surrounded by electrically conductive paths of material in loop antennas, can be used as spaces that separate antenna resonant elements (such as strip antenna resonant elements or inverted-F antenna resonant elements) from ground planes, can contribute to the performance of parasitic antenna resonant elements, or can otherwise be used as part of antenna structures formed in regions 22 and 20. If desired, ground planes under an active area AA of display 14 and / or other metal structures in device 10 can have portions that extend into a portion of an end of device 10 (e.g., a ground can extend toward a dielectric-filled opening in regions 22 and 20), thereby narrowing slots in regions 22 and 20. Region 22 can sometimes be referred to herein as a lower region 22 or lower end 22 of device 10. Region 20 can sometimes be referred to herein as an upper region 20 or upper end 20 of device 10.

[0037] Generally, device 10 can include any suitable number of antennas (e.g., one or more, two or more, three or more, four or more, etc.). Antennas in device 10 can be located at opposite first and second ends of an elongated device housing along one or more edges of the device housing (e.g., at the bottom region 22 and / or the top region 20 of device 10 as shown), in the center of the device housing, in other suitable locations, or in one or more of these locations. Figure 1 The arrangement of device 10 shown is merely illustrative. Figure 1

[0038] Portions of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can be provided with peripheral gap structures. For example, the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can be provided with one or more dielectric-filled gaps, such as gap 18 shown. The gaps in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can be filled with a dielectric such as a polymer, ceramic, glass, air, other dielectric material, or a combination of these materials. The gap 18 can divide the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W into one or more peripheral conductive segments. If desired, the conductive segments formed in this manner can form part of an antenna in device 10. Other dielectric openings can be formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W (e.g., dielectric openings other than gap 18) and can serve as dielectric antenna windows for antennas mounted within the interior of device 10. Antennas within device 10 can be aligned with the dielectric antenna windows for transmitting radio frequency signals through the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. Antennas within device 10 can also be aligned with the inactive area IA of display 14 for transmitting radio frequency signals through display 14. Figure 1

[0039] To provide the end user of device 10 with as large a display as possible (e.g., to maximize the area of the device used for displaying media, running applications, etc.), it can be desirable to increase the amount of area covered by the active area AA of display 14 at the front of device 10. Increasing the size of the active area AA can decrease the size of the inactive area IA within device 10. This can decrease the area available behind display 14 for antennas within device 10. For example, the active area AA of display 14 can include a conductive structure for blocking radio frequency signals handled by antennas mounted behind the active area AA from radiating through the front of device 10. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to provide antennas that occupy a small amount of space within device 10 (e.g., to allow for as large an active display area AA as possible) while still allowing the antennas to communicate with wireless equipment outside of device 10 with a satisfactory efficiency bandwidth.

[0040] ​​In a typical scenario, device 10 may have one or more upper antennas and one or more lower antennas. For example, an upper antenna may be formed in the upper region 20 of device 10. A lower antenna may be formed in the lower region 22 of device 10. If desired, additional antennas may be formed along the edge of the housing 12 extending between region 22 and region 20. Examples of device 10 including three or four upper antennas and five lower antennas are described herein as examples. Antennas may be used individually to cover the same communication band, overlapping communication bands, or separate communication bands. The antenna may be used to implement an antenna diversity scheme or a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna scheme. Additional antennas for covering any other desired frequencies may also be mounted within device 10 at any desired location. Figure 1 The examples provided are merely illustrative. If desired, the housing 12 may have other shapes (e.g., square, cylindrical, spherical, combinations of these shapes, and / or different shapes, etc.).

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an exemplary component that can be used in device 10 is shown. Figure 2 As shown, device 10 may include control circuitry 28. Control circuitry 28 may include storage circuitry 30, such as a storage repository. Storage circuitry 30 may include hard disk drive storage devices, non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically programmable read-only memory configured to form a solid-state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random access memory), etc.

[0042] Control circuitry 28 may include processing circuitry such as processing circuitry 32. Processing circuitry 32 may be used to control the operation of device 10. Processing circuitry 32 may include one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, host processors, baseband processor integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits, central processing units (CPUs), etc. Control circuitry 28 may be configured to perform operations within device 10 using hardware (e.g., dedicated hardware or circuitry), firmware, and / or software. Software code used to perform operations within device 10 may be stored on storage circuitry 30 (e.g., storage circuitry 30 may include a non-transitory (tangible) computer-readable storage medium storing the software code). This software code may sometimes be referred to as program instructions, software, data, commands, or code. The software code stored on storage circuitry 30 may be executed by processing circuitry 32.

[0043] Control circuitry 28 can be used to run software on device 10, such as internet browsing applications, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calling applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. To support interaction with external equipment, control circuitry 28 can be used to implement communication protocols. Communication protocols that can be implemented using control circuitry 28 include Internet Protocol, wireless LAN protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocol—sometimes referred to as...). Protocols for other short-range wireless communication links, such as This includes protocols such as WPAN protocols, IEEE 802.11ad protocols, cellular phone protocols, MIMO protocols, antenna diversity protocols, satellite navigation system protocols, and antenna-based spatial ranging protocols (e.g., Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) protocols or other required distance detection protocols for signals transmitted at millimeter-wave and centimeter-wave frequencies). Each communication protocol may be associated with a corresponding Radio Access Technology (RAT) that specifies the physical connection method used to implement the protocol.

[0044] Device 10 may include input-output circuitry 24. Input-output circuitry 24 may include input-output devices 26. Input-output devices 26 may be used to allow data to be supplied to device 10 and to allow data to be supplied from device 10 to external devices. Input-output devices 26 may include user interface devices, data port devices, sensors, and other input-output components. For example, input-output devices may include touchscreens, displays without touch sensor capabilities, buttons, joysticks, scroll wheels, touchpads, keypads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, speakers, status indicators, light sources, audio jacks, and other audio port components, digital data port devices, light sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, or other components capable of detecting motion and device orientation relative to the earth, capacitive sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., capacitive proximity sensors and / or infrared proximity sensors), magnetic sensors, and other sensors and input-output components.

[0045] Input-output circuitry 24 may include wireless circuitry, such as wireless circuitry 34 for wireless transmission of radio frequency signals. Although for clarity... Figure 2 In the example, control circuitry 28 is shown separately from wireless circuitry 34, but wireless circuitry 34 may include processing circuitry forming part of processing circuitry 32 and / or storage circuitry forming part of storage circuitry 30 forming part of control circuitry 28 (e.g., a portion of control circuitry 28 that may be implemented on wireless circuitry 34). For example, control circuitry 28 may include baseband processor circuitry or other control components forming part of wireless circuitry 34.

[0046] Wireless circuitry 34 can include millimeter wave and centimeter wave transceiver circuitry such as millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38. Millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can support communication at frequencies between about 10 GHz and 300 GHz. For example, millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can support communication in an extremely high frequency (EHF) or millimeter wave communication band, such as between about 30 GHz and 300 GHz, and / or in a centimeter wave communication band, such as between about 10 GHz and 30 GHz (sometimes referred to as the super high frequency (SHF) band). For example, millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can support communication in the following communication bands: an IEEE K communication band, such as between about 18 GHz and 27 GHz, a K- a communication band, such as between about 12 GHz and 18 GHz, a K u communication band, such as between about 40 GHz and 75 GHz, a W communication band, such as between about 75 GHz and 110 GHz, or any other desired band of frequencies between about 10 GHz and 300 GHz. If desired, millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can support IEEE 802.1 lad communication at 60 GHz (e.g., a WiGig or 60 GHz Wi-Fi band of about 57 GHz to 61 GHz) and / or 5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems (5G) New Radio (NR) frequency range 2 (FR2) communication bands between about 24 GHz and 90 GHz. Millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can be formed by one or more integrated circuits (e.g., multiple integrated circuits mounted on a common printed circuit board in a system-in-a-package device, one or more integrated circuits mounted on different substrates, etc.).

[0047] Millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 (sometimes simply referred to herein as transceiver circuitry 38 or millimeter wave / centimeter wave circuitry 38) can perform a spatial ranging operation using radio frequency signals at millimeter wave and / or centimeter wave frequencies that are transmitted and received by millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38. The received signals can be versions of the transmitted signals that have reflected off of an external object and returned to device 10. Control circuitry 28 can process the transmitted and received signals to detect or estimate a distance between device 10 and one or more external objects (e.g., objects external to device 10, such as a user or other person’s body, other devices, animals, furniture, walls, or other objects or obstacles in the vicinity of device 10) around device 10. If desired, control circuitry 28 can also process the transmitted and received signals to identify a two-dimensional or three-dimensional spatial location of the external object relative to device 10.

[0048] The spatial ranging operation performed by the millimeter / cm wave transceiver circuit 38 is unidirectional. If desired, the millimeter / cm wave transceiver circuit 38 can also communicate bidirectionally with an external wireless equipment such as the external wireless equipment 10 (e.g., over a bidirectional millimeter / cm wave wireless communication link). The external wireless equipment can include other electronic devices such as the electronic device 10, a wireless base station, a wireless access point, a wireless accessory, or any other desired equipment that transmits and receives millimeter / cm wave signals. The bidirectional communication involves transmission of wireless data by the millimeter / cm wave transceiver circuit 38 and reception of the transmitted wireless data by the external wireless equipment. The wireless data may, for example, include data that has been encoded into corresponding data packets, such as wireless data associated with a telephone call, streaming media content, Internet browsing, wireless data associated with a software application running on the device 10, email messages, etc.

[0049] If desired, the wireless circuit 34 can include a transceiver circuit for handling communications at sub-10 GHz frequencies, such as the non-millimeter / cm wave transceiver circuit 36. For example, the non-millimeter / cm wave transceiver circuit 36 can handle wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency bands (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11) or other WLAN communication frequency bands) such as a 2.4 GHz WLAN frequency band (e.g., 2400 MHz to 2480 MHz), a 5 GHz WLAN frequency band (e.g., 5180 MHz to 5825 MHz), a 6E frequency band (e.g., 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz), and / or other ​​​Frequency bands or other WPAN communication bands; cellular telephone bands (e.g., bands from approximately 600 MHz to approximately 5 GHz, 3G bands, 4G LTE bands, 5G New Radio Frequency Range 1 (FR1) band below 10 GHz, etc.); near-field communication bands (e.g., 13.56 MHz); satellite navigation bands (e.g., GPS bands from 1565 MHz to 1610 MHz, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) bands, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) bands, etc.); ultra-wideband (UWB) bands operating under the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol and / or other ultra-wideband communication protocols; communication bands under the 3GPP wireless communication standards family; communication bands under the IEEE 802.XX standards family; and / or any other desired bands of interest. Communication bands processed by RF transceiver circuitry may sometimes be referred to herein as frequency bands or simply "bands" and may span the corresponding frequency range. The non-millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuit 36 ​​and the millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuit 38 may each include one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuits, low-noise input amplifiers, passive RF components, switching circuits, transmission line structures, and other circuits for processing RF signals.

[0050] Generally speaking, the transceiver circuitry in wireless circuit 34 can cover (process) any desired frequency band of interest. For example... Figure 2 As shown, wireless circuitry 34 may include antenna 40. Transceiver circuitry may use one or more antennas 40 to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals (e.g., antenna 40 may transmit RF signals for transceiver circuitry). As used herein, the term "transmit RF signals" means the transmission and / or reception of RF signals (e.g., for performing one-way and / or two-way wireless communication with external wireless communication equipment). Antenna 40 may transmit RF signals by radiating them (or through an intermediary device structure such as a dielectric overlay) into free space. Alternatively or additionally, antenna 40 may receive RF signals from free space (e.g., through an intermediary device structure such as a dielectric overlay). The transmission and reception of RF signals by antenna 40 each involve the excitation or resonance of antenna currents on antenna resonant elements in the antenna by RF signals within the antenna's operating frequency band.

[0051] In satellite navigation system links, cellular phone links, and other long-distance links, radio frequency signals are typically used to transmit data over thousands of feet or miles. These signals operate at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Links and In short-range wireless links, radio frequency (RF) signals are typically used to transmit data over distances of tens or hundreds of feet. Millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuitry 38 can transmit RF signals over short distances traveling along a line-of-sight path. To enhance signal reception in millimeter-wave and centimeter-wave communications, phased antenna arrays and beamforming (straightening) techniques can be used (e.g., schemes in which the antenna signal phase and / or amplitude of each antenna in the array is adjusted to perform beam steering). Antenna diversity schemes can also be used to ensure that antennas have begun to be blocked or otherwise degraded, as the operating environment of device 10 can be switched to a state where no antennas are used and higher-performance antennas are employed in their locations.

[0052] The antenna 40 in the wireless circuit 34 can be formed using any suitable antenna type. For example, the antenna 40 may include an antenna with a resonant element, formed from a stacked patch antenna structure, a loop antenna structure, a patch antenna structure, an inverted F-shaped antenna structure, a slot antenna structure, a planar inverted F-shaped antenna structure, a monopole antenna structure, a dipole antenna structure, a helical antenna structure, a Yagi-Uda antenna structure, a mixture of these designs, etc. In another suitable arrangement, the antenna 40 may include an antenna with a dielectric resonant element, such as a dielectric resonant antenna. If desired, one or more antennas 40 may be cavity-backed antennas. Different types of antennas may be used for different frequency bands and combinations of frequency bands. For example, one type of antenna may be used to form a non-millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave wireless link for a non-millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuit 36, while another type of antenna may be used to transmit radio frequency signals at millimeter-wave and / or centimeter-wave frequencies for a millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuit 38. The antenna 40 for transmitting radio frequency signals at millimeter-wave and / or centimeter-wave frequencies may be arranged in one or more phased antenna arrays.

[0053] Figure 3 The diagram shows an antenna 40 that can be formed in a phased antenna array for transmitting radio frequency signals at millimeter-wave and / or centimeter-wave frequencies. Figure 3 As shown, antenna 40 can be coupled to millimeter / centimeter (MM / CM) wave transceiver circuitry 38. Millimeter / centimeter wave and centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 38 can be coupled to antenna feed section 44 of antenna 40 using a transmission line path including radio frequency transmission line 42. Radio frequency transmission line 42 may include a positive signal conductor such as signal conductor 46 and may include a ground conductor such as ground conductor 48. Ground conductor 48 can be coupled to antenna ground of antenna 40 (e.g., at the ground antenna feed terminal of antenna feed section 44 located at antenna ground). Signal conductor 46 can be coupled to antenna resonant element of antenna 40. For example, signal conductor 46 can be coupled to the positive antenna feed terminal of antenna feed section 44 located at antenna resonant element.

[0054] The RF transmission line 42 may include a stripline transmission line (sometimes simply referred to as a stripline herein), a coaxial cable, a coaxial probe implemented with a metallized via, a microstrip transmission line, an edge-coupled microstrip transmission line, an edge-coupled stripline transmission line, a waveguide structure, or a combination thereof. Various types of transmission lines can be used to form the transmission line path that couples the millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuitry 38 to the antenna feed section 44. If desired, filter circuits, switching circuits, impedance matching circuits, phase shifter circuits, amplifier circuits, and / or other circuits may be inserted onto the RF transmission line 42.

[0055] The radio frequency (RF) transmission lines in device 10 can be integrated into a ceramic substrate, a rigid printed circuit board, and / or a flexible printed circuit. In a suitable arrangement, the RF transmission lines in device 10 can be integrated within a multilayer laminate (e.g., layers of conductive material (such as copper) and dielectric material (such as resin) laminated together without the intervention of an adhesive), which can be folded or bent in multiple dimensions (e.g., two-dimensional or three-dimensional) and retain its bent or folded shape after bending (e.g., the multilayer laminate can be folded into a specific three-dimensional shape to wire around other device components and can be sufficiently rigid to retain its shape after folding without being held in place by reinforcements or other structures). All the multiple layers of the laminate can be laminated together in batches without adhesive (e.g., in a single pressing process) (e.g., in contrast to performing multiple pressing processes to laminate multiple layers together with adhesive).

[0056] Figure 4 This illustrates how an antenna 40 for processing radio frequency signals at millimeter-wave and centimeter-wave frequencies can be formed in a phased antenna array. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the phased antenna array 54 (sometimes referred to herein as array 54, antenna array 54, or array 54 of antennas 40) can be coupled to radio frequency transmission line 42. For example, the first antenna 40-1 in the phased antenna array 54 can be coupled to the first radio frequency transmission line 42-1, the second antenna 40-2 in the phased antenna array 54 can be coupled to the second radio frequency transmission line 42-2, the Nth antenna 40-N in the phased antenna array 54 can be coupled to the Nth radio frequency transmission line 42-N, and so on. Although antennas 40 are described herein as forming a phased antenna array, antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54 can sometimes be referred to as collectively forming a single phased array antenna.

[0057] The antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54 can be arranged in any desired number of rows and columns or in any other desired pattern (e.g., the antennas do not need to be arranged in a grid pattern with rows and columns). During signal transmission operation, the radio frequency transmission line 42 can be used to transmit signals (e.g., radio frequency signals, such as millimeter wave and / or centimeter wave signals) from the millimeter wave / centimeter wave transceiver circuit 38 ( Figure 3 The signal is supplied to the phased antenna array 54 for wireless transmission. During signal reception operation, the radio frequency transmission line 42 can be used to supply the signal received at the phased antenna array 54 (e.g., received from external wireless equipment, or transmitted signal reflected by an external object) to the millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuitry 38. Figure 3 ).

[0058] Using multiple antennas 40 in a phased antenna array 54 allows for beam steering arrangements by controlling the relative phase and amplitude (vibration) of the radio frequency signals transmitted by the antennas. Figure 4 In the example, each of the antennas 40 has a corresponding radio frequency phase and amplitude controller 50 (e.g., a first phase and amplitude controller 50-1 inserted on radio frequency transmission line 42-1 can control the phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signal processed by antenna 40-1, a second phase and amplitude controller 50-2 inserted on radio frequency transmission line 42-2 can control the phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signal processed by antenna 40-2, and an Nth phase and amplitude controller 50-N inserted on radio frequency transmission line 42-N can control the phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signal processed by antenna 40-N, etc.).

[0059] The phase and amplitude controllers 50 may each include circuitry for adjusting the phase of the radio frequency signal on the radio frequency transmission line 42 (e.g., a phase shifter circuit) and / or circuitry for adjusting the amplitude of the radio frequency signal on the radio frequency transmission line 42 (e.g., a power amplifier and / or low-noise amplifier circuitry). The phase and amplitude controllers 50 may be collectively referred to herein as beam steering circuitry (e.g., beam steering circuitry for steering the beam of the radio frequency signal transmitted and / or received by the phased antenna array 54).

[0060] The phase and amplitude controllers 50 can adjust the relative phase and / or amplitude of the transmit signals provided to each antenna in the phased antenna array 54, and can adjust the relative phase and / or amplitude of the receive signals received by the phased antenna array 54. If desired, the phase and amplitude controllers 50 can include phase detection circuitry for detecting the phase of the receive signals received by the phased antenna array 54. The term "beam" or "signal beam" can be used herein to collectively refer to the wireless signals transmitted and received by the phased antenna array 54 in a particular direction. The signal beam can exhibit a peak gain that is oriented in a particular direction of pointing (e.g., based on constructive and destructive interference of the signal combination from each antenna in the phased antenna array). The term "transmit beam" can sometimes be used herein to refer to a radio frequency signal that is transmitted in a particular direction, while the term "receive beam" can sometimes be used herein to refer to a radio frequency signal that is received from a particular direction.

[0061] For example, if the phase and amplitude controllers 50 are adjusted to produce a first set of phases and / or amplitudes for the transmitted radio frequency signals, the transmit signals will form a transmit beam that is oriented in the direction of point A as shown by beam Bl. However, if the phase and amplitude controllers 50 are adjusted to produce a second set of phases and / or amplitudes for the transmit signals, the transmit signals will form a transmit beam that is oriented in the direction of point B as shown by beam B2. Similarly, if the phase and amplitude controllers 50 are adjusted to produce the first set of phases and / or amplitudes, radio frequency signals can be received (e.g., in a receive beam) from the direction of point A as shown by beam Bl. If the phase and amplitude controllers 50 are adjusted to produce the second set of phases and / or amplitudes, radio frequency signals can be received from the direction of point B as shown by beam B2. Figure 4

[0062] Each phase and amplitude controller 50 can be controlled to produce the desired phases and / or amplitudes based on corresponding control signals 52 received from the control circuit 28 of the Figure 2 For example, control signal 52-1 can be used to control the phases and / or amplitudes provided by phase and amplitude controller 50-1, control signal 52-2 can be used to control the phases and / or amplitudes provided by phase and amplitude controller 50-2, etc. If desired, the control circuit can actively adjust the control signals 52 in real time to steer the transmit beam or receive beam in different desired directions over time. If desired, the phase and amplitude controllers 50 can provide information identifying the phases of the receive signals to the control circuit 28.

[0063] When wireless communication is performed using radio frequency signals at millimeter wave and centimeter wave frequencies, the radio frequency signals are transmitted over a line of sight path between the phased antenna array 54 and the external communication equipment. If an external object is located between the phased antenna array 54 and the external communication equipment, the radio frequency signals can be reflected off the external object and received by the phased antenna array 54. The reflected radio frequency signals can interfere with the radio frequency signals transmitted by the phased antenna array 54 and received by the external communication equipment, and vice versa. Figure 4 ​At point A, the phase and amplitude controller 50 can be adjusted to steer the signal beam toward point A (e.g., to steer the direction of the steerable signal beam toward point A). The phased antenna array 54 can transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the direction of point A. Similarly, if external communication equipment is located at point B, the phase and amplitude controller 50 can be adjusted to steer the signal beam toward point B (e.g., to steer the direction of the steerable signal beam toward point B). The phased antenna array 54 can transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the direction of point B. Figure 4 In the example, for simplicity, beam steering is shown as occurring in a single degree of freedom (e.g., in...). Figure 4 This can be performed on the page facing left and right. However, in practice, it can be performed in two or more degrees of freedom (e.g., entering and leaving the page in three dimensions and in...). Figure 4 The phased antenna array 54 may have a corresponding field of view on which beam steering can be performed (e.g., in a hemispherical or hemispherical segment of the phased antenna array). If desired, the device 10 may include a plurality of phased antenna arrays, each facing a different direction to provide coverage from multiple sides of the device.

[0064] Any desired antenna structure can be used to implement antenna 40. In a suitable arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, a patch antenna structure can be used to implement antenna 40. Antenna 40 implemented using a patch antenna structure may sometimes be referred to herein as a patch antenna. Figure 5 It shows that it can be used Figure 4 An example patch antenna in the phased antenna array 54.

[0065] like Figure 5 As shown, antenna 40 may have a patch antenna resonant element 58, which is separate from and parallel to a ground plane such as antenna ground 56. The patch antenna resonant element 58 may be located in a plane such as… Figure 5 The patch antenna resonant element 58 may be located within the AB plane (e.g., a side surface region of element 58 may lie within the AB plane). The patch antenna resonant element 58 may be referred to herein as patch 58, patch element 58, patch resonant element 58, antenna resonant element 58, or resonant element 58. The antenna ground portion 56 may be located in a plane parallel to the plane of the patch element 58. Therefore, the patch element 58 and the antenna ground portion 56 may be located in separate parallel planes separated by a distance 65. The patch element 58 and the antenna ground portion 56 may be formed from conductive traces patterned on a dielectric substrate such as a rigid or flexible printed circuit board substrate or any other desired conductive structure.

[0066] The length of the side surface of patch element 58 can be selected such that antenna 40 resonates at the desired operating frequency. For example, each side surface of patch element 58 may have a length 68 approximately equal to half the wavelength of the signal transmitted by antenna 40 (e.g., the effective wavelength given the dielectric properties of the material surrounding patch element 58). In a suitable arrangement, the length 68 may be between 0.8 mm and 1.2 mm (e.g., approximately 1.1 mm) to cover the millimeter-wave band between 57 GHz and 70 GHz, or between 1.6 mm and 2.2 mm (e.g., approximately 1.85 mm) to cover the millimeter-wave band between 37 GHz and 41 GHz, as just two examples.

[0067] Figure 5 The examples are for illustrative purposes only. The patch element 58 may have a square shape, wherein all sides of the patch element 58 have the same length, or may have different rectangular shapes. The patch element 58 may be formed into other shapes having any required number of straight edges and / or curved edges.

[0068] To enhance the polarization handled by antenna 40, multiple feed sections can be provided for antenna 40. For example... Figure 5 As shown, antenna 40 may have a first feed section at antenna port P1 coupled to a first RF transmission line 42, such as RF transmission line 42V. Antenna 40 may have a second feed section at antenna port P2 coupled to a second RF transmission line 42, such as RF transmission line 42H. The first antenna feed section may have a first ground feed terminal coupled to antenna ground section 56 (not shown for clarity). Figure 5 (shown in the image) and a first positive antenna feed terminal 62V coupled to the patch element 58. The second antenna feed section may have a second ground feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground section 56 (not shown in the image). Figure 5 (as shown in the figure) and the second positive antenna feed terminal 62H on the patch element 58.

[0069] Holes or openings such as openings 64 and 66 may be formed in the antenna ground portion 56. The RF transmission line 42V may include a vertical conductor (e.g., a conductive via, conductive pin, metal pillar, solder bump, combination of these, or other vertical conductive interconnect structure) extending through opening 64 to the positive antenna feed terminal 62V on the patch element 58. The RF transmission line 42H may include a vertical conductor extending through opening 66 to the positive antenna feed terminal 62H on the patch element 58. This example is merely illustrative, and other transmission line structures (e.g., coaxial cable structures, ribbon transmission line structures, etc.) may be used if desired.

[0070] When the first antenna feed associated with port PI is used, the antenna 40 can transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals having a first polarization (e.g., the electric field Ei of the radio frequency signal 70 associated with port PI can be oriented parallel to the B axis in Figure 5 When the antenna feed associated with port P2 is used, the antenna 40 can transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals having a second polarization (e.g., the electric field E2 of the radio frequency signal 70 associated with port P2 can be oriented parallel to the A axis in Figure 5 so that the polarizations associated with ports PI and P2 are orthogonal to each other).

[0071] One of the ports PI and P2 can be used at a given time, so that the antenna 40 operates as a single-polarization antenna, or both ports can be operated simultaneously, so that the antenna 40 operates with other polarizations (e.g., as a dual-polarization antenna, a circularly polarized antenna, an elliptically polarized antenna, etc.). If desired, the active port can be changed over time, so that the antenna 40 is able to switch between covering vertical or horizontal polarizations at a given time. The ports PI and P2 can be coupled to different phase and amplitude controllers 50 Figure 3 ), or can both be coupled to the same phase and amplitude controller 50. If desired, the ports PI and P2 can be operated at the same phase and amplitude at a given time (e.g., when the antenna 40 is used as a dual-polarization antenna). If desired, the phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signals transmitted on the ports PI and P2 can be controlled separately, and changed over time, so that the antenna 40 exhibits other polarizations (e.g., circular or elliptical polarizations).

[0072] If not careful, a dual-polarized patch antenna of the type shown in Figure 5 may not have sufficient bandwidth to cover a relatively wide frequency range. It can be desirable for the antenna 40 to be able to cover both the first frequency band and a second frequency band at frequencies higher than the first frequency band. In one suitable arrangement described herein by way of example, the first frequency band can include frequencies of about 24-30 GHz, while the second frequency band includes frequencies of about 37-40 GHz. In these cases, the patch element 58 itself can not exhibit sufficient bandwidth to cover all of both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0073] If desired, the antenna 40 can include one or more additional patch elements 60 stacked on the patch element 58. Each patch element 60 can partially or completely overlap the patch element 58. The lowermost patch element 60 can be separated from the patch element 58 by a distance D selected to provide the antenna 40 with a desired bandwidth without occupying too much volume within the device 10. The patch elements 60 can have a length that is not an edge of the length 68, which configures the patch elements 60 to radiate at different frequencies than the patch element 58, thereby extending the overall bandwidth of the antenna 40.

[0074] Patch elements 60 can include directly fed patch antenna resonant elements (e.g., patch elements having one or more positive antenna feed terminals directly coupled to transmission lines) and / or parasitic antenna resonant elements that are not directly fed by antenna feed terminals and transmission lines. If desired, one or more patch elements 60 can be coupled to patch element 58 through one or more conductive vias (e.g., such that at least one patch element 60 and patch element 58 are coupled together as a single directly fed resonant element). In cases where patch elements 60 are directly fed, patch elements 60 can include two positive antenna feed terminals for transmitting signals having different (e.g., orthogonal) polarizations, and / or can include a single positive antenna feed terminal for transmitting signals having a single polarization. The combined resonances of each of patch element 58 and patch element 60 can configure antenna 40 to radiate with satisfactory antenna efficiency over both the first and second frequency bands (e.g., 24-30 GHz and 37-40 GHz). Figure 5 The examples of FIGS. 6A-6D are merely illustrative. Patch elements 60 can be omitted if desired. Patch elements 60 can be rectangular, square, cross-shaped, or any other desired shape having any desired number of straight edges and / or curved edges. Patch elements 60 can be provided in any desired orientation relative to patch element 58. Antenna 40 can have any desired number of feeds. Other antenna types (e.g., dipole antennas, monopole antennas, slot antennas, etc.) can be used if desired.

[0075] Phased antenna array 54 can be integrated with other circuitry, such as radio frequency integrated circuits, to form an integrated antenna module if desired. Figure 6 FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of an illustrative integrated antenna module for handling signals having frequencies greater than 10 GHz in a device 10. As shown in FIG. 7, device 10 can be equipped with an integrated antenna module, such as integrated antenna module 72 (sometimes referred to herein as antenna module 72 or module 72). Figure 6

[0076] Antenna module 72 can include phased antenna array 54 of antennas 40 formed on a dielectric substrate, such as substrate 85. Substrate 85 can be, for example, a rigid printed circuit board. Substrate 85 can be a stacked dielectric substrate (e.g., a multi-layer printed circuit board substrate, such as a multi-layer fiberglass-filled epoxy, rigid printed circuit board material, ceramic, plastic, glass, or other dielectric) including a plurality of stacked dielectric layers 80. Phased antenna array 54 can include any desired number of antennas 40 arranged in any desired pattern.

[0077] Antennas 40 in phased antenna array 54 can include antenna elements, such as patch elements 91 (e.g., patch elements 91 can form a patch antenna array).​Figure 5 The patch element 58 and / or one or more patch elements 60). The ground trace 82 can be patterned onto the substrate 85 (e.g., forming a ground trace 82 for each of the antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54). Figure 5 (Conductive traces of the antenna ground portion 56). The patch element 91 can be patterned onto the (bottom) surface 78 of the substrate 85, or it can be embedded in the dielectric layer 80 at or near the surface 78. For clarity, Figure 6 Only two patch elements 91 are shown in the diagram. This is merely illustrative, and typically, antenna 40 may include any desired number of patch elements 91.

[0078] One or more electrical components 74 may be mounted on the (top) surface 76 of the substrate 85 (e.g., the surface of the substrate 85 opposite to surface 78 and the surface mount element 91). Components 74 may include, for example, integrated circuits (e.g., integrated circuit chips) or other circuitry mounted to surface 76 of the substrate 85. Components 74 may include radio frequency components, such as amplifier circuitry, phase shifter circuitry (e.g., ...). Figure 4 The component 74 includes a phase and amplitude controller 50 and / or other circuitry that operates on radio frequency signals. Component 74 may sometimes be referred to herein as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) 74. However, this is merely illustrative, and typically, the circuitry of the RFIC 74 does not need to be formed on an integrated circuit. If desired, component 74 may be embedded within a plastic overmolded component.

[0079] The dielectric layer 80 in the substrate 85 may include a first set of layers 86 (sometimes referred to herein as antenna layer 86) and a second set of layers 84 (sometimes referred to herein as transmission line layer 84). A ground trace 82 separates the antenna layer 86 from the transmission line layer 84. Conductive traces or other metal layers on the transmission line layer 84 may be used to form a transmission line structure, such as... Figure 4 RF transmission line 42 (e.g., Figure 5 The RF transmission lines 42V and 42H). For example, conductive traces on the transmission line layer 84 can be used to form striplines or microstrip transmission lines coupled between the antenna feed of the antenna 40 (e.g., on a conductive via extending through the antenna layer 86) and the RFIC 74 (e.g., on a conductive via extending through the transmission line layer 84). A board-to-board connector (not shown) can couple the RFIC 74 to the baseband and / or transceiver circuitry of the phased antenna array 54 (e.g., ...). Figure 3 Millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave transceiver circuit 38).

[0080] If needed, each antenna 40 in the phased antenna array 54 can be made accessible via a conductive via 88 (e.g., extending parallel to the X-axis and passing through it). Figure 6the conductive vias 88 of the phased antenna array 54 can be shorted to the ground trace 82, such that the fence of conductive vias 88 remains at ground potential. The conductive vias 88 can extend down to the surface 78 or to the same dielectric layer 80 as the bottom-most conductive patch 91 in the phased antenna array 54.

[0081] The fence of conductive vias 88 can be opaque at the frequencies covered by the antenna 40. Each antenna 40 can be located within a respective antenna cavity 92 having conductive cavity walls defined by a corresponding set of fences of conductive vias 88 in the antenna layer 86. For example, the fences of conductive vias 88 can help ensure that each antenna 40 in the phased antenna array 54 is properly isolated. The phased antenna array 54 can include a plurality of antenna cells 90. Each antenna cell 90 can include a respective fence of conductive vias 88, a respective antenna cavity 92 defined (e.g., laterally surrounded) by these fences of conductive vias, and a respective antenna 40 (e.g., a set of patch elements 91) within the antenna cavity 92. If desired, the conductive vias 88 can be omitted.

[0082] When implemented as a printed circuit board, the substrate 85 can include up to sixteen or more dielectric layers 80. This can configure the antenna module 72 to exhibit a relatively large thickness Tl (e.g., measured parallel to the X-axis). The thickness Tl can be too wide to fit satisfactorily into certain portions of the device 10, such as in cases where the antenna module 72 is used to radiate through a peripheral conductive housing structure 12W Figure 1 ) of the device 10.

[0083] Figure 7 is a top view of the device 10 showing different illustrative positions for positioning the antenna module 72 to communicate radio frequency signals through a peripheral conductive housing structure 12W of the device 10. As Figure 7 shown, the device 10 can include a peripheral conductive housing structure 12W (e.g., four peripheral conductive housing sidewalls that surround a rectangular periphery of the device 10). In other words, the device 10 can have a length (parallel to the Y-axis), a width (parallel to the X-axis) that is less than the length, and a height (parallel to the Z-axis) that is less than the width. The peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can extend across the length and the width of the device 10 (e.g., the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can include a first conductive sidewall that extends along a left side edge of the device 10, a second conductive sidewall that extends along a top edge of the device 10, a third conductive sidewall that extends along a right side edge of the device 10, and a fourth conductive sidewall that extends along a bottom edge of the device 10). The peripheral conductive housing structure 12W can also extend across the height of the device 10 (e.g., as shown in the perspective view of Figure 1 ).

[0084] AsFigure 7 As shown, the display 14 may have a display module, such as display module 94. A peripheral conductive housing structure 12W may extend around the periphery of the display module 94 (e.g., along all four sides of the device 10). The display module 94 may be covered by a display cover layer (not shown). The display cover layer may extend over the entire length and width of the device 10 and may be mounted to or supported by the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W if desired.

[0085] The display module 94 (sometimes referred to as a display panel, active display circuit, or active display structure) can be any desired type of display panel and may include pixels formed from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), plasma units, electrowetting pixels, electrophoretic pixels, liquid crystal display (LCD) components, or other suitable pixel structures. The lateral region of the display module 94 may, for example, define the effective area of ​​the display 14 (e.g., Figure 1 The effective area (AA) is sized. The display module 94 may include active light-emitting components, touch sensor components (e.g., touch sensor electrodes), force sensor components, and / or other active components. Because the display module 94 includes conductive components, the display module 94 can block radio frequency signals from passing through the display 14. Therefore, Figure 6 The antenna module 72 can be located in the area 96 surrounding the display module 94 and the device 10. Figure 7 One or more regions 96 may include, for example, a corresponding antenna module 72. An opening may be formed within the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W within region 96 to allow the antenna in antenna module 72 to transmit and / or transmit radio frequency signals to and / or from the outside of the device 10 (e.g., through the opening).

[0086] exist Figure 7 In the example, each region 96 is positioned along a corresponding side (edge) of device 10 (e.g., along the top conductive sidewall of device 10 within region 20, along the bottom conductive sidewall of device 10 within region 22, along the left conductive sidewall of device 10, and along the right conductive sidewall of device 10). Antennas mounted in these regions can provide millimeter-wave and centimeter-wave communication coverage for device 10 around its lateral perimeter. When combined with the contributions of antennas radiating through the front and / or back of device 10, the antennas in device 10 can provide full range of millimeter-wave / centimeter-wave coverage around device 10. Figure 7 The examples provided are merely illustrative. Each edge of device 10 may include multiple regions 96, and some edges of device 10 may not include regions 96. Additional regions 96 may be located elsewhere on device 10 if needed.

[0087] Figure 8is a side view showing how an aperture can be formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W to allow an antenna in the antenna module 72 to communicate radio frequency signals to and / or from the exterior of the device 10 (within a given region 96 of the Figure 7 Figure 8 Examples of Figure 7 the rightmost region 96 of the device 10 (e.g., along the right conductive side wall, as viewed in the direction of arrow 97 of Figure 7

[0088] As shown in Figure 8 the device 10 can have a first (front) face defined by the display 14 and a second (back) face defined by the back housing wall 12R. The display 14 can be mounted to a peripheral conductive structure 12W that extends from the back face to the front face and around the periphery of the device 10. One or more gaps 18 can extend from the back face to the front face to divide the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W into different sections.

[0089] One or more antenna apertures such as aperture 98 can be formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. The aperture 98 (sometimes referred to herein as a slot 98) can be filled with one or more dielectric materials and can have edges defined by the conductive material in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. Figure 6 The antenna module 72 of

[0090] In addition to allowing radio frequency signals to pass between the antenna module and the exterior of the device 10, the aperture 98 can also form a waveguide radiator for the antenna in the antenna module. For example, radio frequency signals transmitted by the antenna can excite one or more electromagnetic waveguide (cavity) modes within the aperture 98, which can help to establish the overall resonance and frequency response of the antenna in the antenna module.

[0091] The aperture 98 can have any desired shape. In the example of Figure 8 the aperture 98 is rectangular. Each aperture 98 can have a corresponding length L2 and width W2. The length L2 and width W2 can be selected to establish resonant cavity modes (e.g., electromagnetic waveguide modes that help to establish the radiation response of the antenna 40) within the aperture 98. For example, the length L2 can be selected to establish a horizontally polarized resonant cavity mode for the aperture 98, and the width W2 can be selected to establish a vertically polarized resonant cavity mode for the aperture 98.

[0092] ​​At the same time, if not careful, impedance discontinuities between the antenna in the antenna module and the free space outside device 10 can introduce undesirable signal reflections and losses, which limits the overall gain and efficiency of the antenna. Therefore, the aperture 98 can also be used as an impedance transition between the antenna module and the free space outside device 10, without undesirable impedance discontinuities.

[0093] Antenna 40 includes a dual-polarization antenna (e.g., having such...). Figure 5 In the case of at least two antenna feed sections (as shown), depending on whether the signal is horizontally or vertically polarized, the radio frequency signal propagating through and exciting the opening 98 can withstand different impedance loads. For example, a vertically polarized signal (e.g., an electric field vector E oriented parallel to the Z-axis) VPOL The signal can withstand a first amount of impedance load, while the horizontally polarized signal (e.g., with an electric field vector E oriented parallel to the Y-axis) can withstand the first amount of impedance load. HPOL The signal is subjected to a second amount of impedance load during excitation of the aperture 98 and propagation through the aperture.

[0094] To alleviate this differential impedance load, the length L2 can be chosen to be greater than the width W2. This allows for matching the vertical polarization resonant mode of aperture 98 to the vertical polarization resonant mode of antenna 40, and also to the horizontal polarization resonant mode of aperture 98 to the vertical polarization resonant mode of antenna 40. This helps establish a smooth impedance transition from the antenna module to the free space outside device 10 for both horizontally and vertically polarized signals. This example is merely illustrative, and generally, aperture 98 can have any desired shape.

[0095] exist Figure 6 When the antenna module 72 is formed from a dielectric substrate 85 (i.e., a rigid printed circuit board), the thickness T1 of the antenna module 72 may be too large to be satisfactorily assembled. Figure 7 Within region 96 (e.g., not protruding too far into the interior of device 10). This also prevents other device components from being placed in or near region 96, limits the size of the effective area of ​​the display, prevents a reduction in the thickness of device 10, and so on. To minimize the thickness of the antenna module 72 used for radiation through the opening 98 in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W, the antenna structure in the antenna module 72 can be distributed across multiple sections of the folded flexible printed circuit.

[0096] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional top view showing an example of how the antenna structure in antenna module 72 is distributed across multiple sections of the folded flexible printed circuit. Figure 9 The antenna module 72 may include flexible printed circuits instead of Figure 6 Dielectric substrate 85. For example... Figure 9As shown, the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can have a first portion 104, a second portion 108, and a third portion 114 (sometimes also referred to herein as a region of the flexible printed circuit, a flexible printed circuit portion, or a flexible printed circuit region). The flexible printed circuit portion 108 can be folded upward relative to the flexible printed circuit portion 104 about an axis 106 (e.g., an axis extending parallel to the Y-axis). The flexible printed circuit portion 114 can extend from an end of the flexible printed circuit portion 108 and can be folded about / around an axis 112 (e.g., an axis extending parallel to the Z-axis) relative to the flexible printed circuit portion 108 such that the flexible printed circuit portion 114 overlaps the flexible printed circuit portion 108 despite being laterally offset from the flexible printed circuit portion 108 when the flexible printed circuit is unfolded.

[0097] When unfolded, the flexible printed circuit can have a first side surface 110 (e.g., a side surface facing up in the page plane) and a second side surface 116 (e.g., a side surface facing down in the page plane) opposite the first side surface 110. When folded, a layer of adhesive such as adhesive 118 can be interposed between the flexible printed circuit portion 108 and the flexible printed circuit portion 114. As one example, the adhesive 118 can be a pressure sensitive adhesive. The adhesive 118 can adhere, affix, or secure the flexible printed circuit portion 108 to the flexible printed circuit portion 114, thereby helping the flexible printed circuit to maintain its folded shape.

[0098] If desired, a component 74 can be mounted to the surface 110 (e.g., on the flexible printed circuit portion 108). The flexible printed circuit portion 104 can couple the flexible printed circuit portion 108 to other components in the device 10 (e.g., a main logic board or other printed circuit board, radio frequency transceiver circuitry, etc.). The component 74 can be coupled to other circuitry in the device 10 (e.g., intermediate frequency circuitry, radio frequency transceiver circuitry, baseband circuitry, etc.) through conductive paths (e.g., baseband paths, intermediate frequency paths, radio frequency transmission lines, etc.) that pass through the flexible printed circuit portion 104. If desired, the component 74 can be omitted. The flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can include multiple stacked layers of flexible printed circuit material (e.g., polyimide layers). Figure 9 The layers in the flexible printed circuit can be fewer than Figure 6 The layers in the rigid printed circuit board. Conductive traces can be patterned onto the layers of the flexible printed circuit to form the phased antenna array 54. For example, the phased antenna array 54 can be formed from conductive traces within the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114. The conductive layers in each antenna 40 of the phased antenna array 54 can be distributed between / across the second flexible printed circuit portion 108 and the third flexible printed circuit portion 114.

[0099] exist Figure 9 In the example, ground traces 82 and patch elements 58 in each antenna 40 of the phased antenna array 54 are disposed in flexible printed circuit portion 108, while patch elements 60 in each antenna 40 of the phased antenna array 54 are disposed in flexible printed circuit portion 114. Ground traces 82 and patch elements 58 may be embedded within layers of flexible printed circuit portion 108, or may be patterned onto the outermost layer of flexible printed circuit portion 108 (e.g., ground traces 82 may be patterned onto side surface 110 and / or patch elements 58 may be patterned onto side surface 116 of flexible printed circuit portion 108). Similarly, patch elements 60 may be embedded within layers of flexible printed circuit portion 114, or may be patterned onto the outermost layer of flexible printed circuit portion 114 (e.g., on side surface 110 or side surface 116 of flexible printed circuit portion 114). When the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 is folded, the adhesive 118 ensures that a distance D is maintained between the patch elements 58 and 60 in each antenna 40 of the phased antenna array 54.

[0100] During the fabrication of antenna module 72, ground trace 82 and patch element 58 can be patterned onto the layers of flexible printed circuit section 108 as the flexible printed circuit is unfolded. Similarly, patch element 60 can be patterned onto the layers of flexible printed circuit section 114 as the flexible printed circuit is unfolded. Therefore, patch element 60 can be laterally offset from patch element 58 on the flexible printed circuit as the flexible printed circuit is unfolded. RF transmission lines can also be patterned onto flexible printed circuit section 108 (e.g., to couple patch element 58 to RF transceiver circuitry in component 74 or elsewhere in device 10). Conductive vias can be formed in flexible printed circuit section 108 to couple RF transmission lines to component 74 and to the positive antenna feed terminal coupled to patch element 58. If desired, grounding vias and / or additional ground traces can be laterally interposed between each patch element 58 in flexible printed circuit section 108 and / or between each patch element 60 in flexible printed circuit section 114.

[0101] Folding the flexible printed circuit about the axis 112 can be used to align each patch element 60 in the flexible printed circuit portion 114 with a corresponding patch element 58 in the flexible printed circuit portion 108. If desired, alignment structures such as the alignment structure 119 can be formed at one or more locations in the flexible printed circuit portion 114 and / or the flexible printed circuit portion 108 to help ensure that each patch element 60 is precisely aligned to a corresponding patch element 58 during folding. The alignment structure 119 can include alignment notches or holes in the flexible printed circuit, alignment pins extending through the alignment notches or holes, and / or any other desired alignment structure. Once folded, the adhesive 118 can ensure that the patch elements 58 and 60 remain precisely laterally aligned (e.g., as viewed in the Y-Z plane of Figure 9

[0102] By distributing each antenna 40 in the phased antenna array 54 across different areas of the flexible printed circuit (e.g., the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114), then folding the flexible printed circuit as shown in Figure 9 , the antenna module 72 can exhibit a thickness T2 that is significantly less than a thickness T1 of Figure 6 (e.g., the thickness T2 can be at least 1 mm - 2 mm less than the thickness T1). This can allow the antenna module 72 to more easily fit within the area 96 of Figure 7 for radiation through the aperture 98 in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W of Figure 8

[0103] In some embodiments, the antenna module 72 can be configured to operate in a plurality of frequency bands, such as the frequency bands 1-5 shown in Figure 9 ​​In the example, the phased antenna array 54 is a four-by-one array with four antennas 40 arranged in a single row. This is merely illustrative. The phased antenna array 54 may include any desired number of antennas 40 arranged in any desired one-dimensional or two-dimensional array pattern. In the example where the patch element 60 is directly fed, the RF transmission line of the patch element 60 may pass around axis 112 and enter the flexible printed circuit section 114, and / or a conductive via may be used to feed the patch element 60. In another embodiment, a ground trace 82 is formed in the flexible printed circuit section 108, while patch elements 58 and 60 are formed in the flexible printed circuit section 114. In another embodiment, a ground trace 82 is formed in the flexible printed circuit section 108, patch element 58 is formed in the flexible printed circuit section 114, and patch element 60 is omitted. In another embodiment, multiple patch elements 60 are formed in the flexible printed circuit section 114 of each antenna (e.g., in the case where the antenna 40 includes multiple stacked patch elements 60). In another embodiment, the ground trace 82, patch element 58, and first patch element 60 in each antenna 40 are formed in a flexible printed circuit section 108, while the second patch element 60 and optionally additional patch elements 60 in each antenna 40 are formed in a flexible printed circuit section 114. The antennas 40 are stacked patch antennas. Figure 9 The examples are merely illustrative, and antenna 40 can typically be formed using any desired antenna structure distributed between flexible printed circuit sections 108 and 114.

[0104] exist Figure 9 In the example, the flexible printed circuitry in antenna module 72 includes a single branch folded around axis 112. If desired, the flexible printed circuitry in antenna module 72 may include multiple folded branches. Figure 10 This is a top cross-sectional view illustrating how the flexible printed circuitry in antenna module 72 can include multiple folded branches. Figure 10 As shown, the flexible printed circuit may include a first branch and a second branch. The first branch includes flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 114A, and the second branch includes flexible printed circuit portions 108B and 114B.

[0105] The first and second branches (e.g., flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 108B) can be folded upward relative to flexible printed circuit portion 104 about axis 106 and can extend from opposite sides of flexible printed circuit portion 104. Flexible printed circuit portion 114A can extend from the end of flexible printed circuit portion 108A and can be folded relative to flexible printed circuit portion 108A about axis 112A, such that flexible printed circuit portion 114A overlaps with flexible printed circuit portion 108A although it is laterally offset from flexible printed circuit portion 108A when unfolded. Axis 112A can be parallel to... Figure 10 The flexible printed circuit portion 114B extends along the axis 112B and the Z-axis. It can extend from the end of the flexible printed circuit portion 108B and can be folded relative to the flexible printed circuit portion 108B about the axis 112B, such that the flexible printed circuit portion 114B overlaps with the flexible printed circuit portion 108B, although it is laterally offset from the flexible printed circuit portion 108B when unfolded. The tip of the flexible printed circuit portion 114A can face the tip of the flexible printed circuit portion 114B.

[0106] The first group of antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54 can be distributed between the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 114A (e.g., as combined above). Figure 9 (as described in the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114). Similarly, the second group of antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54 can be distributed between the flexible printed circuit portions 108B and 114B (e.g., as described above in combination). Figure 9 (As described in flexible printed circuit sections 108 and 114). The same number of antennas 40 may exist in the first and second groups, or a different number of antennas 40 may exist in the first group compared to the second group. If desired, component 74A may be mounted to flexible printed circuit section 108A and / or component 74B may be mounted to flexible printed circuit section 108B. For example, component 74A may include radio frequency (RF) components for the antennas 40 in flexible printed circuit sections 108A and 114A, while component 74B may include RF components for the antennas 40 in flexible printed circuit sections 108B and 114B.

[0107] A layer of adhesive such as adhesive 118A (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive) can be interposed between the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 114A. The adhesive 118A can ensure that the patch elements of each antenna 40 are laterally aligned between the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 114A, while also ensuring that the patch elements in the flexible printed circuit portion 108A are separated by a distance D from the corresponding patch elements in the flexible printed circuit portion 114A. Similarly, a layer of adhesive such as adhesive 118B (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive) can be interposed between the flexible printed circuit portions 108B and 114B. The adhesive 118B can ensure that the patch elements of each antenna 40 are laterally aligned between the flexible printed circuit portions 108B and 114B, while also ensuring that the patch elements in the flexible printed circuit portion 108B are separated by a distance D from the corresponding patch elements in the flexible printed circuit portion 114B.

[0108] With respect to examples in which the flexible printed circuit includes only a single branch, distributing the antennas 40 in the phased antenna array 54 across multiple branches of the flexible printed circuit in this manner can, for example, reduce routing complexity and density of radio frequency transmission lines used by the antennas 40. Figure 10 The examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B are merely illustrative. The phased antenna array 54 can include any desired number of antennas 40 arranged in any desired one- or two-dimensional array pattern. In examples in which the patch elements 60 are directly fed, radio frequency transmission lines for the patch elements 60 can pass around the axes 112A and 112B into the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B and / or conductive vias can be used to feed the patch elements 60. In another implementation, the ground traces 82 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 108B, while the patch elements 58 and the patch elements 60 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B. In another implementation, the ground traces 82 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 108B, the patch elements 58 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B, and the patch elements 60 are omitted. In another implementation, multiple patch elements 60 of each antenna 40 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B (e.g., in the case that the antennas 40 include multiple stacked patch elements 60). In another implementation, the ground traces 82, the patch elements 58, and the first patch elements 60 in each antenna 40 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 108A and 108B, while the second patch elements 60 and optionally additional patch elements 60 in each antenna 40 are formed in the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B. In examples in which the antennas 40 are stacked patch antennas, the patch elements 60 in the flexible printed circuit portions 114A and 114B can be stacked on top of one another. Figure 10 The examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B are merely illustrative, and any desired antenna structure distributed between the flexible printed circuit portions 108A / 108B and 114A / 114B can generally be used to form the antennas 40.

[0109] Figure 9 and Figure 10 The examples of FIGS. 17-20 are merely illustrative. If desired, the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can include additional folds. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional top view showing one example of how the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can include additional folds. When the flexible printed circuit has a single branch (e.g., as shown in Figure 9 ), the folding arrangement of FIG. 17 can be used, or when the flexible printed circuit has multiple branches (e.g., as shown in Figure 11 ), the folding arrangement can be used for each branch. For clarity, the antenna 40 and the component 74 are omitted from FIGS. 17-20. Figure 10 Figure 11 As shown in FIG. 21, the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can include a flexible printed circuit portion 120 extending from an end of the flexible printed circuit portion 114 (or the flexible printed circuit portion 114A or 114B in the arrangement of FIG. 20). The flexible printed circuit portion 120 can be folded about an axis 124 relative to the flexible printed circuit portion 114 and can overlap the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114. The axis 124 can extend parallel to the axis 112 and the Z-axis of FIG. 20. A layer of adhesive, such as the adhesive 122 (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive), can be interposed between the flexible printed circuit portions 114 and 120.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 21, the flexible printed circuit in the antenna module 72 can include a flexible printed circuit portion 120 extending from an end of the flexible printed circuit portion 114 (or the flexible printed circuit portion 114A or 114B in the arrangement of FIG. 20). The flexible printed circuit portion 120 can be folded about an axis 124 relative to the flexible printed circuit portion 114 and can overlap the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114. The axis 124 can extend parallel to the axis 112 and the Z-axis of FIG. 20. A layer of adhesive, such as the adhesive 122 (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive), can be interposed between the flexible printed circuit portions 114 and 120. Figure 11 Figure 10 One or more of the conductive layers in the antenna 40 can be disposed within the flexible printed circuit portion 120 and / or on the side surfaces 110 or 116 of the flexible printed circuit portion 120. For example, the ground trace 82 and the patch element 58 can be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 108, one or more patch elements 60 can be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 114, and one or more patch elements 60 can be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 120 (e.g., in the case of a stacked patch antenna with two or more stacked patch elements 60 as shown in FIG. 16). This is merely illustrative, and in general, the conductive layers of each antenna 40 can be distributed across the flexible printed circuit portions 108, 114, and 120 in any desired manner. The flexible printed circuit can have an additional flexible printed circuit portion extending from an end of the flexible printed circuit portion 120 and folded about an additional axis parallel to the axes 112 and 124 if desired (e.g., the flexible printed circuit can have any desired number of folds). Figure 11

[0111] Figure 5

[0112] ​​​​​In another specific embodiment, the flexible printed circuit in antenna module 72 may have folded tabs passing through the flexible printed circuit portion 114, such as... Figure 12 As shown in the example. For clarity, Figure 12 The adhesive layer in antenna module 72 is omitted. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the flexible printed circuit may include a folded tab 128 extending from the flexible printed circuit portion 108 and wrapped or folded around axis 126 and flexible printed circuit portion 114. The flexible printed circuit may include an additional flexible printed circuit portion 130 extending from the end of the folded tab 128 and parallel to the flexible printed circuit portions 108 and 114.

[0113] One or more conductive layers in the antenna 40 may be disposed within the flexible printed circuit portion 130 and / or on the side surfaces 110 or 116 of the flexible printed circuit portion 130. For example, ground trace 82 and patch element 58 may be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 108, while one or more patch elements 60 may be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 114, and one or more patch elements 60 may be located on the flexible printed circuit portion 130 (e.g., when the antenna 40 is as follows). Figure 5 (This is illustrated in the case of a stacked patch antenna with two or more stacked patch elements 60). This is merely illustrative, and generally, the conductive layer of each antenna 40 can be distributed on the flexible printed circuit portions 108, 114, and 130 in any desired manner.

[0114] Figures 9 to 12 The examples are merely illustrative. Figures 9 to 12 The folding arrangement can be combined in any desired manner. Other folding arrangements can be used if needed. In another specific implementation, Figure 10 Flexible printed circuit portion 114A can extend to overlap with flexible printed circuit portion 114B, and flexible printed circuit portion 114B can extend to overlap with flexible printed circuit portion 114A, to provide three overlapping flexible printed circuit portions for distributing the conductive layer of antenna 40. If desired, [further details can be added]. Figures 10 to 12 Alignment structures, such as, are provided in flexible printed circuits. Figure 9 Alignment structure 119.

[0115] Figure 13 It is shown Figure 9 and Figure 10 How can the antenna module 72 be mounted within the device 10 in a cross-sectional side view (e.g., as truncated at the location of a given antenna in the antenna module) with alignment with the corresponding opening 98 in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W? Figure 13As shown, the display 14 can include a display cover layer 132 mounted to a flange (land) 134 of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. An aperture 98 can be formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. A rear housing wall 12R can extend from the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W opposite the display cover layer 132.

[0116] The aperture 98 can include a cavity formed in the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. A dielectric substrate, such as a dielectric substrate 138, can be disposed within the cavity. As one example, the dielectric substrate 138 can be formed of injection molded plastic. The flexible printed circuit portion 114 of the antenna module 72 can be mounted to the dielectric substrate 138 using a layer of adhesive, such as adhesive 140. A dielectric cover layer 136 can also be mounted within the cavity. The dielectric cover layer 136 can have an inner surface that contacts the dielectric substrate 138. The dielectric cover layer 136 also has an outer surface at an exterior of the device 10. The outer surface of the dielectric cover layer 136 can be, for example, flush with an outer surface of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. The dielectric cover layer 136 can also be referred to herein at times as a dielectric antenna window 136.

[0117] When mounted in this manner, the patch elements 58 and 60 in the antenna module 72 can radiate through the aperture 98 and through the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W. When the antenna module is formed using a rigid printed circuit board, the thickness of the antenna module (e.g., thickness T1) can be relatively large, and can extend, for example, beyond the flange 134 of the peripheral conductive housing structure 12W and into the interior of the device 10. Distributing the antennas in the antenna module 72 over multiple overlapping portions of the folded flexible printed circuit can configure the antenna module 72 to exhibit a thickness T2 that is significantly less than the thickness T1 and that does not protrude beyond the flange 134. Figure 13 The example shown in FIG. 6 is merely illustrative. The antenna module 72 can have additional folds (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7). Figure 11 and Figure 12 The aperture 98 can have other shapes.

[0118] The device 10 can collect and / or use personal identifiable information. It is well understood that the use of personal identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes risk of unauthorized or unintended access or use of data and that is consistent with industry or governmental requirements for protecting such data.

[0119] According to one embodiment, there is provided an antenna module comprising: a flexible printed circuit having a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion, the second portion being folded about an axis relative to the first portion; an adhesive layer adhering the first portion of the flexible printed circuit to the second portion of the flexible printed circuit; and an antenna on the flexible circuit and configured to radiate at a frequency greater than 10 GHz, the antenna comprising: a ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit and overlapping the ground trace.

[0120] According to another embodiment, the antenna comprises: an additional patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the additional patch element interposed between a metal trace and the patch element.

[0121] According to another embodiment, the antenna module comprises a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the additional patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0122] According to another embodiment, the antenna module comprises: a radio frequency integrated circuit mounted to a surface of the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a radio frequency transmission line coupled between the radio frequency integrated circuit and the positive antenna feed terminal.

[0123] According to another embodiment, the flexible printed circuit has a third portion extending from an additional end of the first portion, the flexible printed circuit has a fourth portion extending from an end of the third portion, the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit is folded about an additional axis relative to the third portion of the flexible printed circuit, the additional axis extends parallel to the axis, and a portion of the ground trace extends into the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0124] According to another embodiment, the antenna module comprises an additional antenna on the flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate at the frequency greater than 10 GHz, the additional antenna comprising: the portion of the ground trace on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a first additional patch element on the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit and overlapping the portion of the ground trace on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0125] According to another embodiment, the antenna includes a second additional patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the additional antenna includes a third additional patch element on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the first additional patch element on the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0126] According to another embodiment, the second additional patch element and the third additional patch element are directly fed.

[0127] According to another embodiment, the flexible printed circuit has a third portion extending from an end of the second portion and folded about an additional axis relative to the second portion, the additional axis extending parallel to the axis, the antenna includes an additional patch element on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, and the antenna module includes an additional adhesive layer adhering the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0128] According to another embodiment, the flexible printed circuit has a tab extending from the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and extending over the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the flexible printed circuit has a third portion extending from the tab and parallel to the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit, and the antenna includes an additional patch element on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0129] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a housing having a peripheral conductive housing structure and a rear housing wall, a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structure opposite the rear housing wall, an aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure, and an antenna on a flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate through the aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure, the antenna including a ground trace on a first portion of the flexible printed circuit, a first patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, and a second patch element on a second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the second portion of the flexible printed circuit extending from an end of the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and folded relative to the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, the second patch element aligned with the first patch element and interposed between the first patch element and the aperture.

[0130] According to another embodiment, the sub-device includes an adhesive layer that adheres the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0131] According to another embodiment, the flexible printed circuit has a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface, the first side surface on the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit contacting the adhesive layer, and the second side surface on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit facing the aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure.

[0132] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a radio frequency integrated circuit mounted to the second side surface on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0133] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a dielectric substrate in the aperture and an adhesive layer that adheres the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the dielectric substrate in the aperture.

[0134] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes an additional aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure and an additional antenna on the flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate through the additional aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure, the additional antenna including the ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, a third patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, and a fourth patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the fourth patch element aligned with the third patch element and interposed between the third patch element and the additional aperture.

[0135] According to another embodiment, the antenna and the additional antenna form part of a phased antenna array configured to transmit radio frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz.

[0136] According to another embodiment, the peripheral conductive housing structure includes a flange, the display includes a display cover layer mounted to the flange of the peripheral conductive housing structure, and the first portion and the second portion of the flexible printed circuit are interposed between the flange of the peripheral conductive housing structure and the rear housing wall.

[0137] According to one embodiment, there is provided an antenna module, the antenna module including a flexible printed circuit having a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion and folded relative to the first portion, an adhesive layer adhering the first portion of the flexible printed circuit to the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, and a phased antenna array on the flexible printed circuit and configured to transmit radio frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz, the phased antenna array including a plurality of antennas, and each of the antennas of the plurality of antennas including a respective antenna resonating element distributed between the first portion and the second portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0138] According to another embodiment, each of the plurality of antennas includes a ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, a first respective patch element in the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, and a second respective patch element in the second portion of the flexible printed circuit.

[0139] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the embodiments and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments. The foregoing embodiments can be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. An antenna module comprising: a flexible printed circuit having a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion, the second portion folded about an axis relative to the first portion; an adhesive layer adhering the first portion of the flexible printed circuit to the second portion of the flexible printed circuit; and an antenna on the flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate at a frequency greater than 10 GHz, wherein the antenna comprises: a ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a first patch on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit and overlapping the ground trace; and a second patch on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the first patch on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the second patch interposed between the ground trace and the first patch.

2. The antenna module of claim 1, further comprising a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the second patch on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

3. The antenna module of claim 2, further comprising: a radio frequency integrated circuit mounted to a surface of the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a radio frequency transmission line coupled between the radio frequency integrated circuit and the positive antenna feed terminal.

4. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a third portion extending from an additional end of the first portion, the flexible printed circuit has a fourth portion extending from an end of the third portion, the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit is folded about an additional axis relative to the third portion of the flexible printed circuit, the additional axis extends parallel to the axis, and a portion of the ground trace extends into the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

5. The antenna module of claim 4, further comprising an additional antenna on the flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate at the frequency greater than 10 GHz, wherein the additional antenna comprises: the portion of the ground trace on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a third patch on the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit and overlapping the portion of the ground trace on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

6. The antenna module of claim 5, wherein the additional antenna further comprises a fourth patch on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the third patch on the fourth portion of the flexible printed circuit.

7. The antenna module of claim 6, wherein the second patch and the fourth patch are directly fed. ​ ​ ​ 8. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a third portion that extends from an end of the second portion and is folded relative to the second portion about an additional axis that extends parallel to the axis, the antenna includes a third patch on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the first patch on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, and the antenna module includes an additional adhesive layer that adheres the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the third portion of the flexible printed circuit.

9. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a tab that extends from the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and over the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, the flexible printed circuit has a third portion that extends from the tab and parallel to the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit, and the antenna includes a third patch on the third portion of the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the first patch on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit.

10. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: a housing having a peripheral conductive housing structure and a rear housing wall; a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structure opposite the rear housing wall; an aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure; and an antenna on a flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate through the aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure, wherein the antenna includes: a ground trace on a first portion of the flexible printed circuit; a first patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a second patch element on a second portion of the flexible printed circuit, wherein the second portion of the flexible printed circuit extends from an end of the first portion of the flexible printed circuit and is folded relative to the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, the second patch element is aligned with the first patch element and interposed between the first patch element and the aperture.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, further comprising an adhesive layer that adheres the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface, the first side surface on the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit contacts the adhesive layer, and the second side surface on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit faces the aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising: ​ a radio frequency integrated circuit mounted to the second side surface of the first portion of the flexible printed circuit.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, further comprising: a dielectric substrate in the aperture; and an adhesive layer adhering the second portion of the flexible printed circuit to the dielectric substrate in the aperture.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, further comprising: an additional aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure; and an additional antenna on the flexible printed circuit and configured to radiate through the additional aperture in the peripheral conductive housing structure, wherein the additional antenna comprises: the ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; a third patch element on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a fourth patch element on the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, wherein the fourth patch element is aligned with the third patch element and interposed between the third patch element and the additional aperture.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the antenna and the additional antenna form part of a phased antenna array configured to transmit radio frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz.

17. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the peripheral conductive housing structure comprises a flange, the display comprises a display cover layer mounted to the flange of the peripheral conductive housing structure, and the first portion and the second portion of the flexible printed circuit are interposed between the flange of the peripheral conductive housing structure and the rear housing wall.

18. An antenna module, comprising: a flexible printed circuit having a first portion and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion and folded relative to the first portion; an adhesive layer adhering the first portion of the flexible printed circuit to the second portion of the flexible printed circuit; and a phased antenna array on the flexible printed circuit and configured to transmit radio frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz, wherein the phased antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas, and each antenna of the plurality of antennas comprises a respective antenna resonating element distributed between the first portion and the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas comprises a ground trace on the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, a first respective patch element in the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, and a second respective patch element in the second portion of the flexible printed circuit.

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