Cavity antenna and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a cavity antenna and electronic equipment, the cavity antenna comprises a conductive shell, the conductive shell comprises a plurality of side plates, the plurality of side plates are connected in sequence, a first gap is formed between the two side plates located at the ending end, and a second gap is formed between the two side plates located at the ending end; the two ends of the cavity are open, one side wall of the cavity is provided with the first gap, and the first gap penetrates through the two ends of the cavity in the length direction. The first gap can be used as the radiation aperture of the antenna, so that the uncertain electric connection risk can be reduced, and the sealing performance of the cavity can be well maintained, thereby improving the cavity performance of the whole antenna, improving the antenna performance, and reducing the cost and the volume production risk. And one of the side plates of the cavity is grounded and mounted, so that the difficulty of grounding and mounting under a small size or a complex environment can be met, and the reject ratio of mounting is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of antenna design technology, and in particular to a cavity antenna and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of communication technology, electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets have evolved from carrying simple functions to supporting rich media such as voice, data, music, and video. They can also be expanded to install a variety of applications (APPs) to meet people's various needs.

[0003] Meanwhile, manufacturing processes are constantly improving, and consumers are paying increasing attention to factors such as the aesthetics and cost of mobile phones. Mobile phones are continuously evolving towards miniaturization, intelligence, thinness, and narrow bezels. With the popularity of all-metal unibody tablets and other electronic devices, antenna design for unibody metal tablets has become a challenge for the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a cavity antenna and electronic device to address the shortcomings of related technologies.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a cavity antenna, comprising:

[0006] A conductive housing includes multiple side plates connected in sequence. A first gap is formed between two side plates located at the tail end, so that the multiple side plates enclose a cavity with openings at both ends and one side wall having the first gap. The first gap extends through both ends of the cavity along its length.

[0007] Optionally, the plurality of side plates are bent and connected sequentially along the same circumferential direction; along the circumferential direction, the first gap is formed between the two side plates located at the end.

[0008] Optionally, the cavity is rectangular, and the plurality of side plates include a first side plate, a second side plate, a third side plate, and a fourth side plate. The first side plate, the second side plate, the third side plate, and the fourth side plate are sequentially bent and connected along the same circumferential direction. The first side plate is parallel to the third side plate, and the second side plate is parallel to the fourth side plate. The first gap is formed between the first side plate and the fourth side plate.

[0009] Optionally, the width of the first gap between the first side plate and the fourth side plate ranges from 0.25mm to 2mm.

[0010] Optionally, the second side panel is used to connect the metal frame of the electronic device, the fourth side panel is used to connect the display screen of the electronic device, and the first gap is located on the side of the first side panel close to the fourth side panel.

[0011] Optionally, the length of the cavity is greater than its width, and both ends of the cavity along its length are formed with openings; and / or

[0012] The width of the cavity is less than its height.

[0013] Optionally, one of the two side plates located at the end of the terminal section has a second gap that is coplanar with the first gap, and a radial branch is formed between the second gap and the first gap; the second gap is parallel to the first gap, and the length of the second gap is less than the length of the first gap.

[0014] Optionally, one end of the second gap passes through one side wall of one of the two side plates located at the end that is coplanar with the first gap, and communicates with one of the openings.

[0015] Optionally, the length of the second gap is not less than 12 mm.

[0016] Optionally, a second power supply point is provided at the second gap.

[0017] In a second aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide an electronic device, including: a display screen, a metal frame, and a cavity antenna as described in the first aspect; the display screen is assembled on the metal frame, one of the side plates of the cavity antenna is connected to the display screen, the other side plate of the cavity antenna is connected to the metal frame, and the first gap is located on the side close to the display screen.

[0018] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects:

[0019] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the cavity antenna of this disclosure is formed by enclosing multiple side plates, resulting in a cavity antenna with openings at both ends and a first gap on one side. The first gap can serve as the antenna's radiation aperture, reducing the risk of uncertain electrical connections and maintaining the cavity's airtightness, thereby increasing the overall performance of the antenna cavity, improving antenna performance, and reducing cost and mass production risks. Only one side plate of the cavity needs to be grounded and mounted, which can address the difficulty of grounding and mounting in small sizes or complex environments, reducing the mounting defect rate.

[0020] It also reduces mounting difficulty. Compared to cavity antennas with three sealed sides and one open side in related technologies, it reduces the difficulty of grounding and stacking.

[0021] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cavity antenna according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a partial schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a current diagram of a cavity antenna in half-wave mode, illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a current diagram of a quarter-wavelength mode of a cavity antenna illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 5 This is an antenna efficiency diagram of a cavity antenna illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating different feed / grounding points of a cavity antenna according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 7 It is based on Figure 6 The diagram shows the antenna efficiency of the cavity antenna under different feed / grounding point conditions. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0031] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0032] In related technologies, some cavity antenna designs are currently available on the market. These typically use steel sheets or FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and the metal walls of the terminal to form the cavity antenna. Three or two sides of these are sealed surfaces where the cavity is sealed to the terminal's rear shell, while the open side serves as the radiation aperture of the cavity antenna. However, in stacking situations, the following problems may arise: 1. With three sides of the cavity sealed, grounding on two sides becomes extremely difficult, making grounding impossible in small sizes or complex environments. 2. For the FPC antenna mounted on plastic in a three-sided sealed cavity, the multiple three-dimensional unfolding and mounting considerations can lead to mounting defects. 3. If the cavity depth cannot be met during stacking, the cavity depth should be minimized.

[0033] This disclosure provides a cavity antenna and electronic device to address the shortcomings of related technologies. To facilitate understanding of the technical solution of this disclosure, the cavity antenna and electronic device of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the features in the following embodiments and implementations can be combined with each other.

[0034] See Figure 1 As shown, this disclosure provides a cavity antenna 100, applicable to electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, smart glasses, smartwatches, smart bracelets, and wearable devices. The cavity antenna 100 may include a conductive housing 10, which includes multiple side plates 11, 12, 13, and 14 connected sequentially. A first gap 15 is formed between two side plates 11 and 14 at the terminal ends, so that the multiple side plates 11, 12, 13, and 14 enclose a cavity with openings 16 at both ends and one side wall having the first gap 15. The first gap 15 penetrates both ends of the cavity along its length direction X. A first feed point can be provided at any opening 16, and a feed element can be placed at a suitable location to feed the antenna.

[0035] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the cavity antenna of this disclosure is formed by multiple side plates 11, 12, 13, and 14, which are open at both ends and have a first gap 15 on one side. The first gap 15 can serve as the radiation aperture of the antenna, which can reduce the risk of uncertain electrical connections and maintain the sealing of the cavity, thereby increasing the overall performance of the antenna cavity, improving antenna performance, and reducing cost and mass production risks. Furthermore, only one side plate of the cavity needs to be grounded and mounted, which can meet the difficulty of grounding and mounting in small sizes or complex environments, and reduce the failure rate of mounting.

[0036] In some optional embodiments, the conductive housing 10 includes a support and an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) wrapped around the support. The support can be made of an insulating material such as plastic, forming the basic shape of the cavity and providing some support. The FPC can realize the electrical functions of the cavity antenna. It should be noted that the conductive housing 10 can include, but is not limited to, commonly used conductive materials such as FPC, LDS (Laser-Direct-structuring), PDS (Printing Direct-Structure), and metal sheets; any other material with good conductivity that can be used as an antenna can also be used.

[0037] In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of side plates 11, 12, 13, 14 are along the same circumferential direction C. Figure 1 (As shown by the dashed arrow) The plates are bent and connected sequentially. Along the circumferential direction C, the first gap 15 is formed between the two side plates 11 and 14 at the end. It is understood that the two connected side plates are bent and connected to each other at a certain angle. The included angle can be an acute angle, a right angle, or an obtuse angle, as long as it can satisfy the requirement of enclosing and forming a cavity with the first gap. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0038] In some optional embodiments, the cavity is cuboid, and the conductive housing 10 has multiple side plates 11, 12, 13, and 14, including a first side plate 11, a second side plate 12, a third side plate 13, and a fourth side plate 14. The first side plate 11, the second side plate 12, the third side plate 13, and the fourth side plate 14 are sequentially bent and connected along the same circumferential direction. The first side plate 11 is parallel to the third side plate 13, and the second side plate 12 is parallel to the fourth side plate 14. A first gap 15 is formed between the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14, thereby forming a C-shaped cavity antenna. The first side plate 11 and the second side plate 12 are bent and connected at a first included angle, the second side plate 12 and the third side plate 13 are bent and connected at a second included angle, and the third side plate 13 and the fourth side plate 14 are bent and connected at a third included angle. A first gap 15 is formed between the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14, and a fourth included angle exists between the planes containing the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14. In this embodiment, the first, second, third, and fourth included angles are all 90 degrees, thereby enclosing a rectangular cavity. Optionally, the width of the first gap 15 between the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14 (along the Z direction in the figure) ranges from 0.25mm to 2mm, preferably 0.55mm. It should be noted that the number of side plates, the included angles between the side plates can be the same or different, the included angles between the side plates, the shape of the cavity, and the width of the first gap can all be adjusted according to actual needs and stacking conditions; this disclosure does not impose any limitations on these aspects.

[0039] Understandably, the C-shaped cavity antenna has fully open openings 16 at both ends, similar to a cuboid with all short sides open. The first side plate 11, second side plate 12, third side plate 13, and fourth side plate 14 together form the basic cavity shape. At the intersection of the planes of the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14, an opening is formed as the first slot 15, with a width of 0.55mm. The first slot 15 separates the first side plate 11 and the fourth side plate 14, serving as the radiation aperture of the cavity antenna.

[0040] See Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, when the cavity antenna 100 is used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets, the electronic devices typically include a display screen 80 and a metal frame 90. The second side plate 12 is used to connect the metal frame 90 of the electronic device, and the fourth side plate 14 is used to connect the display screen 80 of the electronic device. The first gap 15 is located on the side of the first side plate 11 near the fourth side plate 14, that is, on the side away from the metal frame 90, which can reduce the influence of the metal frame 90 on the cavity signal radiation.

[0041] The second side plate 12 and the metal frame 90 can be electrically connected using any reliable electrical connection material such as conductive foam, conductive cloth, or metal springs, to achieve electrical connection and grounding between the cavity antenna and the metal frame. The fourth side plate 14 and the display screen 80 can be grounded or ungrounded; if grounding is required, such as... Figure 2 As shown, any reliable material with electrical connection properties, such as conductive foam, conductive cloth, or metal springs, can be used as the conductive connector 70 for electrical connection, realizing the electrical connection and grounding between the cavity antenna and the display screen. Thus, when using FPC metal material to implement the cavity antenna, only four sides are needed, which, if unfolded in a 2D plane, would only be a rectangle. This effectively solves the problems of multiple 3D surfaces in FPC mounting, leading to difficult mounting and low yield rates.

[0042] Optionally, the length of the cavity (along the X direction in the figure) is greater than its width (along the Y direction in the figure), and openings 16 are formed at both ends of the cavity along the length direction X. The width of the cavity is less than its height (along the Z direction in the figure). It should be noted that the dimensions of the cavity, mainly referring to the dimensions along the length direction X, can be adjusted according to the needs of the antenna frequency. Generally, the antenna frequency is inversely proportional to the cavity size.

[0043] In this embodiment, the cavity in the current simulation model has a height of 6mm and a length of 5mm. According to the simulation, when the length is greater than the height, the antenna efficiency hardly decreases. In contrast, related antenna solutions require a size of approximately 14mm to achieve the same assist frequency. Therefore, using the C-shaped cavity antenna disclosed herein reduces the depth of the antenna in the X-direction (i.e., the length direction) of the flat panel terminal by 9mm, greatly enriching the feasibility of stacking schemes.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, one of the two side plates 11, 12, 13, 14 located at the terminal end, coplanar with the first slot 15, has a second slot 17, forming a radiating stub 18 between the second slot 17 and the first slot 15. The second slot 17 is parallel to the first slot 15, and the length of the second slot 17 is less than the length of the first slot 15. In this embodiment, the first side plate 11 has a second slot 17. It is understood that the second slot 17, like the first slot 15, can serve as the radiating aperture of the cavity antenna, thus exciting a combined effect of two different antenna modes. In this embodiment, the excitation modes of the cavity antenna are a quarter-wavelength mode (main mode) of the radiating stub 18 and a half-wavelength mode (secondary mode) of the first slot 15 (the length between the two openings 16). See details. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The current diagram shown.

[0045] Optionally, the length of the second slot 17 is not less than 12mm, that is, the length of the radiating stub 18 is not less than 12mm, to ensure radiation efficiency. A second feed point can be provided at the second slot 17, and a feed element can be set at a suitable position to connect with the radiating stub 18 to achieve antenna feeding. It should be noted that the length of the second slot 17 can be adjusted according to actual needs. The position of the second feed point can be adjusted according to the actual excitation effect. Figure 1 Taking the feed point positions at 1 / 2 / 3 as an example, in practical applications, the feeder should be placed at the location where the excitation effect is best. The first feed point can also be adjusted according to the actual excitation effect, and the feeder can be placed at a suitable position at the end of one of the side plates at any opening.

[0046] Understandably, the first slit 15 and the second slit 17 can be used to construct a slotted radiating branch 18 on the side where the first side plate 11 is located. By feeding points 1 / 2 / 3 on the radiating branch 18 and selecting the position with the best excitation effect as the second feed point, the quarter-wavelength mode of the radiating branch 18 can be excited. This excitation mode is radiated through the first slit 15 and the second slit 17. The radiation efficiency of the C-shaped cavity mode can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the second slit 17 and by adjusting the length of the radiating branch 18.

[0047] In some alternative embodiments, one end of the second slit 17 penetrates one side wall of one of the two side plates 11, 12, 13, 14 located at the terminal ends, which is coplanar with the first slit 15, and communicates with one of the openings 16. In this embodiment, the second slit 17 penetrates the left side wall of the first side plate 11 and communicates with the opening 16 located at the left end, which can form and excite an α antenna mode. Of course, in other examples, neither end of the second slit 17 may penetrate the side wall of the first side plate 11, which can form and excite other antenna modes, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0048] See Figure 5 As shown, the antenna efficiency of the cavity antenna disclosed herein, taking the WiFi 5G band as an example, is as follows: its overall simulation performance can reach a peak efficiency of -2dB. This is fully sufficient for everyday antenna design.

[0049] As mentioned above, the cavity antenna and the display screen can be grounded or not, and the impact of different situations on antenna performance is as follows:

[0050] Simulation results show that the antenna efficiency is best when the cavity antenna is not grounded to the display screen.

[0051] When there is a grounding point between the cavity antenna and the display screen, the antenna efficiency is not significantly affected and can be slightly offset. Decoupling and fine-tuning of the frequency can be achieved by locally adding a conductive connector grounded to the display screen.

[0052] When there are multiple grounding points between the cavity antenna and the display screen, the cavity and the display screen will conduct current multiple times, which will have a certain impact on the overall efficiency and resonant frequency of the antenna, but can broaden the radiation bandwidth to a certain extent. The number and position of the grounding conductive connectors can be set according to the specific design.

[0053] See Figure 6 As shown, assuming the quarter-wavelength mode of radiating stub 18 has three selectable feed positions (1 / 2 / 3), the half-wavelength mode of the first slot 15 has two selectable feed positions (P1 / P2), and there are two selectable grounding points (4 / 5) between the cavity and the display screen 80. Positions 4 / 5 can also be used as feed points. The antenna radiation efficiency varies under different conditions, as shown below. Figure 7 As shown: From top to bottom, the boxes represent four cases: (1) P1 point feeding, (2) P1 / P4 point feeding, (3) P1 point feeding and P5 point grounding, and (4) P1 point feeding and P4 / P5 point grounding, as well as the antenna efficiency curves for the corresponding cases on the right.

[0054] See you again Figure 2 As shown in the embodiments of this disclosure, an electronic device is also provided. The electronic device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, smart glasses, smartwatch, smart bracelet, wearable device, or other electronic products. The electronic device may include: a display screen 80, a metal frame 90, and a cavity antenna 100 as described above. The display screen 80 is assembled onto the metal frame 90. One side plate 11, 12, 13, 14 of the cavity antenna 100 is connected to the display screen 80, and the other side plate 11, 12, 13, 14 of the cavity antenna 100 is connected to the metal frame 90. The first gap 15 is located on the side closest to the display screen 80.

[0055] Electronic devices employing the cavity antenna disclosed herein can reduce the risks of uncertain electrical connections and maintain the cavity's airtightness, thereby increasing the overall performance of the antenna cavity, improving antenna performance, and reducing costs and mass production risks. Furthermore, grounding and mounting can be performed on only one side plate of the cavity, which addresses the challenges of grounding and mounting in small sizes or complex environments, reducing mounting defect rates.

[0056] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0057] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cavity antenna, characterized in that, include: A conductive housing includes multiple side plates connected in sequence. A first gap is formed between two side plates located at the tail end, so that the multiple side plates enclose a cavity with openings at both ends and one side wall having the first gap. The first gap extends through both ends of the cavity along its length.

2. The cavity antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple side plates are bent and connected sequentially along the same circumferential direction; along the circumferential direction, the first gap is formed between the two side plates at the end.

3. The cavity antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cavity is rectangular, and the plurality of side plates include a first side plate, a second side plate, a third side plate, and a fourth side plate. The first side plate, the second side plate, the third side plate, and the fourth side plate are bent and connected in sequence along the same circumferential direction. The first side plate is parallel to the third side plate, and the second side plate is parallel to the fourth side plate. The first gap is formed between the first side plate and the fourth side plate.

4. The cavity antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that, The width of the first gap between the first side plate and the fourth side plate ranges from 0.25mm to 2mm.

5. The cavity antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second side panel is used to connect the metal frame of the electronic device, the fourth side panel is used to connect the display screen of the electronic device, and the first gap is located on the side of the first side panel close to the fourth side panel.

6. The cavity antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The length of the cavity is greater than its width, and both ends of the cavity along its length are open; and / or The width of the cavity is less than its height.

7. The cavity antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, One of the two side plates located at the end has a second gap that is coplanar with the first gap, and a radial branch is formed between the second gap and the first gap; the second gap is parallel to the first gap, and the length of the second gap is less than the length of the first gap.

8. The cavity antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, One end of the second gap passes through one side wall of one of the two side plates located at the end, which is coplanar with the first gap, and communicates with one of the openings.

9. The cavity antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length of the second gap is not less than 12mm.

10. The cavity antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, A second power supply point is provided at the second gap.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The display screen, the metal frame, and the cavity antenna as described in any one of claims 1-10; the display screen is assembled to the metal frame, one of the side plates of the cavity antenna is connected to the display screen, the other side plate of the cavity antenna is connected to the metal frame, and the first gap is located on the side closer to the display screen.

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