Housing assembly and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a shell assembly and an electronic device. The shell assembly is applied to the electronic device. The shell assembly comprises a back cover, a camera decoration assembly, the camera decoration assembly comprising a metal ring arranged on the back cover, the metal ring having at least one fracture, the metal ring being divided into a first NFC antenna by the at least one fracture, and an electrical connection assembly arranged at two ends of the first NFC antenna, the electrical connection assembly being used to electrically connect the first NFC antenna to a mainboard of the electronic device. The metal ring has a large size, can form a large NFC antenna, and strengthens the transmitting and receiving capabilities of the NFC antenna, thereby improving the NFC performance. The NFC antenna reuses the metal ring of the camera decoration assembly, thereby solving the problem that the camera module is too large to place the NFC antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electronic device technology, specifically to a housing assembly and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the widespread application of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, more and more users are using NFC to achieve functions such as mobile payments. In portable mobile terminals and other electronic devices, the NFC antenna is usually located on the upper back of the device so that users can conduct NFC communication while holding the device. As the size and number of cameras on electronic devices increase, the space on the upper back of the device is increasingly occupied by the camera module, compressing the design space for the NFC antenna.

[0003] How to balance the competition for space from large-size camera modules with the performance of NFC antennas has become a challenge in the structural design of electronic devices. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the above problems, embodiments of this application provide a housing assembly and an electronic device to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a housing assembly applied to an electronic device, the housing assembly comprising: a back cover; a camera decorative assembly, the camera decorative assembly including a metal ring disposed on the back cover, the metal ring having at least one break, the metal ring being divided by the at least one break to form a first NFC antenna; and an electrical connection assembly disposed at both ends of the first NFC antenna, the electrical connection assembly being used to electrically connect the first NFC antenna to the motherboard of the electronic device.

[0006] In some embodiments, the electrical connection component includes a first contact, a second contact, a first spring, and a second spring. The first contact is disposed at one end of the first NFC antenna, and the second contact is disposed at the other end of the first NFC antenna. The first spring and the second spring are disposed on the motherboard. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the first spring is electrically connected to the first contact, and the second spring is electrically connected to the second contact.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first contact point and the projection of the first spring sheet along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap, and the second contact point and the projection of the second spring sheet along the thickness direction at least partially overlap.

[0008] In some embodiments, one of the first and second spring contacts is grounded, and the other spring contact is connected to the NFC controller on the motherboard; or, the first spring contact is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller, and the second spring contact is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller.

[0009] In some embodiments, the metal ring has at least two breaks, and the metal ring is divided by the at least two breaks to form a first NFC antenna and a second NFC antenna; the electrical connection assembly further includes a third contact, a fourth contact, a third spring, and a fourth spring, the third contact being disposed at one end of the second NFC antenna and the fourth contact being disposed at the other end of the second NFC antenna; the third spring and the fourth spring are disposed on the motherboard, and when the housing assembly is installed in the electronic device, the third spring is electrically connected to the third contact and the fourth spring is electrically connected to the fourth contact.

[0010] In some embodiments, the projection of the third contact point and the third spring sheet along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlaps, and the projection of the fourth contact point and the fourth spring sheet along the thickness direction at least partially overlaps.

[0011] In some embodiments, one of the first and second spring contacts is grounded, and the other spring contact is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller on the motherboard; one of the third and fourth spring contacts is grounded, and the other spring contact is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller; the current directions of the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna are both around the same direction of the metal ring, which is either counterclockwise or clockwise.

[0012] In some embodiments, the housing assembly further includes ferrite disposed on the side of the rear cover near the motherboard and overlapping with the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna projected in the thickness direction of the electronic device. The ferrite is used to suppress eddy currents in the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna.

[0013] In some embodiments, the electrical connection component is a flexible circuit board, a board-to-board connector, or consists of contacts and springs. If the electrical connection component is a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector, both ends of the first NFC antenna are connected to the motherboard through the flexible circuit board or the board-to-board connector. If the electrical connection component consists of contacts and springs, contacts are provided at both ends of the first NFC antenna, and springs are provided on the motherboard. When the housing assembly is assembled to the electronic device, the contacts and springs are electrically connected.

[0014] In some embodiments, the metal ring is circular, elliptical, or polygonal.

[0015] In some embodiments, the back cover is made of a non-metallic material.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device, including the aforementioned housing assembly.

[0017] The housing assembly and electronic device provided in this application embodiment have a camera decorative assembly disposed on the housing assembly of the electronic device. The camera decorative assembly includes a metal ring, which is divided into at least one NFC antenna by at least one break. The metal ring is relatively large, which can form a larger NFC antenna, thereby enhancing the transmission and reception capabilities of the NFC antenna and improving NFC performance. The NFC antenna reuses the metal ring of the camera decorative assembly, solving the problem of insufficient space to place the NFC antenna due to the large size of the camera module.

[0018] These or other aspects of this application will become more apparent in the following description of the embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a housing assembly provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0021] Figure 1B It shows Figure 1A The diagram shows a structural schematic of an electrical connection component of the housing assembly.

[0022] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of another housing assembly provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0023] Figure 2B It shows Figure 2A The diagram shows a structural schematic of an electrical connection component of the housing assembly.

[0024] Figure 2C It shows Figure 2A A schematic diagram of another electrical connection component of the housing assembly shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of this application, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] In the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0028] Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the words "example" or "for example" are used to indicate exemplification, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "example" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application is not to be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than another embodiment or design. The use of the words "example" or "for example" is intended to present relative concepts in a clear manner.

[0030] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, such as one, two, or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two, or more, and is not limited to which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C, then it could include A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.

[0031] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the associated objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "connection" can be understood as electrical connection. The connection between two electrical components can be a direct or indirect connection between the two electrical components. For example, the connection between A and B can be a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through one or more other electrical components.

[0033] The electronic devices described in this application embodiment may be mobile phones, tablet computers, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs), cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, artificial intelligence (AI) devices, wearable devices, etc. This application embodiment does not impose any special restrictions on the specific type of electronic device.

[0034] The electronic device may include components such as a housing, processor, battery, antenna, screen, audio module, and speaker. Its wireless communication function can be implemented through an antenna, mobile communication module, modem processor, and baseband processor. Furthermore, the antenna may include an NFC antenna, which utilizes near-field communication technology to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals, thereby enabling NFC communication functionality.

[0035] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a housing assembly provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1A As shown, the housing assembly includes a back cover 10 and a camera decorative assembly. The camera decorative assembly is used to decorate the camera and may include a metal ring 20 disposed on the back cover 10. One or more components such as a camera 40 and a flash 50 can be mounted inside the metal ring 20. The metal ring 20 has a break 30 that divides the metal ring 20 into non-connected rings, and the metal ring 20 serves as an NFC antenna. In a specific implementation, the back cover 10 can be made of non-metallic materials such as glass, plastic, ceramic, or artificial leather. Alternatively, the back cover 10 can be made of metal, in which case electromagnetic isolation exists between the back cover 10 and the metal ring 20.

[0036] Furthermore, such as Figure 1BAs shown, the metal ring 20 has a first contact 61 and a second contact 62 at its two ends near the break 20. The main board of the electronic device has a first spring 71 and a second spring 72. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the first contact 61 is electrically connected to the first spring 71, and the second contact 62 is electrically connected to the second spring 72. In a specific implementation, the projections of the first contact 61 and the first spring 71 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap, and the projections of the second contact 62 and the second spring 72 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap. In some specific embodiments, one of the first spring 71 and the second spring 72 can be grounded, and the other can be connected to the signal terminal of the NFC controller on the main board. In other specific embodiments, the first spring 71 is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller, and the second spring 72 is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller. In a specific implementation, an antenna matching circuit can be provided between the spring and the signal terminal; this embodiment will not elaborate on this. In this embodiment, the first contact 61, the second contact 62, the first spring 71, and the second spring 72 constitute an electrical connection assembly that connects the NFC antenna (metal ring 20) to the motherboard. It should be understood that the NFC antenna (metal ring 20) can also be connected to the motherboard via a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector. That is, the electrical connection assembly can also be a flexible circuit board, a board-to-board connector, etc., with both ends of the NFC antenna connected to the motherboard via a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector. This embodiment will not elaborate on this aspect.

[0037] exist Figure 1A and 1B In the housing assembly shown, when the NFC controller transmits a signal, its excitation current can flow through the metal ring 20, thereby forming a magnetic field; when the NFC controller receives a signal, the card or reader at the other end can be received by the metal ring 20 through load modulation or the transmission magnetic field, respectively. Because the metal ring 20 has a large area, it can significantly improve the transmission and reception performance of NFC, increasing the distance and area of ​​NFC communication (e.g., card reading, card swiping, etc.).

[0038] although Figure 1A and Figure 1B The metal ring 20 is shown to be circular. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the metal ring 20; it can also be elliptical, polygonal, etc. Additionally, the housing assembly includes ferrite (not shown in the figure). The ferrite is disposed on the side of the back cover near the motherboard and overlaps with the NFC antenna (metal ring 20) projected in the thickness direction of the electronic device. The ferrite is used to suppress eddy currents in the NFC antenna and enhance its transmission and reception capabilities.

[0039] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of a housing assembly provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 2AAs shown, the housing assembly includes a back cover 10 and a camera decorative assembly. The camera decorative assembly is used to decorate the camera and may include a metal ring 20 disposed on the back cover 10. One or more cameras 40, flash units 50, etc., can be mounted inside the metal ring 20. The metal ring 20 has a first break 31 and a second break 32, which divide the metal ring 20 into a first metal ring segment 21 and a second metal ring segment 22. In a specific implementation, the back cover 10 can be made of non-metallic materials such as glass, plastic, ceramic, or artificial leather. If the back cover 10 is made of metal, electromagnetic isolation is provided between the back cover 10 and the metal ring 20. In this embodiment, the first metal ring segment 21 and / or the second metal ring segment 22 can serve as an NFC antenna.

[0040] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 2B As shown, the first metal ring segment 21 serves as an NFC antenna. A first contact 61 and a second contact 62 are respectively provided at one end of the first metal ring segment 21 near the first break 31 and the other end near the second break 32. A first spring contact 71 and a second spring contact 72 are provided on the main board of the electronic device. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the first contact 61 is electrically connected to the first spring contact 71, and the second contact 62 is electrically connected to the second spring contact 72. In a specific implementation, the projections of the first contact 61 and the first spring contact 71 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap, and the projections of the second contact 62 and the second spring contact 72 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap. In some specific embodiments, one of the first spring contact 71 and the second spring contact 72 can be grounded, and the other can be connected to the signal terminal of the NFC controller on the main board. In other specific embodiments, the first spring contact 71 is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller, and the second spring contact 72 is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller. In a specific implementation, an antenna matching circuit can be provided between the spring contact and the signal terminal; this embodiment will not elaborate on this. In this embodiment, the first contact 61, the second contact 62, the first spring 71, and the second spring 72 constitute an electrical connection assembly connecting the NFC antenna (first metal ring segment 21) to the motherboard. It should be understood that the NFC antenna (first metal ring segment 21) can also be connected to the motherboard via a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector; that is, the electrical connection assembly can also be a flexible circuit board, a board-to-board connector, etc., which will not be elaborated upon in this embodiment. Furthermore, the second metal ring segment 22 can be grounded.

[0041] exist Figure 2BIn the housing assembly shown, when the NFC controller transmits a signal, its excitation current can flow through the first metal ring segment 21, thereby forming a magnetic field; when the NFC controller receives a signal, the card or reader at the other end can be received by the first metal ring segment 21 through load modulation or the transmission magnetic field, respectively. Because the first metal ring segment 21 has a large area, it can significantly improve the transmission and reception performance of NFC, increasing the card reading distance and area.

[0042] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 2C As shown, the first metal ring segment 21 serves as the first NFC antenna, and the second metal ring segment 22 serves as the second NFC antenna. The first metal ring segment 21 has a first contact 61 and a second contact 62 at one end near the first break 31 and the other near the second break 32, respectively. The main board of the electronic device has a first spring contact 71 and a second spring contact 72. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the first contact 61 is electrically connected to the first spring contact 71, and the second contact 62 is electrically connected to the second spring contact 72. The second metal ring segment 22 has a third contact 63 and a fourth contact 64 at one end near the first break 31 and the other near the second break 32, respectively. The main board of the electronic device has a third spring contact 73 and a fourth spring contact 74. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the third contact 63 is electrically connected to the third spring contact 73, and the fourth contact 64 is electrically connected to the fourth spring contact 74. In a specific implementation, the projections of the first contact 61 and the first spring 71 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap; the projections of the second contact 62 and the second spring 72 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap; the projections of the third contact 63 and the third spring 73 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap; and the projections of the fourth contact 64 and the fourth spring 74 along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap. In a specific embodiment, one of the first spring 71 and the second spring 72 can be grounded, and the other spring is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller on the motherboard; one of the third spring 73 and the fourth spring 74 can be grounded, and the other spring is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller on the motherboard. To ensure the performance of the NFC antenna, the current directions of the first NFC antenna and the second antenna are around the metal ring 20 and are both counterclockwise or clockwise to maximize the transmission magnetic field and the reception signal. Figure 2CAs shown, the second spring 72 and the third spring 73 can be grounded, and the nodes of the first spring 71 and the fourth spring 74 can be connected to the first differential signal terminal and the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller, respectively. In a specific implementation, an antenna matching circuit can be set between the spring and the signal terminal, which will not be elaborated in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the first contact 61, the second contact 62, the first spring 71 and the second spring 72 form an electrical connection component that connects the first NFC antenna (first metal ring segment 21) to the motherboard; the third contact 63, the fourth contact 64, the third spring 73 and the fourth spring 74 form an electrical connection component that connects the second NFC antenna (second metal ring segment 22) to the motherboard. It should be understood that the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna (first metal ring segment 21 and second metal ring segment 22) can also be connected to the motherboard through a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector. That is to say, the electrical connection component can also be a flexible circuit board, a board-to-board connector, etc. Both ends of the first NFC antenna and the second antenna are connected to the motherboard through a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector, which will not be elaborated in this embodiment.

[0043] although Figure 2A , Figure 2B and 2C The metal ring 20 is shown to be circular. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the metal ring; it can also be elliptical or polygonal. Furthermore, the housing assembly includes ferrite (not shown in the figure). The ferrite can be disposed on the side of the first NFC antenna (first metal ring segment 21) and the second NFC antenna (second metal ring segment 22) near the back cover. The ferrite is used to suppress eddy currents in the NFC antennas and enhance the transmission and reception capabilities of the first and second NFC antennas.

[0044] although Figure 2A , Figure 2B and 2C The metal ring 20 is shown to include a first break 31 and a second break 32. In a specific implementation, the metal ring 20 may have more breaks, such as three or more breaks. The three or more breaks divide the metal ring 20 into three or more metal ring segments. Depending on the actual product function design, one of the metal ring segments can be selected as the NFC antenna (i.e., the first NFC antenna), or two of the metal ring segments can be selected as the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna.

[0045] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application in any way. Although this application has disclosed preferred embodiments as above, it is not intended to limit this application. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. A housing assembly, characterized in that, The housing assembly, used in electronic devices, includes: Back cover; A camera decorative assembly, the camera decorative assembly including a metal ring disposed on the back cover, the metal ring having at least one break, the metal ring being divided by the at least one break to form a first NFC antenna; An electrical connection component is disposed at both ends of the first NFC antenna, and the electrical connection component is used to electrically connect the first NFC antenna to the motherboard of the electronic device.

2. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical connection assembly includes a first contact, a second contact, a first spring, and a second spring. The first contact is disposed at one end of the first NFC antenna, and the second contact is disposed at the other end of the first NFC antenna. The first spring and the second spring are disposed on the motherboard. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the first spring is electrically connected to the first contact, and the second spring is electrically connected to the second contact.

3. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, The first contact point and the projection of the first spring along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap, and the second contact point and the projection of the second spring along the thickness direction at least partially overlap.

4. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, One of the first and second contact springs is grounded, and the other contact spring is connected to the NFC controller on the motherboard; or, the first contact spring is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller, and the second contact spring is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller.

5. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, The metal ring has at least two breaks, and the metal ring is divided by the at least two breaks to form the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna; The electrical connection assembly further includes a third contact, a fourth contact, a third spring, and a fourth spring. The third contact is disposed at one end of the second NFC antenna, and the fourth contact is disposed at the other end of the second NFC antenna. The third spring and the fourth spring are disposed on the motherboard. When the housing assembly is installed on the electronic device, the third spring is electrically connected to the third contact, and the fourth spring is electrically connected to the fourth contact.

6. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The third contact point and the projection of the third spring along the thickness direction of the electronic device at least partially overlap, and the fourth contact point and the projection of the fourth spring along the thickness direction at least partially overlap.

7. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, One of the first and second spring contacts is grounded, and the other spring contact is connected to the first differential signal terminal of the NFC controller on the motherboard; one of the third and fourth spring contacts is grounded, and the other spring contact is connected to the second differential signal terminal of the NFC controller; the current direction of the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna are both around the metal ring in the same direction, which is either counterclockwise or clockwise.

8. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The housing assembly also includes ferrite, which is disposed on the side of the rear cover near the motherboard and overlaps with the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna projected in the thickness direction of the electronic device. The ferrite is used to suppress eddy currents in the first NFC antenna and the second NFC antenna.

9. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical connection component is a flexible circuit board, a board-to-board connector, or consists of contacts and springs. If the electrical connection component is a flexible circuit board or a board-to-board connector, both ends of the first NFC antenna are connected to the motherboard through the flexible circuit board or the board-to-board connector. If the electrical connection component consists of contacts and springs, the contacts are provided at both ends of the first NFC antenna, and the springs are provided on the motherboard. When the housing assembly is assembled to the electronic device, the contacts are electrically connected to the springs.

10. The housing assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The metal ring can be circular, elliptical, or polygonal.

11. The housing assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The back cover is made of non-metallic material.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a device body and a housing assembly disposed on the device body as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 above.

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