Portable device

Abstract

A portable device (3) comprising: a case (31); a covering means (33) which is assembled with the housing to form a receiving space (41), and which has an outer surface (331) and a through-hole; a circuit board (35) arranged in the receiving space (41); a battery (39) which is arranged in the receiving compartment (41) and is electrically connected to the circuit board (35); and comprising a near-field communication (NFC) antenna (37): a metal layer (371) patterned onto the outer surface (331) of the covering medium (33); and a transmission element (373) that electrically connects the metal layer (371) to the circuit board (35) through the through-hole, wherein the NFC antenna (37) is spaced from the battery (39) and the circuit board by the distance of the covering material (33), with no additional covering material being arranged on the metal layer.

Description

II. Description of the invention: [Area of ​​the invention]

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable device. In particular, the portable device of the present invention has a near-field communication (NFC) antenna arranged on an outer surface of the back or battery cover of the portable device, thus eliminating the need for a ferrite sheet, which is conventionally used to separate the NFC antenna from the electronic components inside the portable device to avoid mutual interference. [Description of the state of the art]

[0002] With the rapid development of the communications industry, more and more wireless communication technologies are being integrated into handheld devices. Currently, general portable devices typically support communication in 2G and 3G wireless communication systems, generally the Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). In addition to 2G and 3G wireless communication systems, many mobile smartphones also support packet transmission in wireless LAN (WLAN) and 3GPP Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) systems, and even support Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology for contactless point-to-point data transmission over short distances.

[0003] As in Fig. Figure 1 shows a conventional portable device 1 comprising at least one enclosure 11, a rear cover 13, a circuit board 15, an NFC antenna 17, a ferrite sheet 19, and a battery 21. The NFC antenna 17 is located on an inner surface 131 of the rear cover 13 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 15 via the transmission element 171. The transmission element 171 can be a pogo pin, a coaxial cable, or any other conductive element capable of transmitting signals. To meet the trend toward a lightweight and thin-profile portable device, the distance between the NFC antenna 17 and the circuit board 15 and the battery 21 must be significantly reduced.In this case, the handheld device 1 must additionally be equipped with a ferrite sheet 19 between the NFC antenna 17 and the circuit board 15 and the battery 21 in order to reduce the interference between the NFC antenna 17 caused by the electronic components of the circuit board 15 and the battery 21. However, the ferrite sheet 19 increases the cost of the handheld device 1 and imposes a restriction on the arrangement of the NFC antenna 17. Document US 2009 / 0002242A1 discloses in paragraphs

[0058] to

[0061] and the Fig. 10-17, that the antenna is covered by additional parts of the rear casing. In all embodiments, the antenna requires a specific design and a corresponding structure arranged within the casing parts. This means that the cover conceals the antenna when the mobile phone is in use, and the antenna is located beneath a cover of the casing.

[0004] Document US 2009 / 0 002 242 A1 discloses a mobile phone in which the antenna is embedded in the back of the battery compartment.

[0005] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a state-of-the-art solution that is able to eliminate the need for a ferrite sheet on the portable device and to flexibly arrange the NFC antenna on the portable handheld device. [Contents of the invention]

[0006] An objective of the present invention is to provide a portable device comprising a near-field communication (NFC) antenna on an external surface of a rear cover, battery cover, or housing of the portable device. This eliminates the need to place a ferrite sheet between the NFC antenna and a circuit board and battery in the portable device of the present application. This reduces the manufacturing costs of the portable device and allows for more flexible placement of the NFC antenna.

[0007] "This objective is achieved through independent claims 1 and 2."

[0008] To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present application discloses a portable device comprising a housing, a cover, a circuit board, a battery, and an NFC antenna. The cover is assembled with the housing to form a receiving space and has an outer surface and a through-hole. The circuit board is arranged within the receiving space. The battery is also arranged within the receiving space and electrically connected to the circuit board. The NFC antenna comprises a metal layer and a transmission element. The metal layer is patterned on the outer surface of the cover. The transmission element connects the metal layer to the circuit board via the through-hole. The NFC antenna is separated from the battery and the circuit board by the distance between the cover.

[0009] The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the present application are described in the following paragraphs, accompanied by the attached drawings, for persons skilled in the art in this field, in order to clarify the features of the claimed invention. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view of a conventional portable device 1; Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic view of a portable device 3 of the present invention; Fig. Figure 3 shows an example where the NFC antenna of the present application is formed on an outer surface of a back cover. [Description of the preferred embodiment]

[0010] The present invention relates essentially to a portable device. The portable device has a near-field communication (NFC) antenna arranged on an outer surface of a covering element of the portable device, and the covering elements comprise a back cover, a battery cover, or part of a housing of the portable device, thereby eliminating the need for a ferrite sheet. It should be noted that the description of the preceding embodiments serves only for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the present invention.Furthermore, in the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings, elements that are in no way related to the present invention are omitted from the illustration; and dimensional relationships between individual elements in the accompanying drawings are shown only to simplify understanding, but not to limit the actual size.

[0011] Fig. Figure 2 shows a portable device 3 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The portable device 3 can be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a global positioning system (GPS) device, or any other portable device. The portable device 3 comprises a housing 31, a cover 33, a circuit board 35, an NFC antenna 37, and a battery 39. It should be noted, for the sake of simplicity, that other elements of the portable device 3, such as a display module, a communication module, an input module, and elements less related to the present invention, are all omitted from the illustration.

[0012] The housing 31 is composed of the cover elements 33 to form a receiving space 41. The cover elements 33 have an outer surface 331 and a through-hole (generally an area through which a transmission element 373 can pass). The circuit board 35 and the battery 39 are arranged in the receiving space 41 and are electrically connected to each other. The battery 39 serves as the operating power supply for the portable device 3 to operate it. The NFC antenna 37 comprises a metal layer 371 and a transmission element 373. The metal layer 371 is patterned as a radiating element / radiator on the outer surface 331 of the cover elements 33 to form a resonant current path and to generate electromagnetic radiation.The transmission element 373 electrically connects the metal layer 371 to the circuit board 35 via the through-hole to transmit the signals indicated by the NFC antenna 37 to the circuit board 35, or to receive a signal from the circuit board to be transmitted. In another design, the housing 31 of the portable device 3 extends to form a receiving space 41 and has cover means on one side of the housing opposite the arrangement of the display module. These cover means may also have an outer surface 331 and a through-hole, and the metal layer 371 is patterned as a radiating element on the outer surface 331 of the cover means. In other words, the housing on this side corresponds exactly to the position of the original rear cover or the battery cover 33. The housing covers at least some elements or modules within the portable device 3.

[0013] As in Fig. Figure 2 shows that the metal layer 371 of the NFC antenna 37 is formed on the outer surface 331 of the cover means 33 and is thus consequently separated from the battery 39 and the circuit board 35 by a distance of the cover means 33. In this way, interference on the NFC antenna 37 caused by the electronic elements of the circuit board 35 and the battery 39 can be limited. Thus, the present invention can eliminate the need for a ferrite sheet in the portable device, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the portable device 3. Furthermore, forming the metal layer 371 of the NFC antenna 37 on the outer surface 331 allows the antenna to be flexibly designed to achieve full utilization of the entire outer surface 331, and the outer surface 331 can be a smooth surface or any three-dimensional surface.

[0014] Furthermore, the metal layer 371 on the outer surface 331 can be patterned by a process such as a two-stage plastic injection molding process or a direct laser structuring (LDS) process; however, the present application is not limited to these two processes, and any other processes capable of patterning the metal layer 371 on the outer surface 331 are within the scope of protection of the present application. The use of the term "pattern" in this embodiment refers to the formation of a metal layer 371 with a specific pattern on the outer surface 331, and the specific pattern generally refers to a profile that allows the NFC antenna 37 to receive / transmit signals.In other words, conventional NFC antenna profiles or any other profiles developed on the basis of conventional NFC profiles may be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] Fig.Figure 3 shows an example of a portable device of the present application. The metal layer 371 of the NFC antenna 37 is patterned in the form of a loop type (comprising a plurality of loops) on the outer surface 331 of the covering means 33. In this example, the metal layer 371 has a first endpoint 371a and a second endpoint 371b; the through-hole of the covering means 33 comprises a first through-hole (at the location corresponding to the first endpoint 371a) and a second through-hole (at the location corresponding to the second endpoint 371b); and a transmission element 373, consisting of a first transmission element (not shown) and a second transmission element (not shown).In a practical design of the antenna, the first transmission element can electrically connect the first endpoint 371a of the metal layer 371a to the feed point of the circuit board 35, and the second transmission element can also be electrically connected to the second endpoint 371b of the metal layer 371 and the feed point of the circuit board 35.

[0016] In another practical design of the antenna, the first transmission element can be electrically connected to the first endpoint 371a of the metal layer 371 with a feed point of the circuit board 35, and the second transmission element can be electrically connected to the second endpoint 371b of the metal layer 371 with a ground point of the circuit board. In a similar design, the first transmission element can be electrically connected to the first endpoint 371a of the metal layer 371 with the ground point of the circuit board, and the second transmission element can be electrically connected to the second endpoint 371b of the metal layer 371 with the feed point of the circuit board.

[0017] As described above, the portable device of the present application has an NFC antenna formed on the outer surface of a back cover, battery cover, or the housing of the portable device. This increases the distance between the NFC antenna and the battery and circuit board, and reduces interference to the NFC antenna caused by the electronic components of the circuit board and battery, thus eliminating the need for a ferrite sheet in the portable device. Furthermore, since the design of the portable device of the present invention can utilize the entire area of ​​the outer surface of the back cover or the housing of the portable device, the antenna can be flexibly designed, and its performance can be improved accordingly.

[0018] The above disclosure relates to the detailed technical content and its inventive features. A person skilled in the art can make a variety of modifications and substitutions based on the disclosure and suggestions of the invention as described, without deviating from its characteristics. Although not all such modifications and substitutions have been fully disclosed in the above description, they are intended to be covered by the following claims, which are appended below. [Brief description of the reference symbols] 1 Portable device 11 cases 13 Covering agents 15 Circuit board 17 NFC antenna 19 Ferrite sheets 21 Battery 331 Inner surface 171 Transmission element 3 Portable device 31 cases 33 Covering agents 35 Circuit board 37 NFC antenna 39 Battery 41 Recording Room 331 Outer surface 371 Metal layer 371a First endpoint 371b Second endpoint 373 Transmission element

Claims

[1] A portable device (3) comprising: a housing (31); a cover means (33) assembled with the housing to form a receiving space (41), and having an outer surface (331) and a through-bore; a circuit board (35) arranged in the receiving space (41); a battery (39) arranged in the receiving space (41) and electrically connected to the circuit board (35); and a near-field communication (NFC) antenna (37) comprising: a metal layer (371) patterned on the outer surface (331) of the covering means (33); and a transmission element (373) electrically connecting the metal layer (371) to the circuit board (35) through the through-hole, wherein the NFC antenna (37) is spaced from the battery (39) and the circuit board by the distance of the covering means (33), wherein no additional covering means is arranged on the metal layer. [2] A portable device (3) comprising: a housing (31) which forms an accommodating space (41) extensionally, a part of the housing forming a cover means (33) and the cover means having an outer surface (331) and a through-bore; a circuit board (35) arranged in the receiving space; a battery (39) arranged in the receiving space and electrically connected to the circuit board; and an NFC antenna (37) comprising: a metal layer (371) patterned on the outer surface (331) of the covering means; and a transmission element (373) electrically connecting the metal layer (371) to the circuit board via the through-hole; wherein the NFC antenna (37) is spaced from the battery (39) and the circuit board (35) by a distance of the covering means - wherein the metal layer is patterned on the outer surface (331) by a double plastic injection process; and / or -wherein the metal layer on the outer surface (331) is patterned by a direct laser structuring process (laser direct structuring process (LDS); and / or -wherein the metal layer on the outer surface (331) is patterned with a loop type. [3] The portable device according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the metal layer (371) comprises a first end point (371a) and a second end point (371b), the through hole comprises a first through hole and a second through hole, and the transmission element (373) comprises a first transmission element and a second transmission element. [4] The portable device according to claim 3, wherein the first transmission element (373) connects the first end point (371a) of the metal layer (371) to a feed point of the circuit board (35), and the second transmission element (373) connects the second end point (371b) of the metal layer (371) to the feed point of the circuit board. [5] The portable device according to claim 3, wherein the first transmission element (373) connects the first end point (371a) of the metal layer (371) to the feed point of the circuit board (35) and the second transmission element (373) connects the second end point (371b) of the metal layer to a ground point of the circuit board. [6] The portable device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the portable device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer and a global positioning system (GPS) device. [7] The portable device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the metal layer (371) is patterned on the outer surface (331) by a double plastic injection process. [8] The portable device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the metal layer (371) is patterned on the outer surface (331) by a direct laser structuring process (LDS). [9] The portable device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the metal layer (371) on the outer surface (331) is patterned with a loop type.

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