Foldable NFC Antenna Layout for Consistent Payment Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
NFC antennas in foldable electronic devices are inconvenient for payments due to their location and the device's folding characteristic, making it difficult to use payment services smoothly.
Innovation Solution
A foldable electronic device design with overlapping metals and ground areas, along with specific electrical paths, ensures consistent current flow and expanded magnetic field distribution for NFC operations, enhancing usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the NFC antenna is located at the center of the rear surface, then the device structure is simple, but the usability for payment is poor due to grip position limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The NFC antenna is divided into multiple segments (first antenna segment in the first housing, second antenna segment in the second housing) that can be distributed across different physical locations. This segmentation allows the antenna to function effectively regardless of which hand the user holds the device in, resolving the usability issue while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna design transitions from a single-plane (2D) configuration to a three-dimensional distributed configuration across two separate housings. By placing antenna segments in both the first and second housings and connecting them through the hinge portion, the system creates a spatially distributed antenna structure that provides coverage in multiple dimensions, enabling payment functionality regardless of device orientation or grip position.
2Reliability
If the NFC antenna is located at the center of the rear surface, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the magnetic field distribution is limited affecting payment functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is segmented into multiple independent antenna segments that can be manufactured separately in each housing. This segmentation improves reliability by ensuring that the NFC function can operate effectively regardless of device folding state, while the modular nature of segmented components facilitates standardized manufacturing processes and assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge portion serves as an intermediary element that electrically connects the first antenna segment in the first housing to the second antenna segment in the second housing. This intermediary connection mechanism enables the antenna system to maintain electrical continuity and functional reliability across the folded structure, while using a pre-existing structural component (the hinge) simplifies the overall assembly process.
3Ease of operation
If the device is folded, then portability is improved, but the NFC antenna alignment and magnetic field distribution are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is designed to be dynamic and adaptable to different device states. By distributing antenna segments across both housings and connecting them through the hinge, the system automatically adjusts its effective configuration based on whether the device is folded or unfolded. This dynamic design ensures consistent NFC performance regardless of the device's physical state, maintaining reliability while preserving portability benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna configuration transitions from a single-plane layout to a three-dimensional distributed arrangement across two housings. This spatial distribution ensures that antenna segments remain properly positioned and aligned relative to each other whether the device is folded or unfolded, maintaining magnetic field distribution and NFC functionality across different device states while preserving portability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design improves NFC usability by reducing grip position limitations and expanding magnetic field distribution, thereby enhancing the user experience for NFC services.
Implementation Method 1
The first metal and second metal are aligned with and overlap each other when the foldable electronic device is in the folded state... The wireless communication circuit is configured to process an NFC signal
Implementation Method 2
The first electrical path electrically interconnects the first metal and the wireless communication circuit... The second electrical path electrically interconnects the second metal and the wireless communication circuit
Data Source
AI summary
According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, provided is a foldable electronic device. The foldable electronic device includes a foldable housing including a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge portion interconnecting the first housing and the second housing, a first metal included in a first side that provides at least a portion of a side surface of the first housing, a second metal included in a second side that provides at least a portion of a side surface of the second housing, wherein the first metal and the second metal are aligned with and overlap each other in a folded state of the foldable electronic device, a first ground area located in the first housing and physically spaced apart from the first metal, a second ground area located in the second housing and physically spaced apart from the second metal, a wireless communication circuit accommodated in the first housing, a first electrical path electrically interconnecting the first metal and the wireless communication circuit, a second electrical path electrically interconnecting the second metal and the wireless communication circuit and disposed across the hinge portion, a third electrical path electrically interconnecting the first metal and the first ground area, a fourth electrical path electrically interconnecting the second metal and the second ground area, and a fifth electrical path electrically interconnecting the first ground area and the second ground area and disposed across the hinge portion.