Laser Perforated Apertures in Portable Device Bodies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices with both plastic and metal parts face aesthetic and functional issues due to the inclusion of plastic, such as visual and tactile differences, which can detract from the device's appearance and hinder seamless RF signal transmission.
Innovation Solution
The method involves defining laser perforation apertures in the conductive body of the device to facilitate RF signal transmission while maintaining a uniform metallic appearance through anodization and overmolding with plastic or resin, ensuring complete electrical isolation and a consistent aesthetic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plastic parts are used in the body to permit RF signal transmission, then RF signal transmission is enabled, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to visual and tactile differences between plastic and metal parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a clear coat with fluorinated silane coupling agent specifically to the plastic parts that require RF signal transmission, while leaving other plastic parts with different surface treatments. This localized differentiation allows the coated plastic parts to have enhanced RF transmission properties and improved aesthetic appearance (reduced visual and tactile differences from metal), while other parts maintain their original characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surface treatment by combining clear coat polymer matrix with fluorinated silane coupling agent on the plastic parts. This composite material provides both the RF signal transmission capability (through the fluorinated compound's low dielectric loss) and improved aesthetic appearance (through the clear coat's protective and visual properties).
2Shape
If NCVM coating is applied to plastic parts to provide metallic appearance, then visual uniformity is improved, but surface hardness decreases leading to increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the surface coating by using clear coat with fluorinated silane coupling agent instead of NCVM coating. This parameter change maintains visual uniformity (aesthetic appearance) while fundamentally altering the surface hardness characteristic to match or exceed metal hardness, thereby preventing wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the durable but soft NCVM coating with a different coating system (clear coat with fluorinated silane) that achieves the same visual uniformity function but with superior wear resistance, effectively creating a more long-lasting solution.
3Strength
If separate coating is applied to plastic parts to prevent scratching, then scratch resistance is improved, but color difference and alignment issues arise between plastic and metal parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies clear coat with fluorinated silane coupling agent that maintains the original color and appearance characteristics of the underlying plastic parts. This homogeneous approach ensures that the plastic parts remain visually consistent with adjacent metal parts, avoiding the color difference and alignment issues that arise from separate protective coatings.
Solution Approach 2:
The clear coat with fluorinated silane coupling agent replicates the visual properties (color, luster, texture) of the metal parts while providing the protective function, creating a visual copy that matches the metal appearance without the alignment and color matching problems of separate coatings.
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
This approach allows for effective RF signal transmission while maintaining a seamless, aesthetically appealing metallic appearance, reducing wear and visual differences between plastic and metal parts, thus enhancing the device's attractiveness and durability.
Implementation Method 1
apertures defined by laser perforation through at least a portion of the body of the portable electronic device
Implementation Method 2
The body of the portable electronic device also includes an anodization layer that at least partially fills the at least one aperture
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A method of fabricating the body (12) of the portable electronic device (10) as well as the resulting portable electronic device and its body are provided to facilitate the transmission of radio frequency signals through the body of the portable electronic device. In the context of a method, at least one aperture (18) and, in some instances, a plurality of apertures (18) are defined by laser perforation through a conductive portion of the body of the portable electronic device. The method may also anodize the conductive portion including at least partially filling the at least one aperture with an anodization layer. As such, the conductive portion of the body of the portable electronic device has a relatively consistent, metallic appearance, even though laser perforation apertures are defined therein for supporting the transmission of radio frequency signals.