CN111670517A

CN111670517A - Antenna, antenna component and electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN111670517A
Application number: CN201880088473.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 尤纳斯·克罗格鲁斯; 泽拉图尤布·米洛萨耶维; 阿荣·索帕蒂
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-08
Filing date: 2018-02-08
Publication date: 2020-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2038-02-08
Also published as: EP3718168B1; EP3718168A1; WO2019154501A1; CN111670517B

Abstract

An antenna comprising: a conductive ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901) defining a first plane and having a first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505); a first electrically conductive ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 803, 904) lying in a second plane parallel to said first plane and at a first distance from said first plane, wherein a second edge (404, 906) of said first ground plate is parallel to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505) of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901); -a conductive bridge (406, 607, 703, 807, 907) connecting said second edge (404, 906) of said first ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 803, 904) to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505) of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901); an elongated first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) defined by at least one of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901) and said bridge (406, 607, 703, 807, 907), wherein a longitudinal direction of said first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) is parallel to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505), said first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) coinciding with said first ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 904) as seen in a direction (405, 909) perpendicular to said first and second planes; a first antenna feed (408, 603, 604, 705, 910) on a distal side of the first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) as seen from a center of the ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901).

Description

Antenna, antenna component and electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of antennas for wireless communication, and in particular, to an antenna suitable for installation in a narrow space in an electronic device having a conductive frame. Furthermore, the invention relates to an antenna component comprising a plurality of antennas, and to an electronic device comprising an antenna or an antenna component.

Background

Antennas are required in all electronic devices that communicate using radio waves. Many such devices should be portable, easy to use, and aesthetically appealing to users. Thus, the size, design, overall appearance, mechanical robustness, and efficiency of wireless communication of these devices may impose difficult or even conflicting requirements on antenna design.

One example of such an electronic device is a portable communication and/or computing device, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer. Such a device may be relatively flat and somewhat elongated in shape and have two ends, two side edges, and front and back faces. A large portion of the front side is typically left for the touch sensitive display and the back side may be covered by a layer of glass and/or metal. A metal frame may also be included along the circumference of the end and side edges. The device may be only a few millimeters thick and the dimensions of the ends and side edges may range from a few centimeters to a few decimeters. The physical size of the antenna has a certain relationship with the communication wavelength. That is, if the antenna is to be used for communication at wavelengths below 6GHz, the physical size of the antenna must be on the order of several centimeters. Designing an antenna of such a size is difficult because on the one hand it enables efficient communication and high data throughput, but on the other hand it is easy to install the antenna in a portable communication device.

Various antenna configurations have been proposed in the prior art. These antenna structures typically require openings in the metal plate that cover the back of the device and/or openings in the metal frame along the perimeter of the device. Such gaps may adversely affect the overall design of the device. In addition, the antenna having such a slot is prone to a so-called "dead-grip phenomenon". That is, the user's finger or palm will be loaded with an electric field at the strongest location near the gap, thus greatly impairing the performance of the antenna.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an antenna. The antenna is compact in size, can be applied in portable electronic devices, is robust to a variety of operating conditions and can be combined with other antennas into an antenna assembly. It is a further object of the invention to provide an antenna component comprising at least one such antenna. It is a further object of the invention to provide an electronic device comprising at least one such antenna.

The above and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further embodiments are apparent from the dependent claims, the detailed description and the drawings.

According to a first aspect, an antenna is provided. The antenna includes: a conductive ground plane defining a first plane and having a first edge. The antenna further includes: a first ground plate that is electrically conductive and is located in a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane and is a first distance from the first plane, wherein a second edge of the first ground plate is parallel to the first edge of the ground plane. The antenna further includes: a conductive bridge connecting the second edge of the first ground plate to the first edge of the ground plane. The antenna further includes: an elongated first slot defined by at least one of the ground plane and the bridge, wherein a longitudinal direction of the first slot is parallel to the first edge, the first slot coinciding with the first ground plate as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes. The antenna further includes: a first antenna feed point, viewed from the center of the ground plane, distal to the first slot.

In a first possible implementation of the antenna, the first slot is delimited on one side by the ground plane and on the other side by the bridge.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the first antenna feed point is part of the bridge.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the first ground plane has the following dimensions: the first ground plate has a longitudinal length equal to: at least one of a half wavelength of electromagnetic radiation at an operating frequency of the antenna and a longitudinal length of the first slot; the width in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 3 to 10 mm.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the width of the first slot in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction is between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the antenna comprises a first dielectric support between the ground plane and the first ground plate for supporting the first ground plate.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the antenna includes a first opening in the first dielectric support coincident with a central portion of the first ground plate.

In another possible implementation of the antenna, the antenna comprises a second opening in the first ground plate on the bridge side of the central portion of the first ground plate.

According to a second aspect, an antenna component is provided. The antenna component comprises at least one antenna. The antenna component further includes: a conductive second ground plate on a second plane, wherein a third edge of the second ground plate is parallel to the first edge of the ground plane. The antenna component further includes: an elongated second slot defined by at least one of the ground plane and a bridge, wherein a longitudinal direction of the second slot is substantially parallel to the first edge, the second slot being substantially coincident with the second ground plate as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes. The antenna component further includes: a second antenna feed point, distal to the second slot as viewed from a center of the ground plane, wherein the conductive bridge connects the third edge of the second ground plate to the first edge of the ground plane.

In a first possible implementation of the antenna component, the proximal ends of the first slot and the second slot are separated from each other in the direction of the first edge by a first isthmus of ground plane material, and the first ground plate and the second ground plate are separated from each other in the direction of the first edge by a distance of a first gap.

In another possible implementation of the antenna component, the antenna component includes a capacitor electrically coupled in parallel with the first isthmus of the ground plane material.

In another possible implementation of the antenna component, the antenna component comprises at least one further antenna, wherein the further antenna is displaced from the first and second slots in the direction of the first edge.

In another possible implementation manner of the antenna component, the antenna component includes: a first open-slot antenna displaced from a distal end of the first slot in a direction of the first edge; a second split slot antenna displaced from a distal end of the second slot in a direction of the first edge.

In another possible implementation of the antenna component, the continuous piece of conductive material of the bridge extends from the slot of the first split slot antenna, through the first and second ground plates, to the slot of the second split slot antenna in the direction of the first edge.

According to a third aspect, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises at least one antenna as described above.

In a first possible implementation manner of the electronic device, the electronic device includes: a conductive second ground plate on a second plane, wherein a third edge of the second ground plate is parallel to the first edge of the ground plane. The electronic device further includes: an elongated second slot defined by at least one of the ground plane and a bridge, wherein a longitudinal direction of the second slot is substantially parallel to the first edge, the second slot being substantially coincident with the second ground plate as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes. The electronic device further includes: a second antenna feed point, distal to the second slot as viewed from a center of the ground plane, wherein the conductive bridge connects the third edge of the second ground plate to the first edge of the ground plane.

In another possible implementation manner of the electronic device, the electronic device includes: a first open-slot antenna displaced from a distal end of the first slot in a direction of the first edge; a second split slot antenna displaced from a distal end of the second slot in a direction of the first edge.

In another possible implementation of the electronic device, a continuous piece of conductive material extends from the slot of the first split slot antenna, through the first and second ground plates, to the slot of the second split slot antenna in the direction of the first edge.

In another possible implementation of the electronic device, the electronic device is flat and includes two end portions, two side edges, a front surface and a back surface. The electronic device includes a metal loop along the two ends and the two side edges, wherein the loop defines dimensions of the front and back surfaces. The edge of the bridge or the ground plane is part of the ring.

In another possible implementation manner of the electronic device, the electronic device includes: a first set of four antennas along a first side edge of the two side edges, wherein the first set comprises in order: a first open slot antenna, a first closed slot antenna, a second closed slot antenna, and a second open slot antenna; a second set of four antennas along a second side edge of the two side edges, wherein the second set comprises in order: a third open slot antenna, a third closed slot antenna, a fourth closed slot antenna, and a fourth open slot antenna.

In another possible implementation of the electronic device, the electronic device comprises at least one further antenna at least one of the two ends.

Drawings

Figure 1 illustrates the principle of a slot antenna;

figure 2 shows the principle of a slot antenna with an extended ground plane;

figure 3 shows the principle of a slot antenna with a folded extended ground plane;

figures 4a to 4d illustrate a slot antenna structure;

fig. 5 shows an example of a slot antenna structure;

fig. 6 shows an example of a slot antenna structure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device;

figure 8 shows an exploded view of a slot antenna structure of an electronic device;

figure 9 shows the principle of a slot antenna with a folded extended ground plane;

FIG. 10 shows the same principle as FIG. 9 but with a different cross-section;

figure 11 shows a cross-section of a slot antenna structure along a first cross-section;

fig. 12 shows a cross-sectional view along a second cross-section of the same slot antenna structure as fig. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a cross-section of a portion of an electronic device along a first cross-section;

figure 14 shows a cross-sectional view along a second cross-section of the same slot antenna portion as in figure 13;

figure 15 shows an exploded view of a slot antenna structure of an electronic device;

fig. 16 shows an electronic device with multiple antennas.

Detailed Description

In this document, the geometrical relations between several elements are understood to cover the mentioned geometrical relations, but also geometrical relations within the production tolerances. Accordingly, the following terms used primarily are intended to cover manufacturing tolerances as well.

Figure 1 shows the principle of a slot antenna. An elongated slot 101 is formed in a conductive ground plane 102. In this example, the longitudinal direction of the slot 101 is substantially parallel to the edge 103 of the ground plane. The antenna feed point 104 is located distal to the slot 101 as seen from the center of the ground plane 102. Coaxial cables are used for antenna feeding. Only a small portion of the extreme end of the coaxial cable is shown in fig. 1. Other types of transmission lines may also be used for antenna feeding. The centerline 104 of the coaxial cable is connected to the antenna feed 104, while the conductive shield 106 of the coaxial cable is connected to the ground plane 102 on the proximal side of the slot 101. It has been observed that the efficiency of such slot antennas is not always optimal. The reason may be that the width of the sheet of conductive material at the far side of the slot 101, i.e. between the slot 101 and the edge 103, is relatively narrow.

Figure 2 shows an improved slot antenna. The structure is similar to that of figure 1, but there is an extension 201 of the ground plane 102 on the far side of the slot 101. It has been found that the efficiency of such an improved slot antenna is significantly better than that of the antenna of figure 1. However, attempts to install the improved slot antenna of figure 2 into a portable electronic device remain difficult unless the design of the electronic device allows for the accommodation of protrusions or other types of contour features of the extension 201.

Fig. 3 shows an antenna having both the compact profile of the antenna of fig. 1 and the efficiency of the antenna of fig. 2. The direction of the antenna as seen in fig. 3 is the same as in fig. 1 and 2. The slot 101 and the feed point 104 are drawn in dashed lines in fig. 3. Since the slot 101 and the feed point 104 are hidden under the ground plate 301 similar to the extension 201 of fig. 2 from this direction, it is folded back onto the portion of the ground plane 102 comprising the slot 101 and the feed point 104.

Fig. 4a to 4d show an antenna similar to that of fig. 3 in more detail. Fig. 4a to 4d each show the same antenna seen from four different directions: from below (fig. 4a), from one end (fig. 4b), from the side (fig. 4c) and from above (fig. 4 d).

The antenna comprises a conductive ground plane 401. The conductive ground plane 401 geometrically defines a first plane and has an edge, referred to herein as a first edge 402. The expression "first plane" refers to a virtual plane, not something physical but a geometrical concept. Saying that the ground plane 401 defines a first plane means that the ground plane 401 has substantially the form of a plane, so that the point (x, y, z) of the ground plane 401 in the three-dimensional cartesian coordinate system can be said to satisfy the equation a (x-x0) + b (y-y0) + c (z-z0) ═ 0, where a, b, and c are constants, (x0, y0, z0) are fixed points of the ground plane 401. The ground plane 401 does not require a strict ground plane, so the "equal" sign in the equation can be replaced by "approximately equal". Some aspects of the form of the ground plane 401 that differ from the strictly planar form will be described later herein.

The edge 402 is a straight edge in fig. 4a to 4 d. This is not a requirement of the present invention, but edge 402 may be curved or serpentine, or may include dog-ears or corners. However, many electronic devices have straight edges, so the straight edge of the ground plane that forms part of the electronic device may closely follow the straight edge of the electronic device.

The antenna comprises a conductive ground plate 403. The conductive ground plane 403 lies in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane in the three-dimensional geometry of the antenna. The second plane is also a tableWhat is a concept, not anything tangible. If the equation for the first plane is the same as given above and the second plane is shown at a distance (a) from the first plane²+b²+c²) The square root of (a), then the point (x, y, z) of the second plane satisfies the equation a (x + a-x0) + b (y + b-y0) + c (z + c-z0) ═ 0.

The ground plate 403 need not be strictly planar and the two planes need not be strictly parallel. However, in an electronic apparatus having a substantially flat form, two planes may be parallel to the flat front and rear of the electronic apparatus, which is advantageous in that the structure of the electronic apparatus can be more directly designed. In this case, the second plane may be at a distance from the first plane, which distance is determined by two structural parts of the electronic device which are substantially flat following the contour of the device. One possible feature is that if an antenna of the type described herein is implemented in an electronic device of planar and/or rectangular form, the ground plane 401 and the ground plate 403 are both considered planar and parallel to each other if both the ground plane 401 and the ground plate 403 conform to one or more of those structural portions of the electronic device that make the electronic device appear to be a flat and/or rectangular electronic device.

The edge 404 of the ground plate 403 is substantially parallel to the edge 402 of the ground plane 401. If an antenna of the type described herein is implemented in an electronic device having edges, the two

edges

404 and 402 may be said to be "substantially parallel," for example, if both edges conform to one or more of those structural portions of the electronic device that define the edges of the electronic device.

For clarity, the edge 402 of the ground plane 401 may be referred to as a first edge and the edge 404 of the ground plate 403 may be referred to as a second edge. The second edge 404 substantially coincides with the first edge 402, seen in a direction 405 perpendicular to the first and second planes. In other words, in the bottom view (fig. 4a) and the top view (fig. 4d), the first edge 402 and the second edge 404 overlap each other. The first edge and the second edge being coincident with each other as seen in direction 405 is not an essential requirement of the present invention, but merely a result of the generally right angle configuration of fig. 4 a-4 d.

The antenna comprises a conductive bridge 406 connecting a second edge 404 of the ground plate 403 to a first edge 402 of the ground plane 401. The bottom view in fig. 4b shows how the ground plane 401, the bridge 406 and the ground plate 403 are all part of a single sheet of conductive material. Thus, the structure may be obtained by first bending the extended portion of the sheet of conductive material upwards at edge 402 and then backwards (compared to previous figures 2 and 3) at edge 404. However, the invention does not require that these three portions be part of a single continuous sheet of conductive material. The embodiments in which these three parts are originally different structural pieces will be explained later in this specification. The example structures in fig. 4 a-4 d are generally right-angled, but in alternative embodiments the bend between the ground plane 401 and the bridge 406 and/or the bend between the bridge 406 and the ground plate 403 may be at an oblique angle.

The antenna comprises an elongated slot 407, bounded by at least one of the ground plane 401 and the bridge 406. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4a to 4d, the slot 407 is only defined by the ground plane 401. The longitudinal direction of the slot 407 is substantially parallel to the first edge 402. The slot 407 substantially coincides with the ground plate 403 as viewed in a direction 405 perpendicular to the first and second planes. In other words, in the bottom view of fig. 4a and the top view of fig. 4d, the contour of the slot 407 at least substantially conforms to the contour of the ground plate 403.

The antenna comprises an antenna feed point 408 on the far side of the slot 407, seen from the center of the ground plane 401. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4a to 4d, the feed point 408 is substantially midway between the ends of the slot 407, but this is not a requirement of the invention. In view of the symmetrical distribution of the current in the conductive part of the antenna, it is advantageous to place the feed point 408 closer to the middle of the slot 407 than to the ends of the slot 407.

In some cases it may be advantageous to place the feed point in a different way than in fig. 4a to 4 d. For example, if other structures of the electronic device are asymmetric in the antenna environment with respect to the midpoint of the antenna, the feed point may be placed at an asymmetric location to achieve optimal distribution of current. According to another example, the antenna may be designed to operate over multiple non-adjacent frequency bands, where the optimal position of the feed point may be a position other than the midpoint.

The centre line 409 of the coaxial cable is connected to the feed point 408 in fig. 4a to 4 d. The conductive shield 410 of the coaxial cable is connected to the ground plane 401 near or proximal to the slot 407. The other end of the coaxial cable is not shown in fig. 4a to 4d, but it is assumed that this end is already connected to a radio transceiver.

The operation of the antenna in the transmit mode can be briefly considered. According to known principles, the operation of the antenna in the receive mode is essentially the inverse of the operation of the antenna in the transmit mode.

In transmission mode, radio frequency signals are coupled from the coaxial cable to the feed point 408. The radio frequency signal excites an oscillating current in the conductive material at the frequency of the radio frequency signal. According to geometry, current flows around the slot between the feed point 408 and the point 411, where the conductive shielding 410 of the coaxial cable is coupled to the opposite edge of the slot at the point 411. In order for the antenna to be most efficient in the so-called half-wavelength mode, the shortest distance available for the current conducted between said two points should be equal to half the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation at the operating frequency of the antenna.

The ground plate 403 is parallel to the portion of the ground plate 401 through which the current flows, and has a short distance compared to the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation at said operating frequency. The ground plate 403 may improve antenna efficiency by providing a path for current flowing through it and forming a mirror of the current passing through the slot. Therefore, the advantageous dimensions of the ground plate 403 are as follows: the longitudinal length of the ground plate is substantially equal to half the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation at the operating frequency of the antenna and/or in the longitudinal length of the slot 407. Such exemplary ground plate lengths have the following advantages: there is an optimum space for inducing currents in the longitudinal direction of the ground plate without having to reserve too much space for the ground plate. The ground plate 403 may also be slightly longitudinally larger than the length of the slot 407.

The length of the ground plate 403 may also be slightly less than half the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation at the operating frequency because the width of the ground plate 403 provides some additional space for the current to travel, thereby lengthening the path of the current. In fig. 4a to 4d, the ground plate 403 is drawn longer than the slot 407 for clarity of the drawing.

If the operating frequency of the antenna is in the order of a few gigahertz, the width of the slot 407 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be, for example, between 0.3 and 1.5 millimeters, preferably between 0.5 and 1.0 millimeters. Thus, wider slots may be advocated for antenna efficiency, while other considerations, such as limited space available in the structure of the electronic device, may push the design toward narrower slot widths.

The width of the ground plate 403 should be greater than the width of the slot. Preferably, the width of the ground plate 403 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is between 3 mm and 10 mm. The exemplary width of the ground plane has the advantage that it is large enough to allow efficient antenna operation, while it is small enough to allow a relatively small amount of space to be available inside the portable electronic device. Advantageously, the width of the ground plate 403 is less than one quarter of the wavelength of the operating frequency. The operating frequency of the antenna (self-resonance) can be optimized by optimizing the width and length of the ground plate 403 and the length of the slot 407.

The structure of the electronic device and the space available for the antenna parts may have a significant impact on how the size of the ground plane 403 is selected. Basically, the lower the frequency the antenna is to be used, the larger the size. Similarly, if the electronic device is relatively large, more space may be allocated for the antenna structure. Therefore, the numerical value examples given above should be taken as examples only, and different numerical values may be given to the dimensions.

Fig. 5 shows an antenna component comprising two antennas. Each antenna follows the general principles described above with reference to figures 4a to 4 d. The antenna component shown in fig. 5 comprises a conductive ground plane 505 defining a first plane and having a first edge 507 comprising a conductive first ground plate 501 and a conductive second ground plate 502. The ground plates are each located in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane and at a first distance from the first plane. The invention does not require that the first ground plate and the second ground plate must lie on the same "second" plane, but they may each lie on their own plane, i.e. at different distances from the first plane.

The first ground plate 501 has a second edge. Said second edge is substantially parallel to the first edge 507 of the ground plane and substantially coincides with said first edge 507 seen in a direction perpendicular to said first and second planes due to the substantially right angle configuration of the structure. The second ground plate 502 has a third edge which is parallel to said first edge 507 of the ground plane 505 and which substantially coincides with said first edge as seen from said direction perpendicular to said first and second planes for the same reason as the second edge. In this regard, the second and third edges are very similar to the second edge 404 described above with reference to FIG. 4 b.

The antenna component of fig. 5 comprises: a first conductive bridge connecting a second edge of the first ground plate 501 to a first edge of the ground plane 505; a second conductive bridge connecting the third edge of the second ground plate 502 to the first edge 507 of the ground plate 505. The first bridge and the second bridge may also be identical parts. Such embodiments will be described in more detail in the later sections of this specification.

The antenna component of fig. 5 comprises an elongated first slot 503 and an elongated second slot 504, both defined by at least one of a ground plane 505 and a (respective) bridge. The longitudinal direction of both the first slot 503 and the second slot 504 is substantially parallel to a first edge 507 of the ground plane 505. The first slot 503 substantially coincides with the first ground plate 501 as seen from a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes. The second slot 504 substantially coincides with the second ground plate 502, seen in said direction perpendicular to said first and second planes.

The antenna component of fig. 5 comprises a first antenna feed point 508, seen from the centre of the ground plane 505, distal to the first slot 503. The antenna component further comprises a second antenna feed 509, seen from the centre of the ground plane 505, distal to the second slot 504. Wherein the second antenna feed point 509 is located on a protruding portion 510 of the ground plane 505, said protruding portion 510 protruding across the second slot 504 in a substantially elongated form.

The protruding portion 510 is sufficiently long such that its end is actually located on (or even beyond) an imaginary line defined proximally of the second slot 504 as seen from the center of the ground plane 505 (the proximal cut 511 of the second slot 504 ensures that the end of the protruding portion 510 does not contact the material proximal of the ground plane 505. however, the second antenna feed point 509 is located distally of the second slot 504 as seen from the center of the ground plane 505. this may be shown, for example, by inspection.

The proximal ends (i.e., the ends closest to each other) of the first slot 503 and the second slot 504 are separated from each other in the direction of the first edge 507 by a first isthmus 506 of ground plane material. That is, the conductive material of the ground plane 505 is substantially continuous around the first slot 503 and the second slot 504. This is not a requirement of the invention, but in some embodiments the ground plane material between the proximal ends of the slots may have a gap to improve the spacing of adjacent antennas. The isthmus providing ground plane material between the proximal ends of the slots has the following advantages: providing space for the installation of additional components. This will be explained in detail in the later part of the description.

The first ground plate 501 and the second ground plate 502 are spaced apart from each other by a gap in the direction of the first edge. The advantage of providing a gap is to increase the spacing of adjacent antennas, as opposed to using a continuous ground plate to cover the first slot 501 and the second slot 504.

Fig. 5 also shows the possibility of different sizes of the first slot 503 and the second slot 504. The first and

second ground plates

501, 502 may also be different sizes. The unique dimensions of the antenna component parts have the following advantages: each antenna may be optimized to operate at a particular operating frequency or range of frequencies. The unique size may also be advantageous if the operating frequencies and other parameters of the two antennas are the same, but the loading effect on the two antennas by other components in the vicinity of the electronic device is different.

Fig. 6 shows another antenna component comprising two antennas. Each antenna follows the general principles described above with reference to fig. 4a to 4d, but with some modifications compared to fig. 5.

In the embodiment of fig. 6, both the first slot 601 and the second slot 602 are bounded on one side by the ground plane and on the other side by the bridge 607. This has a number of advantages. First, the ground plane 608 may be easier to manufacture than a plane in which a slot becomes a via, because only the contour of the ground plane needs to be cut in a particular way, without having to make any vias. Secondly, especially with the bridge 607 on or very close to the outer edge of the electronic device, the slot 601 and the slot 602 may be arranged at or very close to the outer edge of the electronic device. Thus, the use of a continuous area of the side of the electronic device, such as a display, a continuous backplane, or other components requiring a significant portion of the side, is not limited.

In the embodiment of fig. 6, the first antenna feed point 603 and the second antenna feed point 604 are part of a bridge 607. This has the following advantages: if the transmission line connecting the antenna to the transceiver is designed accordingly, the connection antenna can be automatically made during the assembly of the device without any special manufacturing steps (e.g. soldering). In fig. 6, a first antenna feed point 603 is located on the bridge 607 and a second antenna feed point 604 is located on a protruding portion of the bridge 607.

In the embodiment of fig. 6, a continuous piece of conductive material of the bridge 607 extends from one antenna to the other in the direction of the (first) edge of the ground plane 608. This is advantageous both structurally and aesthetically. The structure may be more robust because a continuous bridge may provide more structural support than two separate bridges. As described herein below, a continuous bridge may make the device more aesthetically appealing than a device having one or more interrupted bridges if the portions making up the bridge are at least partially visible from outside the electronic device.

Fig. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of an edge of some portion of an electronic device including at least one antenna of the type described above. The electronic device comprises a conductive ground plane 701, wherein the conductive ground plane 701 may be a dedicated ground plane for an antenna of the electronic device. Alternatively, the ground plane 701 may have other functions, for example, if the front side surface of the electronic device includes a large display, the ground plane 701 may be the ground plane of the display. In view of the substantially flat profile of the electronic device, the ground plane 701 is substantially planar. The appearance of the electronic device may be somewhat rounded and/or thinned towards its outer edge. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 7, the ground plane 701 may also have a cross-section that is slightly curved toward its edges.

The electronic device of fig. 7 includes a conductive ground plate 702. The conductive ground plate 702 is substantially planar and parallel to the ground plane 701 at a first distance from the ground plane 701. The appearance of the electronic device may also determine some exceptions to the strictly planar form of the ground plate 702. In fig. 7, the ground plate 702 is bent slightly inward toward the edge on the left side in fig. 7. Therefore, the distance between the ground plane 701 and the ground plate 702 is smaller than the distance to the edge and larger than the distance to the right edge in fig. 7. However, for purposes of illustration, the ground plane 701 and the ground plate 702 may still be said to be substantially planar and lie on two adjacent parallel virtual planes.

The electronic device of fig. 7 comprises a conductive bridge 703. The conductive bridge 703 connects an edge (left edge in fig. 7) of the ground plate 702 to an edge (left edge in fig. 7) of the ground plane 701. The bridge 703 also has other functions in the electronic device structure. These functions will be described in more detail later with reference to fig. 8. The conductive connection between the edge of the ground plane 701 and the bridge 703 and between the edge of the ground plate 702 and the bridge 703 may be enhanced by using conductive pads, some conductive adhesive, or some other means well known in the art of enhancing the conductivity of mechanical connections.

The electronic device in fig. 7 includes an elongated slot 704. The elongated slot 704 is bounded on one side by the ground plane 701 and on the other side by the bridge 703. The slot 704 features are similar to the slot 601 and the slot 602 in fig. 6. Since fig. 7 is a cross-section along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slot 704, the slot 704 appears only as a small gap in fig. 7.

The electronic device in fig. 7 comprises an antenna feed point 705. The antenna feed 705 is part of the bridge 703. More specifically, the protrusion extends inward (i.e., toward the interior of the electronic device) from the bridge 703, and the end of the protrusion constitutes an antenna feed point 705. A transmission line connects the antenna feed 705 to a transceiver (not shown) of the electronic device. In the embodiment of fig. 7, the transmission line is implemented on a multi-layer flexible printed circuit board 706. When the structure is assembled, the conductive patches on the surface of the multilayer flexible printed circuit board 706 are in contact with the antenna feed points 705. The electronic device structure that may support the multi-layer flexible printed circuit board 706 is only schematically illustrated in fig. 7 with reference number 707.

A portion of the antenna of the electronic device of fig. 7 is a dielectric support 708 between the ground plane 701 and the ground plate 702. In other cases, the present invention does not mandatorily require the use of such dielectric supports, but one is shown in fig. 7 as an example. The dielectric support 708, as the name implies, is a support structure for at least supporting the ground plate 702. The dielectric support 708 may also have other structural functions, such as supporting the bridge 703 and/or supporting portions of the side surfaces of the electronic device, or supporting a dielectric housing (plastic, glass, or other) of the electronic device that overlies the ground plate 702. The use of a dielectric support has the following advantages: the structure can be made stronger to cope with structural loads that may be generated, for example, by a user holding the electronic device with a hand.

Fig. 8 is a partially exploded view of certain portions of an electronic device. The electronic device comprises an antenna component, wherein the antenna component comprises at least two antennas of the kind described with reference to fig. 4a to 4 d. The electronic device includes a conductive ground plane 801, a first conductive ground plate 802 and a second conductive ground plate 803. Ground plate 801, ground plate 802, and ground plate 803 may be similar in form and location to each other as described above with reference to, for example, ground plane 701 and ground plane 702 of fig. 7.

The electronic device of fig. 8 includes an elongated first slot and an elongated second slot, each bounded on one side by a ground plane 801. The corresponding cut portions of the edge of the ground plane 801 are marked with

reference numerals

804 and 805, respectively.

The electronic device of fig. 8 is flat and includes two end portions, two side edges, a front side and a back side. The electronic device may be shaped as shown in fig. 8, with the ends pointing to the right and left, the side edges being the two edges connecting the ends to each other, the front side being the side not visible in the figure and the back side being the side most clearly visible in the figure.

The electronic device of fig. 8 includes a metal ring 806 along the two ends and the two side edges. The ring 806 substantially defines the dimensions of the front and back of the electronic device. In other words, the ring 806 constitutes the outer boundary of the flat-shaped electronic device.

Conductive bridges 807 connecting the respective edges of ground plate 802 and ground plate 803 to the edge of ground plane 801 are part of the ring 806 in fig. 8. This has the advantage of simplifying the mechanical structure of the electronic device, since a single mechanical component can be used for both functions. This construction can be compared with the partial cross section in fig. 7. The bridge 703 in fig. 7 may also be part of a ring that defines the outer boundary of the electronic device.

The antenna feed point of the electronic device cannot be seen directly in fig. 8, since it is located inside the bridge 807. However, FIG. 8 shows a multi-layer flexible printed circuit board 808, on the surface of which multi-layer flexible printed circuit board 808 are

conductive patches

809 and 810. These conductive patches are brought into contact with the respective antenna feed points when the electronic device is assembled. Implementing a transmission line to an antenna using the multilayer flexible printed circuit board 808 also has the following advantages: the impedance matching component can be placed very close to the antenna feed point. Examples of such impedance matching components are denoted by

reference numerals

811 and 812 in fig. 8.

The electronic device of fig. 8 includes a first dielectric support 813 for supporting the first ground plate 802 and a second dielectric support 814 for supporting the second ground plate 803. There is an opening 815 in the first dielectric support 813 and a corresponding opening 816 in the second dielectric support 814. Each opening coincides with a central portion of the

corresponding ground plate

802 or 803. The use of such openings has the advantage of minimizing the load caused by the dielectric support material. Having the openings 815 and 816 coincide with the central portion of the

respective ground plane

802 or 803 deepens this advantage because the electric field involved in the operation of the antenna is strongest near the center of the respective ground plane. The triangular shape of openings 815 and 816 is merely an example, and other forms may be used, such as rectangular, oval, or the like. Rectangular cutouts in the downward portions of the dielectric supports 813 and 814 in fig. 8 are used to accommodate the antenna feed connections and impedance matching components.

Each of the first and

second ground plates

802, 803 further comprises an opening, which is marked with

reference numerals

817 and 818, respectively. These openings may be used to provide more space, such as for possible protruding portions of the feed contacts (e.g., screws) or

impedance matching components

811 and 812. If such openings are made in the ground plates, it is advisable to make the openings on the bridge side of the central portion of the respective ground plate, in order not to consume too much conductive material. The size of the opening should be as small as possible. If either of the

ground plates

802 or 803 includes such an opening, this opening may be a through-hole type opening, such as those shown in fig. 8, or may be a cutout on the edge of the respective ground plate, such that the edge of the ground plate includes two separate portions, each of which is independently connected to the bridge 807.

The proximal ends of the first and second slots are separated from each other in the direction of the edge of the ground plane 801 by the isthmus of the ground plane material in fig. 8. The electronic device may include a capacitor 819 electrically coupled in parallel with the isthmus of the ground plane. This has the advantage of increasing antenna efficiency and increasing isolation between adjacent antennas. At radio frequencies, narrow portions of the conductive material (e.g., isthmus of the ground plane material) may substantially form an inductor. The capacitor 819, electrically coupled in parallel with the isthmus of ground plane material, together with the inductive operation of the isthmus, constitutes an additional decoupling filter circuit.

The electronic device may include further components and assemblies in addition to those shown in the simplified view of fig. 8. These are omitted so that the above-described portions can be more easily understood. However, structural features of these other parts may be variously combined with the features shown in fig. 8. For example, one or both of

ground plates

802 and 803 may be a metal foil or metalized area on the inner surface of an electronic device (dielectric) cover plate. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device may include other flexible printed circuit boards, at least one of the

ground plates

802 and 803 may be part of, in addition to or instead of the flexible printed circuit board shown in fig. 8.

The embodiments described above have seen the ground plane as being relatively thin and almost two-dimensional structural part. This is not a necessary requirement of the present invention. The ground plane, as well as many other parts of the antenna structure, may have significant three-dimensional characteristics. Examples of this type are described below with reference to fig. 9-15.

Fig. 9 is a simplified graphical representation of an antenna. The antenna comprises a conductive ground plane 901, wherein the conductive ground plane 901 is substantially planar in form, thereby defining a first plane 902. The thickness of the ground plane 901 (or at least a portion of the ground plane 901 as shown in fig. 9) in a direction perpendicular to the first plane 902 is also not small. In fig. 9, the first plane 902 is drawn to coincide with the lower plane of the ground plane 901. The ground plane has a first edge 903.

The antenna in fig. 9 comprises a conductive first ground plate 904 on a second plane 905, wherein said second plane 905 is substantially parallel to the first plane 902 and at a first distance from the first plane 902. As indicated by the dashed line, the distance in fig. 9 is shown enlarged, the first ground plate 904 will be closer to the upper plane of the ground plane 901 than in the assembled configuration of the antenna in the assembled configuration. The first ground plate 904 has a second edge 906, the second edge 906 being substantially parallel to the first edge 903 of the ground plane 901.

A conductive bridge 907 (in an assembled configuration) connects the second edge 906 of the first ground plate 904 to the first edge 903 of the ground plane 901. For clarity of illustration, the bridge 907 is shown at right angles to the first plane 902 and the second plane 905, but this is not a necessary requirement of the invention. The bridge 907 may also be at an oblique angle relative to the plane.

The elongated first slot 908 is defined by a portion of the thicker portion of the ground plane 901. The first slot 908 may also be at least partially defined by a bridge if the relative dimensions of the ground plane 901 and the bridge 907 are set differently. The longitudinal dimension of the first slot 908 is substantially parallel to the first edge 903. The first slot 908 substantially coincides with the first ground plate 904 as viewed in a direction 909 perpendicular to the first plane 902 and the second plane 905. The operating (self-resonant) frequency of the antenna can be optimized by optimizing the width and length of the ground plate 904 and the length of the slot 908.

The first antenna feed 910 is located distal to the first slot 908 as seen from the center of the ground plane 901. Similar to the feed point 509 in fig. 5 and the feed point 604 in fig. 6, the first antenna feed point 910 is located at the tip of a protruding protrusion from the distal side of the first slot 908 towards or even beyond the imaginary line defined by the proximal side of the first slot 908. However, in view of the electrical operation of the slot antenna, the first antenna feed 910 is electrically located distal to the first slot 908.

Fig. 9 also shows a first cross-section 911. Fig. 10 shows the same antenna and shows a second cross section 1001. Cross-sections 911 and 1001 are drawn to make it easier to understand how figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 depict the various parts of the antenna structure.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna. The principle of construction of the antenna is substantially similar to that shown in figures 9 and 10. The cross-sectional view of fig. 11 is taken along a first cross-section 911. Unlike fig. 9, the first ground plate 904 and the bridge 907 do not constitute a right-angle combination of two planar portions. In fig. 11, the bridge 907 is a curved portion that smoothly joins with the second edge 906 of the first ground plate 904. Furthermore, the first edge 903 of the ground plane 901 and the edge of the first elongated slot 908 may have some three-dimensional form, such as steps and slopes, etc.

Fig. 11 shows how the thicker part of the ground plane 901 may comprise other forms, such as a groove 1101 for a flexible printed circuit board or some other kind of electrical conductor.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna substantially similar to that shown in fig. 9 and 10 along a second cross-section 1001. Fig. 12 shows how the first antenna feed point 910 is located at the tip of the protrusion 1201.

Fig. 13 and 14 show examples of how other parts of the electronic device may be arranged around the antenna, as described above with reference to fig. 9 to 12. Fig. 13 is a sectional view along a plane similar to fig. 11. Fig. 14 is a sectional view along a plane similar to fig. 12.

In fig. 13, a front cover 1301 covers the front side of the electronic device, and a rear cover 1302 covers the rear side of the electronic device. A layered assembly such as a display 1303 fills the space between the ground plane 901 and the front cover 1301. The display 1303 may include a conductive layer. If the display 1303 extends all the way to the side edge of the electronic device (on the left side of fig. 13), the effective operation of the antenna will be greatly affected. Therefore, it is advantageous to leave a gap 1304 between the outer edge of the display 1303 and any conductive components at the outer edge of the electronic device. Advantageously, the width of the gap 1304 is of the same order of magnitude as the width of the first elongate slot 908.

Also shown in fig. 13 is a cross-section of a (flexible) printed circuit board 1305 mounted in the recess 1101 shown in fig. 11. The portions of the structure shown as blank in fig. 13 may be left empty or they may be partially or completely filled with a suitable dielectric material, such as a non-conductive plastic, for example (e.g., if increased mechanical rigidity is desired). The plastic filling the first elongated slot 908 is chosen in particular with a view to its close proximity range suitable for an antenna operating at the frequency in question, in order not to cause unwanted loading and attenuation.

Fig. 14 shows an example of how the antenna feeding is implemented. Near the first antenna feed point, a connector component 1401 is attached to a flexible printed circuit board 1305. Screws 1402 pass through holes in connector member 1401 and threaded holes in protrusions 1201.

Fig. 15 is a partially exploded view of portions of an electronic device including an antenna assembly including at least two antennas of the type described above with reference to fig. 9-14 and other antennas. Parts that are quite similar to corresponding parts in previous figures have the same reference numerals and appropriate descriptions of these parts can therefore be read above with reference to the respective previous figures.

Unlike fig. 8, the edge 1505 of the ground plane that forms part of the antenna of the electronic device is part of a ring 806 that substantially defines the dimensions of the front and back of the electronic device.

The antenna component in the electronic device of fig. 15 comprises at least one further antenna, wherein the at least one further antenna is displaced from the first slot 1501 and the second slot 1502 in the direction of the (first) edge of the ground plane. This has the advantage of better wireless communication capabilities for the electronic device, e.g. a larger wireless frequency range and/or stronger MIMO (multiple input multiple output) capabilities, thereby enhancing the data rate and robustness against fading and interference.

In particular the antenna component of the electronic device of fig. 15 comprises a first split slot antenna 1503 displaced from the far side of the first slot 1501 in the direction of the (first) edge 1505 of the ground plane. In addition, the antenna component comprises a second open-slot antenna 1504 displaced from the far side of the second slot 1502 in the direction of the (first) edge 1505 of the ground plane. Such additional antenna selection and placement has, for example, the following advantages: the slot antenna requires that the slot formed in the surrounding conductive material be placed near the end of the electronic device. A split slot antenna is typically a quarter wave structure at the operating frequency.

As part of the first and second closed slot antennas, the continuous conductive material of edge 1505 of the ground plane (compared to bridge 807 in fig. 8) passes from slot 1506 of the first open slot antenna, through first ground plate 802 and second ground plate 803, to slot 1507 of the second open slot antenna. The

slots

1506 and 1507 are near the ends of the electronic device, which is aesthetically attractive and may also have technical advantages.

A second open slot antenna is fed with a similar feed point component with the middle two (closed slot) antennas in figure 15. In other words, there is a conductive patch 1508 on the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 1509 against which a corresponding protrusion inside the edge 1501 will abut when the device is assembled. In the antenna device shown in fig. 15, the first slot antenna has a so-called capacitive feed. The capacitive feed involves a portion of the flexible printed circuit board 1509 as a ridge 1510 extends into position near a particular portion of the slot of the split slot antenna. Such a feeding block has the following advantages: free space may be reserved for other structural features such as openings for SIM (subscriber identity module) trays and volume keys that can be pressed, etc.

The feed point components of fig. 15 are examples and may be interchanged in a variety of ways. For example, a capacitive feed may be used for one or both closed slot antennas, while either or both open slot antennas may have a capacitive or conductive feed.

The planar structure shown below the other portion of fig. 15 is an example of a conductive (ground) plane 1511, where the plane 1511 may be part of another component of an electronic device, such as a display. In the embodiment of fig. 15, the planar (conductive) structure is slightly narrower than the maximum width of the electronic device. This ensures that a gap will remain between the edge of the conductive plane 1511 and the conductive structure that is part of the antenna ground plane (as compared to the gap 1304 in fig. 13). Reference numeral 1512 shows how, for example, the first gap 1506 will remain isolated from the conductive plane 1511 in the set-up.

Another way to make the conductive plane 1511 always narrower than the available space is to provide protrusions on its edges that coincide with the isthmus of conductive material between antennas in the ground plane, which can further improve isolation between adjacent antennas. The electronic device may have an antenna component of the type shown in fig. 15 along the first side, or may have an antenna in other portions. The provision of an additional antenna has the advantage of further enhancing the wireless communication capabilities of the electronic device as well as increasing data throughput and robustness against interference and attenuation. Fig. 16 schematically illustrates an electronic device including a first set 1601 of four antennas along a first side edge. The first group 1601 includes, in order, a first open slot antenna 1602, a first closed slot antenna 1603, a second closed slot antenna 1604, and a second open slot antenna 1605. The electronic device includes a second set 1606 of four antennas along a second side edge. The second set 1606 in turn includes a third open slot antenna 1607, a third closed slot antenna 1608, a fourth closed slot antenna 1609, and a fourth open slot antenna 1610. This combination of antenna group and antenna element has the following advantages: at least 4 times of the LTE B41(2500MHz to 2690MHz) frequency band and 8 times of the LTE B42/43(3400MHz to 3800MHz) frequency band can be covered. Each of the first and

second sets

1601, 1606 is similar to fig. 15, with two closed slot antennas in the middle and open slot antennas on both sides. In an alternative embodiment, any or all of the

open slot antennas

1602, 1605, 1607, or 1610 may be closed slot antennas and/or any or all of the

closed slot antennas

1603, 1604, 1608, or 1609 may be open slot antennas.

The electronic device of fig. 16 includes at least one other antenna at least one end of the electronic device. In particular, the antenna shown in fig. 16 includes four additional antennas, two of which 1611 and 1612 are located at one end and two of which 1613 and 1614 are located at the other end. The advantage of this antenna structure is that a complete 8x8 MIMO antenna system can be provided for the electronic device. The additional antennas 1611-1614 may be closed slot antennas, open slot antennas, inverted F antennas, monopoles, loops, coupling elements, or any other suitable type of antenna.

Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device may include one or more other antennas elsewhere, i.e., not only at the end of the electronic device. For example, a PIFA (planar inverted F antenna) may be fabricated on top of the ground plane at any suitable location in the electronic device.

The invention is described herein in connection with various embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the description and claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded only as illustrative of the invention as defined by the appended claims and are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations and equivalents as fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An antenna, comprising:

a conductive ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901) defining a first plane and having a first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505);

a first electrically conductive ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 803, 904) lying in a second plane parallel to said first plane and at a first distance from said first plane, wherein a second edge (404, 906) of said first ground plate is parallel to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505) of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901);

-a conductive bridge (406, 607, 703, 807, 907) connecting said second edge (404, 906) of said first ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 803, 904) to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505) of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901);

an elongated first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) defined by at least one of said ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901) and said bridge (406, 607, 703, 807, 907), wherein a longitudinal direction of said first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) is parallel to said first edge (402, 507, 903, 1505), said first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) coinciding with said first ground plate (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 702, 802, 904) as seen in a direction (405, 909) perpendicular to said first and second planes;

a first antenna feed (408, 603, 604, 705, 910) on a distal side of the first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 908, 1501) as seen from a center of the ground plane (401, 505, 608, 701, 801, 901).

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein:

the first slot (601, 602, 704) is delimited on one side by the ground plane (608, 701) and on the other side by the bridge (607, 703, 807).

3. An antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first antenna feed point (603, 604, 705) is part of the bridge (607, 703, 807).

4. An antenna according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the dimensions of the first ground plane (403, 501, 502, 605, 606, 802) are as follows:

the first ground plate has a longitudinal length equal to: at least one of a half wavelength of electromagnetic radiation at an operating frequency of the antenna and a longitudinal length of the first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 1501);

the width in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 3 to 10 mm.

5. An antenna according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the width of the first slot (407, 503, 504, 601, 602, 704, 1501) in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction is between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

6. The antenna of any preceding claim, comprising a first dielectric support (708, 813) between the ground plane (701, 801) and the first ground plane (702, 802) for supporting the first ground plane.

7. The antenna of claim 6, comprising a first opening (815) in the first dielectric support (813) coincident with a central portion of the first ground plate (802).

8. An antenna according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a second opening (817) in the first ground plate (802) on the bridge side of the central part of the first ground plate.

9. An antenna assembly, comprising:

an antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8;

a conductive second ground plate (502, 606, 803) located on a second plane, wherein a third edge of the second ground plate (502, 606, 803) is parallel to a first edge of a ground plane (505, 608, 801);

an elongated second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) defined by at least one of the ground plane (505, 606, 801) and a bridge (607, 807), wherein a longitudinal direction of the second slot (504, 602) is parallel to the first edge, the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) coinciding with the second ground plate (502, 606, 803), as seen in a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes;

a second antenna feed point (604) distal to the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) as viewed from a center of the ground plane, wherein

The conductive bridge (607, 807) connects the third edge of the second ground plate (502, 606, 803) to the first edge of the ground plane (505, 608, 801).

10. An antenna component according to claim 9, characterized in that the proximal ends of the first slot (503, 601, 804, 1501) and the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) are separated from each other in the direction of the first edge by a first isthmus (506, 609) of ground plane material, and that the first ground plate (503, 605, 802) and the second ground plate (504, 606, 803) are separated from each other in the direction of the first edge by a first gap distance.

11. The antenna component of claim 10, comprising a capacitor (819) electrically coupled in parallel with the first isthmus of ground plane material.

12. The antenna component according to any of claims 9 to 11, characterized by comprising at least one further antenna (1503, 1504), wherein the further antenna (1503, 1504) is displaced from the first and second slots in the direction of the first edge (1505).

13. The antenna component of claim 12, comprising:

a first open slot antenna (1503) displaced from a distal end of the first slot (1501) in the direction of the first edge (1505);

a second open-slot antenna (1504) displaced from a distal end of the second slot (1502) in the direction of the first edge (1505).

14. An antenna component according to claim 13, characterized in that a continuous piece of conductive material extends in the direction of the first edge from the slot (1506) of the first open slot antenna, through the first and second ground plates to the slot (1507) of the second open slot antenna.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that it comprises an antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, comprising:

an elongated second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) defined by at least one of the ground plane (505, 608, 701, 801) and a bridge (607, 703, 807), wherein a longitudinal direction of the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) is parallel to the first edge, the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) coinciding with the second ground plate (502, 606, 803) as seen in a direction perpendicular to the first and second planes;

a second antenna feed point (604) distal to the second slot (504, 602, 805, 1502) as seen from the center of the ground plane (505, 608, 701, 801), wherein

17. The electronic device of claim 16, comprising:

18. An electronic device according to claim 17, characterized in that a continuous piece of conductive material extends in the direction of the first edge (1505) from the slot (1506) of the first open slot antenna (1503) through the first ground plate (802) and the second ground plate (803) to the slot (1507) of the second open slot antenna (1504).

19. Electronic device according to any of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that

The electronic device is flat and comprises two end parts, two side edges, a front surface and a back surface;

the electronic device comprises a metal ring (806) along the two ends and the two side edges, wherein the ring (806) defines the dimensions of the front side and the back side;

the bridge (807) or an edge (1505) of the ground plane is part of the ring (806).

20. The electronic device of claim 19, comprising:

a first set (1601) of four antennas along a first one of the two side edges, wherein the first set comprises in sequence: a first open slot antenna (1602), a first closed slot antenna (1603), a second closed slot antenna (1604), and a second open slot antenna (1605);

a second set (1606) of four antennas along a second one of the two side edges, wherein the second set comprises in sequence: a third open slot antenna (1607), a third closed slot antenna (1608), a fourth closed slot antenna (1609), and a fourth open slot antenna (1610).

21. The electronic device according to claim 20, characterized in that it comprises at least one further antenna (1611, 1612, 1613, 1614) at least one of said two ends.