WO2024092398A1

WO2024092398A1 - Multi-band antenna assembly and device provided with the antenna assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2024092398A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/128605
Authority: WO
Inventors: Katsunori Ishimiya
Original assignee: Goertek Inc.
Priority date: 2022-10-31
Filing date: 2022-10-31
Publication date: 2024-05-10

Abstract

An antenna assembly and an electronic device provided with the antenna assembly are provided. The antenna assembly includes a ground element configured for electrical connection to a ground plane at a grounding point and a feeding element configured for electrical connection to a radio signal circuitry at a feeding point. The ground element is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element, and at least a portion of the feeding element extends substantially parallel to at least a portion of the ground element to provide capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly. The antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may be manufactured with small size and thin thickness, while ensuring the performance and antenna efficiency of the antenna assembly.

Description

MULTI-BAND ANTENNA ASSEMBLY AND DEVICE PROVIDED WITH THE ANTENNA ASSEMBLY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to antenna devices suitable for application in mobile terminals, and in particular, to a multi-band antenna assembly and an electronic device including the multi-band antenna assembly.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, gaming devices, and Augmented Reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices are becoming increasingly popular. Such electronic devices are often provided with wireless communications capabilities and are integrated with antennas for the wireless communications. Due to small form factors of such mobile devices, there is limited space for antennas in the mobile devices.

In industries, there are provided a variety of antennas for being built-in a mobile device. For example, a planar inverted F antenna is proposed as a multi-band built-in antenna which is capable of operating in multiple frequency bands. But common planar inverted-F antenna is often subjected to reduce of transmission range due to the complexity in space.

Loop antennas are widely used in high-frequency applications. Conventional loop antennas are subjected to the drawbacks of complex matching circuitry, relatively large distance from the ground plane, and large loss in radiation efficiency.

In this concern, there is need for antennas that are applicable for being built-in mobile devices with simple structure and good performance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure aims to provide an antenna assembly having a small size, a thin thickness, a simple structure and good performance. At least following technical solutions are provided to achieve the above objective.

In one aspect, an antenna assembly is provided. The antenna assembly includes an antenna radiator, where the antenna radiator includes: a ground element configured for electrical connection to a ground plane at a grounding point; and a feeding element configured for electrical connection to a radio signal circuitry at a feeding point. The ground element is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element, and at least a portion of the feeding element extends substantially parallel to at least a portion of the ground element to provide capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly further includes a first matching element configured for connecting the ground element to the ground plane at the grounding point, and a second matching element configured for connecting the feeding element to the radio signal circuitry at the feeding point.

In one embodiment, the first matching element extends substantially parallel to the second matching element, and a length of the first matching element is substantially the same as a length of the second matching element.

In one embodiment, the first matching element extends substantially parallel to the second matching element, and a length of the first matching element is shorter than a length of the second matching element.

In one embodiment, an angle greater than 0 degree and less than 30 degrees is formed between the first matching element and the second matching element.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly further includes a dielectric carrier for supporting the antenna radiator.

In one embodiment, the antenna radiator is planar.

In one embodiment, the planar antenna radiator is arranged in a same plane as the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the planar antenna radiator is arranged in a plane which is spaced from the ground plane and is substantially parallel to the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the first matching element and the second matching element are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the grounding point is located in a central portion of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects outwardly with respect to the grounding point, with at least a part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects to an inside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point, with at least a part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects to an outside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point, with no part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly further includes a first branch, where the first branch stems from the ground element with an open end.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly further includes a second branch, where the second branch stems from the feeding element with an open end.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly further includes a third branch, where the third branch stems from the feeding element with an open end, and the third branch extends in a direction perpendicular to the second branch.

In one embodiment, the antenna assembly is a multi-band antenna assembly.

In one embodiment, the ground plane and the antenna radiator are formed on different layers of a printed circuit board.

In a second aspect, an electronic device including the antenna assembly according to any of the foregoing embodiments is provided.

In one embodiment, the electronic device further includes a housing, and the housing functions as the ground plane to be connected to the ground element of the antenna assembly.

In the present disclosure, the antenna assembly includes a ground element configured for electrical connection to a ground plane at a grounding point and a feeding element configured for electrical connection to a radio signal circuitry at a feeding point. The ground element is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element, and at least a portion of the feeding element extends substantially parallel to at least a portion of the ground element to provide capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly. By virtues of the physical separation and disconnection between the ground element and the feeding element, the total physical length of antenna assembly can be reduced; while the capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly aids the functioning of the antenna assembly and ensures good performance of the antenna assembly. Thus, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may be manufactured with small size and thin thickness, while ensuring the performance and antenna efficiency of the antenna assembly. Therefore, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may provide good wireless connectivity for devices into which the antenna assembly is mounted and provide benefits for the miniaturization of the devices. For example, in mobile devices such as gaming devices having Bluetooth technology for communication with wireless controller, if antenna performance is good, these gaming devices do not have any connection issue between main devices and controller in even bad environment with high noise floor, for example, in cases that there are many wireless devices using same frequency, such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN, microwave oven, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For clearer illustration of the technical solutions according to embodiments of the present disclosure or conventional techniques, hereinafter briefly described are the drawings to be applied in embodiments of the present disclosure or conventional techniques. Apparently, the drawings in the following descriptions are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the provided drawings without creative efforts.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a pattern of an antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing exemplary electrical arrangement for a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a pattern of a multi-band antenna assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 4a-4e are schematic diagrams of exemplary patterns of multi-band antennas according to yet other embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a graph showing a simulated return loss of a multi-band antenna assembly provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 is a graph showing a simulated antenna efficiency of a multi-band antenna assembly provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagraph showing an arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagraph showing another arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagraph showing yet another arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device in which a multi-band antenna assembly is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter technical solutions in embodiments of the present disclosure are described in conjunction with the drawings in embodiments of the present closure. Apparently, the described embodiments are only some rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Any other embodiments obtained based on the embodiments of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art without any creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, terms such as "first" , "second" , "third" , "fourth" and the like are only used herein to distinguish one entity or operation from another, rather than to necessitate or imply that an actual relationship or order exists between the entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms such as "include" , "comprise" or any other variants thereof means to be non-exclusive. Therefore, a process, a method, an article or a device including a series of elements include not only the disclosed elements but also other elements that are not clearly enumerated, or further include inherent elements of the process, the method, the article or the device. Unless expressively limited, the statement "including a…" does not exclude the case that other similar elements may exist in the process, the method, the article or the device other than enumerated elements.

In addition, the present invention is described in conjunction with the schematic drawings. When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for convenience of illustration, sectional views showing the structure of the device are enlarged partially and are not drawn to scale. The drawings are exemplary and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the invention. Furthermore, in actual manufacture process, three-dimension sizes, i.e. length, width and depth should be considered.

It should be noted that the reference in the structures or steps that a first feature is “on” or “above” a second feature includes the case that the first and the second features are in direct contact and the case that additional features are present between the first and the second features, i.e., the first and the second feature may be not in direct contact.

Referring to Figure 1, among other components, the multi-band antenna assembly 1 includes an antenna radiator 101. To be specific, the antenna radiator 101 includes a ground element 111 and a feeding element 121. The ground element 111 is configured for electrical connection to a ground plane (not shown) at a grounding point 104. The feeding element 121 is configured for electrical connection to a radio signal circuitry (RF) at a feeding point 105. The feeding point 105 is positioned adjacent to the grounding point 104.

As shown, the ground element 111 is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element 121. In other words, there is no direct electrical connection between the feeding element 121 and the ground element 111. Furthermore, the feeding element 121 is disconnected from the ground plane.

The ground element 111 can be in a variety of shapes. In an embodiment, the ground element 111 may be an elongated strip and may have multiple portions connected end to end. In some implementations, the ground element 111 may be an elongated conductive strip that folds at one or more points to form a loop-like shape, to save the space needed for the antenna assembly. For example, the ground element 111 may at least include a first portion extending in a first direction, a second portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a third portion extending in a third direction substantially parallel to the first direction and opposite to the first direction, and the resultant U-shape maintains a long antenna element and therefore the lowest resonance frequency available to the antenna assembly.

Although the ground element 111 shown in Figure 1 forms an almost symmetric structure, the present disclosure is not so limited. The majority portion of the ground element 111 may alternatively be in an asymmetric structure.

Although the ground element 111 is shown in Figure 1 as including portions connected end to end, it is noted that the structure of the ground element 111 is not so limited and the ground element 111 may include more than two open ends, as will be specified later. Furthermore, although the ground element 111 is shown in Figure 1 as having portions of substantially same width, the portions of the ground element 111 may have different widths as needed, which will be illustrated later.

Similarly, the feeding element 121 may be in a variety of shapes. The feeding element 121 may also be a conductive elongated strip, folded or not. For example, the feeding element 121 may be formed as an L-shape as shown.

The ground element 111 and the feeding element 121 may be made of sheet metal, a metal trace on a carrier, or may be made of a flexible substrate or a rigid substrate, a metalized interconnect device (MID) , or the like. The ground element 111 and the feeding element 121 may be manufactured from various conductive materials, including but not limited to, silver, copper, etc., transparent conductive oxides (such as indium tin oxide ITO) , carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc.

As shown in Figure 1, at least a portion 1111 of the ground element 111 extends substantially parallel to a portion 1211 of the feeding element 121 in the same direction. The portion 1111 of the ground element 111 is arranged in proximity to the portion 1211 of the feeding element 121, with a slit or a gap formed between the two

portions

1111 and 1211. In such a configuration, the portion 1211 of the feeding element 121 is arranged to form the capacitive slit/gap providing capacitive coupling between the feeding element 121 and the ground element 111 during operation of the antenna assembly. For this purpose, the width of the slit or gap between the

portions

1111 and 1211 is appropriately selected. In a preferable embodiment, the width of the slit or gap between the

portions

1111 and 1211 ranges from 0.1mm to 5mm.

In preferable embodiments, the portion 1211 of the feeding element 121 has a length which is sufficient to provide a useable coupling capacitance. In some implementations, in addition to the requirement that the portion 1211 of the feeding element 121 is long enough to ensure effective coupling capacitance, the total length of the feeding element 121 is preferably required to be shorter than a shortest resonant length at the lowest operation frequency of the antenna assembly.

With the foregoing arrangement of the antenna radiator 101 in the antenna assembly, the usable frequency bandwidth of the antenna assembly is improved, the multiband behavior of the antenna assembly is enhanced, and the dimension of the antenna assembly is more compact. For example, by virtues of the physical separation and disconnection between the ground element and the feeding element, the total physical length of antenna assembly can be reduced; while the capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly aids the functioning of the antenna assembly and ensures good performance of the antenna assembly. Thus, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may be manufactured with small size and thin thickness, while ensuring the performance and antenna efficiency of the antenna assembly. Therefore, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may provide good wireless connectivity for devices into which the antenna assembly is mounted and provide benefits for the miniaturization of the devices.

In an embodiment, the antenna assembly may further include a first matching element 102 and a second matching element 103. The first matching element 102 is configured for connecting the ground element 111 to the ground plane at the grounding point 104. The second matching element 103 is configured for connecting the feeding element 121 to the RF circuitry at the feeding point 105.

The first matching element 102 and the second matching element 103 may be parallel to each other, as shown in Figure 1. In other embodiments, the first matching element 102 and the second matching element 103 may have an included angle, for example, greater than 0 degree and less than 30 degrees. The lengths of the two

matching elements

102 and 103 may be the same or different.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by adjusting the lengths of the

matching elements

102 and 103, together with the distance between the first matching element 102 and the second matching element 103, the input impedance of the antenna assembly can be changed.

By appropriate arrangement of the

matching elements

102 and 103, the antenna assembly may be impedance matched when assembled for the end user environment, so as to achieve maximum efficiency when operating in the desired frequency band. Optimal efficiency results in maximum range, minimum power consumption, reduced heating and reliable data throughput.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing exemplary electrical arrangement for a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the antenna assembly includes an antenna radiator 202 and a dielectric carrier 203 for supporting the antenna radiator 202. The dielectric carrier 203 further functions to dielectrically separate the antenna radiator from the ground plane 201.

The antenna radiator 202 includes a ground element 212 and a feeding element 222. The ground element 212 of the antenna assembly is connected to a ground plane 201 at the grounding point 204. In addition, a feeding element 222 is connected to a RF circuitry at the feeding point 205.

The ground element 212 is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element 222. At least a portion of the ground element 212 is arranged in proximity to at least a portion of the feeding element 222 in a configuration that a capacitive coupling is formed between the feeding element 222 and the ground element 212 during operation of the antenna assembly.

As shown in Figure 2, the ground plane 201 and the antenna assembly are formed as a planar structure. The planar structure may be formed by etching a printed circuit board (PCB) , stamping metal, or by other schemes.

The dielectric carrier 203 may be formed as a frame, a supporting platform or the like. The dielectric carrier 203 may be manufactured from plastic, resin, ceramic, or any other suitable material.

In some implementations, the ground plane 201 and the antenna radiator 202 are formed on different layers of a printed circuit board (PCB) .

The ground element 212 and the feeding element 222 can be realized by many different manufacturing methods, for instance, stamped metal parts, conductors etched on a flexible insulating layer (FPC) and attached to the dielectric carrier 203 using an adhesive layer, or Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) techniques.

It is noted that the design parameters for the arrangement as shown in Figure 2 may be appropriately determined as needed. For example, the lowest resonant frequency of the antenna assembly may be determined by an overall length of the ground element 212, widths of the portions of the ground element 212, and a distance from the ground plane 201. As an example, the antenna assembly depicted in Figure 3 may provide a first resonance at a frequency band of 2.4GHz-2.48GHz, a second resonance at a frequency band of 5.15GHz-5.85GHz, and a third resonance at a frequency band of 5.925GHz-7.125GHz, for Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) 6E/7. It is noted that the antenna assembly may be designed to operate in other frequency bands or operate for other communication standards, and the present disclosure is not limited in this aspect. For example, the antenna assembly may operate according to a wireless communication standard for cellular network, such as the 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G standard. The antenna assembly may operate alternatively or additionally according to a wireless communication standard for

in a band ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.48GHz.

In addition, the length of the conductive feeding element 222 and the width of the capacitive gap between the feeding element 222 and the ground element 212 may be appropriately determined as needed, so to optimize impedance value of the antenna assembly at the resonance frequencies and relative bandwidth of the antenna assembly.

Under the inventive concept as proposed in the present disclosure, the antenna assembly may have different patterns, which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a pattern of a multi-band antenna assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Similar to the antenna assembly as shown in Figure 1, an antenna radiator 301 of the antenna assembly includes a ground element 311 and a feeding element 321. The ground element 311 is configured for electrical connection to a ground plane. The feeding element 321 is configured for electrical connection to a RF circuitry. The ground element 311 is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element 321, and a capacitive coupling is formed between the feeding element 321 and the ground element 311 during operation of the antenna assembly.

The antenna assembly according to this embodiment differs from that of Figure 1 in that each of the ground element and the feeding element may include one or more branches. For example, as exemplary shown in Figure 3, the ground element 311 includes, in addition to an elongated conductive strip 3110 that folds several times, a first branch 3112 that stems from a portion of the elongated strip 3110, with an open end. The first branch 3112 is in an L-shape, with a majority portion being parallel to a portion of the ground element 311. The feeding element 321 includes, in addition to the L-shaped elongated strip 3210, a second branch 3212 stemming from a portion of the strip 3210 with an open end, and a third branch 3213 stemming from another portion of the strip 3210 with an open end.

By introducing the one or more branches, the antenna assembly may be provided with additional resonance and enhanced frequency bandwidth in the at least one resonant frequency band. Furthermore, by introducing the one or more branches, the coupling between the ground element 311 and the feeding element 321 is enhanced.

It is noted that the number of the branches of the antenna elements shown in Figure 3 is exemplary, and the present disclosure is not so limited. For example, the ground element 311 and/or the feeding element 321 may include additional branch (s) or may include no branch. It is noted that the extending directions of the branches shown in Figure 3 are exemplary, and the present disclosure is not so limited. For example, the first branch 3112, the second branch 3212 and the third branch 3212 may extend along a same direction, or at least one of the first branch 3112, the second branch 3212 and the third branch 3212 may extend along a different direction from others.

By providing the one or more branches for the ground element 311 and/or the feeding element 321, the antenna assembly is capable of scalability in terms of operation frequency bands, may have wider frequency bands, and may achieve better antenna performance.

Several exemplary structures and configurations for the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure are illustrated above. It is noted that some modifications may be made without departing from the essential of the present disclosure and fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Figures 4a-4e are schematic diagrams of exemplary patterns of multi-band antennas according to yet other embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 4a, the antenna assembly includes a ground element 411 to be connected to a ground plane and a feeding element 422 to be connected to RF circuitry. The ground element 411 is physically separately and disconnected from the feeding element 422. The ground element 411 is formed as a folded strip with some portions extending along a first direction and some other portions extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The feeding element 421 is formed as an inverted F-shape. A portion 4111 of the ground element 411 extends substantially parallel to a portion 4211 of the feeding element 421 and a gap is formed between the

portions

4111 and 4211. The width of the gap allows a capacitive coupling to be formed between the feeding element 421 and the ground element 411 during operation of the antenna assembly. In addition, a portion 4112 of the ground element 411 extends substantially parallel to a portion 4212 of the feeding element 421 and a gap is formed between the

portions

4112 and 4212, to provide a capacitive coupling.

As shown in Figure 4b, different from the embodiment of Figure 4a, the antenna assembly may have matching elements with different lengths. For example, the matching element for connecting the ground element to the ground plane is shorter than the matching element for connecting the feeding element to the RF circuitry.

It is noted that the ground element may be formed in structure other than a folded strip. As shown in Figures 4c, 4d and 4e, the ground element may include at least one portion which is wider than other portions. The wider portion may be formed of metal sheet or the like. The wider portion (s) may be arranged to be in vicinity to the feeding element or not. In case of multiple wider portions, the wider portions may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically.

It is noted that the ground element and the feeding element may be in any shape or a combination of different shapes, including a square, a triangle, a chamfered rectangle, a chamfered square, an L-shape or a T-shape, which will not be limited herein.

Figure 5 is a graph showing a simulated return loss of a multi-band antenna assembly provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 shows three characteristic troughs, each representing a corresponding frequency range. It is noted that although exemplary frequency bands are illustrated, the present disclosure is not limited in this aspect. In other words, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may operate in other frequency bands, and may operate following other communication standards.

Figure 6 is a graph showing a simulated antenna efficiency of a multi-band antenna assembly provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen, the antenna assembly proposed according to the present disclosure has good antenna efficiency.

The antenna assembly according to the present disclosure has simple structure, compact construction, and good antenna performance in multiple frequency bands. Therefore, the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure may provide good wireless connectivity for devices. For example, in mobile devices such as gaming devices having Bluetooth technology for communication with wireless controller, if antenna performance is good, these gaming devices do not have any connection issue between main devices and controller in even bad environment with high noise floor, for example, in cases that there are many wireless devices using same frequency, such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN, microwave oven, etc.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagraph showing an arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the antenna radiator, including the ground element and the feeding element, is arranged on a plane different from the ground plane to form a three dimensional structure. The ground element and the feeding element may be supported by a dielectric carrier (not shown) . It should be understood that the dielectric carrier may be manufactured from plastic, resin, ceramic, or any other suitable material. The ground element and the feeding element can be realized by many different manufacturing methods. The antenna radiator (including the ground element and the feeding element) , together with dielectric carrier (if any) , are formed as a planer structure that is located in a plane parallel to the ground plane, and the matching elements are arranged between the antenna radiator and the ground plane, in a plane perpendicular to the ground plane. One of the matching elements connects the ground element of the antenna radiator to the ground plane at the grounding point. In the structure shown in Figure 7, the grounding point is located inside the ground plane, i.e., away from an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects outwardly with respect to the grounding point, with an edge of the antenna radiator flushing with the edge of the ground plane. In this structure, the antenna radiator of the antenna assembly faces to the ground plane. In the structure shown in Figure 7, due to antenna characteristics, a height h1 measured from the antenna radiator to the ground plane, needs to have a predetermined value. Furthermore, the height h1 may further depend on mechanical design of the device to which the antenna assembly to be mounted. In preferable embodiments, the height h1 is greater than 2mm, and preferably ranges from 2 mm to 10mm.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagraph showing another arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment. In the structure shown in Figure 8, the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the planer antenna radiator projects to an inside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point. In addition, an edge of the antenna radiator flushes with the edge of the ground plane, with the matching elements connecting with the two edges. Still, in this structure, the antenna radiator of the antenna assembly faces to the ground plane. In the structure shown in Figure 8, due to antenna characteristics, a height h2 measured from the antenna radiator to the ground plane, needs to have a predetermined value.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagraph showing yet another arrangement of a multi-band antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the structure shown in Figure 9, the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects to outside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point, so that at least a major part of the antenna radiator does not face the ground plane. In the structure shown in Figure 9, a height h3 measured from the antenna radiator to the ground plane may be small. For example, the height h3 may be smaller than h1, and the height h3 may be smaller than h2. In an extreme case, by utilizing the arrangement shown in Figure 9, the antenna radiator may be positioned at the same height as the ground plane, that is, h2 = 0. Therefore, when being assembled in a housing of a mobile device, no constraint is exerted on the thickness of the housing of the mobile device due to the antenna assembly.

Referring to Figure 10, an electronic device including an antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Electronic device 1000 of Figure 10 may be a portable computer such as a laptop computer, a portable tablet computer, a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone with media player capabilities, a handheld computer, a remote control, a game player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a desktop computer, a music player, a multi-touch electronic device, Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, Head Mounted Display (HMD) , a combination of such devices, or any other suitable electronic device. As shown in Figure 10, electronic device 1000 may include an in-out circuitry 1100, a processor 1200 and storage 1300.

The processor 1200 may be a microprocessor and other suitable integrated circuit. The processor 1200 and storage 1300 may be configured for control the operation of the electronic device 1000. In an exemplary implementation, the processor 1200 may run software stored in the storage 1300 for the electronic device 1000, such as operating system functions, phone call applications, Internet browsing, email applications, media playback applications, control functions for controlling radio-frequency power amplifiers and other radio-frequency transceiver, etc.

The storage 1300 may include one or more different types of storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory) , volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory) .

Communications protocols that may be implemented by the processor 1200 include Internet protocols, cellular telephone protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols, referred to as

) , protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the

protocol, etc.

The in-out circuitry 1100 is configured to implement input and output function of the electronic device 1000. The in-out circuitry 1100 may include an input-output device and a wireless communication circuitry 1120. The input-output device 1111 may be a touch screen and other user input device such as buttons, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, etc. Furthermore, the input-output device 1111 may include display and audio devices such as liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) , organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) , and other components that present visual information and status data.

The wireless communications circuitry 1120 may include radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1121 formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, low-noise input amplifiers, passive RF components, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. For example, the RF transceiver circuitry 1121 may include a cellular transceiver circuitry 1122 for handling wireless communications in cellular bands such as the bands at 600 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 1900 MHz, and the 2100 MHz data band. The RF transceiver circuitry 1121 may also include a WIFI and Bluetooth transceiver circuitry 1123 that handles 2.4GHz-2.48GHz, 5.15GHz-5.85GHz, and 5.925GHz-7.125GHz bands for WiFi6E/7 communications, and the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth communications band. The Wireless communications circuitry 1120 can include circuitry for other short-range and long-range wireless links if desired. For example, wireless communications circuitry 1120 may include global positioning system (GPS) receiver equipment, wireless circuitry for receiving radio and television signals, paging circuits, etc.

The RF transceiver circuitry 1121 may be implemented using one or more integrated circuits and associated components (e.g., switching circuits, matching network components such as discrete inductors, capacitors, and resistors, and integrated circuit filter networks, etc. ) . These devices may be mounted on any suitable mounting structures. With one suitable arrangement, transceiver integrated circuits may be mounted on a printed circuit board.

The wireless communications circuitry 1120 may include antenna assembly 1124, such as the antenna assembly as described above by referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4a-4e, and 7-9 or variations thereof. As described above, the antenna assembly 1124 may be multi-band antenna. A multiband antenna may be used, for example, to cover multiple cellular telephone communications bands, WiFi communication bands, Bluetooth communication bands, etc.

In addition, the wireless communications circuitry 1120 may further include other circuitries for implementing different communication related functions. For example, the wireless communications circuitry 1120 may include proximity sensing circuitry (not shown) . In addition, the wireless communications circuitry 1120 may further include a power adjusting circuitry (not shown) for adjusting power of the RF transceiver circuitry 1121 in response to detecting result from the proximity sensing circuitry.

Connections within the RF circuitry 1121 may include any suitable conductive pathways over which radio-frequency signals may be conveyed including transmission line path structures such as coaxial cables, microstrip transmission lines, stripline transmission lines, etc.

During data transmission operations, control signals from processor 1200 may be conveyed to RF circuitry 1121 to adjust output powers in real time. For example, when data is being transmitted, RF circuitry 1121 can be directed to increase or decrease the power level of the radio-frequency signal that is being provided to the antenna assembly 1124 over transmission line to ensure that regulatory limits for electromagnetic radiation emission are satisfied.

If the proximity sensing circuitry has not detected the presence of external object, power can be provided at a level of normal power-control. If, however, proximity measurement indicates that the user's finger or other body part or other external object is in the immediate vicinity of the antenna assembly (e.g., within 20 mm or less, within 15 mm or less, within 10 mm or less, etc. ) , the processor 1200 can respond accordingly by directing RF circuitry 1121 to transmit radio-frequency signals through transmission line at reduced powers.

In addition to the shown components, the electronic device 1000 may include other components for different functionalities. For example, the electronic device 1000 generally includes a housing, which may be formed to serve as ground plane of the antenna assembly 1124.

Other details of the electronic device 1000 may refer to the forgoing description concerning the antenna assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not repeated herein.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment places emphasis on the difference from other embodiments. Therefore, one embodiment can refer to other embodiments for the same or similar parts. Since the methods disclosed in the embodiments correspond to the apparatuses disclosed in the embodiments, the description of the methods is simple, and reference may be made to the relevant part of the apparatuses.

According to the description of the disclosed embodiments, those skilled in the art can implement or use the present disclosure. Various modifications made to these embodiments may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principle defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein but confirms to a widest scope in accordance with principles and novel features disclosed in the present disclosure.

Claims

An antenna assembly comprising an antenna radiator, wherein the antenna radiator comprises:

a ground element configured for electrical connection to a ground plane at a grounding point; and

a feeding element configured for electrical connection to a radio signal circuitry at a feeding point;

wherein the ground element is physically separated and disconnected from the feeding element, and at least a portion of the feeding element extends substantially parallel to at least a portion of the ground element to provide capacitive coupling between the feeding element and the ground element during operation of the antenna assembly.
The antenna assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a first matching element configured for connecting the ground element to the ground plane at the grounding point, and a second matching element configured for connecting the feeding element to the radio signal circuitry at the feeding point.
The antenna assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first matching element extends substantially parallel to the second matching element, and a length of the first matching element is substantially the same as a length of the second matching element.
The antenna assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first matching element extends substantially parallel to the second matching element, and a length of the first matching element is shorter than a length of the second matching element.
The antenna assembly according to claim 2, wherein an angle greater than 0 degree and less than 30 degrees is formed between the first matching element and the second matching element.
The antenna assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a dielectric carrier for supporting the antenna radiator.
The antenna assembly according to claim 6, wherein the antenna radiator is planar.
The antenna assembly according to claim 7, wherein the antenna radiator is arranged in a same plane as the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to claim 7, wherein the antenna radiator is arranged in a plane which is spaced from the ground plane and is substantially parallel to the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein the first matching element and the second matching element are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein the grounding point is located in a central portion of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects outwardly with respect to the grounding point, with at least a part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects to an inside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point, with at least a part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein the grounding point is located at an edge of the ground plane, and the antenna radiator projects to an outside of the ground plane with respect to the grounding point, with no part of the antenna radiator facing the ground plane.
The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-13, further comprising a first branch, wherein the first branch stems from the ground element with an open end.
The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-14, further comprising a second branch, wherein the second branch stems from the feeding element with an open end.
The antenna assembly according to claim 15, further comprising a third branch, wherein the third branch stems from the feeding element with an open end, and the third branch extends in a direction perpendicular to the second branch.
The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the antenna assembly is a multi-band antenna assembly.
The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein the ground plane and the antenna radiator are formed on different layers of a printed circuit board.
An electronic device comprising the antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-18.
The electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising a housing, wherein the housing is taken as the ground plane.