Patent Description:
At present, for the fifth-generation (<NUM>) mobile communication technology, mainstream <NUM> communication frequency bands on the market include the N41 frequency band, N77 frequency band, N78 frequency band and N79 frequency band. Among these frequency bands, the N41 frequency band, N78 frequency band and N79 frequency band are mainly used in China, and the N77 frequency band may be used abroad. Consequently, mainstream mobile phones on the market support the N41 frequency band, N78 frequency band and N79 frequency band, but cannot implement <NUM> communication overseas, which limits the application of electronic devices.

<CIT> discloses a multi-band antenna, including a ground, an asymmetric T-shaped radiation element, an inverted L-shaped conduction element, and a parasitic element. The asymmetric T-shaped radiation element has a first radiation part, a second radiation part, and a first conduction part. The length of the second radiation part is shorter than that of the first radiation part. The inverted L-shaped conduction element has a second conduction part and a third conduction part. The second conduction part is connected to the first conduction part, and arranged between the second radiation part and the ground. The parasitic element has a fourth conduction part and a third radiation part. The fourth conduction part is connected approximately perpendicular to the ground. The third radiation part is arranged between the first radiation part and the ground.

<CIT> discloses an antenna assembly including a portion of the metal computing device case as a primary radiating structure. The metal computing device case includes a back face and four side faces bounding at least a portion of the back face. The metal computing device case further includes a radiating structure having an aperture formed in the back face from which a notch extends from the aperture cutting through the back face and through at least one side face of the metal computing device case. A conductive feed structure is connected to a radio. The conductive feed structure is connected to or positioned proximal to the radiating structure of the metal computing device case and is configured to excite the radiating structure at one or more resonance frequencies.

The present disclosure provides an antenna structure and an electronic device, to solve the shortcomings in the related prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna structure is provided. The antenna structure includes: a feed point; and a metal frame. The metal frame includes a body, a radiator and a coupling branch. The radiator and the coupling branch are both connected to the body, and enclose, together with the body, a clearance area. A first end of the radiator away from the body and an end of the coupling branch away from the body cooperate to form an antenna gap, and the antenna gap is connected to the clearance area. The radiator is connected to the feed point. The radiator includes a through groove and an opening, the through groove runs through the radiator along a longitudinal direction of the radiator, and the opening is connected to the through groove along an axial direction of the radiator. A junction of the feed point and the radiator and the opening are located at both axial sides of the through groove. A transverse direction of the radiator is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the axial direction.

Optionally, the antenna structure further includes: a first medium unit arranged in the antenna gap to prevent dust from falling into an interior of the antenna structure.

Optionally, the antenna structure further includes: a second medium unit arranged in the through groove and the opening to prevent dust from falling into an interior of the antenna structure.

Optionally, a part of the radiator located on a side of the through groove away from the feed point has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction.

Optionally, a part of the radiator connected to the feed point has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, and/or has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction.

Optionally, the antenna gap has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction.

Optionally, a sum of respective dimensions of the radiator, the coupling branch, and the antenna gap in the transverse direction is greater than or equal to <NUM>, and less than or equal to <NUM>.

Optionally, the coupling branch has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, and/or has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction.

Optionally, the opening has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction.

Optionally, a portion of the radiator between the through groove and the antenna gap in the transverse direction has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>.

Optionally, a distance from a second end of the radiator connected with the body to the feed point is greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>.

Optionally, the part of the radiator located on the side of the through groove away from the feed point has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction of the radiator, and/or has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the radiator.

Optionally, in the axial direction of the radiator, the through groove has a dimension being greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a mainboard; and the antenna structure as described in any of the above embodiments, in which the feed point of the antenna structure is arranged at the mainboard.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes a grounding element that connects the mainboard and the body.

It can be seen from the above embodiment that in the technical solution of the present disclosure, the C-shaped radiator can be constructed by arranging the through groove and the opening in the radiator, and the resonances of the antenna structure can be constructed to cover N41 frequency band, N77 frequency band, N78 frequency band and N79 frequency band in <NUM> frequency bands by using a changed shape of the radiator. Compared with the scheme in the related prior art that utilizes aperture tuning to realize the frequency band coverage, the circuitry of the antenna structure may be simplified, which facilitates miniaturization of the antenna structure.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory and do not limit the present disclosure.

The accompanying drawings incorporated into the specification and forming part of the specification, illustrate embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure, and are used with the specification to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, and examples of the embodiments will be shown in the drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are only examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

Terms used in the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used in the specification and the appended claims, "a/an," "said" and "the" in singular forms are also intended to include plural forms, unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" used herein represents and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used to describe various kinds of information in the present disclosure, such information shall not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the term "if" used here may be interpreted as "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure <NUM> in the related art. The antenna structure is a three-in-one antenna covering the N41 frequency band, N78 frequency band, and N79 frequency band. The antenna structure <NUM> may include an antenna body <NUM>, an antenna <NUM> and a coupling unit <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> and the coupling unit <NUM> are both connected to the antenna body <NUM>. The antenna body <NUM>, the antenna <NUM> and the coupling unit <NUM> together enclose a clearance area of the antenna structure <NUM>. However, due to the arrangement of the antenna structure <NUM> in <FIG>, the antenna structure <NUM> can only cover the N41 frequency band, the N78 frequency band and the N79 frequency band, which limits the application of electronic devices equipped with the antenna structure <NUM>.

In order to broaden the frequency band coverage of the antenna structure <NUM>, the antenna structure <NUM> in the related prior art may be equipped with an impedance matching circuit or a tuning switch in an attempt to make the antenna structure <NUM> cover the N77 frequency band, which leads to a complex circuitry of the antenna structure <NUM>, and causes difficulty in covering the N77 frequency band and N78 frequency band simultaneously in practice due to the limited bandwidth of the antenna <NUM>.

Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes a technical solution to the discussed problem. <FIG> is a perspective schematic diagram of an antenna structure according to an exemplary embodiment; <FIG> is a top view of the antenna structure in <FIG>; <FIG> is a front view of the antenna structure in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the antenna structure <NUM> may include a feed point <NUM> and a metal frame <NUM>; the metal frame <NUM> may include a body <NUM>, a radiator <NUM> and a coupling branch <NUM>; the radiator <NUM> and the coupling branch <NUM> are both connected to the body <NUM>; and the radiator <NUM>, the coupling branch <NUM> and the body <NUM> may enclose a clearance area <NUM>. An antenna gap <NUM> is formed between a first end <NUM> of the radiator <NUM> directed away from the body <NUM> and an end <NUM> of the coupling branch <NUM> directed away from the body <NUM>, to ensure that the antenna structure <NUM> may transmit an antenna signal outwards. The radiator <NUM> may include a through groove <NUM> and an opening <NUM>; the through groove <NUM> may run or extend through the radiator <NUM> along a height direction (also referred to as a longitudinal direction) of the radiator <NUM>; and the opening <NUM> may be connected to the through groove <NUM> along a thickness direction (also referred to as an axial direction) of the radiator <NUM>. A length direction of the radiator <NUM> is also referred to as a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the axial direction. The feed point <NUM> is connected to the radiator <NUM>, and a junction where the feed point <NUM> and the radiator <NUM> are connected and the opening <NUM> are located at both axial sides of the through groove <NUM>, so that a signal fed from the feed point <NUM> may be transmitted from the junction of the feed point <NUM> and the radiator <NUM>, around the through groove <NUM>, to a third end <NUM> of the radiator <NUM> for forming the opening <NUM>, and the antenna structure <NUM> can form a C-shaped radiator. Various portions of the antenna structure <NUM> are reasonably dimensioned to allow the antenna structure <NUM> to completely cover <NUM> frequency bands. Specifically, the antenna structure <NUM> may cover the N41 frequency band (<NUM> to <NUM>), the N77 frequency band (<NUM> to <NUM>), the N78 frequency band (<NUM> to <NUM>), and the N79 frequency band (<NUM> to <NUM>).

For example, in a case of L1=<NUM>, L2=<NUM>, L3=<NUM>, L4=<NUM>, L5=<NUM>, L6=<NUM>, L7=<NUM>, L8=<NUM>, W1=<NUM>, W2=<NUM>, W3=<NUM>, W4=<NUM>, W5=<NUM>, and W6=<NUM>, a graph illustrating antenna performance as shown in <FIG> and a Smith chart as shown in <FIG> may be obtained by simulation of the antenna structure <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the abscissa of the antenna performance graph represents frequency, and the ordinate represents return loss. The resonance of the antenna structure <NUM> on the left of <FIG> may cover the N41 frequency band, and the resonance of the antenna structure <NUM> on the right of <FIG> may cover the N77 frequency band, N78 frequency band, and N79 frequency band. As shown in <FIG>, with an impedance to be matched of <NUM> Ohms, the antenna structure <NUM> may be constructed with four resonances to form a broadband antenna, in which a first resonance has a center frequency of <NUM>, a second resonance has a center frequency of <NUM>, a third resonance has a center frequency of <NUM>, and a fourth resonance has a center frequency of <NUM>. Among them, the center frequency of the third resonance and the center frequency of the fourth resonance are close to the origin, and better impedance matching can be realized for the N77 frequency band and N79 frequency band.

It can be seen from the above embodiment that in the technical solution of the present disclosure, the C-shaped radiator <NUM> can be constructed by arranging the through groove and the opening in the radiator <NUM>, and the resonances of the antenna structure <NUM> can be constructed to cover the N41 frequency band, N77 frequency band, N78 frequency band and N79 frequency band in <NUM> frequency bands by using a shape change of the radiator <NUM>. Compared with the scheme in the related art that utilizes aperture tuning to realize the frequency band coverage, the circuitry of the antenna structure <NUM> may be simplified, which facilitates miniaturization of the antenna structure <NUM>.

In order to reach an optimal resonant frequency of the antenna structure <NUM> and realize the miniaturization of the antenna structure <NUM> simultaneously, dimensions of various portions of the antenna structure <NUM> in the transverse and axial directions may be defined. A sum of respective dimensions of the radiator <NUM>, the antenna gap <NUM> and the coupling branch <NUM> in the transverse direction is greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>, i.e., <NUM>≤L1≤<NUM>. Compared with the scheme in the related prior art as shown in <FIG>, in which the antenna <NUM> alone has a dimension of about <NUM> in the transverse direction, and the antenna structure <NUM> has an overall dimension exceeding <NUM> in the transverse direction, the present disclosure realizes the miniaturization of the antenna structure <NUM>, improving an internal layout of an electronic device having the antenna structure <NUM>.

Many ranges of dimensions are contemplated. For example, a part of the radiator <NUM> connected to the feed point <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, i.e., <NUM>≤L2≤<NUM>; the coupling branch <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, i.e., <NUM>≤L3≤<NUM>; the antenna gap <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, i.e., <NUM>≤L4≤<NUM>, and L1=L2+L3+L4; a part of the radiator <NUM> located on a side of the through groove <NUM> away from the feed point <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, i.e., <NUM>≤L5≤<NUM>; the opening <NUM> may have a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the transverse direction, i.e., <NUM>≤L6≤<NUM>, and L2=L5+L6; a portion of the radiator <NUM> between the through groove <NUM> and the antenna gap <NUM> in the transverse direction has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>, i.e., <NUM>≤L7≤<NUM>; a distance from a second end <NUM> of the radiator <NUM> connected with the body <NUM> to the feed point <NUM> is greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>, i.e., <NUM>≤L8≤<NUM>.

Accordingly, dimensions of some portions in the antenna structure <NUM> in the axial and longitudinal directions may also be defined to achieve the optimal resonance frequency. For example, the part of the radiator <NUM> located on the side of the through groove <NUM> away from the feed point <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction of the radiator, i.e., <NUM>≤W1≤<NUM>; in the axial direction of the radiator <NUM>, the through groove <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>, i.e., <NUM>≤W2≤<NUM>; the part of the radiator <NUM> connected to the feed point <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction of the radiator, i.e., <NUM>≤W3≤<NUM>; the coupling branch <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the axial direction of the radiator, i.e., <NUM>≤W4≤<NUM>, and W4=W1+W2+W3; the part of the radiator <NUM> located on the side of the through groove <NUM> away from the feed point <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the longitudinal direction, i.e., <NUM>≤W5≤<NUM>; the clearance area <NUM> has a dimension of greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM> in the longitudinal direction, i.e., <NUM>≤W6≤ <NUM>.

The antenna structure <NUM> may also include a first medium unit <NUM> and a second medium unit <NUM>. The first medium unit <NUM> may be arranged in the antenna gap <NUM>, and the second medium unit <NUM> may be arranged in the through groove <NUM> and the opening <NUM>, to prevent dust from falling into the electronic device configured with the antenna structure <NUM>. According to media conditions of the first medium unit <NUM> and the second medium unit <NUM>, the above dimensions of the antenna structure <NUM> may be finely adjusted.

Based on the antenna structure <NUM> provided in the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides an electronic device <NUM> as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The electronic device <NUM> may include a mainboard <NUM> and the antenna structure <NUM> as described in any of the above embodiments. The feed point <NUM> of the antenna structure <NUM> may be arranged at the mainboard <NUM> and connected to the radiator <NUM> through a metal strip or other conductive structures. As shown in <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may also include grounding elements <NUM> that may connect the metal frame and the mainboard <NUM> to realize grounding and electromagnetic protection. The grounding elements <NUM> may include grounding screws 6A-6F or metal strips <NUM>, <NUM> or other conductive units. The electronic device <NUM> may include a mobile phone terminal or a tablet terminal, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

Other examples of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to cover any change, use or adaptation of the present disclosure, which complies with the general principles of the present disclosure and includes common knowledge or conventional technical means in the art that are not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are considered to be merely exemplary, and the true scope of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

Claim 1:
An antenna structure (<NUM>), comprising:
a feed point (<NUM>); and
a metal frame (<NUM>), comprising a body (<NUM>), a radiator (<NUM>) and a coupling branch (<NUM>), wherein the radiator (<NUM>) and the coupling branch (<NUM>) are both connected to the body (<NUM>), and the radiator (<NUM>), the coupling branch (<NUM>) and the body (<NUM>) enclose a clearance area (<NUM>), wherein a first end (<NUM>) of the radiator (<NUM>) away from the body (<NUM>) and an end (<NUM>) of the coupling branch (<NUM>) away from the body (<NUM>) cooperate to form an antenna gap (<NUM>), and the antenna gap (<NUM>) is connected to the clearance area (<NUM>), and wherein the radiator (<NUM>) is connected to the feed point (<NUM>);
wherein the radiator (<NUM>) comprises a through groove (<NUM>) and an opening (<NUM>), wherein the through groove (<NUM>) runs through the radiator (<NUM>) along a longitudinal direction of the radiator (<NUM>), and the opening (<NUM>) is connected to the through groove (<NUM>) along an axial direction of the radiator (<NUM>), and wherein a junction of the feed point (<NUM>) and the radiator (<NUM>) and the opening (<NUM>) are located at both axial sides of the through groove (<NUM>), and a transverse direction of the radiator (<NUM>) is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the axial direction.