Patent Description:
Ceramic materials having different colors differ from one another in terms of components contained therein and electrical performance (e.g., permittivity). For this reason, only a small number of colors capable of satisfying electrical performances may be applied to mobile wireless communication devices to which conventional ceramic cover parts are applied. Furthermore, only sheets for diffusing heat generated from internal parts may be attached to the insides of the ceramic cover parts.

Ceramic materials may contain pigments mainly containing metal components so as to express colors. Ceramic parts with different colors contain pigments having different components. Due to this, cover parts containing ceramic materials have different electrical performances depending on colors. Furthermore, the composition of components is different for each company that manufactures a ceramic material, and therefore so as to use ceramic materials having various colors as cover parts of wireless communication devices, internal parts (electrical parts, antennas, and the like) that are separately tuned depending on wireless communication characteristics of the materials used for the cover parts may be included. Including the internal parts having different specifications depending on the cover colors may cause a rise in the difficulty level of a process and difficulty in part inventory management. For this reason, the wireless communication devices to which the ceramic cover parts are applied cannot support various colors.

Document <CIT> relates to a terminal, including metal back cover including metal cover plate, first and second metal frames respectively arranged at two opposite sides thereof for forming first gap, first metal frame comprising first, second and third radiating portions; antenna module fixed on metal back cover close to first metal frame, antenna module comprising system ground connected with metal cover plate, and antenna circuit board connected with system ground and first metal frame, antenna circuit board including grounding, feeding, matching circuit and tuner; grounding circuit comprises grounding point and grounding pin and going across first gap; the feeding circuit comprises feeding point and feeding pin and going across first gap; first, second and third radiating portions are configured that when tuning in middle-high frequency, first and second radiating portions serve as radiator of antenna module, and when tuning in low frequency, second and third radiating portions serve as radiator. Document <CIT> shows an antenna device of a mobile phone, the mobile phone is comprised of an upper cover and a lower cover, a main electric circuit board is provided in the interior space formed by said upper cover and lower covers. The lower cover has an antenna circuit printed on the inner bottom surface of the lower cover. The antenna circuit has a first protruding end connecting point, the main electric circuit board in the body of the mobile phone has on the rear surface thereof another connecting point in opposition to the first end connecting point, a ceramic layer and a matching electric circuit board layer having a desired frequency are provided between the antenna circuit and the main electric circuit board, when the upper cover and the lower cover are assembled, the connecting points connect with each other.

Embodiments disclosed in the disclosure are aimed at providing an electronic device having uniform performance by reducing a wireless communication performance difference that is like to occur when electronic devices include ceramic housings formed of different materials and the same wireless communication module.

An electronic device according to various embodiments includes a housing including a first portion having a first permittivity, a circuit board that is disposed in the housing and that has a communication module disposed on a surface of the circuit board that faces the first portion, and a ceramic layer formed between the circuit board and the first portion to cover the communication module, and the first portion and the ceramic layer together form a second permittivity different from the first permittivity.

An electronic device according to various embodiments includes a first cover having a display area formed therein, a second cover that faces the first cover and that is formed of a composition containing a first ceramic material, a side frame that surrounds a space between the first cover and the second cover, and a circuit board that is disposed in the space formed by the first cover, the second cover, and the side frame and that includes a communication module that transmits and receives radio waves. A radiation area through which the radio waves pass is formed in at least part of the second cover, and the electronic device further includes a ceramic film that is disposed between the radiation area and the communication module to pass the radio waves and that contains a second ceramic material.

An electronic device according to various embodiments includes a cover that forms a first surface of the electronic device and that has a display area formed in at least part thereof, a housing including a first portion that faces the cover and a second portion that surrounds an interior space between the first portion and the cover, the housing being formed of a composition containing a ceramic material, a communication module that is disposed in the interior space of the housing and that includes a radiating surface that faces at least part of the second portion of the housing, and a ceramic layer disposed between the at least part of the second portion of the housing and the radiating surface.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device including a housing containing a ceramic material and a compound may have uniform wireless communication performance irrespective of the type of the compound.

Accordingly, the same wireless communication module may be disposed in an electronic device having a different color, and thus productivity may be improved.

With regard to description of the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals may be used to refer to identical or similar components.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives on the various embodiments described herein can be variously made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a housing <NUM> that includes a first surface (or, a front surface) 110A, a second surface (or, a rear surface) 110B, and side surfaces 110C surrounding a space between the first surface 110A and the second surface 110B. In another embodiment (not illustrated), a housing may refer to a structure that forms some of the first surface 110A, the second surface 110B, and the side surfaces 110C of <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the first surface 110A may be formed by a front plate <NUM>, at least part of which is substantially transparent (e.g., a glass plate including various coating layers, or a polymer plate). The second surface 110B may be formed by a back plate <NUM> that is substantially opaque. The back plate <NUM> may be formed of, for example, coated or colored glass, ceramic, polymer, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel (STS), or magnesium), or a combination of at least two of the aforementioned materials. The side surfaces 110C may be formed by a side bezel structure (or, a "side member") <NUM> that is coupled with the front plate <NUM> and the back plate <NUM> and that contains metal and/or polymer. In some embodiments, the back plate <NUM> and the side bezel structure <NUM> may be integrally formed with each other and may contain the same material (e.g., a metallic material such as aluminum).

In the illustrated embodiment, the front plate <NUM> may include, at opposite long edges thereof, two first areas 110D that curvedly and seamlessly extend from the first surface 110A toward the back plate <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment (refer to <FIG>), the back plate <NUM> may include, at opposite long edges thereof, two second areas 110E that curvedly and seamlessly extend from the second surface 110B toward the front plate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the front plate <NUM> (or, the back plate <NUM>) may include only one of the first areas 110D (or, the second areas 110E). In another embodiment, a part of the first areas 110D or the second areas 110E may not be included. In the embodiments, when viewed from a side of the electronic device <NUM>, the side bezel structure <NUM> may have a first thickness (or, width) at sides not including the first areas 110D or the second areas 110E and may have a second thickness smaller than the first thickness at sides including the first areas 110D or the second areas 110E.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include at least one of a display <NUM>, audio modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, sensor modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, camera modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, key input devices <NUM>, a light emitting element <NUM>, and connector holes <NUM> and <NUM>. In some embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may omit at least one component (e.g., the key input devices <NUM> or the light emitting element <NUM>) among the aforementioned components, or may additionally include other component(s).

The display <NUM>, for example, may be exposed through most of the front plate <NUM>. In some embodiments, at least part of the display <NUM> may be exposed through the front plate <NUM> that forms the first surface 110A and the first areas 110D of the side surfaces 110C. In some embodiments, the periphery of the display <NUM> may be formed to be substantially the same as the shape of the adjacent periphery of the front plate <NUM>. In another embodiment (not illustrated), the gap between the periphery of the display <NUM> and the periphery of the front plate <NUM> may be substantially constant to expand the area by which the display <NUM> is exposed.

In another embodiment (not illustrated), recesses or openings may be formed in part of a screen display area of the display <NUM>, and the electronic device <NUM> may include at least one of the audio module <NUM>, the sensor module <NUM>, the camera module <NUM>, and the light emitting element <NUM> that are aligned with the recesses or the openings. In another embodiment (not illustrated), the electronic device <NUM> may include, on a rear surface of the screen display area of the display <NUM>, at least one of the audio module <NUM>, the sensor module <NUM>, the camera module <NUM>, the fingerprint sensor <NUM>, and the light emitting element <NUM>. In another embodiment (not illustrated), the display <NUM> may be combined with, or disposed adjacent to, touch detection circuitry, a pressure sensor for measuring the intensity (pressure) of a touch, and/or a digitizer for detecting a stylus pen of a magnetic field type. In some embodiments, at least a part of the sensor modules <NUM> and <NUM> and/or at least a part of the key input devices <NUM> may be disposed in the first areas 110D and/or the second areas 110E.

The audio modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include the microphone hole <NUM> and the speaker holes <NUM> and <NUM>. A microphone for obtaining a sound from the outside may be disposed in the microphone hole <NUM>. In some embodiments, a plurality of microphones may be disposed in the microphone hole <NUM> to detect the direction of a sound. The speaker holes <NUM> and <NUM> may include the external speaker hole <NUM> and the receiver hole <NUM> for a telephone call. In some embodiments, the speaker holes <NUM> and <NUM> and the microphone hole <NUM> may be implemented with a single hole, or a speaker (e.g., a piezo speaker) may be included without the speaker holes <NUM> and <NUM>.

The sensor modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may generate an electrical signal or a data value that corresponds to an operational state inside the electronic device <NUM> or an environmental state external to the electronic device <NUM>. The sensor modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include, for example, the first sensor module <NUM> (e.g., a proximity sensor) and/or the second sensor module (not illustrated) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor) that is disposed on the first surface 110A of the housing <NUM>, and/or the third sensor module <NUM> (e.g., an HRM sensor) and/or the fourth sensor module <NUM> (e.g., a fingerprint sensor) that is disposed on the second surface 110B of the housing <NUM>. The fingerprint sensor may be disposed not only on the first surface 110A of the housing <NUM> (e.g., the display <NUM>) but also on the second surface 110B. The electronic device <NUM> may further include a non-illustrated sensor module, which may be, for example, at least one of a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or the illuminance sensor <NUM>.

The camera modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include the first camera device <NUM> disposed on the first surface 110A of the electronic device <NUM>, and the second camera device <NUM> and/or the flash <NUM> disposed on the second surface 110B. The camera devices <NUM> and <NUM> may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, and/or an image signal processor. The flash <NUM> may include, for example, a light emitting diode or a xenon lamp. In some embodiments, two or more lenses (an IR camera lens, a wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens) and image sensors may be disposed on one surface of the electronic device <NUM>.

The key input devices <NUM> may be disposed on the side surfaces 110C of the housing <NUM>. In another embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may not include all or some of the aforementioned key input devices <NUM>, and the key input devices <NUM> not included may be implemented in a different form such as a soft key on the display <NUM>. In some embodiments, the key input devices <NUM> may include the sensor module <NUM> disposed on the second surface 110B of the housing <NUM>.

The light emitting element <NUM>, for example, may be disposed on the first surface 110A of the housing <NUM>. The light emitting element <NUM>, for example, may provide state information of the electronic device <NUM> in the form of light. In another embodiment, the light emitting element <NUM> may provide, for example, a light source that operates in conjunction with operation of the camera module <NUM>. The light emitting element <NUM> may include, for example, an LED, an IR LED, and a xenon lamp.

The connector holes <NUM> and <NUM> may include the first connector hole <NUM> for accommodating a connector (e.g., a USB connector) for transmitting and receiving electric power and/or data with an external electronic device, and/or the second connector hole <NUM> (e.g., an earphone jack) for accommodating a connector for transmitting and receiving audio signals with an external electronic device.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include a side bezel structure <NUM> (e.g., a side member), a first support member <NUM> (e.g., a bracket), a front plate <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a printed circuit board <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a second support member <NUM> (e.g., a rear case), an antenna <NUM>, and a back plate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may omit at least one component (e.g., the first support member <NUM> or the second support member <NUM>) among the aforementioned components, or may additionally include other component(s). At least one of the components of the electronic device <NUM> may be the same as, or similar to, at least one of the components of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG> or <FIG>, and repetitive descriptions will hereinafter be omitted.

The first support member <NUM> may be disposed inside the electronic device <NUM> and may be connected with the side bezel structure <NUM>, or may be integrally formed with the side bezel structure <NUM>. The first support member <NUM> may be formed of, for example, a metallic material and/or a nonmetallic (e.g., polymer) material. The display <NUM> may be coupled to one surface of the first support member <NUM>, and the printed circuit board <NUM> may be coupled to an opposite surface of the first support member <NUM>. The printed circuit board <NUM> may have a processor, a memory, and/or an interface mounted thereon. The processor may include, for example, one or more of a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphic processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

The memory may include, for example, a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory.

The interface may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, and/or an audio interface. For example, the interface may electrically or physically connect the electronic device <NUM> with an external electronic device and may include a USB connector, an SD card/MMC connector, or an audio connector.

The battery <NUM>, which is a device for supplying electric power to at least one component of the electronic device <NUM>, may include, for example, a primary cell that is not rechargeable, a secondary cell that is rechargeable, or a fuel cell. At least part of the battery <NUM>, for example, may be disposed on substantially the same plane as the printed circuit board <NUM>. The battery <NUM> may be integrally disposed inside the electronic device <NUM>, or may be disposed so as to be detachable from the electronic device <NUM>.

The antenna <NUM> may be disposed between the back plate <NUM> and the battery <NUM>. For example, the antenna <NUM> may perform short-range communication with an external device, or may wirelessly transmit and receive electric power required for charging. In another embodiment, an antenna structure may be formed by part of the side bezel structure <NUM> and/or part of the first support member <NUM>, or a combination thereof.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

The electronic device <NUM> includes a first cover <NUM> (e.g., the front plate <NUM> of <FIG>), a side member <NUM> (e.g., the side bezel structure <NUM> of <FIG>) that is connected with the first cover <NUM> to form an interior space, a circuit board <NUM> (e.g., the printed circuit board <NUM> of <FIG>) that is disposed in the interior space, a ceramic layer <NUM> disposed under the circuit board <NUM>, and a second cover <NUM> (e.g., the back plate <NUM> of <FIG>) that is disposed under the ceramic layer <NUM>.

In the following description, based on <FIG>, a surface formed by the first cover <NUM> is referred to as a front surface of the electronic device <NUM>, and a surface formed by the second cover <NUM> is referred to as a rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. In this case, the front surface and/or the rear surface may be formed to be a curved surface.

In an embodiment, at least part of the first cover <NUM> (e.g., a front cover) may be formed of a transparent glass material. The first cover <NUM> includes a display area <NUM> formed to be transparent such that a display is visually exposed and an opaque area <NUM> (e.g., a bezel area) that surrounds at least part of the periphery of the display area <NUM> and that is formed to be opaque. The display (not illustrated) (e.g., the display <NUM> of <FIG>) may be disposed under the display area <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the side member <NUM> and the circuit board <NUM> may be disposed under the first cover <NUM>. The side member <NUM> may include a first structure <NUM> extending from the periphery of the first cover <NUM> to surround side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM> and a second structure <NUM> (e.g., the first support member <NUM> of <FIG>) that extends toward the inside of the electronic device <NUM>. The first structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> may form most of the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM>. The side member <NUM> may be connected with the first cover <NUM> in one direction (e.g., the + Z-axis direction) and may be connected with the second cover <NUM> in an opposite direction (e.g., the - Z-axis direction), and an interior space may be formed by the first cover <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the side member <NUM>. The circuit board <NUM> and a battery <NUM> may be disposed in the interior space.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery <NUM> and the circuit board <NUM> having one or more electrical elements <NUM> mounted thereon for implementing various functions of the electronic device <NUM> may be disposed inside the side member <NUM>. The circuit board <NUM> may be disposed on a surface of the first structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> that faces toward the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The circuit board <NUM> may be disposed under the display. In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board <NUM> may be formed in the shape of "⊂". Without being necessarily limited thereto, however, the shape of the circuit board <NUM> may vary depending on the shape of the battery <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the circuit board <NUM> may include a first surface facing toward the front surface of the electronic device <NUM> and a second surface facing toward the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. Some of the electrical elements <NUM> may be mounted on the first surface of the circuit board <NUM>, and the others may be mounted on the second surface of the circuit board <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the ceramic layer <NUM> and the second cover <NUM> may be disposed under the circuit board <NUM>. The second cover <NUM> may be connected to the periphery of the second structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> and may form the space in which the circuit board <NUM> and a rear case (not illustrated) are disposed. The second cover <NUM> may form most of the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. At least part of the second cover <NUM> may be formed of an opaque glass material. A camera area <NUM> through which a camera is visually exposed may be formed in the second cover <NUM>. The camera area <NUM> may be formed of a transparent glass material.

Referring to <FIG>, the ceramic layer <NUM> is disposed between the second cover <NUM> and the circuit board <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the second cover <NUM>. Without being necessarily limited thereto, however, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed in various shapes. Referring to <FIG>, the ceramic layer <NUM> is illustrated as being formed of a ceramic sheet or a ceramic film. Without being necessarily limited thereto, however, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed by coating an inner surface of the second cover <NUM> (e.g., a surface of the second cover <NUM> that faces in the + Z-axis direction) with a ceramic material.

In some embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include a housing (e.g., the first cover <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the side member <NUM>), and the housing may include a first surface (e.g., the first cover <NUM>) on which the display area <NUM> is formed, a second surface (e.g., the second cover <NUM>) that faces the first surface, and third surfaces (e.g., the side member <NUM>) that surround a space between the first surface and the second surface. In this case, the second surface (e.g., the second cover <NUM>) and/or the third surfaces (e.g., the side member <NUM>) may be formed of a composition containing a ceramic material. The circuit board <NUM> may be disposed between the first surface and the second surface.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device according to an embodiment. <FIG> is a view from the rear of the electronic device illustrated in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include the side member <NUM> (e.g., the side bezel structure <NUM> of <FIG>) and the second cover <NUM> (e.g., the back plate <NUM> of <FIG>), and a rear case <NUM> (e.g., the second support member <NUM> of <FIG>), the battery <NUM> (e.g., the battery <NUM> of <FIG>), and the ceramic layer <NUM> may be disposed in the space formed by the side member <NUM> and the second cover <NUM>.

The side member <NUM> may form most of the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM> and may be connected with the second cover <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. The side member <NUM> may be formed to surround at least part of the periphery of the circuit board <NUM>. The second cover <NUM> may form most of the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include the rear case <NUM> disposed between the circuit board <NUM> and the ceramic layer <NUM>. One or more first communication modules <NUM> are disposed on a surface of the rear case <NUM> that faces toward the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>.

The first communication modules <NUM> implements a wireless communication function of the electronic device <NUM> by radiating radio waves of the electronic device <NUM>. The first communication modules <NUM> receives radio waves from outside the electronic device <NUM>, or may transmit radio waves to the outside. At this time, the radio waves may pass through at least part of the second cover <NUM> or the side member <NUM>. For example, the first communication modules <NUM> may be modules that perform a communication function of at least one of NFC, Bluetooth, WIFI, GPS, LTE, and an mmWave antenna module (e.g., a <NUM> antenna module). The mmWave antenna module for transmitting and receiving radio waves having mm wavelengths may be an antenna module that generally transmits and receives signals in a high-frequency band of <NUM> or more.

In an embodiment, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be disposed between the second cover layer <NUM> and the rear case <NUM>. The ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the second cover <NUM>. The periphery of the ceramic layer <NUM> may be connected with the first structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM>, which forms the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM>, but may not be exposed on the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM>. The ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed to cover one surface (e.g., a surface facing toward the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>) of the rear case <NUM>. For example, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed to cover the one or more first communication modules <NUM> disposed on at least the rear case <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the ceramic layer <NUM> is not limited to the shape illustrated in <FIG> and may be disposed to cover the first communication modules <NUM> mounted on at least the circuit board <NUM> or to pass radio waves radiated (radio waves transmitted and received) from the first communication modules <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the ceramic layer <NUM> may have various shapes or thicknesses depending on radio-wave characteristics such as directions, intensities, or frequencies (e.g., <NUM> and <NUM>) of radio waves radiated by the first communication modules <NUM>. Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the ceramic layer <NUM> is formed in a film or sheet shape. Without being limited thereto, however, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed on an inner surface of the side member <NUM> or the second cover <NUM> by coating.

In some embodiments, radio waves transmitted or received from the first communication modules <NUM> may be radiated along various paths, but may pass through at least the ceramic layer <NUM> and may pass through at least a part of housing structures (e.g., the side member <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the front cover (e.g., the first cover <NUM> of <FIG>)). In other words, a part of the housing structures may be located on a path along which radio waves travel.

In an embodiment, the housing structures (e.g., the side member <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the front cover (e.g., the first cover <NUM> of <FIG>)) may be formed of a composition containing a ceramic material. However, the composition may further contain additional compounds. For example, depending on the colors of the exteriors of the housing structures, the composition may further contain various compounds or metal compounds. In this case, characteristics of radio waves passing through the housing structures may be changed by the compounds. For example, the compounds may change the permittivities of the housing structures. In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further include the ceramic layer <NUM> suitable to adjust changed characteristics of radio waves passing through the housing structures to a preferred range.

In various embodiments, a part of the housing structures (e.g., the side member <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the front cover (e.g., the first cover <NUM> of <FIG>)) that are located on paths of radio waves radiated from the first communication modules <NUM> may have a first permittivity, and the ceramic layer <NUM> may have a second permittivity. In this case, the part of the housing structures and the ceramic layer <NUM> through which radio waves pass may form a third permittivity. In other words, the ceramic layer <NUM> and the housing structures may form the third permittivity, and radio waves radiated from the first communication modules <NUM> may be understood as passing through a dielectric having the third permittivity. The third permittivity may be a suitable permittivity or a suitable permittivity range to implement preferred wireless communication performance of the electronic device <NUM>. Specifically, the housing structures having different colors may further contain different materials and therefore may have different permittivities. In contrast, the first communication modules <NUM> may have the same wireless communication performance irrespective of the colors of the housing structures. In this case, the wireless communication performance of the electronic device may vary depending on the color of the exterior.

Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may include the ceramic layer <NUM> having an appropriate physical property (e.g., permittivity) and thus may have uniform wireless communication performance independently of the color of the electronic device <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the third permittivity, which is formed by the ceramic layer <NUM> and the housing structures located on radiation paths of radio waves, may be a constant permittivity or a constant permittivity range irrespective of components of the housing structures that vary depending on various colors. That is, even in a case where electronic devices include housing structures having different colors (that is, housing structures having different components), the electronic devices may include the same communication module, and thus there is an advantageous effect of improving productivity.

<FIG> is a sectional view taken along line A-A' of <FIG>. <FIG> is a view illustrating sections of the ceramic layer.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include the housing including the second cover <NUM> and the side member <NUM>, the circuit board <NUM> disposed in the housing, the rear case <NUM> disposed between the circuit board <NUM> and the second cover <NUM>, an antenna board <NUM> (e.g., the first communication modules <NUM> of <FIG>) that is formed on the rear case <NUM>, and the ceramic layer <NUM> disposed between the second cover <NUM> and the antenna board <NUM>. The antenna board <NUM> is implemented with a conductive pattern formed on one surface of the rear case <NUM>. The antenna board <NUM> may be electrically connected with the circuit board <NUM> through a connector <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the side member <NUM> may further include the first structure <NUM> that forms at least a part of the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM> and the second structure <NUM> that extends toward the inside of the electronic device <NUM>. Referring to the sectional view, the second structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> may extend in the X-axis direction.

The side member <NUM> and at least part of the second cover <NUM> may be formed of a composition containing a ceramic material, and the composition may further contain additional compounds for forming various colors of the housing.

In an embodiment, the circuit board <NUM> may be disposed parallel to the second structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM>. An end portion of the circuit board <NUM> that faces in the X-axis direction may be disposed on a stopper <NUM> of the side member <NUM>. The one or more electrical elements <NUM> may be disposed on the circuit board <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the antenna board <NUM> may radiate radio waves toward the side surfaces and/or the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The radio waves radiated from the antenna board <NUM> may pass through at least part of the second cover <NUM> and/or at least part of the side member <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed on the second cover <NUM> and an area <NUM> of the side member <NUM> through which the radio waves radiated from the antenna board <NUM> pass. The ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed on the inner surface of the second cover <NUM> and/or the side member <NUM>, or may be formed in a separate sheet or film form and disposed to cover the antenna board <NUM>. Alternatively, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be provided by depositing a ceramic material onto at least part of the inner surface of the second cover <NUM> and/or the side member <NUM> through a sputtering process. In another case, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be provided by coating at least part of the inner surface of the second cover <NUM> and/or the side member <NUM> with a solution containing a ceramic material.

The electronic device <NUM> includes the housing (e.g., the first cover <NUM>, the side member <NUM>, and the second cover <NUM> of <FIG>) in which the antenna board <NUM> is disposed, a radiation area <NUM> formed on at least part of the housing, and a ceramic film that corresponds to the radiation area <NUM> and that is disposed between an inner surface of the housing and the antenna board <NUM>. The radiation area <NUM> may refer to a partial area of the housing through which radio waves radiated from the antenna board <NUM> pass. The ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed or disposed on an inner surface of the housing that corresponds to the radiation area <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in an embodiment, the ceramic layer <NUM> may include a base layer <NUM>, an adhesive layer <NUM> formed on one surface of the base layer <NUM>, and a ceramic coating layer <NUM> formed on an opposite surface of the base layer <NUM>. Alternatively, the ceramic coating layer <NUM> may be formed between the base layer <NUM> and the adhesive layer <NUM>. The base layer <NUM> may contain a primer. The ceramic coating layer <NUM> may be formed of a composition containing a ceramic material (e.g., a ceramic compound), and the ceramic material may include at least one of SiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2. The ceramic coating layer <NUM> may be formed on one surface of the base layer <NUM> through a sputtering process, or may be formed by coating one surface of the base layer <NUM> with a coating solution containing a ceramic material. The adhesive layer <NUM> may be formed to be non-conductive and may be formed of a material not affecting radio waves radiated by a communication module. For example, the adhesive layer <NUM> may be formed of a sticker, an adhesive, or a double-sided tape.

In various embodiments, the ceramic layer <NUM> may be formed of a double-sided ceramic layer <NUM> that includes a base layer <NUM>, ceramic coating layers <NUM> formed on opposite surfaces of the base layer <NUM>, and an adhesive layer <NUM> formed on one of the ceramic coating layers <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include the side member <NUM> (e.g., the side bezel structure <NUM> of <FIG>) in which the circuit board <NUM> (e.g., the printed circuit board <NUM> of <FIG>) and the battery <NUM> (e.g., the battery <NUM> of <FIG>) are disposed, the second cover <NUM> (e.g., the back plate <NUM> of <FIG>) that is coupled to the side member <NUM>, the rear case <NUM> disposed between the second cover <NUM> and the circuit board <NUM>, and first communication modules <NUM> and second communication modules <NUM> that are included in the rear case <NUM> (e.g., the second support member <NUM> of <FIG>). The first communication modules <NUM> may be separate modules disposed on the rear case <NUM>, or may be implemented with conductive patterns formed on the rear case <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board <NUM> may include the one or more electrical elements <NUM>. The rear case <NUM> may be formed in a shape substantially corresponding to the circuit board <NUM>. Ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM> may be disposed between the rear case <NUM> and the second cover <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the rear case <NUM> may include first communication modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for a wireless communication function of the electronic device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the first communication modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be disposed on a lower end portion (e.g., an end portion facing in the - Y-axis direction), an upper end portion (e.g., an end portion facing in the + Y-axis direction), and a lateral portion (e.g., an end portion facing in the - X-axis direction) of the rear case <NUM>. In various embodiments, the first communication modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be disposed or formed on the periphery of the rear case <NUM>. For example, the first communication modules <NUM> may be modules that perform a communication function of at least one of LTE and an mmWave antenna module (e.g., a <NUM> antenna module).

The electronic device <NUM> further includes the second communication modules <NUM> included in the rear case <NUM>. The second communication modules <NUM> may be separate modules disposed on the rear case <NUM>, or may be implemented with conductive patterns formed on the rear case <NUM>. For example, the second communication modules <NUM> may include at least one of a GPS module, a Wi-Fi module, and a Bluetooth module.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM> may include the first ceramic film <NUM> that covers the first communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> disposed on the lower end portion of the rear case <NUM> and the second ceramic film <NUM> that covers the first communication module <NUM> disposed on the upper end portion of the rear case <NUM> and the second communication modules <NUM>. In this case, each of the first ceramic film <NUM> and the second ceramic film <NUM> may be attached to a partial area of the rear case <NUM>, or may be attached to an inner surface of a partial area of the second cover <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the number or shapes of ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM> may vary depending on the number and mounting positions of first communication modules <NUM> or second communication modules <NUM> for which the permittivity is desired to be adjusted and are not necessarily limited to those illustrated in the drawing. Furthermore, each of the first ceramic film <NUM> and the second ceramic film <NUM> have a different physical property (e.g., permittivity, thickness, or double-sided coating or not) depending on wireless communication performance required for the first communication modules <NUM> or the second communication modules <NUM> that correspond thereto.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device according to another embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include a front cover <NUM> having a display area <NUM> formed therein through which a display is visually exposed, a circuit board <NUM> disposed under the front cover <NUM>, a housing <NUM> (e.g., the side member <NUM> and the second cover <NUM> of <FIG>, or the first structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> and the second cover <NUM> of <FIG>) that is coupled with the front cover <NUM> to form an interior space, and a ceramic film <NUM> formed on an inner surface of the housing <NUM>. Here, the housing <NUM> may be formed of a composition containing a ceramic material.

Referring to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> may include a first portion <NUM> (e.g., the second cover <NUM> of <FIG>) that forms a rear surface of the electronic device <NUM> and a second portion <NUM> (e.g., the first structure <NUM> of the side member <NUM> of <FIG>) that forms side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM>. The display area <NUM> of the front cover <NUM> may be formed of a transparent glass material, and a bezel area <NUM> surrounding the periphery of the display area <NUM> may be formed to be opaque. The display (not illustrated) may be visually exposed through the display area <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the ceramic film <NUM> may be formed in a shape corresponding to the housing <NUM> and may be disposed to cover an inner surface of the first portion <NUM> and an inner surface of the second portion <NUM>. Alternatively, the ceramic film <NUM> may be attached to the inner surfaces of the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM>. The illustrated embodiment may be the electronic device <NUM> in which radio waves radiated by a communication module (e.g., the first communication modules <NUM> of <FIG> or the second communication modules <NUM> of <FIG>) pass through the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. That is, it may mean a case where radio waves are radiated through the side surfaces of the electronic device <NUM>.

In an embodiment, radio-wave characteristics of radio waves passing through side surfaces of the housing <NUM> may be adjusted by a partial area of the ceramic film <NUM> disposed on the inner surface of the second portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, and radio-wave characteristics of radio waves passing through a rear surface of the housing <NUM> may be adjusted by a partial area of the ceramic film <NUM> disposed on the inner surface of the first portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further include an anti-scattering film <NUM> formed on the inner surface of the housing <NUM>. In various embodiments, the housing <NUM> containing the ceramic material may be relatively vulnerable to an external impact, and a problem that ceramic fragments are scattered by the external impact may occur. In this case, the anti-scattering film <NUM> may prevent the ceramic fragments from being scattered when the housing <NUM> is damaged. Accordingly, the anti-scattering film <NUM> may preferably be formed on, or attached to, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM>.

In various embodiments, likewise to the ceramic film <NUM>, the anti-scattering film <NUM> may contain a ceramic material and may have a predetermined permittivity. The anti-scattering film <NUM> may be integrally formed with, or separate from, the ceramic film <NUM>. For example, in a case where the anti-scattering film <NUM> and the ceramic film <NUM> are formed to be separate from each other, the anti-scattering film <NUM> may be directly attached to the inner surface of the housing <NUM>, and the ceramic film <NUM> may be additionally attached to the anti-scattering film <NUM>. Furthermore, because the anti-scattering film <NUM> affects characteristics of radio waves radiated from the communication module (e.g., the first communication modules <NUM> of <FIG> or the second communication modules <NUM> of <FIG>), a physical property (e.g., permittivity) of the anti-scattering film <NUM> may be determined in consideration of effects of the anti-scattering film <NUM>, the housing <NUM>, and the ceramic film <NUM> on radiation of radio waves.

In various embodiments, the anti-scattering film <NUM> or the ceramic film <NUM> may be pressed against the inner surface of the housing <NUM> in a process of manufacturing the housing <NUM>, or may be previously formed in a shape corresponding to the inside of the housing <NUM> and attached to the inner surface of the housing <NUM>. The anti-scattering film <NUM> or the ceramic film <NUM> may be attached to the inner surface of the housing <NUM> through vacuum pressing, vacuum lamination, or an autoclave process.

<FIG> is a sectional view of the electronic device according to the other embodiment. <FIG> is a sectional view of the electronic device taken along line B-B' of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, third communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> may be disposed on a surface of the circuit board <NUM> that faces toward the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The third communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> may include communication module <NUM>-<NUM><NUM> from which radio waves are radiated in a first direction (direction ① in the drawing, a direction to pass through a left side surface of the housing <NUM>) and communication module <NUM>-<NUM><NUM> from which radio waves are radiated in a second direction (direction ② in the drawing, a direction to pass through a right side surface of the housing <NUM>). In this case, regions of the side surfaces of the housing <NUM> through which radio waves radiated by the third communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> pass may contain a ceramic material or a non-conductive material.

In another embodiment, at least one (e.g., communication module <NUM>-<NUM><NUM>) of the third communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> may radiate radio waves in a direction to pass through the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>.

In another embodiment, one or more ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM> may be disposed on the inner surface of the housing <NUM> (e.g., the inner surfaces of the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> of <FIG>). Alternatively, a ceramic layer may be formed on the inner surface of the housing <NUM>. Accordingly, radio waves radiated from communication module <NUM>-<NUM><NUM> and communication module <NUM>-<NUM><NUM> may pass through the one or more ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM>, and characteristics of the radio waves may be changed by a structure having a new permittivity formed by the ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM>. For example, when the permittivity of the housing <NUM> itself corresponds to a first permittivity, the housing <NUM> and the ceramic films <NUM> and <NUM> may form a second permittivity together.

In another embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include the housing <NUM> containing various ceramic compositions, and an additional material may be further contained in the ceramic compositions depending on the color of the housing <NUM>. In a case where the additional material is a conductive material, characteristics of radio waves radiated from the communication modules <NUM> and <NUM> may be changed, and in a case of including the same communication module, the electronic device <NUM> may have different wireless communication performances depending on colors of the electronic device <NUM>. To solve such problems, the electronic device <NUM> according to the other embodiment may include the ceramic film <NUM>, thereby uniformly maintaining characteristics of radio waves radiated to the outside of the housing <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates test data regarding wireless communication performances of the electronic devices illustrated in <FIG>. In this test, a wireless communication performance difference depending on a difference in color between housings was evaluated, and a reduction of the difference by a ceramic film was tested.

An electronic device <NUM> of an experimental example in the test data illustrated in <FIG> is according to the embodiments illustrated in <FIG> and may include a housing (e.g., the first cover <NUM>, the second cover <NUM>, and the side member <NUM> of <FIG>, or the front cover <NUM> and the housing <NUM> of <FIG>) that contains a ceramic material, a communication module (e.g., the first communication modules <NUM> and the second communication modules <NUM> of <FIG>), and a ceramic film (e.g., the ceramic layer <NUM> of <FIG>, the ceramic film <NUM> of <FIG>, and the anti-scattering film <NUM> of <FIG>).

An electronic device <NUM> of a comparative example includes a white housing and a communication module, but does not include a ceramic film. An electronic device <NUM> of a comparative example includes a black housing and a communication module, but does not include a ceramic film.

Referring to the test data of <FIG>, it can be seen that there is a difference in wireless communication performance depending on the colors of the housings even though the same communication module is included. Specifically, a difference in transmission performance between the electronic device <NUM> including the white housing and the electronic device <NUM> including the black housing may be <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band and <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band. Furthermore, a difference in reception performance therebetween may be <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band and <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band. This is because as described above, the housings containing ceramic materials further contain separate compounds for representing various colors and the compounds affect the wireless communication performances of the communication modules.

Meanwhile, it can be seen that a wireless communication performance difference decreases when a ceramic film is further included even though a housing having a different color is included. Specifically, it can be seen that a difference in wireless communication performance between the electronic device <NUM> including the black housing and a single-sided film and the electronic device <NUM> including the white housing is smaller than that when there is no single-sided film.

A difference in transmission performance may be <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band and <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band. Furthermore, a difference in reception performance may be <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band and <NUM> dB in the <NUM> band. Although the transmission performance difference in the <NUM> band increases from <NUM> dB to <NUM> dB, the absolute value is small, and therefore it cannot be regarded as a significant difference. Consequently, it can be seen that the wireless communication performance difference of the electronic device is decreased despite the change in the color of the housing. This is because as described above, characteristics of radio waves radiated from the communication module are adjusted by the ceramic film disposed between the communication module and the housing. However, the physical property of the ceramic film or the color of the housing included in the electronic device <NUM> according to the embodiment is not limited to the test data illustrated in <FIG>, and the electronic device <NUM> may include various ceramic films and housings having various colors. For example, the ceramic film may be implemented with a single-sided or double-sided ceramic film, may have various thicknesses, and may contain various materials.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an electronic device including a housing containing ceramic and a compound may further include an appropriate ceramic film depending on the compound contained in the housing, thereby achieving uniform wireless communication performance. Accordingly, the electronic device according to the embodiment may have uniform wireless communication performance irrespective of the color of the housing, the type of the compound contained in the housing, or the type of communication module.

As used herein, each of such phrases as "A or B,""at least one of A and B,""at least one of A or B,""A, B, or C,""at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C," may include any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with,""coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory or an external memory) that is readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG> or the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>)). For example, a processor of the machine (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG> or the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>) may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with or without using one or more other components under the control of the processor.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) including:
a first cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) having a display area formed therein;
a second cover (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to face the first cover and formed of a composition containing a first ceramic material;
a side frame (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to surround a space between the first cover and the second cover;
a circuit board (<NUM>, <NUM>) disposed in the housing, the circuit board having a communication module (<NUM>, <NUM>) disposed on a surface of the circuit board configured to transmit and receive radio waves; and
a ceramic layer (<NUM>) containing a second ceramic material that is formed as a ceramic film and is disposed between the circuit board and the second cover to cover the communication module,
wherein a radiation area through which the radio waves pass includes at least part of the second cover and at least part of the ceramic layer;
wherein the ceramic layer is configured to adjust changed characteristics of radio waves passing through the housing to a preferred range, wherein the communication module includes a first communication module (<NUM>) and a second communication module (<NUM>),
wherein the ceramic film includes a first film (<NUM>) disposed between the first communication module and the second cover of the housing and a second film (<NUM>) disposed between the second communication module and the second cover of the housing, and
wherein the first film has a different permittivity from the second film, and each permittivity is adapted by varying the thickness of the first film and the second film depending on wireless communication performance required for the first communication module and the second communication module, respectively,
wherein the circuit board includes a main circuit board having one or more electrical elements disposed thereon and an antenna board having the communication module disposed thereon, and
wherein the antenna board is formed on at least part of a periphery of an inner surface of the housing,
wherein a radiating surface of the communication module includes the antenna board disposed to face the second cover, the antenna board having a conductive pattern formed thereon.