Patent Description:
The number of integrated wireless technologies included in mobile computing devices such as <NUM>-in-<NUM> notebooks is increasing. These wireless technologies include, but are not limited to, WIFI, WiGig, and Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) technologies such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Each wireless technology specifies certain certification standards that pertain to antenna isolation and others factors. Additionally, regulatory standards limit the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) caused by wireless systems, which is a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the human body when exposed to radio frequency signals. To meet these regulatory standards, SAR sensors may be used to detect the presence of human tissue, which reduces the available space for antennas. The carrier certification and regulatory standards tend to increase the space required for the antennas to provide suitable performance. At the same time, the available space within the device for the antennas that support these wireless technologies is shrinking. With the addition of a 3D user-facing camera, the available volume for antennas is further reduced. Exemplary electronic devices are illustrated in documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the figures to reference like components and features. Numbers in the <NUM> series refer to features originally found in <FIG>; numbers in the <NUM> series refer to features originally found in <FIG>; and so on.

The invention is as set out in the independent claims, further aspects of the invention are outlined in the dependent claims. Embodiments that do not fall within the scope of the claims do not describe part of the invention. The subject matter disclosed herein relates to techniques for integrating multiple radio antennas in a single bezel of a computing device. Currently, to meet regulatory and carrier certification standards while maximizing performance, many platforms require the utilization of multiple bezels around the display to integrate the antennas. Even with multiple bezels, various implementation costs and challenges have reduced the availability of WLAN/LTE and WiGig for <NUM>-in-<NUM> notebook designs.

The antenna system described herein reduces the overall space consumed by the antennas and accompanying circuitry. This enables the entire antenna complex to fit within a single top bezel of the computing device. Accordingly, several wireless systems can be conveniently incorporated into the computing device, including WLAN/LTE and WiGig while still providing space for additional features such as a 3D camera. Additionally, incorporating the entire antenna complex in a single top-bezel allows for the side bezels to be significantly reduced in size or even eliminated, which enables the implementation of an edge-to-edge display. As used herein, the term edge-to-edge display refers to a display that extends across a full width of the display housing.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a computing device in accordance with embodiments. The computing device <NUM> may be a laptop computer or a <NUM>-<NUM> notebook computer, for example. Furthermore, although the computing device <NUM> is depicted as a laptop style computer, the present techniques are also applicable to tablet computers and other types of computing devices.

The computing device <NUM> shown in <FIG> includes a base <NUM>, as well as a display housing <NUM> that is pivotally attached to the base <NUM>. The base <NUM> of the computing device <NUM> may include a keyboard <NUM>, a touchpad <NUM>, and other user input devices.

The display housing <NUM> of the computing device <NUM> includes a display screen <NUM>, which may be a touch-screen display. In some embodiments, the display screen <NUM> extends the full width of the display housing as shown in <FIG>. However, the display housing <NUM> may also include side bezels that prevent the display screen <NUM> from extending the full width of the display housing. The display housing <NUM> also houses several additional electronic components, such as processors, memory, mass storage devices, battery, and others. The display screen <NUM> may be any suitable size. In some embodiments, the display screen size, as measured by the length of the diagonal, may be a <NUM> inch, <NUM> inch, or <NUM> inch, or smaller.

The computing device <NUM> may be a <NUM>-in-<NUM> laptop, in which case the base <NUM> may be detached from the display housing <NUM> and/or rotated behind the back of the display housing <NUM>. In such a configuration, the computing device <NUM> may be controlled by the user through the touch-screen.

The computing device <NUM> also includes a top bezel <NUM>, which provide space for a number of antenna systems and other components to be incorporated above the display screen <NUM>. The width, Wd, of the top bezel <NUM> may be approximately the same width as the display screen <NUM>. For an <NUM> inch display screen, the width of the top bezel may be approximately <NUM>. For a <NUM> inch display screen, the width of the top bezel may be approximately <NUM>. For a <NUM> inch display screen, the width of the top bezel may be approximately <NUM>.

The computing device <NUM> may also include a camera <NUM> disposed in the top bezel <NUM>. The camera may be any suitable style of camera, including a 3D camera such as a stereo camera with two or more lenses.

It is to be understood that the block diagram of <FIG> is not intended to indicate that the computing device <NUM> is to include all of the components shown in <FIG>. Rather, the computing device <NUM> can include fewer or additional components not illustrated in <FIG>. Details about the arrangement of the antenna systems disposed in the top bezel are described further below.

<FIG> is a diagram showing an example arrangement of antenna systems disposed within the top bezel of a computing device. For the sake of simplicity, the example computing device <NUM> of <FIG> shows only the display housing <NUM>. However, it will be appreciated that the computing device <NUM> may also include the base as described above in relation to <FIG>.

The top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> houses several components, and can house all of the antennas included in the computing device <NUM>. The various components may be disposed side-by-side between the left side of the top bezel <NUM> and the right side of the top bezel <NUM> without overlap. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the disclosed component layouts can also include the mirror image of the specific arrangements shown in the figures.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> houses two cellular communication antennas, including an LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and an LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM>. The LTE main antenna <NUM> is used for transmitting and receiving LTE signals. The LTE main antenna <NUM> may also serve as a SAR proximity sensor or may include a built-in SAR proximity sensor. LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> is used for receiving only, and does not require SAR sensing. In some embodiments, the LTE-main antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> wide when it includes SAR sensor flexible PCB or <NUM> for antenna body only, and the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> wide. Additionally, although LTE antennas are shown, antenna <NUM> and antenna <NUM> may use other cellular communication standards, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, and others.

The top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> also houses two WLAN antennas, referred to herein as WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, which are disposed on either side of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM>. Both WiFi antennas a configured for transmitting and receiving in accordance with any suitable WiFi protocol. As explained further below in relation to <FIG>, each WiFi antenna also serves as a SAR proximity sensor pad. Accordingly, separate WiFi SAR sensors are not needed, which further reduces the space needed for the WiFi antenna system. In some embodiments, the width of each WiFi antenna <NUM> and <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>.

The top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> also includes a WiGig Radio Front End Module (RFEM) <NUM>. The WiGig RFEM <NUM> is configured to provide multi-gigabit per second wireless communications over the unlicensed <NUM> frequency band in accordance with the IEEE <NUM>. 11ad protocol. The WiGig RFEM can include multiple millimeter wave antennas for phased array and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) operation. The WiGig RFEM <NUM> also includes additional circuitry such as RF filters, RF amplifiers, mixers, and the like. In some embodiments, the width of the WiGig RFEM <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> millimeters. The separation distance between the WiGig RFEM <NUM> and the LTE-Main antenna may be approximately <NUM>.

The top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> can also include a camera module <NUM>. The camera module <NUM> may be a stereoscopic camera module and can include a pair of CMOS sensors wide angle lenses and other supporting circuitry for capturing images. In some embodiments, the width of the camera module <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> millimeters.

The smaller size of the various antennas enables the antenna complex to fit within the limited space available within the top bezel. Assuming a separation distance of <NUM> between each of the components included in the top bezel <NUM>, the overall width, Wa, of the antenna complex may be approximately <NUM>, which allows it to fit within the top bezel of an <NUM> inch display screen. It will be appreciated that the specific dimensions described above are provided as examples, and that the width of the components and the separation between them may vary depending on the features of a particular design. For example, in some cases the separation distance may be reduced while still providing suitable electrical isolation.

The relative spatial arrangement of the antennas also provides several advantages. The WiGig RFEM <NUM> may include an antenna array for adaptive beamforming. Placing the WiGig RFEM <NUM> on the corner of the top bezel allows for rear direction radiation as well as unobstructed side radiation on one-side.

The LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> are separated on opposite sides of the top bezel <NUM> to improve isolation and spatial diversity. The requirements for the LTE antennas are more stringent than the WiFi antennas, because LTE is also subject to carrier certification in addition to regulatory approval. Accordingly, the separation of the LTE antennas is prioritized over the separation of the WiFi antennas. The edge-to-edge spacing between the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> for an <NUM>-inch display or greater for larger displays.

Additionally, the camera module <NUM> can potentially introduce RF interference to the antennas. Accordingly, the distance between the antennas and the camera module <NUM> may be increased to reduce the possibility of interference. Increasing the spacing between the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> as much as possible within the constraints of the display's width serves to improve spatial diversity of the LTE antennas and reduce potential interference from the camera module.

The two WiFi antennas are separated to improve isolation and spacial diversity. Positioning the WiFi antennas on either end of the LTE-Aux antenna ensures at least <NUM> of separation between the WiFi feed points, as well as significant separation from the other transmitting antennas such as the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and the WiGig RFEM <NUM>. The separation between the WiFi antennas and the other transmitting antennas increases the opportunity for excluding the Simultaneous Transmission SAR test and reduces the regulatory SAR testing complexity and duration.

The diagram of <FIG> is not intended to indicate that the top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> is to include all of the components shown in <FIG>. Depending on the details of a specific implementation, the top bezel <NUM> of the display housing <NUM> can include fewer or additional components and the components may have a different layout. Various additional component arrangements are described further in relation to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example LTE-Main antenna. The LTE-Main antenna <NUM> is a type of antenna known as a coupled monopole and includes a driven element <NUM> and a grounded element <NUM>. The LTE-Main antenna <NUM> may be fabricated on one or more layers of a printed circuit board, including a surface layer. The driven element <NUM> is an electrically conductive radiating element that is coupled to a signal source through a feed <NUM>, such as a coaxial feed. The grounded element <NUM> is an electrically conductive radiating element that is coupled to a ground plane <NUM>. The driven element <NUM> and the grounded element <NUM> may be coplanar with each other and with the ground plane <NUM>. For the sake of simplicity, only a portion of the ground plane is shown. The ground plane <NUM> runs parallel to the display screen <NUM> (<FIG>) and may extend underneath a substantial portion of the display screen <NUM>.

The shape and size of the driven element <NUM> and the grounded element <NUM> may be specified to exhibit resonant characteristics at a desired frequency or range of frequencies. In the example shown in <FIG>, the overall width, WLTE, of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>, and the overall height, HLTE, of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the particular shape and size of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG> is only one example of a miniaturized LTE-Main antenna <NUM> that may be used in accordance with the techniques described herein.

<FIG> is a graph showing example electrical characteristics of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Specifically, <FIG> shows antenna efficiency of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> across a range of frequencies. Antenna efficiency, η, is the ratio of the aperture effective area, Ae, to its actual physical area, A. LTE carrier specifications require certain minimum antenna efficiencies at specific frequency bands. The minimum antenna efficiencies are shown by the solid lines. The dashed line <NUM> represents the simulated antenna efficiency, η, computed for the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The simulation results show that the LTE-Main antenna of <FIG> can be expected to meet or exceed the minimum antenna efficiency required for LTE carrier certification.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example LTE-Auxiliary antenna surrounded by two WiFi antennas. The LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> is a coupled monopole antenna and includes a driven element <NUM> and a grounded element <NUM>. The LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> may be fabricated on or more layers of a printed circuit board, including a surface layer. The driven element <NUM> is coupled to a signal source through a feed <NUM>, such as a coaxial feed. The grounded element <NUM> is coupled to the same ground plane <NUM> as the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> (<FIG>). Both the driven element <NUM> and the grounded element <NUM> are adjacent to the ground plane <NUM> and may be coplanar with each other and with the ground plane <NUM>.

The shape and size of the driven element <NUM> and the grounded element <NUM> may be specified to exhibit resonant characteristics at a desired frequency or range of frequencies. In some embodiments, the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> is a mirror image of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and therefore exhibits similar electrical characteristics. The overall width, WLTE, of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>, and the overall height, HLTE, of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the particular shape and size of the LTE- Auxiliary antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG> is only one example of a miniaturized LTE- Auxiliary antenna <NUM> that may be used in accordance with the techniques described herein.

The WiFi antennas <NUM>, <NUM> are both a type of monopole antenna referred to as an inverted-F antenna. Each WiFi antenna <NUM>, <NUM> respectively includes a conductive radiating element <NUM>, <NUM>, which is coupled to ground at its base and coupled to a feed <NUM>, <NUM> at an intermediate point along its length. WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM> may be fabricated on a layer of a printed circuit board, including a surface layer. Each WiFi antenna <NUM>, <NUM> may be coplanar with the ground plane <NUM>.

The shape and size of the radiating elements <NUM>, <NUM> may be specified to exhibit resonant characteristics at a desired frequency or range of frequencies. Additionally, the radiating element <NUM> may be a mirror image of the radiating element <NUM>. The overall width, WWiFi, of each WiFi antenna <NUM>, <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>, and the overall height, HWiFi of the of each WiFi antenna <NUM>, <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the particular shape and size of the WiFi antennas <NUM>, <NUM> shown in <FIG> is only one example of a miniaturized WiFi antenna that may be used in accordance with the techniques described herein. In the example shown in <FIG>, the spacing, S, between the edges of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> and the edges of the WiFi antennas <NUM>, <NUM> is approximately <NUM>. However, other spacings may also be used. For examples, the spacing, S, may be approximately <NUM> to <NUM>.

<FIG> is a graph showing example electrical characteristics of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Specifically, <FIG> shows antenna efficiency of the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> across a range of frequencies. The minimum antenna efficiencies specified by the LTE carrier specifications are shown by the solid lines <NUM>. The dashed line <NUM> represents the simulated antenna efficiency, η, computed for the LTE- Auxiliary antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The simulation results show that the LTE-Auxiliary antenna of <FIG> can be expected to meet or exceed the minimum antenna efficiency required for LTE carrier certification.

<FIG> is a graph showing example electrical characteristics of the left-side WiFi antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Specifically, <FIG> shows antenna efficiency of the left-side WiFi antenna <NUM> across a range of frequencies. The minimum antenna efficiencies specified by the WiFi specifications are shown by the solid lines <NUM>. The dashed line <NUM> represents the simulated antenna efficiency, η, computed for the left-side WiFi antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The simulation results show the left-side WiFi antenna <NUM> of <FIG> can be expected to meet or exceed the minimum antenna efficiency required for WiFi certification.

<FIG> is a graph showing example electrical characteristics of the right-side WiFi antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Specifically, <FIG> shows antenna efficiency of the right-side WiFi antenna <NUM> across a range of frequencies. The minimum antenna efficiencies specified by the WiFi specifications are shown by the solid lines <NUM>. The dashed line <NUM> represents the simulated antenna efficiency, η, computed for the right-side WiFi antenna <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The simulation results show the right-side WiFi antenna <NUM> of <FIG> can be expected to meet or exceed the minimum antenna efficiency required for WiFi certification.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a system for enabling the WiFi antennas to serve as SAR proximity sensors. The system includes a WiFi module <NUM>. The WiFi module <NUM> may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit chips and can include any number of circuit components for transmitting and receiving WiFi signals through the WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, including RF transmitters and receivers, baseband processor, filters, memory, and others. The WiFi module <NUM> also includes a bus interface (not shown) for communicating with a main processor of the computing device. The bus interface may use any suitable communication protocol, including Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and others. The WiFi module may be disposed on a printed circuit board such as a plug-in card <NUM>.

The plug-in card <NUM> also includes a SAR sensor <NUM> coupled to the WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM>. The SAR sensor <NUM> processes signals received from the WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM> to determine whether there is an object, such as a person's hand, in close proximity to the WiFi antennas. The SAR sensor <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the WiFi module <NUM> to control power reduction of the WiFi module <NUM> in the event that the presence of human tissue is detected.

The WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM> may be coupled to the WiFi module <NUM> and SAR sensor <NUM> through any suitable filtering circuitry. The WiFi network operates at <NUM> and <NUM> band while the SAR sensor <NUM> operates at a few MHz or KHz. As shown in <FIG>, the WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM> may be coupled to the SAR sensor <NUM> through an inductor that acts as a low pass filter, and the WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM> may be coupled to the WiFi module <NUM> through a capacitor that acts as high pass filter that passes the WLAN signal. Other arrangements for filtering the SAR signals and WLAN signals are also possible.

<FIG> is a diagram showing another example arrangement of antenna systems disposed within the top bezel of a computing device. The antenna arrangement shown in <FIG> is similar to the antenna arrangement shown in <FIG> with the exception that the positions of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and WiGig RFEM <NUM> are swapped. Swapping the positions of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and WiGig RFEM <NUM> increases the separation distance between the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and the WiFi antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, which will improve the isolation between the LTE and WiFi antenna systems. In some embodiments, the WiGig antenna <NUM> can be eliminated.

<FIG> is a diagram showing another example arrangement of antenna systems disposed within the top bezel of a computing device. The antenna arrangement shown in <FIG> is similar to the antenna arrangement shown in <FIG>. However, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> is not used as a SAR proximity sensor. To meet regulatory SAR requirements, separate SAR proximity sensor pads <NUM> are positioned adjacent to the LTE-Main antenna <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram showing another example arrangement of antenna systems disposed within the top bezel of a computing device. The antenna arrangement shown in <FIG> is similar to the antenna arrangement shown in <FIG>. However, in the arrangement shown in <FIG>, the positions of the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> and the LTE-Auxiliary antenna <NUM> are swapped. Additionally, the LTE-Main antenna <NUM> is surrounded by the pair of WiFi antennas <NUM> and <NUM>. Each WiFi antenna <NUM> and <NUM> serves as a SAR proximity sensor pad for both the WiFi system and the LTE-Main antenna <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the top bezel <NUM> also includes the WiGig RFEM <NUM>. In some embodiments, the WiGig RFEM <NUM> and the LTE-Auxiliary antenna can swap positions or the WiGig RFEM <NUM> could be eliminated.

<FIG> is a process flow diagram of an example method of manufacturing an electronic device with a display. The electronic device may be the electronic device shown in any of <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The method <NUM> may begin at block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, a display housing is formed with a top bezel. The display housing may be configured to house an edge-to-edge display screen, which extends across a full width of the housing. In some examples, the display housing does not include side bezels. The width of the housing may be less than <NUM> millimeters.

At block <NUM>, a first LTE antenna is disposed in the top bezel on a first side of the top bezel (e.g., the left side or the right side). The first LTE antenna may be an LTE-Main antenna or an LTE auxiliary antenna that is configured only as receiver. Additionally, the first LTE antenna may configured to operate as a SAR proximity sensor pad.

At block <NUM>, a second LTE antenna is disposed on a second side of the top bezel opposite the first side. The second LTE antenna may be an LTE main antenna or an LTE auxiliary antenna that is configured only as receiver.

At block <NUM>, a first WiFi antenna is disposed adjacent to the second LTE antenna. At block <NUM>, a second WiFi antenna is disposed adjacent to the second LTE antenna on an opposite side from the first WiFi antenna. Both WiFi antennas may be configured to serve as SAR proximity sensor pads and may be coupled to a SAR proximity sensor through a low pass filter. If the second LTE antenna is an LTE main antenna, the WiFi antennas can also serve as SAR proximity sensor pads for the LTE system.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>) with an integrated radio antenna complex, comprising:
a display housing (<NUM>) comprising a display screen (<NUM>) and top bezel (<NUM>) disposed above the display screen, wherein the display screen (<NUM>) extends across a full width of the display housing (<NUM>); and
a plurality of components disposed in the top bezel (<NUM>), wherein the plurality of components comprises:
a first cellular communication antenna (<NUM>) disposed on a first side of the top bezel (<NUM>);
a second cellular communication antenna (<NUM>) disposed on a second side of the top bezel (<NUM>) opposite the first side;
a first WiFi antenna (<NUM>) disposed adjacent to the second cellular communication antenna (<NUM>); and
a second WiFi antenna (<NUM>) disposed adjacent to the second cellular communication antenna (<NUM>) on an opposite side from the first WiFi antenna.