PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10250289-B2
Application Number: US-201615257521-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic device antennas with ground isolation

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a display cover layer mounted to a metal housing. Electrical component layers such as a display layer, touch sensor layer, and near-field communications antenna layer may be mounted under the display cover layer. An antenna feed may have a positive feed terminal coupled to the electrical component layers and a ground feed terminal coupled to the metal housing. The electrical component layers may serve as an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The antenna may cover cellular telephone bands and may receive satellite navigation system signals. A system-in-package device may be mounted to the metal housing. A flexible printed circuit may extend between the electrical component layers and the system-in-package device. A mounting bracket for the system-in-package device may be provided with electrical isolation to enhance antenna performance in bands such as a satellite navigation system band.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device having front and rear faces, comprising:
 a metal housing; 
 a display cover layer coupled to the metal housing on the front face; 
 at least one electrical component layer adjacent to the display cover layer; 
 a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads; and 
 a plurality of metal brackets including:
 a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing and that forms a grounding path between the first grounding solder pad and the housing; and 
 a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing without forming a grounding path between the second grounding solder pad and the housing. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a flexible printed circuit that extends between the at least one electrical component layer and the system-in-package device. 
 
     
     
       3. The electronic device defined in  claim 2  further comprising:
 an antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the at least one electrical component layer. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic device defined in  claim 3 , wherein the at least one electrical component layer forms at least part of an antenna resonating element for an antenna and the metal housing forms at least part of a ground for the antenna. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device defined in  claim 4  further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver coupled to the antenna feed. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device defined in  claim 5  wherein the second bracket comprises:
 a metal member with first and second opposing ends; and 
 a plastic coating at the second end. 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic device defined in  claim 6  wherein the second end includes a screw hole and the plastic coating electrically isolates the metal member from the metal housing. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device defined in  claim 7  further comprising:
 a screw that is received within the screw hole, that attaches the second end to the metal housing, and that is electrically isolated from the second end by the plastic coating. 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the plastic coating creates a capacitance between the metal housing and the second grounding solder pad of 1 to 25 pF. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device defined in  claim 9  wherein the at least one electrical component layer comprises a display layer, a touch sensor layer, and a near-field communications antenna layer. 
     
     
       11. An electronic device, comprising:
 a metal housing; 
 a display cover layer coupled to the housing; 
 at least one electrical component layer adjacent to the display cover layer; 
 a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads and having a ground plane formed from a metal trace that is shorted to the first grounding solder pad and that is coupled to the second grounding pad by a tank circuit; and 
 a plurality of metal brackets including:
 a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing; and 
 a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  further comprising an antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the at least one electrical component layer. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device defined in  claim 12  wherein the at least one electrical component layer comprises a display layer and a touch sensor layer. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device defined in  claim 13 , wherein the at least one electrical component layer forms at least part of an antenna resonating element for an antenna. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device defined in  claim 14  wherein the at least one electrical component layer further comprises a near-field communications antenna layer. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein at least a portion of the metal trace forms a ground plane mesh with openings. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  further comprising:
 a flexible printed circuit that extends between the at least one electrical component layer and the system-in-package device; and 
 a satellite navigation system receiver coupled to the antenna feed. 
 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the second grounding solder pad has a horseshoe shape with a central opening and wherein the metal trace has a mesh portion under the central opening. 
     
     
       19. An electronic device, comprising:
 a metal housing; 
 electrical component layers including a touch sensor layer, a display layer, and a near-field communications antenna layer; 
 a system-in-package device having at least first and second grounding solder pads and having a ground plane formed from a metal trace that is shorted to the first grounding solder pad and that is shorted to the second grounding solder pad; 
 an antenna feed for an antenna, the antenna feed having a ground antenna feed terminal coupled to the metal housing and a positive antenna feed terminal coupled to the electrical component layers, wherein the electrical component layers form a resonating element for the antenna; 
 a plurality of metal brackets including:
 a first bracket that is coupled between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing and that forms a grounding path between the first grounding solder pad and the metal housing; and 
 a second bracket that is coupled between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing without forming a short circuit through the second bracket between the second grounding solder pad and the metal housing. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 19  further comprising:
 a flexible printed circuit that extends between the positive antenna feed and the system-in-package device; and 
 a plastic support structure that biases the flexible printed circuit against at least part of the metal housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This relates to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with wireless communications circuitry. 
     Electronic devices are often provided with wireless communications capabilities. To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor wireless devices, manufacturers are continually striving to implement wireless communications circuitry such as antenna components using compact structures. At the same time, there is a desire for wireless devices to cover a growing number of communications bands. 
     Because antennas have the potential to interfere with each other and with components in a wireless device, care must be taken when incorporating antennas into an electronic device. Moreover, care must be taken to ensure that the antennas and wireless circuitry in a device are able to exhibit satisfactory performance over a range of operating frequencies. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved wireless communications circuitry for wireless electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may have a display cover layer mounted to a metal housing. Electrical component layers such as a display layer, touch sensor layer, and near-field communications antenna layer may be mounted under the display cover layer. An antenna feed may have a positive feed terminal coupled to the electrical component layers and a ground feed terminal coupled to the metal housing. The electrical component layers may serve as an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The antenna may cover cellular telephone bands and may receive satellite navigation system signals such as Global Positioning System signals. A system-in-package device may be mounted to the metal housing. A flexible printed circuit that extends between the electrical component layers and the system-in-package device may form part of the antenna and may carries signals for the electrical component layers. 
     The system-in-package device may have a metal trace that forms a ground plane. The ground plane may be shorted to one or more grounding solder pads on the system-in-package device. Mounting brackets be coupled between the grounding solder pads and the metal housing. To enhance antenna performance in bands such as a satellite navigation system band, the mounting scheme associated with at least one of the mounting brackets may form an open circuit between the system-in-package ground plane and the metal housing. 
     With one arrangement, one end of a bracket member may be coated with plastic. With another illustrative arrangement, a tank circuit may be interposed between a grounding solder pad in the system-in-package device and the system-in-package ground plane. A horseshoe-shaped grounding pad arrangement and mesh-shaped ground plane traces may also be used. In some configurations, dielectric gaskets, insulating layers of adhesive, or other insulating structures may be interposed in the bracket path between the system-in-package device and metal housing. These arrangements may create a capacitance between the ground plane in the system-in-package device and the metal housing at one of the mounting brackets while other mounting brackets form part of a direct grounding path that shorts the system-in-package ground plane to the metal housing without this capacitance. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a top interior view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an illustrative insulated bracket for coupling a system-in-package device to an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the illustrative bracket of  FIG. 4  mounted between a system-in-package device and an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative bracket mounting configuration with an insulating adhesive layer in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative mounting bracket and associated solder pad on a system-in-package in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative bracket mounted to a solder pad of the type shown in  FIG. 7  in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of an illustrative grounding plane mesh of the type that may be incorporated into a metal ground plane trace under the grounding solder pad of the system-in-package device of  FIGS. 7 and 8  in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative stiffener that may be used to bias a flexible printed circuit towards ground structures such as metal electronic device housing wall in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An electronic device such as electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include antennas such as cellular telephone antennas, wireless local area network antennas, satellite navigation system antennas, and other antennas. 
     Electronic device  10  may be a computing device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wristwatch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a device embedded in eyeglasses or other equipment worn on a user&#39;s head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is mounted in a kiosk or automobile, equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices, or other electronic equipment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , device  10  may include storage and processing circuitry such as control circuitry  28 . Circuitry  28  may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in circuitry  28  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . This processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, etc. 
     Circuitry  28  may be used to run software on device  10 , such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. To support interactions with external equipment, circuitry  28  may be used in implementing communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using circuitry  28  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as WiFi®—and protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol), cellular telephone protocols, antenna diversity protocols, etc. 
     Input-output circuitry  44  may include input-output devices  32 . Input-output devices  32  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Input-output devices  32  may include user interface devices, data port devices, and other input-output components. For example, input-output devices  32  may include touch screens, displays without touch sensor capabilities, buttons, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, buttons, speakers, status indicators, light sources, audio jacks and other audio port components, digital data port devices, light sensors, light-emitting diodes, motion sensors (accelerometers), capacitance sensors, proximity sensors, magnetic sensors, force sensors (e.g., force sensors coupled to a display to detect pressure applied to the display), etc. 
     Input-output circuitry  44  may include wireless circuitry  34 . To support wireless communications, wireless circuitry  34  may include radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry  90  formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, low-noise input amplifiers, passive RF components, one or more antennas such as antenna  40 , transmission lines such as transmission line  92 , and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  90  may include wireless local area network transceiver circuitry to handle 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands for WiFi® (IEEE 802.11) communications and may include Bluetooth® circuitry to handle the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® communications band. Circuitry  90  may include cellular telephone transceiver circuitry to handle wireless communications in frequency ranges such as a low communications band from 700 to 960 MHz, a midband from 1400 MHz or 1500 MHz to 2170 MHz (e.g., a midband with a peak at 1700 MHz), and a high band from 2170 or 2300 to 2700 MHz (e.g., a high band with a peak at 2400 MHz) or other communications bands between 700 MHz and 2700 MHz or other suitable frequencies (e.g., frequencies above 2700 MHz). Circuitry  90  may include satellite navigation system circuitry such as global positioning system (GPS) receiver circuitry for receiving GPS signals at 1575 MHz or for handling other satellite positioning data. If desired, circuitry  90  can include circuitry for other short-range and long-range wireless links if desired. For example, circuitry  90  may include 60 GHz transceiver circuitry or other circuitry for handling millimeter wave communications, may include circuitry for receiving television and radio signals, may include near field communications (NFC) transceiver circuitry (e.g., an NFC transceiver operating at 13.56 MHz or other suitable frequency), etc. 
     Wireless circuitry  34  may include one or more antennas such as antenna  40 . Antennas such as antenna  40  may be formed using any suitable antenna types. For example, antennas in device  10  may include antennas with resonating elements that are formed from loop antenna structures, patch antenna structures, inverted-F antenna structures, slot antenna structures, planar inverted-F antenna structures, helical antenna structures, monopole antennas, dipoles, hybrids of these designs, etc. Different types of antennas may be used for different bands and combinations of bands. For example, one type of antenna may be used in forming a local wireless link antenna and another type of antenna may be used in forming a remote wireless link antenna. In some configurations, different antennas may be used in handling different bands for transceiver circuitry  90 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  90  may be coupled to antenna feed  102  of antenna  40  using transmission line  92 . Antenna feed  102  may include a positive antenna feed terminal such as positive antenna feed terminal  98  and may have a ground antenna feed terminal such as ground antenna feed terminal  100 . Transmission line  92  may be formed form metal traces on a printed circuit or other conductive structures and may have a positive transmission line signal path such as path  94  that is coupled to terminal  98  and a ground transmission line signal path such as path  96  that is coupled to terminal  100 . Transmission line paths such as path  92  may be used to route antenna signals within device  10 . Transmission lines in device  10  may include coaxial cable paths, microstrip transmission lines, stripline transmission lines, edge-coupled microstrip transmission lines, edge-coupled stripline transmission lines, transmission lines formed from combinations of transmission lines of these types, etc. Filter circuitry, switching circuitry, impedance matching circuitry, and other circuitry may be interposed within transmission lines such as transmission line  92  and/or circuits such as these may be incorporated into antenna  40  (e.g., to support antenna tuning, to support operation in desired frequency bands, etc.). 
     A cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device such as device  10  of  FIG. 1  is shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may have opposing front and rear faces. Device  10  includes a display such as display  14  that is mounted on the front face of device  10  in housing  12 . Housing  12 , which may sometimes be referred to as an enclosure or case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials. Housing  12  may be formed using a unibody configuration in which some or all of housing  12  is machined or molded as a single structure or may be formed using multiple structures (e.g., an internal frame structure, one or more structures that form exterior housing surfaces, etc.). Housing  12  may have metal sidewalls or sidewalls formed from other materials. Housing  12  may have a metal rear wall that extends over the rear face of device  10 . The rear wall may be formed from metal or may include metal portions, plastic portions, glass portions, and/or portions formed from other materials (as examples). These materials may also be used in forming some or all of the sidewalls for housing  12 . 
     Display  14  may be a touch screen display that incorporates a layer of conductive capacitive touch sensor electrodes or other touch sensor components (e.g., resistive touch sensor components, acoustic touch sensor components, force-based touch sensor components, light-based touch sensor components, etc.) or may be a display that is not touch-sensitive. Capacitive touch screen electrodes may be formed from an array of indium tin oxide pads or other transparent conductive structures. 
     Display  14  may include an array of display pixels formed from liquid crystal display (LCD) components, an array of electrophoretic display pixels, an array of plasma display pixels, an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels, an array of electrowetting display pixels, or display pixels based on other display technologies. 
     Display  14  may be protected using a display cover layer such as display cover layer  50 . Display cover layer  50  may be formed from a transparent material such as glass, plastic, sapphire or other crystalline dielectric materials, ceramic, or other clear dielectric materials. 
     Device  10  may, if desired, be coupled to a strap such as strap  16 . Strap  16  may be used to hold device  10  against a user&#39;s wrist (as an example). Configurations that do not include straps may also be used for device  10 . 
     Display cover layer  50  may overlap components in device  10  such as electrical component layers  52 . Layers  52  may include, for example, a capacitive touch sensor electrode array formed on a flexible substrate or other substrate that forms a two-dimensional touch sensor for display  14 , a pixel array (e.g., a display layer) formed form a flexible organic light-emitting diode layer and/or other types of pixel arrays (liquid crystal display layers, micro-light-emitting diode arrays, etc.), a near-field communications antenna (e.g., a loop antenna formed from a number of concentric loops in a flexible printed circuit), and/or layers forming other electrical components. 
     Layers  52  may be formed from thin flexible substrates such as polymer substrates and may be laminated to each other and to cover layer  50  using adhesive (as an example). Electrical components such as printed circuit  54  and integrated circuits  56  (e.g., circuitry for controlling the circuitry of layers  52 ) may be mounted to layers  52  adjacent to the wall of housing  12 . Flexible printed circuit  58  may be used for carrying signals between layers  52  (and circuitry  56 ) and control circuitry in device  10  such as system-in-package device  60 . Device  60  may include one or more integrated circuit dies  62  and may have multiple dielectric layers with interposed patterned metal traces for carrying signals between dies  62 . The patterned metal traces may form grounding solder pads (sometimes referred to as terminals or contacts) on the surface of device  60  and may include at least one ground plane layer that forms a ground for device  60 . Metal brackets  64  may be coupled to the grounding solder pads in device  60  (e.g., using solder to solder at least some of brackets  64  to the solder pads on device  60 ) and may be coupled by screws  66  to housing  12  (e.g., a metal housing). Flexible printed circuit  58  may carry touch signals for the touch sensor in layers  52 , image data for the display layer in layers  52 , and near-field communications signals for the near-field communications antenna in device  10 . 
     Layers  52  and flexible printed circuit  58  may form antenna  40  (e.g., a monopole antenna with an end that is coupled to ground via printed circuit  58 ) that covers cellular telephone bands, a satellite navigation system band (e.g., a GPS band), and other communications bands. 
     Antenna  40  may be fed using antenna feed  102 . Antenna feed  102  may have a ground feed terminal such as terminal  100  that is coupled to housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed from metal and may serve as ground (e.g., a housing ground that serves as antenna ground for antenna  40 ). Antenna feed  102  may also have a positive feed terminal such as terminal  98 . Feed terminal  98  may be coupled to printed circuit  52 , circuits  56 , and layers  52  and may be coupled to flexible printed circuit  58  through a connection between circuit  58  and circuits  52  and  56  at end  58 - 1  of printed circuit  58 . End  58 - 2  of printed circuit  58  may be coupled to system-in-package device  60  (e.g., to ground the tip of monopole antenna  40 ). 
     Antenna performance (e.g., performance at satellite navigation system frequencies such as GPS frequencies) can be enhanced by creating direct-current (DC) electrical isolation in the bracket path associated with a least one of brackets  64 . This electrical isolation may form an open circuit between the ground plane trace in device  60  and the ground formed from housing  12 . The electrical isolation may, for example, have an associated capacitance of 7 pF, 2-20 pF, 1-25 pF, more than 1 pF, less than 30 pF, or other suitable capacitance. As shown in the interior top view of device  10  of  FIG. 3 , device  10  may include device  60  and overlapping components  70 . Brackets  64  may be coupled to device  60  (e.g., using solder or other attachment mechanisms) and may be coupled to housing  12  using screws  66 . 
     The solder pads under brackets  64  in device  60  may be coupled to ground in device  60  (e.g., a ground plane formed from patterned metal traces in one or more of the layers of device  60 ). Some of brackets  64  such as brackets NW, NE, and SW may be shorted to housing  12  and to an associated grounding solder pad in device  60 . To enhance GPS antenna performance for antenna  40 , at least one of brackets  64  such as bracket SE may be DC isolated from the ground formed from metal housing  12  by dielectric structures that are interposed into the path between housing  12  and the solder pad on device  60 . 
     If desired, bracket SE may be isolated from metal housing  12  (so that an open circuit in the bracket path is formed between metal housing  12  and the ground plane in device  60 ) by overmolding a dielectric such as plastic onto at least some of the metal portion of bracket SE. The plastic may be used to create electrical isolation (DC isolation) and an appropriate capacitance between bracket SE and device  60  when device  60  is mounted in housing  12 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of bracket SE in an illustrative configuration in which bracket SE has a metal bracket member such as member  72  with a screw hole such as hole  76  to receive screw  66 . Plastic  74  may form an electrically insulating coating over the end of member  72  that includes hole  76  while leaving the opposing end of bracket member  72  uncovered by plastic. The uncovered end of member  72  may be soldered to a grounding solder pad on device  60  and the end of member  72  with the dielectric isolation layer formed from plastic  74  may be attached to housing  12  using screw  66 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 6 , end  72 - 2  of bracket member  72  of bracket SE has been connected to ground by using screw  66  to press end  72 - 2  against metal housing  12 . End  72 - 1  of bracket member  72  has been DC isolated (with an appropriate coupling capacitance of 1-25 pF or other suitable amount) from grounding solder pad (contact)  78  on device  60  by an interposed dielectric layer such as layer  80 . Layer  80  may be, for example, a layer of dielectric adhesive (e.g., non-conductive polymer adhesive). If desired, polymer washers (e.g., ring-shaped washers or other gaskets) may be interposed between screw  66  and end  72 - 2  and between end  72 - 2  and housing  12  to create DC isolation between device  60  and housing  12  with an appropriate associated capacitance. Within device  60 , grounding solder pads  78  that are associated with brackets NW, NE, and SW may be shorted to a ground trace (sometimes referred to as a ground plane) that grounds pads  78 . The grounding solder pad that is associated with bracket SE may be isolated from the ground trace in device  60  (e.g., by disconnecting the metal traces between the ground trace and the grounding solder pad in device  60 ) or may be shorted to the ground trace in device  60 . Whether shorted to the ground plane in device  60  or isolated from the ground plane in device  60 , the presence of the interposed plastic washers or plastic bracket coating structures creates an open circuit between the grounding solder pad associated with bracket SE and housing  12  and therefore creates an open circuit between the ground trace in device  60  and housing  12  at bracket SE. 
     Using arrangements such as these and/or other arrangements, bracket SE can be prevented from shorting the ground plane of device  60  and the pad  78  that is associated with bracket SE to housing  12  through bracket SE (e.g., the pad  78  at bracket SE will be electrically isolated from housing  12  due to the presence of dielectric interposed in the conductive path formed through bracket SE between housing  12  and that pad  78 ). Other brackets such as brackets NE, SW, and NW may have no dielectric interposed between their bracket members and associated grounding solder pads  78  or housing  12  (or screws  66 ) and therefore form direct grounding paths between those grounding solder pads  78  (and the ground plane of device  60 ) and the ground formed by housing  12 . 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 7 , solder pad  78  for bracket SE has a shape that limits the amount of overlap area between bracket member end  72 - 1  and pad  78 . This may help reduce capacitive coupling between bracket member  72  and the ground formed by ground traces in device  60 . The maximum overlap between the solder pad and bracket SE in  FIG. 7  is given by rectangular footprint  80 . Solder pad  78  has a reduced size relative to the rectangular footprint occupied by footprint  80 . The illustrative layout for solder pad  78  of  FIG. 7  has a horseshoe shape with a metal trace that surrounds a central opening, but other shapes that reduce overlap between member  72  and pad  78  relative to rectangular pad footprint (outline)  80  may be used, if desired. 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of a bracket such as bracket SE of  FIG. 7  that has been soldered to pad  78  on device  60 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , end  72 - 2  of member  72  of bracket SE may have an opening to receive screw  66  (e.g., to attach member  72  to housing  12 ). At end  72 - 1  of member  72 , solder  110  may be used to attach member  72  to pad  78  on device  60 . Pad  78  may have a horseshoe shape or other suitable shape. The open space in the center of the horseshoe may overlap ground trace  112  in device  60 . A tank circuit formed from inductor  116  and capacitor  114  or other circuits may be formed between pad  78  and ground  112 , if desired. Capacitor  114  and inductor  116  may be formed from discrete components (e.g., packaged components embedded in device  60  and/or soldered to device  60 ) and/or may be formed from overlapping metal traces and/or other metal traces in device  60 . The values of inductor  116  and capacitor  114  may be adjusted to enhance the performance of antenna  40  (e.g., to enhance the reception of GPS signals with antenna  40 ). Capacitor  114  may have a capacitance of 1-25 pF, more than 2 pF, less than 20 pF, or other suitable amount). Inductor  116  may have an inductance of 10 pH to 100 nH, more than 100 pH, less than 50 nH, or other suitable amount. With this type of arrangement, bracket member  72  is shorted to grounding pad  78 , but grounding pad  78  is coupled to ground trace  112  by the tank circuit formed from inductor  116  and capacitor  114  rather than being shorted directly to ground trace  112  as with the grounding pads  78  at the other corners of device  60 . 
     Ground trace  112  may overlap underlying circuitry in device  60  such as circuitry  118 . To reduce the overlap between member  72  and ground  112  (e.g., to adjust a contribution to the capacitance between member  72  and ground  112  that may arise from this overlap), ground  112  may have a mesh shape (e.g., the metal traces that form ground  112  may have the shape of a grid or other pattern with openings), as shown in  FIG. 9 . If desired, the capacitance associated with capacitor  114  of  FIG. 9  may be formed solely from the overlap between pad  72  and ground  112 . 
       FIG. 10  shows how a shim or other support structure such as support structure  120  may be used to press flexible printed circuit  58  outwards in direction  124  away from internal components such as battery  112  in the interior of housing  12 . This may cause flexible printed circuit  58  to rest directly against housing  12  (e.g., device  10  may be free of intervening shims and other support structures between flexible printed circuit  58  and inner housing surface  126 ). This may enhance the performance of antenna  40  (e.g., the ability of antenna  40  to receive GPS signals may be enhanced by causing antenna currents to at least partly flow within the portion of housing  12  adjacent to surface  126 ). The wall of housing  12  and surface  126  adjacent to flexible printed circuit  58  may have any suitable shape (vertical, diagonal, curved, straight, etc.). The configuration of  FIG. 10  is merely illustrative. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20160906
Publication Date: 20190402
Grant Date: 20190402
Priority Date: 20160906
Inventors: JIANG, YI
WU, JIANGFENG
ZHANG, LIJUN
YONG, Siwen
NIU, Jiaxiao
PASCOLINI, MATTIA
NATH, JAYESH
DI NALLO, CARLO
WANG, ZHEYU
Martinis, Mario
DA COSTA BRAS LIMA, EDUARDO JORGE
CARDINALI, STEVEN P.
EHMAN, REX TYLER
HORIUCHI, JAMES G.
NESS, TREVOR J.
MORRISON, SCOTT D.
NANGIA, SIDDHARTH
SARWAR, MUSHTAQ A.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/40", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/30", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3888", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3888", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/30", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/40", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3888", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/30", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0202", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 61281392