PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8059039-B2
Application Number: US-23838508-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Clutch barrel antenna for wireless electronic devices

Abstract:
Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with antennas. An antenna may be provided within a clutch barrel in a laptop computer. The clutch barrel may have a dielectric cover. Antenna elements may be mounted within the clutch barrel cover on an antenna support structure. There may be two or more antenna elements mounted to the antenna support structure. These antenna elements may be of different types. A first antenna element for the clutch barrel antenna may be formed from a dual band antenna element having a closed slot and an open slot. A second antenna element for the clutch barrel antenna may be formed from a dual band antenna element of a hybrid type having a planar resonating element arm and a slot resonating element. Flex circuit structures may be used in implanting the first and second antenna elements for the clutch barrel antenna.

Claims:
1. Clutch barrel antenna structures in the clutch barrel of a laptop computer, comprising:
 a singular clutch barrel antenna support structure in the clutch barrel; and 
 at least first and second antenna elements of different types mounted to the singular antenna support structure that form a clutch barrel antenna, wherein the first antenna element comprises at least first and second slots. 
 
     
     
       2. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 1  wherein the second antenna element is of a type selected from the group of antenna types consisting of: a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), an inverted-F antenna, a slot antenna, and a hybrid PIFA-slot antenna. 
     
     
       3. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 2  wherein the first slot in the first antenna element comprises a closed slot and wherein the second slot comprises an open slot. 
     
     
       4. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 3  wherein the second antenna element comprises at least one slot. 
     
     
       5. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 3  wherein the second antenna element comprises a PIFA-slot hybrid antenna element having a slot and a planar antenna resonating element arm. 
     
     
       6. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 5  wherein the first and second antenna elements comprise flex circuit antenna elements. 
     
     
       7. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 1  wherein the first antenna element comprises a dual slot flex circuit antenna element and wherein the second antenna element comprises a hybrid antenna having a planar-inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and a slot. 
     
     
       8. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 1  wherein the clutch barrel comprises a plastic clutch barrel cover that surrounds the clutch barrel and wherein the first and second antenna elements comprise flex circuits mounted within the clutch barrel cover. 
     
     
       9. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 1  wherein the first antenna element operates in first and second communications bands and wherein the second antenna element contains only a single slot and operates in the first and second communications bands. 
     
     
       10. The clutch barrel antenna structures defined in  claim 1  wherein the first antenna element is a dual band antenna that operates in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and wherein the second antenna element is a dual band antenna that operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. 
     
     
       11. A dual band antenna system comprising:
 a first dual band antenna element that operates in first and second communications bands and that has first and second slots; 
 a second dual band antenna element that operates in the first and second communications bands and is of a hybrid type having a planar inverted-F antenna resonating element arm and a resonating element formed from a slot, wherein the first dual band antenna element and the second dual band antenna element are flex circuit antenna elements; and 
 a singular clutch barrel antenna support structure to which the first dual band antenna element and the second dual band antenna element are mounted. 
 
     
     
       12. The dual band antenna system defined in  claim 11  wherein the singular clutch barrel antenna support structure is mounted within the clutch barrel of a portable computer. 
     
     
       13. A portable wireless electronic device, comprising:
 an upper housing that has a display; 
 a lower housing that is attached to the upper housing by a hinge; 
 a clutch barrel associated with the hinge, the clutch barrel having a dielectric clutch barrel cover; and 
 an antenna system formed within the clutch barrel cover, wherein the antenna system has first and second antenna elements of different types and wherein the first and second antenna elements are mounted to a singular portion of the clutch barrel that rotates with respect to the lower housing. 
 
     
     
       14. The portable wireless electronic device defined in  claim 13  wherein the upper housing has a metal layer and wherein the display is mounted within the metal layer. 
     
     
       15. The portable wireless electronic device defined in  claim 14  wherein the first antenna element comprises a dual band antenna element that operates in first and second communications bands and wherein the second antenna element comprises a dual band antenna element that operates in the first and second communications bands. 
     
     
       16. The portable wireless electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein the first antenna element comprises an open slot and a closed slot and wherein the open slot and the closed slot have different lengths. 
     
     
       17. The portable wireless electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the second antenna element comprises a slot that operates in the first communications band and a planar conductive arm that operates in the second communications band. 
     
     
       18. The portable wireless electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the second antenna element comprises a capacitive gap that adjusts an impedance associated with the slot in the second antenna element, wherein the arm comprises edges that define a shape for the slot in the second antenna element.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to wireless electronic devices, and more particularly, to antennas for wireless electronic devices such as portable electronic devices. 
     Antennas are used in conjunction with a variety of electronic devices. For example, computers use antennas to support wireless local area network communications. Antennas are also used for long-range wireless communications in cellular telephone networks. 
     It can be difficult to design antennas for modern electronic devices, particularly in electronic devices in which compact size and pleasing aesthetics are important. If an antenna is too small or is not designed properly, antenna performance may suffer. At the same time, an overly-bulky antenna or an antenna with an awkward shape may detract from the appearance of an electronic device or may make the device larger than desired. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved antennas for electronic devices such as portable electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with antennas that fit into the confines of a compact portion of the laptop computer housing. The compact portion of the laptop computer housing may be associated with a hinge. A laptop computer of other portable wireless electronic device may have first and second housing portions that are attached at a hinge structure. The hinge structure may allow the top of a laptop computer to rotate relative to the base of a laptop computer. 
     The hinge structure may have an associated clutch barrel that houses springs and other hinge components. Clutch barrel components may be covered using a plastic clutch barrel cover. The plastic clutch barrel cover may run along the intersection between the upper lid and base portion of a laptop computer. 
     An antenna support structure may be mounted within the clutch barrel cover. Antenna elements such as flex circuit antenna elements may be mounted on the antenna support structure. 
     Particularly in communications environments in which it is desirable to support multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) applications, it may be desirable to form an antenna such as a clutch barrel antenna from multiple antenna elements of different types. This type of configuration helps to improve overall antenna performance due to the differing performance characteristics of each of the antenna elements. Antenna elements of different types may, for example, have different polarizations and may exhibit different gain patterns. A clutch barrel antenna that is formed from two or more antenna elements of different types may exhibit reduced directivity and enhanced performance relative to a clutch barrel antenna that is formed from identical antenna elements. 
     With one suitable arrangement, a first antenna element for a clutch barrel antenna is formed using a dual band slot antenna. The dual band slot antenna may have two slots. One of the slots may be an open slot and the other slot may be a closed slot. The lengths of the slots may be different and may be selected to support communications in respective first and second communications bands. A second antenna element in the same clutch barrel antenna may be formed using a second dual band antenna that operates in the first and second communications bands. The second antenna element may be of a hybrid type that has a planar antenna resonating element arm and a slot antenna resonating element. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative wireless electronic device such as a laptop computer that may be provided with antenna structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative laptop computer having a housing portion such as a clutch barrel in which antenna structures may be located in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view an illustrative antenna formed from two different types of antenna element within a portable electronic device housing structure such as a clutch barrel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an illustrative inverted-F antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of an illustrative planar inverted-F antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of an illustrative closed slot antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of an illustrative open slot antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of an illustrative dual slot antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram of an illustrative dual arm inverted-F antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of an illustrative dual arm planar inverted-F antenna element that may be used in an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a graph showing an illustrative antenna frequency response characteristic that may be produced by a dual band antenna located in a portion of a portable electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram of an illustrative dual slot antenna that may be used as a first antenna element in a dual antenna element structure in a portion of a portable electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a diagram of an illustrative dual band hybrid antenna having a planar inverted-F antenna resonating element and a slot and that may be used as a second antenna element in a dual antenna element structure that uses an antenna element of the type shown in  FIG. 12  as a first antenna element in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a portable electronic device housing and associated antenna structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a portable electronic device housing and a rib structure that may be used in an antenna support portion of a multielement antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an antenna structure of the type shown in  FIG. 14  when installed on a portion of a housing of a portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional end view of a portion of a clutch barrel in a portable computer that contains an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional end view of a portion of a clutch barrel from which the cover of the clutch barrel has been removed and that contains an antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to antennas for wireless electronic devices. The wireless electronic devices may, in general, be any suitable electronic devices. As an example, the wireless electronic devices may be desktop computers or other computer equipment. The wireless electronic devices may also be portable electronic devices such as laptop computers or small portable computers of the type that are sometimes referred to as ultraportables. Portable wireless electronic devices may also be somewhat smaller devices. Examples of smaller portable electronic devices include wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, headphone and earpiece devices, other wearable and miniature devices, and handheld electronic devices. The portable electronic devices may be cellular telephones, media players with wireless communications capabilities, handheld computers (also sometimes called personal digital assistants), remote controls, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and handheld gaming devices. Devices such as these may be multifunctional. For example, a cellular telephone may be provided with media player functionality or a tablet personal computer may be provided with the functions of a remote control or GPS device. 
     Portable electronic devices such as these may have housings. Arrangements in which antennas are incorporated into the clutch barrel housing portion of portable computers such as laptops are sometimes described herein as an example. This is, however, merely illustrative. Antennas in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be located in any suitable housing portion in any suitable wireless electronic device. 
     An illustrative electronic device such as a portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Device  10  may be any suitable electronic device. As an example, device  10  may be a laptop computer. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , device  10  may have a housing  12 . Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may have an upper portion such as portion  16  and lower portion such as portion  14 . Upper housing portion  16  may sometimes be referred to as a cover or lid. Lower housing portion  14  may sometimes be referred to as a base. 
     Device  10  may be provided with any suitable number of antennas. There may be, for example, one antenna, two antennas, three antennas, or more than three antennas, in device  10 . Each antenna may handle communications over a single communications band or multiple communications bands. In the example of  FIG. 1 , device  10  is shown as including an antenna such as antenna  22 . 
     Device  10  may have integrated circuits such as a microprocessor. Integrated circuits may also be included in device  10  for memory, input-output functions, etc. Circuitry in device  10  such as integrated circuits and other circuit components may be located in lower housing portion  14 . For example, a main logic board (sometimes referred to as a motherboard) may be used to mount some or all of this circuitry. The main logic board circuitry may be implemented using a single printed circuit board or multiple printed circuit boards. Printed circuit boards in device  10  may be formed from rigid printed circuit board materials or flexible printed circuit board materials. An example of a rigid printed circuit board material is fiberglass filled epoxy. An example of a flexible printed circuit board material is polyimide. Flexible printed circuit board structures may be used for mounting integrated circuits and other circuit components and may be used to form communications pathways in device  10 . Flexible printed circuit board structures such as these are sometimes referred to as “flex circuits.” 
     If desired, wireless communications circuitry for supporting operations with antenna  22  may be mounted on a radio-frequency module associated with antenna  22 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a communications path such as path  24  may be used to interconnect antenna  22  to circuitry  28  in lower housing portion  14 . Path  24  may be implemented, for example, using a flex circuit that is connected to a radio-frequency antenna module associated with antenna  22 . Circuitry  28  may include wireless communications circuitry and other processing circuitry. This circuitry may be associated with a main logic board (motherboard) in lower housing  14  (as an example). Analog radio-frequency antenna signals and/or digital data associated with antenna  22  may be conveyed over path  24 . An advantage to locating radio-frequency circuitry in the immediate vicinity of antenna  22  is that this allows data to be conveyed between the motherboard in housing portion  14  and antenna  22  digitally without incurring radio-frequency transmission line losses along path  24 . 
     Device  10  may use antennas such as antenna  22  to handle communications over any communications bands of interest. For example, antennas and wireless communications circuitry in device  10  may be used to handle cellular telephone communications in one or more frequency bands and data communications in one or more communications bands. Typical data communications bands that may be handled by the wireless communications circuitry in device  10  include the 2.4 GHz band that is sometimes used for Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) and Bluetooth® communications, the 5 GHz band that is sometimes used for Wi-Fi communications, the 1575 MHz Global Positioning System band, and 2G and 3G cellular telephone bands. These bands may be covered using single-band and multiband antennas. For example, cellular telephone communications can be handled using a multiband cellular telephone antenna. A single band antenna may be provided to handle Bluetooth® communications. Antenna  22  may, as an example, be a multiband antenna that handles local area network data communications at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (e.g., for IEEE 802.11 communications). These are merely examples. Any suitable antenna structures may be used to cover any communications bands of interest. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a hinge mechanism such as hinge  38  may be used to attach cover  16  to base  14 . Hinge  38  may allow cover  16  to rotate relative to base  14  about longitudinal hinge axis  40 . If desired, other attachment mechanisms may be used such as a rotating and pivoting hinge for a tablet computer. Device  10  may also be implemented using a one-piece housing. In devices with two-piece housings, the hinge portion of the device may contain springs that form a clutch mechanism and may therefore sometimes be referred to as a clutch barrel. Antenna  22  may, if desired, be located within clutch barrel  38 . 
     Device  10  may have a display such as display  20 . Display  20  may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or a plasma display (as examples). If desired, touch screen functionality may be incorporated into display  20 . The touch screen may be responsive to user input. 
     Device  10  may also have other input-output devices such as keypad  36 , touch pad  34 , and buttons such as button  32 . Input-output jacks and ports  30  may be used to provide an interface for accessories such as a microphone and headphones. A microphone and speakers may also be incorporated into housing  12 . 
     The edges of display  20  may be surrounded by a bezel  18 . Bezel  18  may be formed from a separate bezel structure such as a plastic ring or may be formed as an integral portion of a cover glass layer that protects display  20 . For example, bezel  18  may be implemented by forming an opaque black glass portion for display  20  or an associated cover glass piece. This type of arrangement may be used, for example, to provide upper housing  16  with an attractive uncluttered appearance. 
     When cover  16  is in a closed position, display  20  will generally lie flush with the upper surface of lower housing  14 . In this position, magnets on cover  16  may help hold cover  16  in place. Magnets may be located, for example, behind bezel portion  18 . 
     Housing  12  may be formed from any suitable materials such as plastics, metals, glass, ceramic, carbon fiber, composites, combinations of plastic and metal, etc. To provide good durability and aesthetics, it is often desirable to use metal to form at least the exterior surface layer of housing  12 . Interior portions such as frames and other support members may be formed from plastic in areas where light weight and radio-frequency transparency are desired and may be formed from metal in areas where good structural strength is desirable. In configurations in which an antenna such as antenna  22  is located in clutch barrel  38 , it may be desirable to form the cover portion of clutch barrel  38  from a dielectric such as plastic, as this allows radio-frequency signals to freely pass between the interior and exterior of the clutch barrel. 
     Particularly in devices in which cover  16  and lower housing portion  14  are formed from metal, it can be challenging to properly locate antenna structures. Antenna structures that are blocked by conductive materials such as metal will not generally function properly. An advantage of locating at least some of the antenna structures for device  10  in clutch barrel  38  is that this portion of device  10  can be provided with a dielectric cover without adversely affecting the aesthetics of device  10 . There is generally also sufficient space available within a laptop clutch barrel for an antenna, because it can be difficult to mount other device components into this portion of device  10 . By properly positioning antenna resonating elements within the clutch barrel, nearby conductive metal portions of the upper device housing  16  and lower device housing  14  may serve as antenna ground. 
     If desired, device  10  may be provided with multiple antennas. For example, an antenna for wireless local area network applications (e.g., IEEE 802.11) may be provided within clutch barrel  38  while a Bluetooth® antenna may be formed from a conductive cavity that is located behind bezel region  18  (as an example). Additional antennas may be used to support cellular telephone network communications (e.g., for 2G and 3G voice and data services) and other communications bands. 
     An antenna such as a clutch barrel antenna may be formed from a single antenna element. In some situations, it may be advantageous to form antennas for devices such as device  10  using multiple antenna elements. For example, a clutch barrel antenna may be formed from two antenna elements, three antenna elements, more than three antenna elements, etc. Antennas such as these are sometimes referred to as antenna arrays, antenna structures, antenna systems, or multielement antennas. 
     As an example, a clutch barrel antenna may be formed from first and second antenna elements. The first and second antenna elements may be arranged at different positions along longitudinal axis  40  of clutch barrel  38 . This type of configuration is shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , antenna  22  may be formed from a first antenna element such as antenna element  22 A and a second antenna element  22 B. Each of these antenna elements may, if desired, serve as a stand-alone antenna. Because these elements are typically used in applications in which they work together as part of a larger antenna array, antennas such as antennas  22 A and  22 B are sometimes referred to herein as antenna elements, antenna systems, or antenna structures. 
     The antenna structures of antenna  22  include resonating element portions and ground portions. In devices  10  in which case  12  is conductive, portions of case  12  may serve as antenna ground and therefore operate as part of antenna  22 . 
     Antennas that are formed from multiple antenna elements such as elements  22 A and  22 B may be used, for example, to implement multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) applications. Particularly in arrangements such as these, it may be desirable to form antennas that are not identical. Differences in polarization, gain, spatial location, and other characteristics may help these antennas operate well in an array. Differences such as these may also help to balance the operation of the overall antenna that is formed from the elements. For example, if antenna elements  22 A and  22 B have electric field polarizations that are distributed differently, the overall directivity of antenna  22  may be minimized. If antennas are too directive in nature, they may not function properly for certain applications. Antennas formed from elements  22 A and  22 B that exhibit different antenna characteristics may exhibit reduced directivity, allowing these antennas to be used in desired applications while complying with regulatory limits. 
     Antenna elements that exhibit desired differences in their operating characteristics such as their electric-field polarization distribution and gain distribution may be formed by ensuring that the sizes and shapes of the conductive elements that make up each of antenna elements are sufficiently different from each other. Antenna element differences may also be implemented by using different dielectric loading schemes for each of the elements. Antenna elements may also be made to perform differently by orienting elements differently (e.g., at right angles to each other). 
     In some situations, it may be desirable to ensure that antenna elements operate differently from each other by implementing the antenna elements using different antenna designs. For example, one antenna element may be implemented using a planar inverted-F antenna design and another antenna may be implemented using a slot antenna architecture. The use different antenna types such as these for the antenna elements in antenna  22  (e.g., for antenna elements  22 A and  22 B), can help to ensure that antenna  22  will exhibit satisfactory performance (e.g., in applications such as MIMO applications that benefit from an array of antennas that are not too similar in location and operating characteristics). 
     As described in connection with  FIG. 1 , antenna  22  may be located in the clutch barrel portion of a portable computer. As shown in the exploded diagram of  FIG. 2 , clutch barrel  38  of device  10  may be provided with outer surface  42 . Outer surface  42  may be formed entirely or partly from a dielectric such as plastic. This type of arrangement may be used to ensure that outer surface  42  does not block radio-frequency antenna signals. Nearby portions of device  10  such as portion  44  of upper housing  16  and portion  46  of lower housing  14  can serve as all or part of the ground for antenna  22 . 
     Clutch barrel cover  42  may be formed from a unitary (one-piece) structure or may be formed from multiple parts. Clutch barrel cover  42  may have any suitable shape. For example, surface  42  may be substantially cylindrical in shape. Surface  42  may also have other shapes such as shapes with planar surfaces, shapes with curved surfaces, shapes with both curved and flat surfaces, etc. In general, the shape for the outer surface of clutch barrel  38  may be selected based on aesthetics, so long as the resulting shape for clutch barrel  38  does not impede rotational movement of upper housing portion  16  relative to lower housing portion  14  about clutch barrel longitudinal axis  40  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     In general, antenna  22  may be formed from any suitable antenna structures such as stamped or etched metal foil, wires, printed circuit board traces, other pieces of conductor, etc. Conductive structures may be freestanding or may be supported on substrates. Examples of suitable substrates that may be used in forming antenna  22  include rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) such as fiberglass filled epoxy boards and flexible printed circuits (“flex circuits”) such as polyimide sheets. In printed circuit boards and flex circuits, conductive traces may be used in forming antenna structures such as antenna resonating elements, ground structures, impedance matching networks, and feeds. These conductive traces may be formed from conductive materials such as metal (e.g., copper, gold, etc.). 
     An advantage of using flex circuits in forming antenna structures is that flex circuits can be inexpensive to manufacture and can be fabricated with accurate trace dimensions. Flex circuits also have the ability to conform to non-planar shapes. This allows flex circuit antenna elements to be formed that curve to follow the curved surface of clutch barrel surface  42 . An example is shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , antenna  22  may be formed within portable computer clutch barrel  38  having a clutch barrel cover member  42 . Antenna  22  may have an antenna support structure such as antenna support structure  48 . Antenna support structure  48  may be formed from plastic, ceramic, other dielectrics, other suitable supporting materials, or combinations of these materials. An advantage to forming support structure  48  from plastic is that plastic is durable, lightweight, and inexpensive to manufacture. If desired, antenna support structure  48  may be configured so that its outermost surface follows the curved inner surface of clutch barrel cover  42 . Other shapes may be used if desired (e.g., planar shapes, shapes with flat and curved portions, concave curve surfaces, mixtures of convex, concave, and flat surfaces, etc.). 
     Antenna  22  may be formed from multiple antenna elements such as antenna elements  22 A and  22 B. Antenna elements  22 A and  22 B may be, for example, flex circuits that are mounted to antenna support structure  48  (as an example). In the  FIG. 3  example, there are two antenna elements  22 A and  22 B, but a different number of antenna elements may be used in antenna  22  if desired. 
     To support MIMO applications, it may be desirable for some or all of the antenna elements in antenna  22  to exhibit different performance characteristics. For example, it may be desirable for elements  22 A and  22 B to exhibit substantially different polarizations and different gain patterns. With one suitable arrangement, which is described herein as an example, the antenna elements in antenna  22  such as antenna elements  22 A and  22 B may be formed using antenna elements of different types. Examples of the types of antenna elements that may be used in forming elements such as elements  22 A and  22 B include inverted-F antenna elements, planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) elements, open slot antennas, and closed slot antennas. Hybrid antennas may also be formed. For example, a hybrid PIFA-slot antenna or a hybrid inverted-F and slot antenna may be formed. 
     An illustrative inverted-F antenna that may be used as one or more of the antenna elements in antenna  22  is shown as antenna  50  in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , inverted-F antenna  50  may have a main resonating element  54  and shorter paths  58  and  60  that lie between main path  54  and ground  52 . Signal source  56  is shown in  FIG. 4  to illustrate how antenna  50  may be fed during operation. 
     In general, the conductive paths that form an antenna element may be formed in any suitable shape (e.g., L-shapes, straight lines, meandering paths, spirals, etc.). In an inverted-F antenna, for example, arm  54  may include a 180° bend (i.e., a fold), 90° bends, acute angle bends, bends that form a meandering path for arm  54 , curves, or other suitable shapes. The layout of  FIG. 4  in which arm  54  is shown as being straight is merely illustrative. 
     Another type of antenna design that may be used for one or more of the antenna elements in antenna  22  is a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) design. An illustrative PIFA-type antenna is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , planar inverted-F antenna  62  may have a ground plane  66 . Planar antenna resonating element  64  is located above ground plane  66 . Antenna  62  may be fed at positive antenna feed terminal  70  and ground feed terminal  72  (as an example). Feed  70  may be electrically connected to planar antenna resonating element  64  by conductive path  68 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , antenna elements in antenna  22  may also be formed using a slot antenna architecture. In the example of  FIG. 6 , antenna  74  has an elongated rectangular opening in ground plane  76 . This elongated opening forms slot  78 . Because slot  78  is entirely surrounded by ground plane conductor, this type of slot is sometimes referred to as a “closed” slot. A closed slot typically exhibits its peak frequency resonance at frequencies at which the length of the slot equals a half of a wavelength at the radio-frequency signal frequency of interest. Closed slots such as slot  78  of  FIG. 6  may be fed using feed terminals such as terminals  80  and  82  (as an example). 
     Antenna elements for antenna  22  may also be formed that use open slot antenna architectures. In an open slot configuration, the slot is not surrounded completely by ground plane conductor, but rather has an opening. An illustrative open slot antenna is shown in  FIG. 7 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , antenna  84  may have a slot  88 . As with antenna slot  78  in the example of  FIG. 6 , slot  88  is shown as a substantially straight and rectangular opening within its ground plane (i.e., in ground plane  86  in the  FIG. 7  example). In general, slot such as slots  78  and  88  may have any suitable shape. For example, slots  78  and  88  may have shapes with curved sides, shapes with bends, circular or oval shapes, non-rectangular polygonal shapes, combinations of these shapes, etc. Slot widths may be measured parallel to lateral dimension  98  and slot lengths may be measured parallel to longitudinal dimension  100 . In a typical arrangement, which is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  as an example, slots  78  and  88  may be substantially straight and rectangular in shape and may have narrower widths (lateral dimensions measured parallel to direction  98 ) than lengths (longitudinal dimensions measured along direction  100 ). If desired, however, slots such as slots  78  and  88  may have other shapes (e.g., shapes with non-perpendicular edges, shapes with curved edges, rectangular or non-rectangular shapes with bends, etc.). The use of straight rectangular slot configurations is only an example. 
     Slots such as slot  88  of  FIG. 7  are sometimes referred to as “open” slots because they have one closed end (end  90 ) and one open end (end  92 ). At closed end  90 , portions of the conductive material that make up ground plane  86  surround slot  88 . At open end  92 , slot  88  is not surrounded by conductor, but rather is open to free space (e.g. air or other surrounding dielectric). An open slot typically exhibits its peak frequency resonance at frequencies at which the length of the slot equals a quarter of a wavelength at the radio-frequency signal frequency of interest. Open slots such as slot  88  of  FIG. 7  may be fed using feed terminals such as terminals  94  and  96  (as an example). 
     Any suitable feed arrangements may be used for the antenna elements in antenna  22  such as the antenna elements shown in the examples of  FIGS. 4 ,  5 ,  6 , and  7 . For example, a transmission line such as a microstrip transmission line or a coaxial cable transmission line may be connected to antenna feed terminals in an antenna element. If desired, an impedance matching network may be coupled to an antenna element (e.g., at its feed terminals). 
     The ground plane and antenna resonating element structures of antenna  22  may be formed from any suitable conductive materials. As an example, these antenna structures may be formed from metals such as copper, gold, alloys, etc. The conductive structures may be formed as part of case  12 . Conductive antenna structures may also be formed from traces on printed circuit board structures such as rigid printed circuit boards or flex circuits. Metal wires, foils, or solid metal pieces may also be used (e.g., metal frame structures, etc.). If desired, antenna element structures for ground planes and antenna resonating elements may be formed using combinations of conductive structures such as these or other suitable conductive structures. The use of case materials, printed circuit traces, wires, foils, and solid metal pieces such as frame members is merely illustrative. 
     Antenna element slots such as slots  78  and  88  may be filled with a dielectric such as air or a solid dielectric such as plastic or epoxy. An advantage of filling slots  78  and  88  with a solid dielectric material is that this may help prevent intrusion of dust, liquids, or other foreign matter into portions of the antenna. When slots are formed in a flex circuit, the slots are typically filled with or placed on top of flex circuit material (polyimide). Similarly, when slots are formed from rigid printed circuit board traces, the dielectric within the slots or immediately adjacent to the slots is composed of printed circuit board dielectric (e.g., fiberglass-filled epoxy). Dielectrics such as these may also be used in support structures of antenna elements (e.g., when supporting a flex circuit antenna element), or in surrounding device structures in which it is desired not to block radio-frequency signals. 
     These examples are merely illustrative examples of dielectrics that can be used in antenna  22 . In general, any suitable dielectric material can be used to form dielectric portions of device  10  such as the dielectrics in slots  78  and  88  and the dielectrics in support structures such as antenna support structure  48  of  FIG. 3 . For example, dielectric structures in antenna slots, antenna support structures, or other structures in device  10  may be formed using a solid dielectric, a porous dielectric, a foam dielectric, a gelatinous dielectric (e.g., a coagulated or viscous liquid), a dielectric with grooves or pores, a dielectric having a honeycombed or lattice structure, a dielectric having spherical voids or other voids, a combination of such non-gaseous dielectrics, etc. Dielectrics for device  10  (e.g., the dielectric in slots  78  and  88  or the dielectric surrounding part of an antenna element) can also be formed using a gaseous dielectric such as air. Hollow features in solid dielectrics may be filled with air or other gases or lower dielectric constant materials. Examples of dielectric materials that may be used in device  10  that contain voids include epoxy gas bubbles, epoxy with hollow or low-dielectric-constant microspheres or other void-forming structures, polyimide with gas bubbles or microspheres, etc. Porous dielectric materials used in device  10  can be formed with a closed cell structure (e.g., with isolated voids) or with an open cell structure (e.g., a fibrous structure with interconnected voids). Foams such as foaming glues (e.g., polyurethane adhesive), pieces of expanded polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, foam rubber, or other manufactured foams can also be used in device  10 . If desired, the dielectric materials in device  10  can include layers or mixtures of different substances such as mixtures including small bodies of lower density material. 
     If desired, antenna elements for antenna  22  may be formed from two or more subelements. Arrangements such as this are sometimes referred to as multiarm or multibranch arrangements. Multiple antenna arms may be formed, for example, from multiple antenna slots, a group of two or more wires or other conductive paths, mixtures of slots and conductive paths, etc. 
     An illustrative multislot antenna structure of the type that may be used as an antenna element of antenna  22  is shown in  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , antenna element  102  may have slots such as slots  106  and  104 . Two slots are shown in this example, but there may, in general, be any suitable number of slots in antenna element  102  (e.g., one, two, three, more than three, etc.). Slots in element  102  may be closed or open. In the  FIG. 8  example, slot  106  is a closed slot and has closed ends  110 , whereas slot  104  is an open slot that has closed end  112  and open end  114 . Multislot antenna elements such as antenna element  102  may have two open slots, two closed slots, mixtures of three or more closed and open slots, etc. 
     The slots in multislot configurations such as multislot antenna element  102  of  FIG. 8  may each be configured to exhibit a different frequency resonance. For example, two closed slots of different lengths may be included in multislot antenna element  102  to provide an antenna element with two different frequency resonances. The resonant peaks associated with the slots may be close to each other (e.g., overlapping) or may be relatively far from each other. For example, two closely spaced resonant peaks may be used in situations in which the multislot antenna element is configured to cover a relatively broad communications band. Two more widely spaced resonant peaks may be used in situations in which it is desired to cover distinct first and second communications bands. Resonant peak locations can be adjusted by adjusting the lengths of the slots and by adjusting whether the slots are open or closed. 
     An illustrative multiarm inverted-F antenna that may be used as an antenna element in antenna  22  of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , antenna  116  may have first arm  118  and second arm  120 . The first and second arms may have different lengths. The longer arm (e.g., arm  118 ) will generally exhibit a frequency resonance peak at a lower communications frequency than the shorter arm (e.g., arm  120 ). As with slot-based antenna elements, inverted-F antenna element arms may have lengths that are selected to form two closely spaced resonant peaks (e.g., overlapping resonant peaks to handle a communications band with a wider bandwidth than can be readily handled using a single-arm structure) or may be used to form resonant peaks that are spaced farther apart (e.g., to form an antenna structure that handles two different communications bands). 
     An illustrative multiarm planar inverted-F antenna element that may be used as an antenna element in antenna  22  is shown in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , planar inverted-F antenna resonating element  122  may have ground plane  124  and antenna resonating element  126 . Antenna resonating element  126  may include arm  128  and arm  130 . Although shown as straight rectangular structures in the example of  FIG. 10 , arms such as arms  128  and  130  may have non-rectangular shapes, non-straight shapes, shapes with folds and bends, curved shapes, shapes with widths of different sizes, meandering path shapes, or any other suitable shapes. There may be one, two, three, or more than three arms such as arms  128  and  130  in given planar inverted-F antenna. The example of  FIG. 10  is merely illustrative. 
     The antenna elements in antenna  22  may be used to cover a single communications band or multiple communications bands. For example, antenna  22  may be configured to cover a single IEEE 802.11 band such as the 2.4 GHz band used for IEEE 802.11(b) communications. As another example, antenna  22  may be used to cover two bands such as the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 bands. Different bands may also be covered if desired. 
     In arrangements in which multiple communications bands are covered, one arm in a multiarm antenna element may exhibit a frequency resonance peak in a first communications band, whereas a second arm may exhibit a frequency resonance peak in a second communications band. For example, in a planar inverted-F antenna with shorter and longer arms, the shorter arm may be associated with a peak frequency resonance in a higher frequency communications band and the longer arm may be associated with a peak frequency resonance in a lower frequency communications band. 
     A graph of the expected performance of an antenna element that has been designed to cover first and second communications bands in this way is shown in  FIG. 11 . In the graph of  FIG. 11 , expected voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) values for the antenna element are plotted as a function of frequency. The performance of the antenna is given by solid lines  132  and  136 . As shown by solid line  132 , there is a reduced VSWR value at frequency f 1 , indicating that the antenna performs well in the frequency band centered at frequency f 1 . This frequency peak may be associated with the longer of two antenna resonating element arms. This longer arm may also operate at harmonic frequencies such as a frequency near frequency f 2 , as indicated by dashed line  134 . In this example, frequency f 2  is slightly below, but close to the second harmonic of the longer antenna arm (i.e., f 2 ≈ 2 f 1 ). The shorter arm has been configured to resonate at frequency f 2 . Together, the second harmonic of the longer arm (line  134 ) and the fundamental resonance of the shorter arm exhibit the combined behavior of line  136 . 
     The dimensions of the antenna may be selected so that frequencies f 1  and f 2  are aligned with communication bands of interest. For example, in a planar inverted-F antenna having first and second arms such as shorter arm  128  and longer arm  130  of  FIG. 10 , the frequency f 1  (and its harmonic frequency 2f 1 ) will be related to the length of longer arm  130  (i.e., the length of arm  130  will be approximately equal to one quarter of a wavelength at frequency f 1 ), whereas the frequency f 2  will be related to the length of shorter arm  128  (i.e., the length of arm  128  will be approximately equal to one quarter of a wavelength at frequency f 2 ). Inverted-F antennas with arms of dissimilar lengths may exhibit the same type of behavior. 
     In multislot antennas formed from slots of the same type (i.e., both open slots or both closed slots), the shorter slot will be associated with frequency f 2  and the longer slot will be associated with frequency f 1 . Antennas with both open and closed slots may also be used. In type of arrangement, an open slot may be associated with the communications band at frequency f 1  (i.e., the open slot may have a length approximately equal to one quarter of a wavelength at frequency f 1 ) and a closed slot may be associated with the communications frequency at frequency f 2  (i.e., the closed slot may have a length approximately equal to one half of a wavelength at frequency f 1 ). 
     Arrangements with mixtures of slots and inverted-F or planar inverted-F antenna arms may also be used. The slots and other arms may be configured to cover two bands (e.g., communications bands such as bands associated with the frequency peaks at f 1  and f 2  in the  FIG. 11  example) or more than two bands. In an illustrative two-band configuration, frequency f 1  might correspond to a 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11 band and frequency f 2  might correspond to a 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 band (as an example). In a first antenna element in antenna  22  (e.g., antenna resonating element  22 A), the first (2.4 GHz) band may be associated with a resonance produced by a first planar inverted-F arm such as arm  130  and the second (5 GHz) band may be associated with a resonance produced by a second planar inverted-F arm such as arm  128 . In a second antenna element in the same antenna  22  (e.g., antenna resonating element  22 B), the first (2.4 GHz) band may be associated with a resonance produced by a planar inverted-F arm and the second (5 GHz) band may be associated with a resonance produced by a slot (e.g., a closed slot). 
     An illustrative two slot antenna element  22 B that may be used in antenna  22  is shown in  FIG. 12 . In the example of  FIG. 12 , antenna element  22 B has two slots. Slot  104  is an open slot and may be used to cover the 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11 band. Slot  106  is a closed slot and may be used to cover the 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 band. Slot  104  may be substantially straight. Slot  106  may have a bend  140  and an enlarged section  138  that helps to broaden the bandwidth of the frequency contribution from slot  106  to the performance of antenna element  22 B. Antenna element  22 B may be fed using, for example, a transmission line that is coupled to feed terminals  142  and  144 . An impedance matching network may be used to help match the impedance of the transmission line to the impedance of antenna element  22 B. Ground plane  108  may be formed from a patterned conductive trace such as a metal trace. The metal trace may be formed on a flex circuit substrate such as polyimide  146 . 
     Holes  148  may be provided in substrate  146 . Holes  148  may receive alignment posts in an antenna support structure such as antenna support structure  48  of  FIG. 3 . Slots  150  may also serve as alignment features that help to properly orient flex circuit substrate  146  to support structure  48 . In regions such as region  152 , antenna element  22 B may be provided with traces and/or conductive foam to help electrically connect trace  108  to a conductive frame or other suitable portion of housing  12  in device  10 . If desired, other conductive structures such as springs, pins, solder connections, fasteners, or other conductive members may be used in place of conductive foam or in addition to conductive foam when shorting antenna element  22 A to the frame or other ground structures of device  10 . 
     An illustrative hybrid element  22 A that is based on a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) arm in combination with a slot (i.e., a hybrid PIFA-slot antenna element) is shown in  FIG. 13 . Antenna element  22 A of  FIG. 13  may be used in conjunction with antenna  22 B of  FIG. 12  in an antenna such as antenna  22  of  FIG. 3 . Because antenna element  22 B is of a first type (a dual-slot architecture), whereas antenna element  22 A is of a second type (a hybrid PIFA-slot architecture), the antenna performance characteristics of the two antenna elements differ, helping to decrease directivity and enhance performance (e.g., for MIMO applications). 
     As with antenna element  22 B of  FIG. 12 , antenna element  22 A of  FIG. 13  may be formed from a conductive trace on a flex circuit substrate (substrate  170 ). In the example of  FIG. 13 , antenna element  22 B has an arm  154  that forms a planar antenna resonating element (i.e., a PIFA resonating element) for antenna element  22 B. Arm  154  may be formed from a conductive trace on substrate  170  (e.g., a trace on the outermost surface of substrate  170  or a trace formed within an inner layer of substrate  170 ). Arm  154  may be bent and may have protrusions that help form a slot and that tune antenna performance characteristics. Substrate  170  may be, for example, a flex circuit substrate (e.g., a polyimide film substrate). 
     Slot  156  may be a substantially closed slot whose shape is defined by the locations of the edges of arm  154 . The lengths of arm  154  and slot  156  may be selected to cover the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 bands. For example, arm  154  may be used to cover a lower-frequency communications band such as the band at frequency f 1  in  FIG. 11  (e.g., 2.4 GHz), whereas slot  104  may be used to cover a higher-frequency communications band such as the band at frequency f 2  in  FIG. 11  (e.g., 5 GHz). Antenna element  22 A may be fed using antenna feed terminals  158  and  160 . A transmission line such as a coaxial transmission line or microstrip transmission line may be coupled to feed terminals  158  and  160 . An impedance matching network may be used to help match the impedance of the transmission line connected to terminals  158  and  160 . 
     Portion  172  of slot  156  to the right of feed terminals  158  and  160  in  FIG. 13  may serve as the primarily radiator section of slot  156 . The input impedance of slot  156  may be mainly inductive. A thin capacitive gap such as gap  162  may be included in antenna element  22 A to add capacitance to stub portion  174  of slot  156  to the left of feed terminals  158  and  160 . The capacitance added to portion  174  of slot  156  may help neutralize the inductive characteristic of portion  172  of slot  156 , thereby creating a net resonant condition for the slot antenna structure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the width of the trace of arm  154  may be fairly wide, as this helps to improve the bandwidth coverage of arm  154 . The relatively large width of arm  154  may also help to ensure that the second harmonic of arm  154  (e.g., 2f 1 ) coincides with the frequency f 2  (e.g., 5 GHz) that is being covered by slot  156 . Portions  176  and  178  of arm  154  may help tune the impedance and frequency coverage of antenna  22 A. 
     Substrate  170  may be provided with holes such as holes  166 . When substrate  170  is mounted to an antenna support structure such as support structure  48  of  FIG. 3 , holes  166  may mate with alignment posts. The alignment posts may be deformed during assembly using a heat staking process to help secure antenna element  22 A to support  48 . Slots such as slots  168  and other alignment features may be used to help align substrate  170  relative to support  48 . 
     In regions such as regions  164 , conductive structures may be used to help electrically connect the conductive traces of antenna  22 A to conductive ground structures in device  10  such as frame structures. Conductive structures  164  may be formed from conductive foam, fasteners, springs, or other suitable conductive members. 
     Antenna performance in device  10  can be enhanced when forming a clutch barrel antenna  22  using antenna elements of different types such as antenna element  22 B of  FIG. 12  and antenna  22 A of  FIG. 13 . Antenna  22 B of  FIG. 12  is a dual slot antenna and exhibits good performance in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 bands. When placed within clutch barrel  38 , antenna element  22 B provides a perpendicular polarization relative to conductive base  14  and cover  16 , and forms a horn antenna with good measured performance. If two identical elements  22 B are used in antenna  22  in clutch barrel  38 , the directivity of the antenna might be fairly large. The use of an antenna element  22 A of a different type than antenna element  22 B helps to ensure that the directivity exhibited by antenna  22  is not too high for 802.11b/g operations. In particular, when an antenna element such as the hybrid PIFA-slot antenna element  22 A of the type shown in  FIG. 13  is used in combination with a dual-slot antenna element such as antenna element  22 B of  FIG. 12 , measured directivity (e.g., the gain as a function of orientation) is within acceptable regulatory limits and is satisfactory for dual band IEEE 802.11 applications. This is because the hybrid PIFA-slot antenna element  22 A exhibits different antenna characteristics (e.g., a different polarization and gain pattern) than dual slot antenna element  22 B. Antenna element  22 A creates a cross-polarization relative to antenna element  22 B due to its use of arm  154  (i.e., a wire-type structure) as opposed to the slots of antenna element  22 B. The cross-polarization radiation associated with arm  154  helps to reduce the overall directivity of antenna  22 , because a split beam (difference beam) can form at its aperture, thereby spreading radiation evenly and avoiding the formation of sharp directional peaks. The cross-polarization produced by arm  154  of antenna element  22 A at 2.4 GHz is generally orthogonal to that of antenna  22 B, but is not destructive, giving rise to satisfactory performance for the clutch barrel antenna. 
     As this example demonstrates, when two different types of antenna element are used in forming a multielement antenna such as clutch barrel antenna  22 , performance can be enhanced relative to configurations in which a single type of antenna element is used for both of the antenna elements. Each antenna element may, in general, be formed using any suitable architecture (e.g., slot-based, hybrid, inverted-F, planar inverted-F, etc.). 
     With one suitable arrangement for antenna  22 , antenna  22  has multiple antenna elements (e.g., two or more antenna elements). In the  FIG. 3  example, antenna  22  is shown as having two antenna elements  22 A and  22 B. With this type of configuration, the first antenna element (e.g., antenna element  22 A) may be, for example, an inverted-F antenna element such as a single-arm or multiple arm element (e.g., antenna  50  of  FIG. 4  or antenna  116  of  FIG. 9 ), a planar inverted-F antenna element (e.g., planar inverted-F antenna element  62  of  FIG. 5  or planar inverted-F antenna element  122  of  FIG. 10 ), a slot antenna (e.g., slot antenna  74  of  FIG. 6 , slot antenna  84  of  FIG. 7 , or slot antenna  102  of  FIG. 8 ), or a hybrid antenna (e.g., a PIFA-slot antenna as shown in  FIG. 13 ). The second antenna element (e.g., antenna element  22 B) and any optional additional antenna elements may be selected from the same group of antenna types. Performance will generally be improved when antenna elements of different types are used in antenna  22 , but two or more of the antenna elements in a given antenna  22  may, if desired, be implemented using the same type of antenna. 
     Antenna elements such as antenna element  22 A of  FIG. 13  and antenna element  22 B of  FIG. 12  may be mounted within clutch barrel  38  or other portion of device  10  using any suitable arrangement. Illustrative mounting arrangements are shown in  FIGS. 14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 , and  18 . 
     An exploded perspective view of antenna  22  in the vicinity of housing portion  16  is shown in  FIG. 14 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , housing  16  may include a cover such as cover portion  188 . Cover  188  may be a sheet of metal that serves as the outer cover layer for upper housing portion  16  (e.g., the lid of device  10 ). Metal support structures such as frame  190  may be mounted within metal layer  188 . An elastomeric member such as gasket  192  may be mounted to frame  190 . A display such as a liquid crystal display may be mounted in upper housing portion  16 . When mounted, gasket  192  may help to prevent the display from bearing against edge  194  of housing layer  188  and the inner portion of frame  190 . Because frame  190  may be used in mounting a display, frame  190  is sometimes referred to as a display frame. 
     Frame  190  may have holes  186  that mate with corresponding holes in antenna support  48 . Coaxial cable connectors may be connected to antenna  22  at attachment locations  180  and  182 . The coaxial cable connectors may be, for example, UFL connectors. One connector may be used to route signals to antenna element  22 A and another connector may be associated with radio-frequency signals for antenna element  22 B. Conductive foam or other suitable conductive structures may be used to ground antenna  22  to housing  16 . For example, conductive foam at ground locations  164  and  152  may be used to ground antenna  22  to frame  190 . Frame  190  may be shorted to case  188 , so this arrangement may help to ground antenna  22  to housing portion  16  and housing  12 . During operation of antenna  22 , conductive portions of housing  12  can serve as antenna ground. Heat stakes  184  may be used to align flex circuits  22 A and  22 B to antenna support structure  48 . 
       FIG. 15  shows how antenna support structure  48  may have a ribbed internal support member such as member  196 . The ribs of member  196  may, if desired, be formed as an integral portion of antenna support structure  48 . Antenna support structure  48  may also be formed from multiple parts that are joined together (e.g., multiple plastic parts such as ribbed supports, support surfaces, etc.). Screw holes  198  may mate with corresponding screw holes  186 . Holes such as holes  198  and  186  may be used to screw support member  196  of antenna support  48  to frame  190 . Holes  186  may be threaded to accept screws that pass through holes  198 . 
       FIG. 16  is a perspective view similar to that of  FIG. 14 , but showing antenna  22  mounted to housing portion  16 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , circuitry  200  may be mounted to the end of antenna support structure  48 . Circuitry  200  may include radio-frequency circuitry such as transceiver circuitry and discrete components. Signals may be conveyed between circuitry  200  and a main logic board (e.g., a logic board in lower housing  14 ) using a digital signal path or other suitable communications path. 
     Circuitry  200  and antenna  22  have an elongated shape that allows these components to be mounted within clutch barrel  38  of device  10  ( FIG. 1 ). In the view depicted in  FIG. 16 , clutch barrel cover  42  is not shown, so that the interior components of clutch barrel  38  are not obstructed from view. Clutch barrel cover  42  is shown in the cross-sectional view of clutch barrel  38  in  FIG. 17 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , clutch barrel cover  42  may encase and surround antenna support structure  48  (including ribs  196  of  FIG. 15 ). Antenna elements  22 A and  22 B, which are supported on the outer surface of antenna support structure  48 , are also covered by clutch barrel cover  42 . To ensure that the operation of antenna  22  is not blocked by the presence of cover  42 , clutch barrel cover  42  may be formed from a dielectric such as plastic. 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , the lower portion of clutch barrel cover  42  may have an opening such as opening  204  that runs along substantially the entire length of clutch barrel cover  42 . Opening  204  allows conductive housing portions such as portions  202  of display frame  190  to protrude into the interior of clutch barrel  38 . These conductive members may serve as antenna ground for antenna  22  and may be electrically connected to the conductive traces of the flex circuit antenna elements mounted to support  48  using conductive members such as conductive foam  164 . 
       FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional perspective view of clutch barrel  38  that is similar to the view of  FIG. 17 . In the drawing of  FIG. 18 , clutch barrel cover  42  has been removed so as not to obscure antenna elements  22 A and  22 B. As shown in  FIG. 18 , a label such as label  206  may be affixed to antenna support structure  48 . Heat staked alignment posts such as post  184  may be used to attach antenna element flex circuit structures to support  48 . Alignment posts such as posts  208  may mate with alignment features in antenna elements  22 A and  22 B, such as notches  168  of antenna element  22 A ( FIG. 13 ) and openings  150  of antenna element  22 B ( FIG. 12 ). Adhesive film (e.g., double-sided tape) such as adhesive  210  may be used in attaching housing frame  190  to housing cover metal layer  188 . 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20080925
Publication Date: 20111115
Grant Date: 20111115
Priority Date: 20080925
Inventors: AYALA VAZQUEZ ENRIQUE
XU HAO
SPRINGER GREGORY A.
CHIANG BING
CAMACHO EDUARDO LOPEZ
KOUGH DOUGLAS B.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q5/371", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/38", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/2266", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/2266", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/38", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q5/371", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 42037102