PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8106836-B2
Application Number: US-12001208-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Hybrid antennas for electronic devices

Abstract:
A portable electronic device is provided that has a hybrid antenna. The hybrid antenna may include a slot antenna structure and an inverted-F antenna structure. The slot antenna portion of the hybrid antenna may be used to provide antenna coverage in a first communications band and the inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna may be used to provide antenna coverage in a second communications band. The second communications band need not be harmonically related to the first communications band. The electronic device may be formed from two portions. One portion may contain conductive structures that define the shape of the antenna slot. One or more dielectric-filled gaps in the slot may be bridged using conductive structures on another portion of the electronic device. A conductive trim member may be inserted into an antenna slot to trim the resonant frequency of the slot antenna portion of the hybrid antenna.

Claims:
1. An antenna in a portable electronic device having first and second housing portions, comprising:
 conductive structures in the first housing portion that define an antenna slot having a perimeter with at least one gap; and 
 a conductive bridging structure mounted to the second housing portion that bridges the gap and completes at least a portion of the perimeter of the antenna slot when the first and second housing portions are connected to form the portable electronic device. 
 
     
     
       2. The antenna defined in  claim 1  further comprising an inverted-F antenna structure mounted adjacent to the antenna slot. 
     
     
       3. The antenna defined in  claim 2  wherein the antenna slot handles global positioning system radio-frequency signals, wherein the inverted-F antenna structure handles radio-frequency signals in a 2.4 GHz communications band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise a printed circuit board. 
     
     
       4. The antenna defined in  claim 2  wherein the antenna slot handles global positioning system radio-frequency signals, wherein the inverted-F antenna structure handles Bluetooth® radio-frequency signals in a 2.4 GHz communications band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise a printed circuit board. 
     
     
       5. The antenna defined in  claim 2  wherein the antenna slot handles global positioning system radio-frequency signals, wherein the inverted-F antenna structure handles IEEE 802.11 radio-frequency signals in a 2.4 GHz communications band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise a printed circuit board. 
     
     
       6. The antenna defined in  claim 1  wherein the conductive structures comprise at least one structure selected from the group consisting of: a camera, a flex circuit, a conductive bezel, and a metal bracket. 
     
     
       7. The antenna defined in  claim 1  wherein the first housing portion comprises a tilt assembly containing a display and wherein the second housing portion comprises a housing assembly containing a plastic housing. 
     
     
       8. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a first assembly containing conductive structures that define an antenna slot, wherein the antenna slot has an inner perimeter with at least one gap, wherein the gap lies along the inner perimeter of the antenna slot; and 
 a second assembly that includes a conductive bridging structure that bridges the gap and completes at least a portion of the inner perimeter of the antenna slot when the first and second assemblies are connected to each other to form the portable electronic device. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising a hybrid antenna that includes the antenna slot and an inverted-F antenna structure mounted adjacent to the antenna slot. 
     
     
       10. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the first assembly comprises a housing assembly that includes a plastic housing. 
     
     
       11. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 10  wherein the second assembly comprises a tilt assembly that includes a display. 
     
     
       12. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 11  further comprising an inverted-F antenna structure mounted adjacent to the antenna slot. 
     
     
       13. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising a hybrid antenna that includes the antenna slot and an inverted-F antenna structure mounted adjacent to the antenna slot, wherein the first assembly comprises a bezel that forms part of the hybrid antenna. 
     
     
       14. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 13  wherein the first assembly has first and second spring prongs located on opposite sides of the gap and wherein the conductive bridging structure comprises a conductive member on the second assembly that electrically connects the first and second spring prongs when the first and second assemblies are connected to each other. 
     
     
       15. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 14  further comprising a leaf spring that is electrically connected to the conductive structures, wherein the first spring prong forms part of the leaf spring. 
     
     
       16. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising:
 a switch; and 
 a bracket with which the switch is mounted to the first assembly, wherein the bracket forms one of the conductive structures, and wherein the conductive bridging structure electrically connects the bracket to another of the conductive structures when bridging the gap. 
 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising an additional gap along the inner perimeter of the antenna slot, wherein the conductive bridging structure bridges both the gap and the additional gap. 
     
     
       18. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 17  further comprising first, second, and third springs, wherein the first and second springs are located on opposite sides of the gap and form a first set of electrical contacts between the conductive structures and the conductive bridging structure and wherein the second and third springs are located on opposite sides of the additional gap and form a second set of electrical contacts between the conductive structures and the conductive bridging structure. 
     
     
       19. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 18  further comprising an inverted-F antenna structure, wherein the antenna slot and the inverted-F antenna structure form a hybrid antenna that covers at least a first band of communications frequencies associated with the antenna slot and a second band of communications frequencies associated with the inverted-F antenna structure, and wherein the first and second bands are not harmonically related. 
     
     
       20. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 19  wherein the first band includes global positioning system signal frequencies and wherein the second band comprises a 2.4 GHz band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise at least one electrical component. 
     
     
       21. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 20  wherein the electrical component comprises a camera. 
     
     
       22. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising an inverted-F antenna structure, wherein the antenna slot and the inverted-F antenna structure form a hybrid antenna that covers at least a first band of communications frequencies associated with the antenna slot and a second band of communications frequencies associated with the inverted-F antenna structure, and wherein the first and second bands are not harmonically related. 
     
     
       23. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 22  wherein the first band includes global positioning system signal frequencies and wherein the second band comprises a 2.4 GHz band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise a conductive bezel. 
     
     
       24. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 22  wherein the first band includes global positioning system signal frequencies and wherein the second band comprises a 2.4 GHz band, and wherein the conductive structures comprise a flex circuit, a printed circuit board, a camera, and a conductive bezel. 
     
     
       25. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 22  wherein the conductive structures comprise conductive foam. 
     
     
       26. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising:
 an inverted-F antenna structure; and 
 a flex circuit transmission line having a positive signal conductor and a ground signal conductor, wherein the antenna slot and the inverted-F antenna structure form a multiband hybrid antenna for the portable electronic device, and wherein the inverted-F antenna structure comprises a metal structure that is electrically connected to the positive signal conductor and wherein the ground signal conductor is electrically connected to the conductive structures that form the antenna slot. 
 
     
     
       27. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 26  further comprising a solder joint that electrically connects the positive signal conductor to the inverted-F antenna structure. 
     
     
       28. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 27  wherein the conductive structures include a switch mounting bracket, the portable electronic device further comprising a screw that electrically connects the ground signal conductor to the switch mounting bracket.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/044,448, filed Apr. 11, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to antennas for electronic devices such as portable electronic devices. 
     Handheld electronic devices and other portable electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of handheld devices include handheld computers, cellular telephones, media players, and hybrid devices that include the functionality of multiple devices of this type. Popular portable electronic devices that are somewhat larger than traditional handheld electronic devices include laptop computers and tablet computers. 
     Due in part to their mobile nature, portable electronic devices are often provided with wireless communications capabilities. For example, handheld electronic devices may use long-range wireless communications to communicate with wireless base stations. Cellular telephones and other devices with cellular capabilities may communicate using cellular telephone bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 1900 MHz. Portable electronic devices may also use short-range wireless communications links. For example, portable electronic devices may communicate using the Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz and the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz. Data communications are also possible at 2100 MHz. 
     To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor wireless devices, manufacturers are continually striving to reduce the size of components that are used in these devices while providing enhanced functionality. Significant enhancements may be difficult to implement, however, particularly in devices in which size and weight are taken into consideration. For example, it can be particularly challenging to form antennas that operate in desired communications bands while fitting the antennas within the case of a compact portable electronic device. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide portable electronic devices with improved wireless communications capabilities. 
     SUMMARY 
     A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The handheld electronic device may include a hybrid antenna. The hybrid antenna may include a slot antenna structure and an inverted-F antenna structure. The slot antenna portion of the hybrid antenna may be used to provide antenna coverage in a first communications band and the inverted-F antenna portion of the hybrid antenna may be used to provide antenna coverage in a second communications band. The second communications band need not be harmonically related to the first communications band. With one suitable arrangement, the first communications band handles 1575 MHz signals (e.g., for global positioning system operations) and the second communications band handles 2.4 GHz signals (e.g., for local area network or Bluetooth® operations). 
     The handheld electronic device may be formed from two portions. A first portion may include components such as a display and a touch sensor. A second portion may include components such as a camera, printed circuit boards, a battery, flex circuits, a Subscriber Identity Module card structure, an audio jack, and a conductive bezel. The components in the second portion may define an antenna slot for the slot antenna structure in the hybrid antenna. Dielectric-filled gaps may be located between some of the components in the antenna slot formed in the second portion of the device. These gaps in the antenna slot may be bridged using conductive structures associated with the first portion of the device. With one suitable arrangement, springs or other connecting structures may be attached to the second portion of the device on either side of each gap. A matching conductive bracket may be mounted on the first portion of the device. When the first and second portions are assembled, the springs form a conductive path that allows radio-frequency signals to pass through the bracket. In this way, the bracket can bridge the gaps to complete the antenna slot (e.g., to form a substantially rectangular antenna slot). 
     If desired, a conductive trim member may be inserted into an antenna slot to adjust the resonant frequency of the slot antenna portion of the hybrid antenna. 
     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 portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an interior bottom view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a partially assembled portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how an upper portion of the device may be inserted into a lower portion of the device. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of an illustrative slot antenna structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is an illustrative graph showing antenna performance as a function of frequency for an illustrative slot antenna structure of the type shown in  FIG. 8  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an illustrative inverted-F antenna structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an illustrative graph showing antenna performance as a function of frequency for an illustrative inverted-F antenna structure of the type shown in  FIG. 10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an illustrative hybrid inverted-F-slot antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a graph showing antenna performance for a hybrid antenna of the type shown in  FIG. 12  in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of an illustrative slot antenna structure formed from portions of a handheld electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a top view of an illustrative slot antenna structure formed from illustrative electrical components in a handheld electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a portion of a handheld electronic device showing how a camera unit may be mounted within the device adjacent to an antenna slot region in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of a portion of a handheld electronic device showing how the shape of a slot antenna structure may be defined, in part, by electrical components such as a printed circuit board and how an inverted-F antenna structure may be located adjacent to the slot in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of an illustrative antenna structure that may be used in implementing an inverted-F portion of a hybrid antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the inverted-F antenna structure of  FIG. 18  to which an associated flex circuit transmission line structure has been electrically connected in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the inverted-F antenna structure of  FIG. 19  showing how the antenna may be connected to a ringer bracket that is shorted to a conductive bezel that in turn defines at least part of the perimeter associated with the antenna slot structure in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of a portion of a handheld electronic device showing how an inverted-F antenna element may be mounted adjacent to a slot antenna structure formed from electrical components in the handheld electronic device in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of an illustrative upper (tilt assembly) portion of a handheld electronic device showing how the device may have electrical contact structures such as springs that may be used in constructing an electrically continuous perimeter for a slot antenna structure in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a schematic cross-sectional end view of a handheld electronic device having a tilt assembly and a housing assembly showing how an electrical path associated with a slot antenna structure may pass through clips or other conductive structures and may pass through conductive elements on both the tilt assembly and the housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a schematic top view of an end of a handheld electronic device having a bezel with a conductive slot-size trim piece such as a conductive foam structure that may be used to make size adjustments to a slot in a slot antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     The electronic devices may be portable electronic devices such as laptop computers or small portable computers of the type that are sometimes referred to as ultraportables. Portable electronic devices may also be somewhat smaller devices. Examples of smaller portable electronic devices include wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, headphone and earpiece devices, and other wearable and miniature devices. With one suitable arrangement, the portable electronic devices may be wireless electronic devices. 
     The wireless electronic devices may be, for example, handheld wireless devices such as cellular telephones, media players with wireless communications capabilities, handheld computers (also sometimes called personal digital assistants), remote controllers, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and handheld gaming devices. The wireless electronic devices may also be hybrid devices that combine the functionality of multiple conventional devices. Examples of hybrid portable electronic devices include a cellular telephone that includes media player functionality, a gaming device that includes a wireless communications capability, a cellular telephone that includes game and email functions, and a portable device that receives email, supports mobile telephone calls, has music player functionality and supports web browsing. These are merely illustrative examples. 
     An illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be, for example, a handheld electronic device that supports 2G and/or 3G cellular telephone and data functions, global positioning system capabilities, and local wireless communications capabilities (e.g., IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth®) and that supports handheld computing device functions such as internet browsing, email and calendar functions, games, music player functionality, etc. 
     Device  10  may have housing  12 . Antennas for handling wireless communications may be housed within housing  12  (as an example). 
     Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed of any suitable materials including, plastic, glass, ceramics, metal, or other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may be formed from a dielectric or other low-conductivity material, so that the operation of conductive antenna elements that are located in proximity to housing  12  is not disrupted. Housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may also be formed from conductive materials such as metal. An advantage of forming housing  12  from a dielectric material such as plastic is that this may help to reduce the overall weight of device  10  and may avoid potential interference with wireless operations. 
     In scenarios in which housing  12  is formed from metal elements, one or more of the metal elements may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, metal portions of housing  12  may be shorted to an internal ground plane in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for that device  10 . 
     Housing  12  may have a bezel  14 . The bezel  14  may be formed from a conductive material or other suitable material or other suitable material. Bezel  14  may serve to hold a display or other device with a planar surface in place on device  10 . Bezel  14  may also form an esthetically pleasing trim around the edge of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, bezel  14  may be used to surround the top of display  16 . Bezel  14  and other metal elements associated with device  10  may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, bezel  14  may be shorted to printed circuit board conductors or other internal ground plane structures in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for device  10 . 
     Display  16  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or any other suitable display. The outermost surface of display  16  may be formed from one or more plastic or glass layers. If desired, touch screen functionality may be integrated into display  16  or may be provided using a separate touch pad device. An advantage of integrating a touch screen into display  16  to make display  16  touch sensitive is that this type of arrangement can save space and reduce visual clutter. 
     Display screen  16  (e.g., a touch screen) is merely one example of an input-output device that may be used with electronic device  10 . If desired, electronic device  10  may have other input-output devices. For example, electronic device  10  may have user input control devices such as button  19 , and input-output components such as port  20  and one or more input-output jacks (e.g., for audio and/or video). Button  19  may be, for example, a menu button. Port  20  may contain a 30-pin data connector (as an example). Openings  22  and  24  may, if desired, form speaker and microphone ports. Speaker port  22  may be used when operating device  10  in speakerphone mode. Opening  23  may also form a speaker port. For example, speaker port  23  may serve as a telephone receiver that is placed adjacent to a user&#39;s ear during operation. In the example of  FIG. 1 , display screen  16  is shown as being mounted on the front face of handheld electronic device  10 , but display screen  16  may, if desired, be mounted on the rear face of handheld electronic device  10 , on a side of device  10 , on a flip-up portion of device  10  that is attached to a main body portion of device  10  by a hinge (for example), or using any other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     A user of electronic device  10  may supply input commands using user input interface devices such as button  19  and touch screen  16 . Suitable user input interface devices for electronic device  10  include buttons (e.g., alphanumeric keys, power on-off, power-on, power-off, and other specialized buttons, etc.), a touch pad, pointing stick, or other cursor control device, a microphone for supplying voice commands, or any other suitable interface for controlling device  10 . Although shown schematically as being formed on the top face of electronic device  10  in the example of  FIG. 1 , buttons such as button  19  and other user input interface devices may generally be formed on any suitable portion of electronic device  10 . For example, a button such as button  19  or other user interface control may be formed on the side of electronic device  10 . Buttons and other user interface controls can also be located on the top face, rear face, or other portion of device  10 . If desired, device  10  can be controlled remotely (e.g., using an infrared remote control, a radio-frequency remote control such as a Bluetooth® remote control, etc.). 
     Electronic device  10  may have ports such as port  20 . Port  20 , which may sometimes be referred to as a dock connector, 30-pin data port connector, input-output port, or bus connector, may be used as an input-output port (e.g., when connecting device  10  to a mating dock connected to a computer or other electronic device). Port  20  may contain pins for receiving data and power signals. Device  10  may also have audio and video jacks that allow device  10  to interface with external components. Typical ports include power pins to recharge a battery within device  10  or to operate device  10  from a direct current (DC) power supply, data pins to exchange data with external components such as a personal computer or peripheral, audio-visual jacks to drive headphones, a monitor, or other external audio-video equipment, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card port to authorize cellular telephone service, a memory card slot, etc. The functions of some or all of these devices and the internal circuitry of electronic device  10  can be controlled using input interface devices such as touch screen display  16 . 
     Components such as display  16  and other user input interface devices may cover most of the available surface area on the front face of device  10  (as shown in the example of  FIG. 1 ) or may occupy only a small portion of the front face of device  10 . Because electronic components such as display  16  often contain large amounts of metal (e.g., as radio-frequency shielding), the location of these components relative to the antenna elements in device  10  should generally be taken into consideration. Suitably chosen locations for the antenna elements and electronic components of the device will allow the antennas of electronic device  10  to function properly without being disrupted by the electronic components. 
     Examples of locations in which antenna structures may be located in device  10  include region  18  and region  21 . These are merely illustrative examples. Any suitable portion of device  10  may be used to house antenna structures for device  10  if desired. 
     Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10 . For example, device  10  may have one antenna or may have multiple antennas. The antennas in device  10  may each be used to cover a single communications band or each antenna may cover multiple communications bands. If desired, one or more antennas may cover a single band while one or more additional antennas are each used to cover multiple bands. As an example, a pentaband cellular telephone antenna may be provided at one end of device  10  (e.g., in region  18 ) and a dual band GPS/Bluetooth®/IEEE-802.11 antenna may be provided at another end of device  10  (e.g., in region  21 ). These are merely illustrative arrangements. Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10  if desired. 
     In arrangements in which antennas are needed to support communications at more than one band, the antennas may have shapes that support multi-band operations. For example, an antenna may have a resonating element with arms of various different lengths. Each arm may support a resonance at a different radio-frequency band (or bands). The antennas may be based on slot antenna structures in which an opening is formed in a ground plane. The ground plane may be formed, for example, by conductive components such as a display, printed circuit board conductors, flex circuits that contain conductive traces (e.g., to connect a camera or other device to integrated circuits and other circuitry in device  10 ), a conductive bezel, etc. A slot antenna opening may be formed by arranging ground plane components such as these so as to form a dielectric-filled (e.g., an air-filled) space. A conductive trace (e.g., a conductive trace with one or more bends) or a single-arm or multiarm planar inverted-F antenna may be used in combination with an antenna slot to provide a hybrid antenna with enhanced frequency coverage. Inverted-F antenna elements or other antenna structures may also be used in the presence of an antenna slot to form a hybrid slot/non-slot antenna. 
     When a hybrid antenna structure is formed that has an antenna slot and a non-slot antenna resonating element, the slot may, if desired, contribute a frequency response for the antenna in a one frequency range, whereas the non-slot structure may contribute to a frequency response for the antenna in another frequency range. Structures such as these may be fed using direct coupling (i.e., when antenna feed terminals are connected to conductive portions of the antenna) or using indirect coupling (i.e., where the antenna is excited through near-field coupling interactions). 
     Hybrid slot antennas may be used at one end or both ends of device  10 . For example, one hybrid antenna may be used as a dual band antenna (e.g., in region  21 ) and one hybrid antenna may be used as a pentaband antenna (e.g., in region  18 ). The pentaband antenna may be used to cover wireless communications bands such as the wireless bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as an example). The dual band antenna may be used to handle 1575 MHz signals for GPS operations and 2.4 GHz signals for Bluetooth® and IEEE 802.11 operations (as an example). 
     A schematic diagram of an embodiment of an illustrative portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is shown in  FIG. 2 . Portable device  10  may be a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone with media player capabilities, a handheld computer, a remote control, a game player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an ultraportable computer, a hybrid device that includes the functionality of some or all of these devices, or any other suitable portable electronic device. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may include storage  34 . Storage  34  may include one or more different types of storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory), volatile memory (e.g., battery-based static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. 
     Processing circuitry  36  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . Processing circuitry  36  may be based on a processor such as a microprocessor and other suitable integrated circuits. With one suitable arrangement, processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  are 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. Processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  may be used in implementing suitable communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol, protocols for handling 3 G communications services (e.g., using wide band code division multiple access techniques), 2G cellular telephone communications protocols, etc. 
     Input-output devices  38  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. Display screen  16 , button  19 , microphone port  24 , speaker port  22 , and dock connector port  20  are examples of input-output devices  38 . 
     Input-output devices  38  can include user input-output devices  40  such as buttons, touch screens, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, etc. A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through user input devices  40 . Display and audio devices  42  may include liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens or other screens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and other components that present visual information and status data. Display and audio devices  42  may also include audio equipment such as speakers and other devices for creating sound. Display and audio devices  42  may contain audio-video interface equipment such as jacks and other connectors for external headphones and monitors. 
     Wireless communications devices  44  may include communications circuitry such as radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, passive RF components, antennas, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Device  10  can communicate with external devices such as accessories  46 , computing equipment  48 , and wireless network  49  as shown by paths  50  and  51 . Paths  50  may include wired and wireless paths. Path  51  may be a wireless path. Accessories  46  may include headphones (e.g., a wireless cellular headset or audio headphones) and audio-video equipment (e.g., wireless speakers, a game controller, or other equipment that receives and plays audio and video content), a peripheral such as a wireless printer or camera, etc. 
     Computing equipment  48  may be any suitable computer. With one suitable arrangement, computing equipment  48  is a computer that has an associated wireless access point (router) or an internal or external wireless card that establishes a wireless connection with device  10 . The computer may be a server (e.g., an internet server), a local area network computer with or without internet access, a user&#39;s own personal computer, a peer device (e.g., another portable electronic device  10 ), or any other suitable computing equipment. 
     Wireless network  49  may include any suitable network equipment, such as cellular telephone base stations, cellular towers, wireless data networks, computers associated with wireless networks, etc. For example, wireless network  49  may include network management equipment that monitors the wireless signal strength of the wireless handsets (cellular telephones, handheld computing devices, etc.) that are in communication with network  49 . 
     The antenna structures and wireless communications devices of device  10  may support communications over any suitable wireless communications bands. For example, wireless communications devices  44  may be used to cover communications frequency bands such as cellular telephone voice and data bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as examples). Devices  44  may also be used to handle the Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz (also sometimes referred to as wireless local area network or WLAN bands), the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz, and the global positioning system (GPS) band at 1575 MHz. 
     Device  10  can cover these communications bands and/or other suitable communications bands using the antenna structures in wireless communications circuitry  44 . As an example, a pentaband cellular telephone antenna may be provided at one end of device  10  (e.g., in region  18 ) to handle 2G and 3G voice and data signals and a dual band antenna may be provided at another end of device  10  (e.g., in region  21 ) to handle GPS and 2.4 GHz signals. The pentaband antenna may be used to cover wireless bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as an example). The dual band antenna  63  may be used to handle 1575 MHz signals for GPS operations and 2.4 GHz signals (for Bluetooth® and IEEE 802.11 operations). These are merely illustrative arrangements. Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10  if desired. 
     To facilitate manufacturing operations, device  10  may be formed from two intermediate assemblies, representing upper and lower portions of device  10 . The upper or top portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a tilt assembly. The lower or bottom portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a housing assembly. 
     The tilt and housing assemblies are each formed from a number of smaller components. For example, the tilt assembly may be formed from components such as display  16  and an associated touch sensor. The housing assembly may include a plastic housing portion  12 , bezel  14 , and printed circuit boards. Integrated circuits and other components may be mounted on the printed circuit boards. 
     During initial manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly may be formed from its constituent parts and the housing assembly may be formed from its constituent parts. Because essentially all components in device  10  make up part of these two assemblies with this type of arrangement, the finished assemblies represent a nearly complete version of device  10 . The finished assemblies may, if desired, be tested. If testing reveals a defect, repairs may be made or defective assemblies may be discarded. During a final set of manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly is inserted into the housing assembly. With one suitable arrangement, one end of the tilt assembly is inserted into the housing assembly. The tilt assembly is then rotated (“tilted”) into place so that the upper surface of the tilt assembly lies flush with the upper edges of the housing assembly. 
     As the tilt assembly is rotated into place within the housing assembly, clips on the tilt assembly engage springs on the housing assembly. The clips and springs form a detent that helps to align the tilt assembly properly with the housing assembly. Should rework or repair be necessary, the insertion process can be reversed by rotating the tilt assembly up and away from the housing assembly. During rotation of the tilt assembly relative to the housing assembly, the springs flex to accommodate movement. When the tilt assembly is located within the housing assembly, the springs press into holes in the clips to prevent relative movement between the tilt and housing assemblies. Rework and repair operations need not be destructive to the springs, clips, and other components in the device. This helps to prevent waste and complications that might otherwise interfere with the manufacturing of device  10 . 
     If desired, screws or other fasteners may be used to help secure the tilt assembly to the housing assembly. The screws may be inserted into the lower end of device  10 . With one suitable arrangement, the screws are inserted in an unobtrusive portion of the end of device  10  so that they are not noticeable following final assembly operations. Prior to rework or repair operations, the screws can be removed from device  10 . 
     An exploded perspective view showing illustrative components of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include components such as cover  62 , touch sensitive sensor  64  (e.g., a capacitive multitouch sensor), display unit  66 , and frame  68 . Cover  62  may be formed of glass or other suitable transparent materials (e.g., plastic, combinations of one or more glasses and one or more plastics, etc.). Display unit  66  may be, for example, a color liquid crystal display. Frame  68  may be formed from one or more pieces. With one suitable arrangement, frame  68  may include metal pieces to which plastic parts are connected using an overmolding process. If desired, frame  68  may be formed entirely from plastic or entirely from metal. 
     Housing assembly  70  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed of plastic and/or other materials such as metal (metal alloys). For example, housing  12  may be formed of plastic to which metal members are mounted using fasteners, a plastic overmolding process, or other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , handheld electronic device  10  may have a bezel such as bezel  14 . Bezel  14  may be formed of plastic or other dielectric materials or may be formed from metal or other conductive materials. An advantage of a metal (metal alloy) bezel is that materials such as metal may provide bezel  14  with an attractive appearance and may be durable. If desired, bezel  14  may be formed from shiny plastic or plastic coated with shiny materials such as metal films. 
     Bezel  14  may be mounted to housing  12 . Following final assembly, bezel  14  may surround the display of device  10  and may, if desired, help secure the display onto device  10 . Bezel  14  may also serve as a cosmetic trim member that provides an attractive finished appearance to device  10 . 
     Housing assembly  70  may include battery  74 . Battery  74  may be, for example, a lithium polymer battery having a capacity of about 1300 mA-hours. Battery  74  may have spring contacts that allow battery  74  to be serviced. 
     Housing assembly  70  may also include one or more printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  72 . Components may be mounted to printed circuit boards such as microphone  76  for microphone port  24 , speaker  78  for speaker port  22 , and dock connector  20 , integrated circuits, a camera, ear speaker, audio jack, buttons, SIM card slot, etc. 
     A top view of an illustrative device  10  is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , device  10  may have controller buttons such as volume up and down buttons  80 , a ringer A/B switch  82  (to switch device  10  between ring and vibrate modes), and a hold button  88  (sleep/wake button). A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) tray  86  (shown in a partially extended state) may be used to receive a SIM card for authorizing cellular telephone services. Audio jack  84  may be used for attaching audio peripherals to device  10  such as headphone, a headset, etc. 
     An interior bottom view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , device  10  may have a camera  90 . Camera  90  may be, for example, a two megapixel fixed focus camera. 
     Vibrator  92  may be used to vibrate device  10 . Device  10  may be vibrated at any suitable time. For example, device  10  may be vibrated to alert a user to the presence of an incoming telephone call, an incoming email message, a calendar reminder, a clock alarm, etc. 
     Battery  74  may be a removable battery that is installed in the interior of device  10  adjacent to dock connector  20 , microphone  76 , and speaker  78 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  shows the relative vertical positions of device components such as housing  12 , battery  74 , printed circuit board  72 , liquid crystal display unit  66 , touch sensor  64 , and cover glass  62  within device  10 .  FIG. 6  also shows how bezel  14  may surround the top edge of device  10  (e.g., around the portion of device  10  that contains the components of display  16  such as cover  62 , touch screen  64 , and display unit  66 ). Bezel  14  may be a separate component or, if desired, one or more bezel-shaped structures may be formed as integral parts of housing  12  or other device structures. 
     Device  10  may be assembled from tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the assembly process may involve inserting upper end  100  of tilt assembly  60  into upper end  104  of housing assembly  70  along direction  118  until protrusions on the upper end of tilt assembly  60  engage mating holes on housing assembly  70 . Once the protrusions on tilt assembly  60  have engaged with housing assembly  70 , lower end  102  of tilt assembly  60  may be inserted into lower end  106  of housing assembly  70 . Lower end  102  may be inserted into lower end  106  by pivoting tilt assembly  60  about pivot axis  122 . This causes tilt assembly  60  to rotate into place as indicated by arrow  120 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have clips such as clips  112  and housing assembly  70  may have matching springs  114 . When tilt assembly  60  is rotated into place within housing assembly  70 , the springs and clips mate with each other to hold tilt assembly  60  in place within housing assembly  70 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have one or more retention clips such as retention clips  116 . Retention clips  116  may have threaded holes that mate with screws  108 . After tilt assembly has been inserted into housing assembly, screws  108  may be screwed into retention clips  116  through holes  110  in housing assembly  70 . This helps to firmly secure tilt assembly  60  to housing assembly  70 . Should rework or repair be desired, screws  108  may be removed from retention clips  116  and tilt assembly  60  may be released from housing assembly  70 . During the removal of tilt assembly  60  from housing assembly  70 , springs  114  may flex relative to clips  112  without permanently deforming. Because no damage is done to tilt assembly  60  or housing assembly  70  in this type of scenario, nondestructive rework and repair operations are possible. 
     Device  10  may have a hybrid antenna that has the attributes of both a slot antenna and a non-slot antenna such as an inverted-F antenna. A top view of a slot antenna structure  150  is shown in  FIG. 8 . Slot  152  may be formed within ground plane  154 . Slot  152  may be filled with a dielectric. For example, portions of slot  152  may be filled with air and portions of slot  152  may be filled with solid dielectrics such as plastic. A coaxial cable  160  or other transmission line path may be used to feed antenna structure  150 . In the example of  FIG. 8 , antenna structure  150  is being fed so that the center conductor  162  of coaxial cable  160  is connected to signal terminal  156  (i.e., the positive or feed terminal of antenna structure  150 ) and the outer braid of coaxial cable  160 , which forms the ground conductor for cable  160 , is connected to ground terminal  158 . 
     The performance of a slot antenna structure such as antenna structure  150  of  FIG. 8  may be characterized by a graph such as the graph of  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , slot antenna structure  150  operates in a frequency band that is centered about center frequency f 1 . The center frequency f 1  may be determined by the dimensions of slot  152 . In the illustrative example of  FIG. 8 , slot  152  has an inner perimeter P that is equal to two times dimension X plus two times dimension Y (i.e., P=2X+2Y). (In general, the perimeter of slot  152  may be irregular.) At center frequency f 1 , perimeter P is equal to one wavelength. The position of terminals  158  and  156  may be selected to help match the impedance of antenna structure  150  to the impedance of transmission line  160 . If desired, terminals such as terminals  156  and  158  may be located at other positions about slot  152 . In the illustrative arrangement of  FIG. 8 , terminals  156  and  158  are shown as being respectively configured as a slot antenna signal terminal and a slot antenna ground terminal, as an example. If desired, terminal  156  could be used as a ground terminal and terminal  158  could be used as a signal terminal. 
     In forming a hybrid antenna for device  10 , a slot antenna structure such as slot antenna structure  150  of  FIG. 8  may be used in conjunction with an additional antenna structure such as an inverted-F antenna structure. 
     A perspective view of an illustrative inverted-F antenna structure is shown in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , inverted-F antenna structure  164  may have a resonating element  166  that extends upwards from ground plane  180 . Element  166  may have a vertically extending portion such as portion  170  and horizontally extending portion  168 . Horizontally extending portion  168 , which may sometimes be referred to as an arm, may have one or more bends or other such features. Inverted-F antenna resonating element  166  may be fed by a transmission line such as coaxial cable  178 . In the example of  FIG. 10 , antenna structure  164  is being fed so that center conductor  172  of coaxial cable  178  is connected to signal terminal  174  (i.e., the positive terminal of antenna structure  164 ) and the outer braid of coaxial cable  178 , which forms the ground conductor for cable  178 , is connected to antenna ground terminal  176 . The position of the feed point for antenna structure  164  along the length of resonating element arm  168  may be selected for impedance matching between antenna structure  164  and transmission line  178 . 
     The performance of an antenna structure such as inverted-F antenna structure  164  of  FIG. 10  may be characterized by a graph such as the graph of  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , antenna structure  164  may operate in a frequency band that is centered about center frequency f 2 . The center frequency f 2  may be determined by the dimensions of antenna resonating element  166  (e.g., the length of arm  168  may be approximately a quarter of a wavelength). 
     A hybrid antenna may be formed by combining a slot antenna structure of the type shown in  FIG. 8  with an inverted-F antenna structure of the type shown in  FIG. 10 . This type of arrangement is shown in  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , antenna  182  may include an inverted-F antenna structure  164  and a slot antenna structure. The slot antenna structure may be formed from a slot in ground plane  200  such as slot  152 . Ground plane  200  may be formed by conductive housing members, printed circuit boards, bezel  14 , electrical components, etc. Slot  152  of  FIG. 12  is shown as being rectangular, but in general, slot  152  may have any suitable shape (e.g., an elongated irregular shape determined by the sizes and shape of conductive structures in device  10 ). Inverted-F antenna structure  164  may have an arm such as arm  188 . As shown by dashed line  192 , the position of arm  192  may be changed if desired. Arms such as arms  188  and  192  may have one or more bends, as illustrated by dashed line  190 . Multiarm arrangements may also be used. 
     Radio-frequency signals may be transmitted and received using transmitters and receivers. For example, global positioning system (GPS) signals may be received using a GPS receiver. Local wireless signals for communicating with accessories and local area networks may be transmitted and received using transceiver circuitry. Circuitry  198  of  FIG. 12  may include circuitry such as receiver circuitry for receiving GPS signals at 1575 MHz and transceiver circuitry for handling local wireless signals at 2.4 GHz (as an example). A diplexer or other suitable device may be used to share hybrid antenna  182  between a GPS receiver and 2.4 GHz transceiver circuits in circuitry  198  if desired. 
     Transceiver circuitry  198  may be coupled to antenna  182  using one or more transmission line structures. For example, a transmission line such as coaxial cable  194  may be used to feed antenna  182  at signal terminal  186  and at ground terminal  184 . Conductive portion  196  of inverted-F antenna structure  164  serves to bridge slot  152 , so that the positive and ground antenna feed terminals feed the slot portion of antenna  182  at suitable locations. 
     Hybrid antennas such as hybrid antenna  182  of  FIG. 12  may cover multiple communications bands. As shown in  FIG. 13 , for example, the sizes of slot  152  and inverted-F structure  164  may be chosen so that slot  152  resonates at a first frequency f 1 , whereas inverted-F structure  164  resonates at a second frequency f 2 . Frequency f 1  may, for example, be 1575 MHz and frequency f 2  may be 2.4 GHz (as an example). With this type of arrangement, the slot antenna structure handles GPS signals, whereas the inverted-F antenna structure handles 2.4 GHz signals for IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth® communications. There need not be any harmonic relationship between frequencies f 1  and f 2  (i.e., f 2  need not be equal to an integer multiple of f 1 ), which allows for freedom in designing antennas of the type shown in  FIG. 12  to cover desired frequencies f 1  and f 2  that are not harmonically related. 
     The shape of slot  152  may be determined by the shapes and locations of conductive structures in device  10  such as electrical components, flex circuit structures used for interconnecting electrical components (i.e., flexible printed circuit board structures based on polyimide substrates), printed circuit board conductors, metal housing structures, metal brackets, bezel  14 , etc. This is illustrated in the top view of  FIG. 14 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , slot  152  may have an inner perimeter P that is defined along its upper side by bezel  14  and along its lower side by printed circuit board  202 . Conductive structure  204  (e.g., metal structures, electrical components, flex circuits, etc.) intrude on the generally rectangular slot shape formed between bezel  14  and printed circuit board  202  and thereby modify the location and length of perimeter P. Conductive structures in device  10  such as bezel  14 , printed circuit board  202 , and components  204  may have non-negligible thicknesses (i.e., vertical height in the “z” dimension perpendicular to the page of  FIG. 14 ), so in practice, the location and length of perimeter P may also be affected by the shape and size of the conductive structures of device  10  in this vertical dimension. 
     A top view of a portion of device  10  in the vicinity of antenna  182  is shown in  FIG. 15 . Line  206  follows the inner perimeter of slot  152 . The shape of slot  152  is determined by conductive portions of device  10  such as bezel  14  (which extends along most of the right side of slot  152 ), printed circuit board  222  (which extends along much of the left side of slot  152 ), and various other electrical structures in device  10 . 
     Part of the left side of slot  152  may, for example, be determined by the position of the conductive components of camera  90 . Camera  90  may have a stiffener  212  that helps to provide structural rigidity. Stiffener  212  may be connected to camera bracket  208  via screw  210 . Camera bracket  208  may be welded to bezel  14 . Flex circuit  214  may be used to electrically interconnect camera  90  and circuitry on printed circuit board  222  and may form part of the left side of slot  152 . On one end, camera flex  214  may be connected to camera  90 . On its other end, camera flex  214  may be connected to a board-to-board connector mounted to printed circuit board  222  such as board-to-board connector  216 . Board-to-board connector  216  may be mounted to the underside of printed circuit board  222  under region  218 . Printed circuit board  222  may form a main logic board in device  10 . The top surface of printed circuit board  222  may form part of a DC ground for device  10 . 
     Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card cage  220  may be connected to printed circuit board  222  (e.g., using solder). With one suitable arrangement, SIM cage  220  is formed of a conductive material such as metal. Vias such as vias  224  may be formed along the edge of printed circuit board  222  to ensure that printed circuit board  222  forms a well defined ground conductor along the left edge of slot  152 . 
     Audio jack  84  may have an associated audio flex circuit (e.g., flex circuit  230  and associated flex circuit portion  234 ). These structures may make the upper portion of audio jack  84  conductive. The right hand edge of flex circuit  230  may define part of the left edge of slot  152 . 
     There may be discontinuities between the conductive structures that ring slot  152 . For example, there may be a gap  226  between flex circuit  230  and printed circuit board  222  (and SIM cage  220 ). Gaps such as gap  226  may be bridged by conductive structures that are formed on other parts of device  10 . For example, if SIM cage  220 , printed circuit board  222 , and audio flex circuit  230  are formed on part of housing assembly  70 , conductive structures on tilt assembly  60  may be used to electrically bridge gap  226 . These bridging structures may help form a completely closed slot shape for slot  152 . The bridging structures may span gap  226  by electrically connecting conductive structures on one side of gap  226  such as points  228  on SIM cage  220  with conductive structures on the other side of gap  226  such as conductive pad  232  on flex circuit  230 . If desired, gaps may be spanned using springs in the gaps or using solder. An advantage of spanning gaps such as gap  226  with electrically conductive bridging structures on tilt assembly  60  is that this type of arrangement avoids the need to place springs in small gaps (where space is at a premium) and, unlike solder joints in the gaps, can permit nondestructive removal of structures such as printed circuit boards (e.g., for rework or repair or for servicing a battery). 
     Inverted-F antenna structure  164  ( FIG. 12 ) may be mounted to the underside of device  10  (as viewed in  FIG. 15 ) at the upper end of slot  152  (as viewed in  FIG. 15 ). Transceiver circuitry (e.g., transceiver circuitry  198  of  FIG. 12 ) may be mounted on printed circuit board  222 . The transceiver circuitry may be interconnected with antenna  182  using transmission line paths. For example, a coaxial cable may be used to connect transceiver circuitry to coaxial cable connector  236  (e.g., a mini UFL connector). Coaxial cable connector  236  may be connected to a microstrip transmission line formed from flex circuit  238 . Flex circuit  238  may include a positive conductor and a ground conductor. The ground conductor in flex circuit  238  may be shorted to ringer bracket  240  using screw  248   
     Ringer bracket  240  may be formed from a conductive material such as metal and may be connected to bezel  14  using screw  246 . Because ringer bracket  240  is electrically connected to both the ground line in flex  238  and bezel  14 , ringer bracket  240  serves to short the antenna ground line from flex circuit  238  to bezel  14 . Printed circuit board  222  (e.g., DC ground) can be shorted to ringer bracket  240  (and therefore bezel  14 ) via screw  250 . There may be an electrical gap  254  in slot  152  (similar to gap  226 ) between audio jack flex  230  and ringer bracket  240 . Gap  254  may be bridged by conductive structures formed on tilt assembly  60 . These conductive structures may form an electrical bridge between point  232  on flex  230  and ringer bracket  240 , thereby completing the perimeter of slot  152 . 
     Ringer A/B switch  82  may be mounted to device  10  using ringer bracket  240 . A protruding plastic portion of audio jack  84  may be connected to bezel  14  using audio jack bracket  242  and screw  244 . This mounting scheme preferably does not cause conductive elements in audio jack  84  to substantially intrude into the perimeter of slot  154 . Moreover, conductive structures can be electrically isolated using appropriate isolation elements. Using this type of isolation scheme, the shape of slot  152  may be preserved, even when potentially intrusive conductive structures overlap somewhat with slot  152 . As an example, a flex circuit (sometimes referred to as the audio button flex) may be used to interconnect button  88  with audio jack flex  230 . This flex circuit may span slot  152  as shown by flex  252 . Resistors, inductors, or other isolation elements may be located on flex circuit  252  to isolate flex circuit  252  from slot  252  at the radio frequencies at which antenna  182  operates. These isolation elements may, for example, be located adjacent to the left of slot  152  on flex circuit  252  and at other locations on the audio button flex and other such flex circuits. When the isolation elements are used, the size and shape of slot  152  is unaffected, even when spanned by conductive structures such as flex circuit strips. 
     A perspective view of camera  90  is shown in  FIG. 16 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , flex circuit  214  may be used to electrically connect camera unit  90  to board-to-board connector  216 . Flex circuit  214  may include thickened conductive traces to help flex circuit  214  form part of the ground plane for antenna  182 . (Printed circuit board  222  is not shown in  FIG. 16 , so that the position of board-to-board connector  216  may be presented in an unobstructed view.) Stiffener  212  may be mounted to camera  90  on top of flex circuit  214 . Stiffener plate  212  may be at DC ground or may be floating. Camera bracket  208  (sometimes referred to as a camera tang or camera mounting structure) may be welded to bezel  14 . During assembly, camera  90  may be attached to device  10  by screwing screw  210  ( FIG. 16 ) into bracket  208 . 
     A perspective view of inverted-F antenna structure  164  mounted in device  10  is shown in  FIG. 17 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , inverted-F antenna structure  164  may have an arm  188  with a bent portion  190 . Flex circuit  238  may be used to implement a microstrip transmission line having a positive signal line and a ground signal line. The flex circuit transmission line may be used to interconnect coaxial cable connector  236  to antenna structure  164 , thereby creating a feed arrangement for hybrid antenna  182  of the type shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     The ground path in transmission line  238  is represented by dashed line  266 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , ground path  266  may be connected to ground contact pad  262 . When screw  248  ( FIG. 15 ) is inserted in hole  264 , the underside of the head of screw  248  may bear against contact pad  262 . This forms an electrical contact between antenna ground path  266  and ringer bracket  240  and forms a ground antenna terminal for antenna  182  such as ground terminal  184  of FIG.  12 . 
     The positive signal path in transmission line  238  is represented by dashed line  256 . Positive signal path  256  may be electrically connected to inverted-F antenna conductor  196  at contact  258 . Contact  258  may be, for example, a solder joint between path  256  and conductor  196 . Portion  260  of inverted-F antenna structure  164  may be electrically connected to audio jack bracket  242  when screw  244  ( FIG. 15 ) is screwed into place. Portion  260  and bracket  242  reside on the opposite side of slot  152  from ground antenna terminal  184  and serve as positive antenna feed terminal  186 , as described in connection with  FIG. 12 . 
     Inverted-F antenna structure  164  may be formed from any suitable conductive material such as metal (metal alloy). An illustrative shape that may be used for inverted-F antenna structure  164  is shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 18 .  FIG. 19  presents a more detailed view of the location of solder connection  258 . In  FIG. 19 , no solder is present, so the shape of inverted-F antenna structure  164  in the vicinity of connection  258  is not obscured. As shown in  FIG. 19 , connection  258  may be formed by inserting a bent tip portion  270  of inverted-F antenna structure  164  into hole  268 . Solder (not shown in  FIG. 19 ) may then be used to electrically connect the ground conductor in flex circuit  238  to inverted-F antenna element  164 .  FIG. 20  shows connection  258  in more detail from an inverted perspective (i.e., the general perspective of  FIG. 17 , but in more detail).  FIG. 21  shows inverted-F antenna structure  164  mounted within a corner of device  10 . 
     Many of the electrical components that surround slot  152  may be mounted on an assembly such as housing assembly  70  ( FIG. 7 ). As described in connection with  FIG. 15 , this may leave gaps along the edge of slot  152  such as gaps  226  and  254 . Gaps  226  and  254  are filled with dielectrics (e.g., air, plastic, etc.), and therefore do not form a conductive part of antenna  184 . Gaps  226  may be bridged by conductive components such as conductive components mounted to tilt assembly  60  ( FIG. 7 ). When tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  are connected during the assembly process, the conductive portions of the tilt assembly may bridge gaps such as gaps  226  and  254 . 
     A perspective view of an interior end portion of device  10  (tilt assembly  60 ) is shown in  FIG. 22 . As shown in  FIG. 22 , tilt assembly  60  may include mounting structures such as midplate  272 . Midplate  272  may be formed from metal or other suitable materials. Midplate  272  may form a strengthening structure for tilt assembly  60 . For example, midplate  272  may help to support the display and touch sensor and may provide support for a plastic frame and associated frame struts in tilt assembly  60 . In this capacity, midplate  272  may be a relatively large rectangular member that extends from the left to the right of device  10  and that extends most of the way from the top to the bottom of device  10 . 
     Conductive structures such as conductive bracket  274  may be mounted to tilt assembly  60 . Bracket  274  may be formed of one or more pieces of metal (as an example) and may be used to bridge gaps  226  and  254  ( FIG. 15 ). Connecting structures such as springs  276 ,  278 , and  284  may be formed on bracket  274 . In the illustrative arrangement of  FIG. 22 , springs such as springs  276  and  278  (spring prongs) are shown as being formed from bent portions of bracket  274  and leaf spring  284  is shown as being formed from a separate metal spring structure having flexible arms (spring prongs)  282  and  280 . This is merely an example. Any suitable spring structures or other electrical connection structures may be used to form gap bridging structures if desired (e.g., structures based on conductive foam, spring-loaded pins, etc.). 
     During assembly, tilt assembly  60  will be mounted on top of the housing assembly structures shown in  FIG. 15 . In this configuration, spring  276  may form electrical contact with ringer bracket  240 , spring  278  may form electrical contact with audio-jack and audio flex contact pad  232 , and spring  284  may form electrical contact with SIM cage  220  at points  228  ( FIG. 15 ). By shorting bracket  274  to the electrical components of housing assembly  70 , bracket  274  can bridge gaps such as gaps  226  and  254  and thereby complete the perimeter of slot  154 . This type of slot-completing arrangement may be used in a hybrid antenna or any other antenna containing an antenna slot. 
     The use of separate portions of device  10  such as tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  in forming antenna slot  152  is illustrated in the side view of  FIG. 23 . As shown in  FIG. 23 , device  10  may have a first portion  286  and a second portion  288 . First portion  286  may have one or more housing structures and associated components, represented schematically as structure  304 . Second portion  288  may also have one or more housing structures and associated components, represented schematically as structures  292  and  294 . As described in connection with antenna slot  152  of  FIG. 14 , components  292  and  294  may help define the edge of antenna slot  152  (i.e., a slot that lies in a plane perpendicular to the page of  FIG. 23  and parallel to horizontal dimension  302 ), but may have one or more dielectric-filled gaps such as gap  296 . 
     To bridge these gaps in the conductive structures of second portion  288  and to ensure that the perimeter of slot  152  is properly closed, conductive bridging structures such as bridging structure  290  may be provided. Bridging structure  290  may be, for example, a bracket that has been mounted to structures in first portion  286  (e.g., member  304 ). Conductive connection structures such as structures  298  and  300  may be provided on second portion  288  (or, if desired, on first portion  286  or both first and second portions  288  and  286 ). Conductive connection structures  298  and  300  may be formed from springs, spring-loaded pins, conductive foam, or any other suitable conductive structures. When assembled together in device  10 , conductive connection structures  298  and  300  electrically connect conductive members  292  and  294  to bridging structure  290 , so that conductive path  306  is formed. Path  306  bridges gap  296  by allowing radio-frequency signals to flow out of the primary plane of the slot in vertical (z) dimension  308 . This completes the antenna slot perimeter, as discussed in connection with gaps  226  and  254  of  FIG. 15 . Any suitable number of bridging conductors may be used in device  10  to bridge any suitable number of antenna slot gaps. The illustrative arrangement of  FIG. 23  in which a single gap is bridged is merely illustrative. Moreover, bridging structures may be formed on any suitable housing portions. Situations in which slot gaps are formed in the conductive structures associated with a lower portion of a housing and in which the bridging structures such as a bridging conductive bracket are formed on an upper housing portion have merely been presented as an example. 
     As shown in the top view of an end of device  10  in  FIG. 24 , bezel  14  may have a flattened inner portion such as flattened surface  310 . Flattened surface  310  may form a plane that lies perpendicular to the page of  FIG. 24  and which runs along longitudinal dimension (axis)  312  of slot  152 . Flattened surfaces or other such surfaces along other portions of the inner perimeter of slot  152  may also be formed. 
     During manufacturing operations, it may be desirable to tune the resonance of antenna slot  152  (e.g., to adjust resonant frequency f 1  of  FIG. 13 ). Tuning may be performed using a removable conductive structure that is inserted into slot  152  (e.g., along the inner perimeter of slot  152 ) during manufacturing. As an example, one or more pieces of conductive foam such as conductive foam  314  may be attached to flattened surface  310  (e.g., by adhesive). Conductive foam  314  serves as a conductive resonant frequency trim member for the antenna slot that tunes the resonant frequency of the slot. At resonant frequency f 1 , the slot perimeter is approximately equal to one wavelength. Accordingly, the resonant frequency f 1  of slot  152  and therefore the slot resonance of an antenna such as hybrid antenna  182  may be tuned by adjusting the amount of conductive foam or other conductive tuning structures that are inserted into the slot. When the slot perimeter is enlarged, the frequency f 1  will tend to shift to lower frequencies. When the slot perimeter is reduced, the frequency f 1  will tend to shift to higher frequencies. Slot perimeter adjustments may be made automatically (e.g., using computerized assembly equipment) or manually (e.g., by manually attaching a desired amount of conductive foam  314  on flattened portion  310  if desired. 
     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: 20080513
Publication Date: 20120131
Grant Date: 20120131
Priority Date: 20080411
Inventors: HILL ROBERT J.
MYERS SCOTT A.
SCHLUB ROBERT W.
DARNELL DEAN FLOYD
ZHANG ZHIJUN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01P11/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/48", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q13/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/0421", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/243", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/0421", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q13/103", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/48", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/243", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q13/103", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49018", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q21/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49018", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q13/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 40809856