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EP-4120666-B1 - ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING 5G ANTENNA

EP4120666B1EP 4120666 B1EP4120666 B1EP 4120666B1EP-4120666-B1

Inventors

  • KIM, DONGJIN
  • PARK, Cheolwan
  • Kwon, Youngbae
  • Jung, Byungwoon
  • HA, Jihun

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200309

Claims (14)

  1. An electronic device, comprising: a cover glass (501, 502) through which electromagnetic waves are transmitted; a metal frame (202) having a metal rim (202a)formed on side surfaces of the electronic device and having a slanted surface (202c) with respect to a baseline of the electronic device; a module bracket (1020) being configured as a metal member; an antenna module (1100) configured to be coupled with the module bracket (1020) to be tilted at a predetermined slant angle from the baseline of the electronic device, and to transmit or receive beamformed signals through a plurality of antenna elements; a frame mold (1010, 1010b) made of a dielectric and disposed between the metal frame (202) and the antenna module (1100); and a frame slot (FS) formed in a lower portion of the metal frame (202) and exposed through a slot gap formed from a lower end portion of the antenna module (1100) to an end portion of the metal frame (202), wherein the signals transmitted or received in the antenna module (1100) are radiated in a forward direction of the electronic device through the frame slot (FS) and in a rearward direction of the electronic device through the cover glass (502), and wherein the module bracket (1020) is configured to be mounted on the slanted surface (202c) of the metal frame (202) corresponding to a case, so as to dissipate heat generated by active components of the antenna module (1100) while supporting the antenna module (1100).
  2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover glass (501, 502) comprises: a front cover glass (501) disposed on a front surface of the electronic device, and a rear cover glass (502) disposed on a rear surface of the electronic device, wherein a display (151) is disposed on a lower portion of the front cover glass (501) and a dielectric mold (1011) is disposed on a lower portion of the display (151).
  3. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the antenna module (1100) is a first antenna module (1100-1) and wherein the electronic device further comprises: a second antenna module (1100-2) configured to be perpendicular to the baseline of the electronic device on another side surface of the electronic device.
  4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein a beam peak in a rearward direction of the first antenna module (1100-1) coupled to the module bracket (1020) in the tilted state is greater than a beam peak in a rearward direction of the second antenna module (1100-2) perpendicularly formed.
  5. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the frame mold (1010, 1010b) is formed inside the cover glass (501) in a first region where the frame slot (FS) is formed, so as to support a lower portion of the antenna module (1100), and wherein a beam coverage area by the antenna module (1100) extends to both sides in a perpendicular direction of the antenna module (1100).
  6. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the frame mold (1010, 1010b) is formed inside the cover glass (502) in a second region where the frame slot (FS) is not formed, and disposed on an upper portion of the metal frame (202) disposed at a lower portion of the antenna module (1100), and wherein a beam coverage area by the antenna module (1100) is formed at one side in a perpendicular direction of the antenna module (1100) so as not to be blocked by the metal rim (202a).
  7. The electronic device of any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the second antenna module (1100-2) is disposed perpendicular to the baseline of the electronic device, and an upper end portion of the metal frame (202) is located lower than a center portion of the antenna module (1100).
  8. The electronic device of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the second antenna module (1100-2) is disposed perpendicular to the baseline of the electronic device, and an upper end portion of the metal frame (202) is located lower than a center portion of the antenna module (1100) by a predetermined interval or more, so that a peak of a radiation pattern by the antenna module (1100) in a perpendicular direction is arranged at the center portion.
  9. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the predetermined angle is determined in a manner that a beam coverage area by the antenna module (1100) is not blocked by the metal rim (202).
  10. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the frame slot (FS) is configured not to be blocked by the antenna module (1100), and wherein the metal frame (202) is disposed on a lower portion of the antenna module (1100).
  11. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a camera module (121) disposed on the metal frame (202) and having one or more image sensors, wherein the metal frame (202) having a slanted surface (202c) supporting the antenna module (1100) has a predetermined height or more to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) by the antenna module (1100), and wherein a dielectric mold (1012) is disposed between the metal frame (202) having the slanted surface (202c) and the camera module (121).
  12. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the antenna module (1100) comprises: a dielectric carrier (137) disposed to be mounted on the module bracket (1020); and at least one substrate (SUB) disposed on an upper portion of the dielectric carrier (137), wherein a plurality of antenna elements is disposed at predetermined intervals on an upper or lower layer of a specific substrate of the at least one substrate (SUB) of the antenna module (1100), and wherein the antenna module (1100) is a first antenna module (1100-1) and wherein the electronic device further comprises a second antenna module (1100-2) disposed on different side surfaces of the electronic device.
  13. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising: a transceiver circuit (1250) operatively coupled with the first antenna module (1100-1) and the second antenna module (1100-2), and configured to transmit or receive a first signal through the first antenna module (1100-1) and a second signal through the second antenna module (1100-2); and a baseband processor (1400) operatively coupled to the transceiver circuit (1250), and configured to perform multiple input/output (MIMO) through the first signal and the second signal transmitted or received through the transceiver circuit (1250).
  14. The electronic device of any one of claims 12 and 13, further comprising a third antenna module (1100-3) disposed with being spaced a predetermined distance apart from the first antenna module (1100-1) or the second antenna module (1100-2) and configured to emit a third signal through a rear surface of the electronic device.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an electronic device having a fifth-generation (5G) antenna. One particular implementation relates to an electronic device having an array antenna module operating a 5G mmWave band. 2. Description of the Related Art Electronic devices may be divided into mobile/portable terminals and stationary terminals according to mobility. Also, the electronic device may be classified into handheld types and vehicle mount types according to whether or not a user can directly carry. Functions of electronic devices are diversified. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Some mobile terminals include additional functionality which supports electronic game playing, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players. Specifically, in recent time, mobile terminals can receive broadcast and multicast signals to allow viewing of video or television programs As it becomes multifunctional, an electronic device can be allowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or video files, play games, receive broadcast and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player. Efforts are ongoing to support and increase the functionality of electronic devices. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, as well as changes and improvements in the structural components. In addition to those attempts, the electronic devices provide various services in recent years by virtue of commercialization of wireless communication systems using an LTE communication technology. In the future, it is expected that a wireless communication system using a 5G communication technology will be commercialized to provide various services. Meanwhile, some of LTE frequency bands may be allocated to provide 5G communication services. In this regard, the electronic device may be configured to provide 5G communication services in various frequency bands. Recently, attempts have been made to provide 5G communication services using a Sub-6 band below a 6GHz band. In the future, it is also expected to provide 5G communication services by using a millimeter wave (mmWave) band in addition to the Sub-6 band for faster data rate. Meanwhile, antennas operating in a 5G mmWave band may be disposed on side surfaces of the electronic device or inside the electronic device. In recent years, an electronic device such as a mobile terminal defines its external appearance using a metal frame made of a metal. When the appearance of the electronic device is defined by such metal frame, there is a problem that antenna performance of an antenna module in the 5G mmWave band may be deteriorated. WO 2020/040499 A1, WO 2019/120515 A1, US 2018/233808 A1 and US 2019/165470 A1 are documents of the related art. SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to solving the aforementioned problems and other drawbacks. Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device having a plurality of antenna modules operating in a 5G mmWave band. Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a structure for preventing interference with a metal frame in a plurality of antenna modules operating in a 5G mmWave band. Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to improve antenna radiation characteristics in a plurality of antenna modules operating in a 5G mmWave band. Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to improve antenna radiation characteristics in a plurality of antenna modules operating in a 5G mmWave band in a state where a metal rim for other antenna modules is disposed. The invention is specified by the independent claim. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. In the following description, although numerous features may be designated as optional, it is nevertheless acknowledged that all features comprised in the independent claim are not to be read as optional. To achieve the above or other aspects, an electronic device having a 5G antenna according to claim 1 is provided. The electronic device includes a cover glass through which electromagnetic waves are transmitted, a metal frame having a metal rim formed on side surfaces of the electronic device, an antenna module configured to transmit or receive beamformed signals through a plurality of antenna elements, and a frame mold made of a dielectric and disposed between the metal frame and the antenna module. A frame slot is formed in a lower portion of the metal frame so that the signals transmitted or received in the antenna module are radiated through the frame slot. According to the invention, the antenna module is configured to be coupled with a module bracket, with being tilted at a predetermined slant angle from a baseline of the electronic device, so as to radiate the beamformed signals in a for