US-12627055-B2 - Electronic device comprising a plurality of antennas arranged to prevent restriction of a radio frequency signal

US12627055B2US 12627055 B2US12627055 B2US 12627055B2US-12627055-B2

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device including a window plate comprising a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region, a display disposed below the transparent region of the window plate, a housing comprising a first face corresponding to a rear face of the display and a second face corresponding to a side face of the display, the housing surrounding the rear face and the side face of the display, a plurality of antennas disposed between the opaque region of the window plate and the first face of the housing, and a wireless communication module electrically coupled to the plurality of antennas and supporting ultra-wideband communication by using the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a first antenna disposed along a first edge region corresponding to an edge of the first face of the housing, and a second antenna disposed along a second edge region corresponding to the edge of the first face of the housing and perpendicular to the first edge region.

Inventors

Junhee HAN
Pilwon SEO
Muyeol LEE
Inho Shin
Jiwoo Lee

Assignees

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220711
Priority Date: 20200922

Claims (20)

1 . An electronic device, comprising: a window plate comprising a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region; a display disposed below the transparent region of the window plate; a support frame disposed below the display: a housing comprising a first face corresponding to a rear face of the display and a second face corresponding to a side face of the display, the housing surrounding the rear face and the side face of the display; a plurality of antennas disposed between the opaque region of the window plate and the first face of the housing, wherein the opaque region of the window plate is formed along an edge of the housing; a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) having a first region and a second region; and a wireless communication module electrically coupled to the plurality of antennas and supporting ultra-wideband communication by using the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises: a first antenna disposed along a first edge region below a first edge of the opaque region of the window plate; and a second antenna disposed along a second edge region corresponding to a second edge of the opaque region of the window plate longer than the first edge and extending perpendicularly from the first edge, wherein the FPCB extends from the first edge region to the second edge region, and wherein the second region of the FPCB extends by penetrating the support frame through a slit constructed at the support frame.
2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are disposed on the FPCB.
3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein one region of the support frame is disposed to be in contact with the opaque region of the window plate by extending below the opaque region of the window plate.
4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein one region of the FPCB is disposed to be in contact with a rear face of the support frame extending below the opaque region of the window plate.
5 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein one region of the support frame is disposed spaced apart by a specified interval from the opaque region of the window plate by extending below the opaque region of the window plate.
6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first region of the FPCB is disposed between the opaque region of the window plate and the support frame spaced apart by a specified interval from the opaque region of the window plate.
7 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein one region of the FPCB is spaced apart by a first distance from the display and is spaced apart by a second distance from the second face of the housing.
8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a camera module disposed to a region adjacent to the plurality of antennas.
9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna comprises a first point electrically coupled to a first reception (RX) port and a first transmission (TX) port which are comprised in the wireless communication module, and wherein the second antenna comprises a second point electrically coupled to a second RX port comprised in the wireless communication module.
10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a distance between the first point of the first antenna and the second point of the second antenna corresponds to a half-wavelength of a radio frequency (RF) signal that can be transmitted/received through a specified frequency band supported by the ultra-wideband communication, based on the first antenna and the second antenna.
11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna comprises a first point supporting a first ultra-wideband communication channel and a third point constructed at a position different from the first point on the first antenna and supporting a second ultra- wideband communication channel, and wherein the second antenna comprises a second point supporting the first ultra-wideband communication channel and a fourth point constructed at a position different from the second point on the second antenna and supporting the second ultra-wideband communication channel.
12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein, when operating on the first ultra-wideband communication channel, the first point of the first antenna is electrically coupled to a first RX port and first TX port comprised in the wireless communication module, and the second point of the second antenna is electrically coupled to a second RX port comprised in the wireless communication module, and wherein, when operating on the second ultra-wideband communication channel, the third point of the first antenna is electrically coupled to the first RX port and first TX port of the wireless communication module, and the fourth point of the second antenna is electrically coupled to the second RX port of the wireless communication module.
13 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a third antenna disposed between the first antenna and the second antenna and sharing part of the first edge region with the first antenna and part of the second edge region with the second antenna.
14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , further comprising: a sensor module; and a processor electrically coupled to the sensor module, the display, the plurality of antennas, and the wireless communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: determine a first posture of the electronic device by using the sensor module, and determine the first antenna and the third antenna as antennas for ultra-wideband communication in response to determining the first posture of the electronic device; and determine a second posture of the electronic device by using the sensor module and determine the third antenna and the second antenna as the antennas for the ultra-wideband communication in response to determining the second posture of the electronic device.
15 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising: a third antenna disposed in the first edge region by being aligned with the first antenna to constitute a first pair with the first antenna; and a fourth antenna disposed in the second edge region by being aligned with the second antenna to constitute a second part with the second antenna.
16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising: a sensor module; and a processor electrically coupled to the sensor module, the display, the plurality of antennas, and the wireless communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: determine a first posture of the electronic device by using the sensor module, and determine the first pair based on a combination of the first antenna and the third antenna as antennas for ultra-wideband communication in response to determining the first posture of the electronic device; and determine a second posture of the electronic device by using the sensor module and determine the second pair based on a combination of the second antenna and the third antenna as the antennas for the ultra-wideband communication in response to determining the second posture of the electronic device.
17 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a fifth antenna disposed in a space constructed by part of the second face of the housing, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna generate a beam of a directional radiation pattern oriented toward the window plate, and wherein the fifth antenna generates a beam of an omni-directional radiation pattern oriented toward the first face of the housing, the second face of the housing, and the window plate.
18 . The electronic device of claim 17 , further comprising a main PCB disposed below the display and extending to a space constructed by part of the second face of the housing, wherein the fifth antenna is disposed in one region of the main PCB extending to the space.
19 . An electronic device, comprising: a window plate comprising a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region; a display disposed below the transparent region of the window plate; a support frame disposed below the display; a housing comprising a first face corresponding to a rear face of the display and a second face corresponding to a side face of the display, the housing surrounding the rear face and the side face of the display, wherein the opaque region of the window plate is formed along an edge of the housing; a plurality of antennas disposed between the opaque region of the window plate and the first face of the housing and comprising a first antenna disposed along a first edge region below a first edge of the opaque region of the window plate and a second antenna disposed along a second edge region below a second edge of the opaque region of the window plate longer than the first edge and extending perpendicularly from the first edge; a flexible printed circuit board (FPCR) having a first region and a second region; a wireless communication module electrically coupled to the plurality of antennas and supporting ultra-wideband communication by using the plurality of antennas; and a processor electrically coupled to the display, the plurality of antennas, and the wireless communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a radio frequency (RF) signal of a specified frequency band from an external electronic device by using at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna; obtain angle-of-arrival information for the RF signal, based on at least part of the RF signal; and determine a position of the external electronic device, based on at least part of the angle-of-arrival information, wherein the FPCB extends from the first edge region to the second edge region, and wherein the second region of the FPCB extends by penetrating the support frame through a slit constructed at the support frame.
20 . The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are disposed on the FPCB.

Description

PRIORITY This application is a Bypass Continuation application of International Application No. PCT/KR2021/012889, which was filed on Sep. 17, 2021, and is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0122411, which was filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sep. 22, 2020, the entire disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure relates generally to an electronic device, and more particularly, to an electronic device including a plurality of antennas. 2. Description of Related Art An electronic device may perform positioning on an external electronic device based on ultra-wideband communication and may control a function of the external electronic device or provide the external electronic device with a service based on the determined position. When performing the positioning on the external electronic device, the electronic device may use angle-of-arrival information obtained for a radio frequency (RF) signal of the external electronic device. In this regard, the electronic device may include a plurality of antennas which receive the RF signal from the external electronic device. For example, in order to cancel a spatial interruption caused by an internal set structure or other components of the electronic device, the plurality of antennas may be disposed to a lower region of a display exposed through a front face of the electronic device. A plurality of antennas disposed to a lower region of a display may generate a beam of a radiation pattern oriented toward a rear side of the electronic device as opposed to a direction in which the display is visible and may transmit/receive an RF signal with respect to an external electronic device based on generating the beam of the radiation pattern. However, when a housing of the electronic device disposed to shield (or finish) the lower region of the display is constructed of a metal material, an RF signal characteristic of the plurality of antennas may be distorted due to the metal housing, or a gain of the RF signal transmitted/received by the plurality of antennas may be reduced. A structure in which an opening is constructed in the metal housing and the plurality of antennas are exposed to the outside through the opening may be considered in order to overcome a restriction caused by the metal housing. However, a glass plate capable of covering an area of the metal housing without impairing the RF signal characteristic of the plurality of antennas may be required so that the plurality of antennas is not visible from the outside. In this case, since the electronic device increases in thickness, it is difficult to make the electronic device slim in size. SUMMARY Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a structure of arranging a plurality of antennas in an electronic device including a metal housing and a positioning method which uses the plurality of antennas. Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide, on an electronic device, an antenna arrangement structure capable of overcoming a restriction of a RF signal characteristic or a restriction of an RF signal gain, which is caused by a metal housing on an electronic device. In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device may include a window plate comprising a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region, a display disposed below the transparent region of the window plate, a housing comprising a first face corresponding to a rear face of the display and a second face corresponding to a side face of the display, the housing surrounding the rear face and the side face of the display, a plurality of antennas disposed between the opaque region of the window plate and the first face of the housing, and a wireless communication module electrically coupled to the plurality of antennas and supporting ultra-wideband communication by using the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a first antenna disposed along a first edge region corresponding to an edge of the first face of the housing, and a second antenna disposed along a second edge region corresponding to the edge of the first face of the housing and perpendicular to the first edge region. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device may include a window plate comprising a transparent region and an opaque region surrounding the transparent region, a display disposed below the transparent region of the window plate, a housing comprising a first face corresponding to a rear face of the display and a second face corresponding to a side face of the display, the housing surrounding the rear face and the side face of the display, a plurality of antennas disposed between the opaque regio