US-12627752-B2 - Foldable device with hinge-integrated antenna

Abstract

A method of configuring a signal transducer of a foldable UE includes: providing a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of the signal transducer; providing a second panel comprising a second conductor configured to provide a second portion of the signal transducer; providing a hinge connected to the first panel and the second panel and configured to allow the first panel to rotate relative to the second panel about a pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge comprising a third conductor configured to provide a third portion of the signal transducer, the third conductor electrically coupling the first conductor to the second conductor; providing a fourth conductor that is physically separate from the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor; and selectively causing the fourth conductor to provide a fourth portion of the signal transducer.

Inventors

• Yi-Hsiang Kung
• CHENG-FAN WEI
• Chao-Kuei CHANG

Assignees

• QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230920

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A foldable UE (user equipment) comprising: a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of a signal transducer that is configured to transduce between guided signals and wireless signals; a second panel comprising a second conductor configured to provide a second portion of the signal transducer, at least one of the first panel and the second panel further comprising a respective portion of a display; a hinge connected to the first panel and the second panel and configured to allow the first panel to rotate relative to the second panel about a pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge comprising a third conductor configured to provide a third portion of the signal transducer, the third conductor electrically coupling the first conductor to the second conductor; a fourth conductor that is physically separate from the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor; and a selection mechanism configured to selectively cause the fourth conductor to provide a fourth portion of the signal transducer.
2. 2 . The foldable UE of claim 1 , further comprising RF circuitry (radio frequency circuitry) configured to at least one of: receive and process a first RF signal from the signal transducer; and provide a second RF signal to the signal transducer; wherein the fourth conductor is disposed in the second panel proximate to, but separate from, the second conductor; and wherein the selection mechanism is configured to selectively couple the RF circuitry to the fourth conductor to have the signal transducer comprise the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, and the fourth conductor.
3. 3 . The foldable UE of claim 2 , further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the selection mechanism and configured to cause the selection mechanism to couple the RF circuitry to the fourth conductor for a non-standalone mode of the foldable UE.
4. 4 . The foldable UE of claim 2 , wherein the selection mechanism is a second selection mechanism and wherein the first panel further comprises: a fifth conductor separate from the first conductor; and a first selection mechanism configured to selectively couple the fifth conductor to the first conductor.
5. 5 . The foldable UE of claim 4 , further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the first selection mechanism and the second selection mechanism and configured to cause, for a standalone mode of the foldable UE, the second selection mechanism to couple the RF circuitry to the second conductor and, concurrently, the first selection mechanism to couple the first conductor to the fifth conductor.
6. 6 . The foldable UE of claim 4 , wherein the first selection mechanism is configured to selectively couple the first conductor to the fifth conductor via one of a plurality of reactances.
7. 7 . The foldable UE of claim 1 , further comprising RF circuitry (radio frequency circuitry) configured to at least one of: receive and process a first RF signal from the signal transducer; and provide a second RF signal to the signal transducer; wherein the fourth conductor is disposed in the first panel proximate to, but separate from, the first conductor; wherein the RF circuitry is coupled to the second conductor; and wherein the selection mechanism is configured to selectively couple the first conductor to the fourth conductor to have the signal transducer comprise the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, and the fourth conductor.
8. 8 . The foldable UE of claim 7 , wherein the selection mechanism is configured to selectively couple the first conductor to the fourth conductor via one of a plurality of reactances.
9. 9 . The foldable UE of claim 7 , wherein the selection mechanism is configured to selectively couple the first conductor to the fourth conductor for a standalone mode of the foldable UE.
10. 10 . The foldable UE of claim 1 , wherein the hinge comprises a first electrically-conductive flange and a second electrically-conductive flange, and wherein the first electrically-conductive flange is electrically separated from a first ground conductor of the first panel and the second electrically-conductive flange is electrically separated from a second ground conductor of the second panel.
11. 11 . The foldable UE of claim 1 , wherein the hinge comprises a first electrically-conductive flange and a second electrically-conductive flange, and wherein the first electrically-conductive flange defines a first slot extending from a first perimeter of the first electrically-conductive flange and the second electrically-conductive flange defines a second slot extending from a second perimeter of the second electrically-conductive flange.
12. 12 . The foldable UE of claim 11 , wherein the first electrically-conductive flange is electrically coupled to a first ground conductor of the first panel and the second electrically-conductive flange is electrically coupled to a second ground conductor of the second panel.
13. 13 . The foldable UE of claim 1 , wherein each at least one of the first conductor, the second conductor, or the fourth conductor comprises a respective portion of a frame of the foldable UE.
14. 14 . A method of configuring a signal transducer of a foldable UE (user equipment), the method comprising: providing a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of the signal transducer, the signal transducer being configured to transduce between guided signals and wireless signals; providing a second panel comprising a second conductor configured to provide a second portion of the signal transducer, at least one of the first panel and the second panel further comprising a respective portion of a display; providing a hinge connected to the first panel and the second panel and configured to allow the first panel to rotate relative to the second panel about a pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge comprising a third conductor configured to provide a third portion of the signal transducer, the third conductor electrically coupling the first conductor to the second conductor; providing a fourth conductor that is physically separate from the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor; and selectively causing the fourth conductor to provide a fourth portion of the signal transducer.
15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein: the fourth conductor is disposed in the second panel proximate to, but separate from, the second conductor; the method further comprises providing RF circuitry (radio frequency circuitry) configured to at least one of: receive and process a first RF signal from the signal transducer; and provide a second RF signal to the signal transducer; and selectively causing the fourth conductor to provide the fourth portion of the signal transducer comprises selectively coupling the RF circuitry to the fourth conductor to have the signal transducer comprise the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, and the fourth conductor.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein selectively coupling the RF circuitry to the fourth conductor comprises selectively coupling the RF circuitry to the fourth conductor for a non-standalone mode of the foldable UE.
17. 17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first panel further comprises a fifth conductor separate from and proximate to the first conductor, and wherein the method further comprises selectively coupling the fifth conductor to the first conductor.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein, for a standalone mode of the foldable UE, the RF circuitry is coupled to the second conductor and, concurrently, the first conductor is coupled to the fifth conductor.
19. 19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein coupling the first conductor to the fifth conductor comprises selectively coupling the first conductor to the fifth conductor via one of a plurality of reactances.
20. 20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the fourth conductor is disposed in the first panel proximate to, but separate from, the first conductor, and wherein the method further comprises: providing RF circuitry (radio frequency circuitry) that is coupled to the second conductor and configured to at least one of: receive and process a first RF signal from the signal transducer; and provide a second RF signal to the signal transducer; and selectively coupling the first conductor to the fourth conductor to have the signal transducer comprise the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, and the fourth conductor.

Description

BACKGROUND Wireless communication devices are increasingly popular and increasingly complex. For example, mobile telecommunication devices have progressed from simple phones, to smart phones with multiple communication capabilities (e.g., multiple cellular communication protocols, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH® and other short-range communication protocols), supercomputing processors, cameras, etc. Wireless communication devices have antennas to support various functionality such as communication over a range of frequencies, reception of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, also called Satellite Positioning Signals (SPS signals), etc. With several antennas disposed in a single wireless communication device, available volume for antennas is at a premium. For example, smartphones may have numerous antennas (e.g., eight antennas, 10 antennas, or more) with very limited volume due to the size of devices that consumers desire. Consequently, antenna clearance may be limited to very small volumes, e.g., with widths of 4 mm or less. Despite the volume restrictions for antennas, desired functionality of the antennas continues to increase. The trend in consumer electronics is to develop RF assemblies (radio frequency assemblies) with small form factors which can be easily accommodated within the limited space of the emerging smart devices including cell phones and tablets. The physical requirements of antennas make maintaining or improving performance (e.g., in terms of coverage, latency, and quality of service over desired coverage area) difficult. Forthcoming smart devices will be equipped with 5G technology and may be configured to operate over a wide range of frequencies. For example, currently allocated spectrum for 5G includes 0.41 GHz-7.125 GHz and 24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz, including five popular bands n258 (24.25-27.5 GHZ), n261 (27.5-28.35 GHZ), n257 (26.5-29.5 GHZ), n260 (37.0-40.0 GHZ), and n259 (39.5-43.5 GHz). Further, frequencies from 7.1 GHz to 24.25 GHz are receiving interest, in particular the 13 GHZ band (12.75 GHz-13.25 GHz). The use of smart devices has led to the desire to have large screens for viewing and accessing data. At the same time, users of smart devices also want small form factors for the devices when not in use. In response to these contradictory desires, some devices have been made to be foldable (e.g., including foldable displays) to decrease a form factor, e.g., while the device is not in use. Foldable smart devices, however, may hinder performance of antennas of the smart devices, particularly while the foldable device is folded, possibly blocking energy into and/or out of one or more antennas of the device. SUMMARY An example foldable UE (user equipment) includes: a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of a signal transducer that is configured to transduce between guided signals and wireless signals; a second panel comprising a second conductor configured to provide a second portion of the signal transducer, at least one of the first panel and the second panel further comprising a respective portion of a display; a hinge connected to the first panel and the second panel and configured to allow the first panel to rotate relative to the second panel about a pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge comprising a third conductor configured to provide a third portion of the signal transducer, the third conductor electrically coupling the first conductor to the second conductor; a fourth conductor that is physically separate from the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor; and a selection mechanism configured to selectively cause the fourth conductor to provide a fourth portion of the signal transducer. An example method of configuring a signal transducer of a foldable UE includes: providing a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of the signal transducer, the signal transducer being configured to transduce between guided signals and wireless signals; providing a second panel comprising a second conductor configured to provide a second portion of the signal transducer, at least one of the first panel and the second panel further comprising a respective portion of a display; providing a hinge connected to the first panel and the second panel and configured to allow the first panel to rotate relative to the second panel about a pivot axis of the hinge, the hinge comprising a third conductor configured to provide a third portion of the signal transducer, the third conductor electrically coupling the first conductor to the second conductor; providing a fourth conductor that is physically separate from the first conductor, the second conductor, and the third conductor; and selectively causing the fourth conductor to provide a fourth portion of the signal transducer. Another example foldable UE includes: a first panel comprising a first conductor configured to provide a first portion of a signal tr