IP Library Granted Patent US 12671179
Granted Patent B2
US 12671179 · App. 18/645,322 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Electronic device with rear wall antenna parasitic

Inventors: Dingliang Wen (Shenzhen, CN); Yuan Tao (Santa Clara, CA); Junying Liu (Shanghai, CN); Lu Zhang (Shanghai, CN); Yiren Wang (Cupertino, CA); Tao Wang (Cupertino, CA); Nikolaj P Kammersgaard (Copenhagen, DK); Erda Wen (San Diego, CA); Hao Xu (Cupertino, CA); Hongfei Hu (Cupertino, CA); Carlo Di Nallo (Belmont, CA); Mattia Pascolini (San Francisco, CA); Aditya Gupta (Cupertino, CA); Elisabeth A Lang (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H01Q5/378H01Q1/241
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12671179
App. No.
18/645,322
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with peripheral conductive housing structures, a rear wall, and a vent that includes a conductive cowling. The device may include an antenna having an antenna arm coupled to a positive antenna feed terminal and having a parasitic element. The parasitic element may be formed from a conductive trace that is layered onto the rear wall, that is indirectly fed by the antenna arm, and that overlaps a portion of the conductive cowling. The parasitic element may be shorted to a conductive bracket on the rear wall or may be separated from the bracket by a gap. If desired, the conductive cowling may form some or all of a parasitic element for the antenna. The conductive cowling may be indirectly fed by the conductive trace and/or may include an extension that is indirectly fed by the antenna arm.

Claims (50)

1 . An electronic device comprising:

peripheral conductive housing structures;

a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures;

a dielectric cover layer mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the display;

a vent aligned with openings in the peripheral conductive housing structures and including a conductive cowling;

an antenna arm coupled to a positive antenna feed terminal; and

a parasitic element that is indirectly fed by the antenna arm, wherein the parasitic element overlaps a portion of the conductive cowling and overlaps a portion of the antenna arm.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the parasitic element is layered onto the dielectric cover layer.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the parasitic element comprises a conductive trace on an interior surface of the dielectric cover layer.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising:

a conductive bracket on the interior surface of the dielectric cover layer.

5 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the conductive trace extends from a first end overlapping the antenna arm to an opposing second end that is coupled to the conductive bracket, the parasitic element comprising the conductive bracket.

6 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the conductive trace extends from a first end overlapping the antenna arm to an opposing second end that is laterally separated from the conductive bracket by a dielectric-filled gap.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first dielectric substrate, the conductive cowling being layered onto the first dielectric substrate;

a second dielectric substrate, the antenna arm being disposed on at least two sides of the second dielectric substrate;

a flexible printed circuit that includes a signal trace and that has a tail coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures; and

a conductive spring finger that couples the signal trace to the antenna arm at the positive antenna feed terminal.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna arm comprises a monopole antenna resonating element.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the parasitic element is separated from the antenna arm and the conductive cowling by a dielectric-filled gap, the antenna arm is configured to feed the parasitic element via a first near-field electromagnetic coupling across the dielectric-filled gap, and the parasitic element is configured to indirectly feed the conductive cowling via a second near-field electromagnetic coupling across the dielectric-filled gap.

10 . An electronic device comprising:

peripheral conductive housing structures;

a display mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures;

a dielectric cover layer mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the display;

a conductive trace on an interior surface of the dielectric cover layer;

a conductive bracket on the interior surface of the dielectric cover layer; and

an antenna, wherein the antenna includes

an antenna element coupled to a positive antenna feed terminal, and

a parasitic element that includes the conductive trace and the conductive bracket.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the parasitic element extends from a first end overlapping the antenna element to an opposing second end that is electrically shorted to the conductive bracket.

12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising:

a conductive chassis coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the conductive chassis is interposed between the display and the dielectric cover layer; and

a dielectric interconnect that couples the conductive bracket to the conductive chassis.

13 . The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a microphone aligned with holes in the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the microphone has a conductive frame that at least partially overlaps the conductive trace.

14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the antenna further comprises:

an additional parasitic element that includes the conductive frame, the antenna element being configured to indirectly feed the parasitic element via a first near-field electromagnetic coupling, and the parasitic element being configured to indirectly feed the additional parasitic element via a second near-field electromagnetic coupling.

15 . The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a barometric vent aligned with holes in the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the barometric vent has a conductive frame that at least partially overlaps the conductive trace.

16 . The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising:

a conductive chassis coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures, wherein the conductive chassis is interposed between the display and the dielectric cover layer; and

a dielectric interconnect that couples the conductive bracket to the conductive chassis.

17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the conductive trace extends from a first end overlapping the antenna arm to an opposing second end that is coupled to the conductive bracket, the parasitic element comprising the conductive bracket.

18 . An electronic device comprising:

a housing that includes a dielectric cover layer;

a conductive trace on a surface of the dielectric cover layer;

a conductive cowling; and

an antenna that includes an antenna arm, a first parasitic that includes the conductive trace, and a second parasitic that includes the conductive cowling.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the antenna arm is configured to excite the first parasitic and the second parasitic via one or more near-field electromagnetic couplings.

20 . The electronic device of claim 18 , further comprising a vent, wherein the conductive cowling is layered on the vent.