Electronic device with sheet metal antenna

1 . An electronic device comprising:

a conductive housing;

a dielectric cover mounted to the conductive housing and having a three-dimensional curvature;

sheet metal having a first portion extending along the dielectric cover, a second portion opposite the first portion, and a third portion that couples the first portion to the second portion, wherein the third portion is folded about an axis to configure the first portion to exert a spring force against the dielectric cover; and

an antenna configured to radiate through the dielectric cover, the antenna having an antenna resonating element formed from the first portion of the sheet metal and having an antenna ground that includes the second portion of the sheet metal.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third portions of the sheet metal extend around an antenna cavity interposed between the first and third portions of the sheet metal.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the antenna cavity is filled with air.

4 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second portion of the sheet metal has a first wall coupled to the third portion of the sheet metal and has a second wall that is folded away from the first wall and towards the dielectric cover.

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

a logic board having ground traces, wherein the first wall is soldered to the ground traces.

6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising:

a first display mounted to the logic board and configured to display a left image at a side of the electronic device opposite the dielectric cover;

a second display mounted to the logic board and configured to display a right image at the side of the electronic device opposite the dielectric cover;

a third display mounted to the dielectric cover and configured to display an image through the dielectric cover; and

a head strap coupled to the conductive housing.

7 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second portion of the sheet metal has an extension that is screwed to the conductive housing.

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

a display having a conductive structure and configured to display images through the dielectric wall, wherein the second wall has a ledge that extends away from the antenna cavity; and

a conductive gasket on the ledge that couples the sheet metal to the conductive structure in the display.

9 . The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising:

a coaxial cable having a signal conductor coupled to the first portion of the sheet metal within the antenna cavity.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the sheet metal has the three-dimensional curvature.

11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the sheet metal has a compound curvature.

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

a positive antenna feed terminal on the first portion of the sheet metal, wherein the second portion is of the sheet metal is separated from the first portion of the sheet metal by a cavity.

13 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the third portion of the sheet metal is folded around the cavity.

14 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the first portion of the sheet metal has a first non-zero radius of curvature about a first axis and has a second non-zero radius of curvature about a second axis non-parallel to the first axis.

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

a fourth portion of the sheet metal extending from the second portion of the sheet metal and folded towards the first portion of the sheet metal, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth portions of the sheet metal define edges of the cavity.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the fourth portion of the sheet metal member has a ledge extending away from the cavity, the antenna further comprising:

a conductive gasket mounted to the ledge.

17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising a display mounted to the conductive gasket.

18 . The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the display comprises a conductive structure that is electrically shorted to the sheet metal by the conductive gasket.

19 . An electronic device comprising:

a conductive chassis;

a dielectric layer mounted to the conductive chassis and having a three-dimensional curvature;

a sheet metal member, wherein a first portion of the sheet metal member extending parallel to the dielectric layer, a second portion of the sheet metal member is separated from the first portion of the sheet metal member by a cavity, and a third portion of the sheet metal member couples the first portion of the sheet metal member to the second portion of the sheet metal member, wherein the third portion of the sheet metal member is folded about an axis and is configured to exert a spring force against the dielectric layer; and

an antenna configured to radiate through the dielectric cover, the antenna having an antenna resonating element that includes the first portion of the sheet metal member and having an antenna ground that includes the second portion of the sheet metal member.

20 . An electronic device comprising:

a conductive housing;

a dielectric layer mounted to the conductive housing and having a compound curvature;

sheet metal having a first portion extending along the dielectric cover and having the compound curvature, a second portion opposite the first portion, and a third portion that couples the first portion to the second portion, wherein the third portion is bent about an axis and exerts a spring force against the dielectric layer; and

an antenna configured to radiate through the dielectric cover, the antenna having an antenna resonating element arm that includes the first portion of the sheet metal and having an antenna ground that includes the second portion of the sheet metal.