Wireless communication devices
A wireless communication system may include an electronic device having wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry may operate through an exterior-facing slot in an electronic device housing sidewall and may include components provided on a printed circuit having portions disposed on multiple interior housing surfaces of the electronic device. The wireless communication system may include external equipment having corresponding wireless communication circuitry communicatively coupled to the wireless communication circuitry of the electronic device through the slot in the housing sidewall.
1 . An electronic device having front and rear faces, the electronic device comprising:
a housing that includes a rear housing wall at the rear face and that includes a housing sidewall;
a slot with a closed end in the housing sidewall and with an opposing open end that opens to an exterior of the electronic device;
a display mounted to the housing at the front face;
a printed circuit on the housing sidewall; and
an antenna formed from antenna structures in the printed circuit and configured to convey radio-frequency signals through the housing sidewall and through the slot.
2 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit comprises a flexible printed circuit.
3 . The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the flexible printed circuit is disposed on first and second interior surfaces of the housing sidewall.
4 . The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising:
radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to the antenna and mounted to the printed circuit.
5 . The electronic device defined in claim 3 , wherein the housing sidewall has a ledge portion at an interior of the electronic device, the first interior surface is a top surface of the ledge portion, and the second interior surface is a side surface of the ledge portion.
6 . The electronic device defined in claim 5 , wherein the housing has an additional housing sidewall adjacent to the housing sidewall, the flexible printed circuit is disposed on a third interior surface on the additional housing sidewall, and radio-frequency circuitry is mounted to a portion of the printed circuit on the third interior surface.
7 . The electronic device defined in claim 5 , wherein the antenna comprises an antenna resonating element formed from a first metal layer in a portion of the printed circuit on the top surface of the ledge portion of the housing sidewall and comprises an antenna ground formed from a second metal layer in the portion of the printed circuit.
8 . The electronic device defined in claim 7 , wherein the antenna is a slot antenna formed from a slot element in the first metal layer, and the antenna comprises a feed structure formed from a third metal layer in the portion of the printed circuit and configured to convey the radio-frequency signals with the slot element using near-field electromagnetic coupling.
9 . The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising:
an adhesive layer that attaches the portion of the printed circuit to the top surface of the ledge portion of the housing sidewall.
10 . The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising:
a radio-frequency transmission line coupled to the antenna and having radio-frequency transmission line structures formed in a portion of the printed circuit on the side surface of the ledge portion of the housing sidewall.
11 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the slot is a fluid-filled slot.
12 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the housing sidewall has a dielectric portion between the antenna and the closed end of the slot, and the antenna is configured to convey the radio-frequency signals through the dielectric portion of the housing sidewall.
13 . The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the housing sidewall has a conductive portion that surrounds the dielectric portion and that defines edges of the slot.
14 . A wristwatch comprising:
a housing having a housing sidewall;
an exterior-facing slot having a closed end in the housing sidewall;
a display having a display cover layer mounted to the housing sidewall; and
an antenna that includes an antenna resonating element overlapping the closed end of the exterior-facing slot and is configured to convey radio-frequency signals through a dielectric portion of the housing sidewall and through the closed end of the exterior-facing slot.
15 . The wristwatch defined in claim 14 further comprising:
radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to the antenna; and
a flexible printed circuit having a bend about a bend axis, wherein the antenna comprises antenna structures in the flexible printed circuit that form the antenna resonating element.
16 . The wristwatch defined in claim 15 , wherein the flexible printed circuit has first, second, and third portions, the first and second portions of the flexible printed circuit bend with respect to each other about the bend axis, and the second and third portions of the flexible printed circuit bend with respect to each other about an additional bend axis.
17 . The wristwatch defined in claim 16 , wherein the first, second, and third portions of the flexible printed circuit are disposed on first, second, and third interior housing surfaces of the housing, respectively.
18 . The wristwatch defined in claim 14 , wherein the exterior-facing slot is configured to receive a wrist strap.
19 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing having a housing sidewall with a first interior housing surface and a second interior housing surface adjacent to the first interior housing surface, the housing sidewall having a dielectric portion at the first interior housing surface;
a flexible printed circuit having a first portion attached to the first interior housing surface and a second portion that runs along the second interior housing surface; and
an antenna having antenna structures in the first portion of the flexible printed circuit, the antenna structures overlapping the dielectric portion of the housing sidewall at the first interior housing surface, wherein the antenna structures are configured to convey radio-frequency signals through the dielectric portion of the housing sidewall at the first interior housing surface.
20 . The electronic device defined in claim 19 , wherein the flexible printed circuit has a first end at the first portion and an opposing second end, the electronic device further comprising:
a connector at the second end of the flexible printed circuit;
radio-frequency transmission line structures in the second portion of the flexible printed circuit; and
radio-frequency transceiver circuitry on the flexible printed circuit.