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Apple patents phone antenna that uses sensor board for grounding

Apple describes a design where a phone's rear antenna shares parts of its structure with the internal sensor board. The antenna uses conductive paths on the back casing and the sensor board, connected by a flexible circuit that also handles grounding.

Why it mattersThis approach may help engineers fit antennas into tight spaces by reusing existing internal components for grounding and signal tuning.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may have conductive sidewalls and a rear wall. A sensor board may be mounted within a cavity defined by the rear wall. The device may have an antenna with a resonating element that includes a first trace on the rear wall, a second trace on the sensor board, and a conductive interconnect between the first and second traces. A sensor flex may be coupled to the sensor board. The sensor flex may include signal traces that control sensors on the sensor board. The sensor flex may include ground traces coupled to the conductive sidewalls by a conductive interconnect. The ground traces may be coupled to a first grounding point on the first conductive trace and may be coupled to a second grounding point on the second conductive trace. A switch may be disposed on the ground traces for tuning a response of the antenna.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device having a first face and a second face opposite the first face, the electronic device comprising: a display at the first face; a housing wall at the second face; a first conductive trace on the housing wall; a sensor board; a second conductive trace on the sensor board; an antenna that includes an antenna resonating element configured to radiate through the second face, the antenna resonating element comprising the first conductive trace on the housing wall and the second conductive trace on the sensor board; a flexible printed circuit coupled to the sensor board; and first and second ground traces on the flexible printed circuit, the first ground trace being coupled to a first grounding point on the first conductive trace, and the second ground trace being coupled to a second grounding point on the second conductive trace.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Electronic device with grounded rear-facing antenna
Patent number
US12731884B2
Application number
18654110
Filed
May 3, 2024
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
8
Claims
20

Classified under

H01Q 1/243 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/273 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/48 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/50 Electricity & electronicsH02J 50/12 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.