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SamsungGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Samsung patents foldable phone antennas that change shape when folded

Samsung has been granted a patent for a foldable electronic device with two separate groups of antennas, one on each half of the screen. A flexible circuit board connects these groups, allowing them to act as one large antenna when the device is open or as two smaller, distinct antennas when it is folded.

Why it mattersThis design could help maintain strong wireless signals in foldable phones, which often struggle with connectivity when the screen is bent.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device includes: a first housing including a first surface and a second surface connected to the first surface and having an area that is smaller than an area of the first surface; a second housing including a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the third surface and having an area that is smaller than an area of the third surface; a hinge structure connecting the first housing and the second housing to be foldable relative to each other at a folding axis between a folded state of the electronic device and an unfolded state of the electronic device; a first antenna array provided at the first surface; and a second antenna array provided at the fourth surface; and a flexible board connecting the first antenna array and the second antenna array, wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array are configured to form a third antenna array and to form a fourth antenna array, according to whether the electronic device is in the unfolded state or in the folded state.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: a first housing comprising: a first surface; and a second surface connected to the first surface and having an area that is smaller than an area of the first surface; a second housing comprising: a third surface; and a fourth surface connected to the third surface and having an area that is smaller than an area of the third surface; a hinge structure connecting the first housing and the second housing to be foldable relative to each other at a folding axis, between a folded state of the electronic device and an unfolded state of the electronic device; a first antenna array provided at the second surface; a second antenna array provided at the fourth surface; and a flexible board connecting the first antenna array and the second antenna array, wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array are configured to form a third antenna array and to form a fourth antenna array, according to whether the electronic device is in the unfolded state or in the folded state.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Electronic device including antenna array
Patent number
US12731914B2
Application number
18511376
Filed
Nov 16, 2023
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
14

Classified under

H01Q 21/293 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 3/06 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 21/08 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.