# US 11,114,748 B2 · Flexible printed circuit structures for electronic device antennas > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,114,748 B2 - Document ID: US11114748B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/563,760 - Filed: 2019-09-06 - Published: 2021-03-11 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-06 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Salih Yarga; Soroush Akbarzadeh; Jonathan M. Lee; Gareth L. Rose; Javier Gomez Tagle; Joshua G. Nickel; Mattia Pascolini; Ian A. Spraggs; Daniel W. Jarvis; Sunitha Seshadri - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114748B2 ## CPC - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H01Q 1/085: {Flexible aerials; Whip aerials with a resilient base} - H01Q 1/241: {used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM (H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence)} - H01Q 1/38: formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142)} - H01Q 5/25: Ultra-wideband [UWB] systems, e.g. multiple resonance systems; Pulse systems - H01Q 5/30: Arrangements for providing operation on different wavebands - H01Q 21/28: Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract An electronic device may have peripheral conductive housing structures divided into first and second segments. First and second antennas may be formed from the segments and may be fed using a flexible printed circuit structure. The structure may include a first substrate attached to the first segment, a second substrate soldered to the first substrate and attached to the second segment, and a third substrate soldered to the second substrate. Third and fourth antennas may be formed on the first substrate whereas fifth and sixth antennas are be formed on the second substrate. The second substrate may be folded and may have a lateral area oriented perpendicular to the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth antennas. Modularly forming the structure in this way may maximize the flexibility with which the structure can accommodate other components, thereby minimizing the space consumption associated with mounting and feeding the antennas without sacrificing wireless performance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: peripheral conductive housing structures; a first antenna having a resonating element arm formed from a segment of the peripheral conductive structures and having an antenna feed coupled to the resonating element arm; a flexible printed circuit substrate coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures; a radio-frequency transmission line on the flexible printed circuit substrate and coupled to the antenna feed, the radio-frequency transmission line being configured to convey radio-frequency signals for the first antenna; a second antenna on the flexible printed circuit substrate, wherein the second antenna is configured to radiate in a cellular ultra-high band; and a third antenna on the flexible printed circuit substrate, wherein the third antenna is configured to radiate in an ultra-wideband communications band. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising a first additional flexible printed circuit substrate soldered to the flexible printed circuit substrate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, further comprising: a fourth antenna having an additional resonating element arm formed from an additional segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures, the additional segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures being separated from the segment of the peripheral conductive housing structures by a dielectric-filled gap, and the fourth antenna having an additional antenna feed coupled to the additional resonating element arm; and an additional radio-frequency transmission line on the first additional flexible printed circuit substrate and coupled to the additional antenna feed, wherein the additional radio-frequency transmission line is configured to convey radio-frequency signals for the fourth antenna. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electronic device defined in claim 3, further comprising: a second additional flexible printed circuit substrate soldered to the first additional flexible printed circuit substrate; a fifth antenna on the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to radiate in the ultra-wideband communications band; and a sixth antenna on the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to radiate in the ultra-wideband communications band. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, further comprising: a second additional flexible printed circuit substrate soldered to the first additional flexible printed circuit substrate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic device defined in claim 5, further comprising: a fourth antenna on the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to radiate in the ultra-wideband communications band; and a fifth antenna on the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to radiate in the ultra-wideband communications band. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a bend about a first axis, the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a bend about a second axis, and the first additional flexible printed circuit comprises a bend about a third axis that is perpendicular to the first and second axes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the flexible printed circuit substrate comprises at least three bends, the first additional flexible printed circuit substrate comprises at least two bends, and the second additional flexible printed circuit substrate comprises at least one bend. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: a tunable component surface-mounted to the flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to tune the first antenna; and impedance matching circuitry surface-mounted to the flexible printed circuit substrate and configured to tune the second antenna. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the ultra-wideband communications band comprises a frequency between 6250 MHz and 8250 MHz, the cellular ultra-high band comprising a frequency between 3400 MHz and 3700 MHz. ### Claim 11 A flexible printed circuit structure configured to convey radio-frequency signals for an antenna external to the flexible printed circuit structure, the flexible printed circuit structure comprising: a first flexible printed circuit substrate having first and second antennas; a second flexible printed circuit substrate surface-mounted to the first flexible printed circuit substrate; a radio-frequency transmission line path on the first and second flexible printed circuit substrates that is configured to convey radio-frequency signals for the antenna external to the flexible printed circuit substrate; a third flexible printed circuit substrate surface-mounted to the second flexible printed circuit substrate; and a third antenna on the third flexible printed circuit substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 11, wherein the first flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a first thinner portion and a first thicker portion that is thicker than the first thinner portion by a first step size and the second flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a second thinner portion and a second thicker portion that is thicker than the second thinner portion by a second step size, the second step size being different from the first step size. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 11, further comprising a fourth antenna on the third flexible printed circuit substrate, wherein the first and second flexible printed circuit substrates have first additional radio-frequency transmission line paths that convey radio-frequency signals for the first and second antennas, and the second and third flexible printed circuit substrates have second additional radio-frequency transmission line paths that convey radio-frequency signals for the third and fourth antennas. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 13, wherein the second, third, and fourth antennas are configured to form a triplet of antennas that radiate in an ultra-wideband communications band. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 14, wherein the first antenna is configured to receive radio-frequency signals in the ultra-wideband communications band and is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals in a non-ultra-wideband communications band. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 11, wherein the first flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a first thinner portion and a first thicker portion that is thicker than the first thinner portion by a first step size, the second flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a second thinner portion and a second thicker portion that is thicker than the second thinner portion by a second step size, the third flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a third thinner portion and a third thicker portion that is thicker than the third thinner portion by a third step size, the second step size is different from the first step size, and the third step size is different from the first and second step sizes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The flexible printed circuit structure defined in claim 11, wherein the first flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a first bend about a first axis and a second bend about a second axis non-parallel to the first axis, the second flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a third bend about a third axis orthogonal to the first and second axes and a fourth bend about a fourth axis parallel to the third axis, and the third flexible printed circuit substrate comprises a fifth bend about a fifth axis parallel to the first axis. ### Claim 18 An electronic device comprising: peripheral conductive housing structures having a dielectric-filled gap that divides the peripheral conductive housing structures into first and second segments; a first antenna having a first resonating element arm formed from the first segment; a second antenna having a second resonating element arm formed from the second segment; a first flexible printed circuit substrate coupled to the first segment and configured to convey radio-frequency signals for the first antenna; a third antenna on a portion of the first flexible printed circuit substrate; and a second flexible printed circuit substrate coupled to the second segment and configured to convey radio-frequency signals for the second antenna, wherein the second flexible printed circuit substrate has a first portion that is soldered to the first flexible printed circuit substrate, a second portion that is attached to the second segment, and a third portion that extends between the first and second portions, the first, second, and third portions being non-parallel with respect to the portion of the first flexible printed circuit board having the third antenna. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electronic device defined in claim 18, further comprising: a camera module, wherein the camera module is interposed between the first and second portions of the second flexible printed circuit board, the second portion being interposed between the camera module and the second segment. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The electronic device defined in claim 19, further comprising: a third flexible printed circuit substrate soldered to the third portion of the second flexible printed circuit substrate; a fourth antenna on the third flexible printed circuit substrate; and a board-to-board connector on the second flexible printed circuit substrate.