Cavity antennas with flexible printed circuits

摘要

An antenna with a curved shape may be mounted behind a curved antenna window. The antenna may have an antenna resonating element such as an inverted-F antenna resonating element and may have an antenna ground. The antenna resonating element may be formed from patterned metal traces on a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have ground traces that run along a peripheral edge of the flexible printed circuit. The antenna ground may be formed from a metal can with walls surrounding a cavity having an opening. The metal can may have a lip formed from bent portions of the walls. The flexible printed circuit may be soldered to the lip so that the ground traces are shorted to the can. A cable connector may be mounted on a bent tab in the flexible printed circuit that extends through a notch in the lip.

主权项

1. A cavity antenna having an antenna resonating element and an antenna ground, comprising:
a flexible printed circuit having metal traces that form the antenna resonating element and having peripheral ground traces, wherein the antenna resonating element comprises an inverted-F antenna resonating element; and a metal can that forms the antenna ground and that forms a cavity with an opening, wherein the metal can has a lip that surrounds the opening and the flexible printed circuit is mounted over the opening so that the peripheral ground traces are coupled to the lip, and the lip comprises an outwardly bent portion of the metal can.