阅读说明：本技术 便携式电子设备 (Portable electronic device ) 是由 C·E·奥斯特 C·N·埃尔德里奇 R·K·威廉姆斯 D·加里多洛佩兹 F·哈斯纳特 A· 于 2020-11-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开涉及一种便携式电子设备,该便携式电子设备可包括限定孔的外壳和定位在该孔中的显示器。该显示器和该外壳可限定内部体积并且扬声器组件可定位在该内部体积中。该扬声器组件可包括扬声器壳体,该扬声器壳体在该内部体积内密封到该外壳,该扬声器壳体和该外壳限定扬声器体积；以及与该扬声器体积流体连通的扬声器模块,该扬声器模块包括定位在该扬声器体积所限定的孔处的隔膜,该隔膜限定多个脊。(The present disclosure relates to a portable electronic device that may include a housing defining an aperture and a display positioned in the aperture. The display and the housing may define an interior volume and a speaker assembly may be positioned in the interior volume. The speaker assembly may include a speaker enclosure sealed to the enclosure within the interior volume, the speaker enclosure and the enclosure defining a speaker volume; and a speaker module in fluid communication with the speaker volume, the speaker module including a diaphragm positioned at an aperture defined by the speaker volume, the diaphragm defining a plurality of ridges.)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing including a first housing section and a second housing section, the first housing section defining a recess;

an antenna circuit electrically connected to an electrical ground through a conductive path; and

an insert disposed in the recess, the insert electrically coupling the conductive path to the first housing section.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductive path comprises a ground plate comprising a tab extending perpendicular to the ground plate.

3. The electronic device of claim 2,

the tab defines a first aperture;

the insert defining a second aperture aligned with the first aperture; and

a fastener extending at least partially through the first and second apertures.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the insert is laser welded to the first housing section.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first housing section comprises a radiating element that is coupled to the antenna circuitry.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises an electrically insulating element joining the first housing section to the second housing section;

the first housing section is electrically coupled to the second housing section by an electrical component.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the electrical component acts as an electrical short in a first range of frequencies driven by the antenna circuit and as an electrical open in a second range of frequencies driven by the antenna circuit.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the insert includes a flat top surface that is flush with a surface defined by the first housing section.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing defining an aperture;

a display assembly positioned in the aperture; and

an antenna, the antenna comprising:

an antenna circuit;

a resonant structure comprising a sheet of conductive material disposed between the housing and the display assembly, the resonant structure being electrically coupled to the antenna circuit; and

a conductive shunt disposed between the resonant structure and the housing.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the conductive shunt comprises a metal.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the conductive shunt is capacitively coupled with the antenna circuit.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the antenna circuit comprises a Wi-Fi antenna.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the conductive shunt is part of an accessory sense circuit.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing defining an aperture, the housing including a first housing section and a second housing section;

a display assembly positioned in the aperture;

an antenna, the antenna comprising:

an antenna circuit; and

a resonating structure comprising a sheet of conductive material disposed between the housing and the display assembly, the resonating structure being electrically coupled to the antenna circuit and the first housing section; and

a dielectric component disposed between the resonant structure and the enclosure, the dielectric component mechanically coupling the first enclosure section to the second enclosure section.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the dielectric component comprises a polymer-ceramic composite.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the electronic device further comprises a speaker assembly, the speaker assembly comprising:

a speaker enclosure sealed to the housing, the speaker enclosure and the housing defining a speaker volume; and

a speaker module in fluid communication with the speaker volume.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the resonating structures are disposed adjacent to first and second sides of the speaker enclosure.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the speaker enclosure defines an opening that is closed by the housing.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the speaker module further comprises a diaphragm positioned at an aperture defined by the speaker housing, the diaphragm defining a plurality of ridges.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the speaker module further comprises a passive radiator that is disposed in the speaker volume and that defines an aperture through which a portion of the speaker enclosure extends to attach the passive radiator to the speaker enclosure.

Technical Field

The embodiments relate generally to electronic devices. More particularly, the present examples relate to portable electronic device components, systems, and architectures.

Background

Electronic devices are popular in society and can take many forms, from watches to computers. Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, and watches, typically include one type of housing or casing that houses internal components.

Components of the electronic device, such as processors, memories, cooling devices, input components, and other components may determine, in part, the available functionality and performance levels of the electronic device. Further, the placement of these components and their associated systems in the device relative to each other may also determine the performance level of the electronic device.

The continued progress in electronic devices and their components has resulted in considerable improvements in performance and new uses and functions. However, existing components and structures of electronic devices may limit the performance level of such devices. For example, conventional arrangements of components in existing electronic device architectures, as well as conventional designs of the components themselves, may limit the performance of the electronic device by failing to effectively distribute or remove heat generated by the components of the electronic device. In addition, the design of the components and their arrangement may also affect other characteristics of the device, such as the overall size of the device, the amount of noise generated by the device, the specific function of the device, the cost of manufacturing the device. Accordingly, it may be desirable to further customize and arrange the components of an electronic device to provide additional or enhanced functionality without introducing or adding undesirable device characteristics.

Disclosure of Invention

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include a housing defining an aperture, a display assembly positioned in the aperture, and an antenna, the antenna including: an antenna circuit; a resonant structure comprising a sheet of conductive material disposed between the housing and the display assembly, the resonant structure being electrically coupled to the antenna circuit; and a conductive shunt disposed between the resonant structure and the housing.

In some examples, the conductive shunt includes a metal. The conductive shunt may include a ferrous metal. The shunt may be capacitively coupled to the antenna circuit. The antenna circuit may include a WI-FI antenna. The antenna circuit may operate at a frequency of at least one of 2.4GHz or 5 GHz. The conductive shunt may be part of an accessory sense circuit.

According to some examples, an electronic device may include a housing defining an aperture; a display positioned in the aperture, the display and the housing defining an interior volume; and a speaker assembly disposed in the interior volume, the speaker assembly including a speaker enclosure sealed to the housing within the interior volume. The speaker enclosure and the housing may define a speaker volume. The speaker module may be in fluid communication with the speaker volume, and the speaker module may include a diaphragm positioned at an aperture defined by the speaker volume, the diaphragm defining a plurality of ridges.

In some examples, the device may further include a compressible material disposed on the speaker housing opposite a surface of the speaker housing defining the speaker volume. The compressible material may comprise foam. The compressible material may at least partially surround an aperture defined by the speaker volume. The compressible material may be in contact with a surface of the display that at least partially defines an interior volume. The compressible material may include a first portion positioned adjacent a first side of the aperture and a second portion spaced apart from the first portion and positioned adjacent a second side of the aperture. The septum may have a length and a width, with a plurality of ridges spaced apart along the length. The septum may define between 5 and 15 ridges.

According to some examples, an audio component may include a speaker housing at least partially defining a speaker volume and an aperture; a speaker module in fluid communication with the speaker volume and positioned at the aperture; and a passive radiator disposed in the speaker volume and defining an opening. A portion of the speaker housing may extend through the opening to attach the passive radiator to the speaker housing.

In some examples, the passive radiator includes a plate defining a perforation. The plate may comprise metal. The speaker housing may comprise a polymer material. The portion of the speaker enclosure extending through the opening may be deformed after passing therethrough to define a structure to secure the passive radiator to the enclosure.

Drawings

The present disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

fig. 1A shows a front view of an electronic device.

FIG. 1B illustrates a top view of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the electronic device.

Fig. 3A illustrates a close-up view of one area of the electronic device of fig. 2.

FIG. 3B illustrates a close-up perspective view of one region of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 3C shows a close-up top view of the region of fig. 3B.

FIG. 4A illustrates a top close-up view of an area of an electronic device.

Fig. 4B illustrates a perspective close-up view of one area of an electronic device.

Fig. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device.

Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device.

Fig. 6A illustrates a close-up view of an area of an electronic device.

Fig. 6B illustrates a close-up view of an area of an electronic device.

Fig. 7A shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device.

Fig. 7B shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional side view of a loudspeaker housing.

Fig. 9A shows an enlarged front view of the electronic device.

Fig. 9B shows a cross-sectional side view of the electronic device of fig. 9A.

Fig. 9C shows an exploded perspective view of the speaker assembly.

Fig. 9D illustrates a top view of the speaker assembly of the electronic device of fig. 9A.

Fig. 9E shows a top view of the speaker assembly of the electronic device of fig. 9A.

Fig. 10A shows an enlarged front view of the electronic device.

Fig. 10B shows a cross-sectional side view of the electronic device of fig. 10A.

Fig. 11A shows an exploded perspective view of a speaker assembly.

Fig. 11B illustrates a top view of the speaker assembly of the electronic device of fig. 10A.

Fig. 12A shows a top view of a portion of a speaker assembly.

Figure 12B shows a cross-sectional side view of the speaker assembly of figure 12A.

Figure 12C shows a cross-sectional side view of the speaker assembly of figure 12A.

Figure 13A shows a front view of one component of the speaker assembly.

Fig. 13B shows an exploded view of the components of fig. 13A.

Fig. 14A shows an enlarged partial front view of the electronic device.

Fig. 14B illustrates an enlarged partial front view of the electronic device of fig. 14A.

Fig. 15A shows a close-up view of components of one region of an electronic device.

Fig. 15B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a region of the electronic device of fig. 15A.

Fig. 15C shows a top view of a component of the region of fig. 15A.

Fig. 15D shows a top view of a component of the region of fig. 15A.

Fig. 15E shows a top view of a component of the region of fig. 15A.

Fig. 16 shows a close-up view of a component of an area of an electronic device.

FIG. 17 shows a close-up view of a portion of an electronic device.

Fig. 18A shows a fingerprint image.

FIG. 18B shows a close-up view of a user appendage in contact with an electronic device.

Fig. 18C shows a plot of capacitance versus distance for a sensor of an electronic device.

Fig. 19A shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device.

Fig. 19B shows an exploded view of components of the electronic device.

Fig. 19C illustrates a close-up view of an area of an electronic device.

Fig. 20 shows a close-up view of an area of an electronic device.

Detailed Description

This description provides examples, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. It is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements discussed and that other processes or components may be omitted, substituted or added as appropriate to the various embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different than that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, in other embodiments, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a portable electronic device may include a housing at least partially defining an interior volume. The display may be coupled to the housing and may be covered by a cover that may define an interior volume of the device with the housing. The device may include a number of components that may provide the desired functionality and performance level. For example, the device may include a plurality of speaker assemblies, each speaker assembly may include a rear volume defined by a speaker enclosure, including a five-sided box sealed to the enclosure. The speaker back volume can be ported into the interior volume of the device rather than directly to the surrounding environment to provide a surround sound type experience. Additionally, the speaker back volume may also act as an antenna volume to provide enhanced antenna performance to wirelessly connect the device to one or more other devices or components. In some examples, the device may also include a biometric component to authenticate the user. The biometric component may be incorporated into an existing input component, such as a button.

The architecture and components of electronic devices (including portable electronic devices) described herein may allow for electronic device configurations that may maximize performance and provide a variety of desired functions. In conventional electronic device configurations, such as portable devices of conventional design, individual components may have only one function and may not be able to share space in the internal volume of the device with other components. Additionally, component performance may be compromised in conventional device configurations because a single functional component may need to be formed into an undesirable configuration to allow it to be included in the device. In contrast, as described herein, the multifunctional components of the device and the location of one or more components relative to other components as well as the device itself may allow for a desired level of performance and a desired user experience.

These examples, as well as others, will be discussed below with reference to fig. 1A-20. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

Fig. 1A depicts an electronic device 100, such as a tablet computing device. The tablet computer of fig. 1A is merely one representative example of a device that may be used in connection with the systems and methods disclosed herein. The electronic device 100 may correspond to any form of portable electronic device, portable media player, media storage device, portable digital assistant ("PDA"), tablet, computer, mobile communication device, GPS unit, remote control device, or other electronic device. The electronic device 100 may be referred to as an electronic device, a consumer device, or simply a device.

The electronic device 100 includes a housing 102 that at least partially surrounds a display 104. The housing 102 may at least partially define an interior volume that may surround or partially surround a display and other internal components of the electronic device 100. The housing 102 may be formed from one or more components, such as a front piece and a back piece, that are operably connected together. Alternatively, the housing 102 may be formed from a single piece that is operably connected to the display 104.

The display 104 may provide visual output to a user. The display 104 may include any suitable display technology including, but not limited to, liquid crystal display elements, light emitting diode elements, organic light emitting display elements, organic electroluminescent elements, and the like.

Cover sheet 108 may be positioned over a front surface (or a portion of a front surface) of electronic device 100. In some examples, at least a portion of cover sheet 108 may sense touch and/or force inputs. Cover sheet 108 may be formed using any suitable material, such as glass, plastic, sapphire, or a combination thereof. In some examples, touch and force inputs may be received by portions of cover sheet 108 that cover display 104. In some examples, touch inputs and/or force inputs may be received across other portions of the cover piece 108 and/or portions of the housing 102. Cover sheet 108 and housing 102 may together define an interior volume of electronic device 100.

The various layers of the display stack-up (such as cover sheet 108, display 104, touch sensor layer, force sensor layer, etc.) may be adhered together using an adhesive and/or may be supported by a common frame or portion of housing 102. The common frame may extend around a perimeter or a portion of a perimeter of the layers, may be split around a perimeter or a portion of a perimeter, or may be otherwise coupled to the various layers of the display stack.

In some examples, each of the layers of the display stack may be attached or deposited on separate substrates, which may be laminated or bonded to each other. The display stack may also include other layers for improving the structural or optical performance of the display 104, including, for example, polarizer sheets, color masks, and the like. Additionally, the display stack may include a touch sensor layer and/or a force sensor layer for receiving input on cover sheet 108 of electronic device 100.

In many cases, electronic device 100 may also include a processor, memory, power sources and/or batteries, network connections, sensors, input/output ports, acoustic components, tactile components, digital circuitry, and/or analog circuitry for performing and/or coordinating tasks of electronic device 100, as described herein. For simplicity of illustration, electronic device 100 is depicted in fig. 1A and 1B without many of these components, each of which may be partially and/or fully included within housing 102. Electronic device 100 may also include one or more input components, such as input component 106. In some examples, the input component 106 may include a button, such as a power button or a sleep/wake button. In some examples, the input component 106 may have additional functionality and may, for example, include a biometric input component 106, as described herein.

FIG. 1B depicts a top view of the electronic device of FIG. 1A. The electronic device 100 may include a biometric input component 106, which may be partially or fully recessed within the housing 102. The electronic device 100 may include several openings defined by the housing 102. For example, the electronic device 100 may include an opening 103 that allows one or more audio modules disposed in the interior volume of the electronic device 100 to emit acoustic energy from the electronic device 100. The housing 102 may also define other openings or apertures that may allow components of the electronic device 100 to communicate with or receive information from the surrounding environment. For example, the housing 102 may define an aperture that may receive a camera or imaging module 109.

FIG. 1C shows a cross-sectional view of electronic device 100 taken along the lines indicated in the figure. As can be seen, fig. 1C illustrates the housing 102 of the electronic device 100 and various internal components disposed at least partially within the interior volume defined by the housing 102. In addition to components such as processors, memory, power sources, and/or batteries, electronic device 100 may also include components that may provide electronic device 100 with a desired level of performance and functionality. In some examples, the electronic device 100 may include a first speaker assembly 110A and a second speaker assembly 110B, as further described herein. Device 100 may also include one or more wireless antennas, for example, to wirelessly transmit information between device 100 and one or more other devices. In some examples, the device may include at least a first antenna assembly 112, a second antenna assembly 120, and a third antenna assembly 121. Electronic device 100 may also include one or more input components, such as input component 106, which may also serve as a biometric component, as described herein.

In some examples, the antenna assembly may include one or more electrical grounding features or components, as further described herein. For example, the second antenna assembly 120 may include features or components that may ground at least a portion of the second antenna assembly 120 to the housing 102. These components and features are described with respect to fig. 5A and 5B below. In some examples, the second antenna assembly 120 may also include one or more features, such as spring fingers 123 that may provide electrical coupling to one or more other components of the device 100, for example to provide a ground to the one or more other components. In some examples, the second antenna assembly 120 may include a spring finger 123 that may be electrically coupled with a display assembly that may cover the second antenna assembly 120, as described herein. In some examples, the spring fingers 123 may make electrical contact with a surface of the display assembly, such as a surface of the display assembly that at least partially defines an interior volume of the device 100. In some examples, the spring fingers 123 may be soldered to the second antenna assembly 120, connected by Surface Mount Technology (SMT), or coupled using any other technique, as desired.

In some examples, the third antenna assembly 121 may include some or all of the electrical grounding features or components of any antenna assembly described herein (including the second antenna assembly 120). In some examples, the third antenna assembly 121 may include a spring finger 125 that may provide electrical coupling to one or more other components of the device 100, e.g., to provide a ground to the one or more other components. In some examples, the second antenna assembly 120 may include a spring finger 123 that may be electrically coupled with a display assembly that may cover the second antenna assembly 120, as described herein. In some examples, the spring fingers 123 may make electrical contact with a surface of the display assembly, such as a surface of the display assembly that at least partially defines an interior volume of the device 100. In some examples, the third antenna assembly 121 may include one or more features, such as a ground plate or tab, that may be electrically coupled with the housing 102, e.g., as described with respect to fig. 4B.

Any number or variety of components in any of the configurations described herein may be included in an electronic device. The components may include any combination of the features described herein, and may be arranged in any of the various configurations described herein. The structure and arrangement of the components of the electronic device having a housing with the structure described herein and defining an interior volume, and the concepts related to the engagement features and retention features, are applicable not only to the specific examples discussed herein, but in any combination to any number of embodiments. Various examples of electronic devices that include components having various features in various arrangements, such as wireless antennas, will be described below with reference to fig. 2-7B.

Modern electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and the like typically incorporate wireless communication hardware (e.g., antennas and related circuitry). Traditionally, the housing of an electronic device is constructed, at least in part, from a material that serves to be transparent to Radio Frequency (RF) signals. These RF transparent portions may be referred to as RF windows or RF openings. These materials are typically less rigid than other RF opaque materials and are therefore prone to fracture or cracking in the event of accidental dropping of the electronic device. Furthermore, electronic devices having housings made of plastic or other RF transparent materials are not attractive to consumers in appearance. However, consumers desire that the housing of the electronic device be attractive in appearance and more durable than would be the case if a housing including an RF window could be provided. One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a housing section coupled with an antenna circuit to function as an antenna. A non-limiting example of a housing configured to act as an antenna is described in U.S. patent application publication 2020/0073445, published 3-5-2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Fig. 2 shows an electronic device 200 according to an example. The electronic device 200 includes a cover 204, a display 206, and a housing 208. The cover 204 may be at least partially transparent and define an input surface of the electronic device 200 by including touch sensors and/or force sensors. The display 206 may be at least partially covered by the cover 204 and define an output area in which graphical output is presented to a user via a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), or any other suitable component or display technology. The cover 204 and the display 206 may be positioned within a housing 208.

The housing 208 may include a molded element 210 positioned within a gap, space, slot, or other area between portions of the housing section 212. The housing section 212 may define portions of an exterior surface of the electronic device 200, such as portions of the side and back walls of the housing 208. The shell section 212 may include an electrically conductive material, such as a metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, amorphous alloys, magnesium, or other metals or alloys), carbon fiber, and the like. The molding element 210 may be formed of or include a substantially non-conductive material or an electrically insulative material. Thus, the housing sections 212 between the molded elements 210 may act as antennas for the electronic device 200. Further details of the housing will be provided below with reference to fig. 3A-3C.

Fig. 3A illustrates a partial view of a housing 208 according to one example. The housing 208 of fig. 3A shows a molded element 210 extending along the length of a housing section 212. The housing section 212 may be electrically coupled to antenna circuitry (not shown) to form an antenna. For example, the antenna circuit may be connected to the housing section 212 at a first connection point 214 and a second connection point 216. In some cases, first connection point 214 is coupled to electrical ground and second connection point 216 is coupled to an antenna feed (e.g., an electromagnetic signal source that sends wireless signals to housing section 212 and/or circuitry that receives and/or analyzes electromagnetic signals received by housing section 212). A conductive path 218 may be defined between the connection points 214, 216 that corresponds to a conductive path corresponding to an electromagnetic component of a transmitted or received wireless communication signal. FIG. 3B illustrates a close-up perspective view of one region of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 3B shows a partial view of the housing 208 according to another example. The housing 208 of fig. 3B shows a molded element 210 extending along the length of the first housing section 212 and the second housing section 213. The housing sections 212, 213 may be separate and electrically isolated from each other. In some examples, the molding element 210 may engage the first and second housing sections 212, 213 with one another while maintaining electrical isolation of the housing sections 212, 213. One or both of the housing sections 212, 213 may be connected to antenna circuitry, as described herein. In addition, the molding element 210 may interlock with recesses, holes, protrusions, and/or other features of the housing sections 212, 213 to mechanically engage the housing sections 212, 213 with one another.

In some examples, the electrically isolated structure of the housing sections 212, 213 may allow antennas electrically coupled to those sections 212, 213 to operate over a wider frequency band than antennas connected to a single piece housing structure. In some examples, one or more electrical components may be used to electrically couple the first housing section 212 to the second housing section 213 at one or more desired locations. In some examples, the one or more electrical components may have substantially any combination of resistance, capacitance, and/or inductance as desired, and may be selected to optimize antenna performance and/or bandwidth. In some examples, one or more electrical components that electrically connect the first housing section 212 to the second housing section 213 can act as an electrical short at low frequency bands while acting as an electrical open at high frequency bands, allowing the low and high band antennas to be coupled to one or more of the same housing sections 212, 213 while still having different antenna path lengths and/or different resonant frequencies, as desired. In some examples, one or more electrical components that electrically connect the first housing section 212 to the second housing section 213 may have a first resistance, capacitance, and/or inductance value for a first frequency band range and a second, different resistance, capacitance, and/or inductance value for a second, different frequency band range.

In some examples, as shown in fig. 3B, one or more regions or portions of the housing sections 212, 213 adjacent or neighboring the molded section 210 may be recessed or depressed relative to other portions of the housing sections 212, 213. Fig. 3C shows the same area of the housing 208 shown in fig. 3B, including a structural member 215 coupled to the first housing section 212 and the second housing section 213. In some examples, the structural member 215 may be sized and shaped to correspond to the recesses or recessed portions of the first and second housing sections 212, 213. In some examples, the structural component 215 may include an electrically insulating material, such as a polymer material, a ceramic material, and/or a polymer and ceramic composite. In this way, the structural member 215 may mechanically engage, retain, or assist in retaining the first housing section 212 to the second housing section 213 without electrically coupling the housing sections 212, 213 to one another through the structural member 215. In some examples, the structural member 215 may be coupled to the housing sections 212, 213 by any desired technique, including fasteners, screws, adhesives, or combinations thereof. Although shown with respect to a single corner or portion of the housing 208, in some examples, any number and location of regions of the housing 208 may include electrically isolated sections that may be engaged by the molded section 210 and/or the structural element 215. Additional details of the electronic device will be provided below with reference to fig. 4A-4B.

FIG. 4A illustrates a close-up view of an upper right region of an electronic device that may be substantially similar to the electronic device shown in FIG. 1C and that may include some or all of the features of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1C. The device may include ground plates 220 and 221 that may be electrically coupled to one or more electrical components of the electronic device and the housing 212. As shown, the ground plates 220, 221 may also be coupled to the housing section 212 at one or more tabs 222.

Fig. 4B shows a close-up perspective view of the ground plate 220, including a first connection point (similar to the first connection point 214 coupled to ground in fig. 3A). In fig. 4B, the first connection point is represented as a ground plate 220 having first and second tabs 222, 224 that interface with the housing section 212 to ground the housing section 212. The first tab 222 of the ground plate 220 may extend perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly from the ground plate 220. The first tab 222 may interface with or otherwise be coupled with an insert 226 positioned at least partially within a recess 228 formed by the housing section 212. . The insert 226 may be attached to the housing section 212, for example, by laser welding or another coupling process that provides sufficient electrical conductivity between the housing section 212 and the insert 226.

The insert 226 may include an electrically conductive material, such as a metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, amorphous alloys, magnesium, or other metals or alloys), or have a metal plating attached to an outer surface of the insert 226. The insert 226 may be received within a recess 228 of the housing section 212 such that the insert 226 is flush with the housing section 212 (i.e., the insert 226 does not protrude from the housing section 212). For example, the insert 226 may include a flat top surface that defines an overhang or flange that contacts a recess 228 within the housing section 212. The insert 226 may also include threaded holes 230 (see fig. 5A, a cross-sectional view at the location indicated in fig. 1C) that receive fasteners.

In some examples, using the insert 226 to allow the ground plate 220 to be electrically connected to a component or portion of the device (such as the housing section 212) may allow the ground location to be selected independently of other structural features or considerations of the housing section 212. Thus, the length of the path to be grounded may be highly controlled as desired, and may be selected to optimize the efficiency and/or performance of one or more components (such as an antenna). In some examples, the location and/or design of one or more ground-contacting components (such as insert 226) may allow the location of the components to be selected to provide more robust contact with other components (such as a display module that may cover insert 226).

The second tab 224 may extend from the ground plate 220 at an angle between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees, such as about 45 degrees, and may be directly coupled to the housing section 212 (i.e., coupled to the housing section 212 without utilizing the insert 226). As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the first and second tabs 222, 224 may be coupled to the housing 208, for example, by fasteners 232. In some examples, each fastener 232 may extend through a respective aperture 234, 236 in the first and second tabs 222, 224 to retain the first and second tabs 222, 224 to the housing section 212. As described herein, the insert 226 may define a threaded bore 230 to receive and retain a fastener 232. Thus, the first tab 222 may be retained to the insert 226 between the insert 226 and the head of the fastener 232. The housing section 212 may define a threaded angled bore 238 to receive and retain the fastener 232 extending through the second tab 224. For example, an angled hole 238 may be threaded along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the second tab 224.

As shown in fig. 5B, a cross-sectional view at the location indicated in fig. 1C, the threaded angled bore 238 occupies a significant portion of the housing section 212. Thus, additional features such as channels, through holes, slots, etc. cannot extend along the housing section 212 where the second tab 224 is attached. However, the insert 226 provides a coupling mechanism that does not occupy a significant portion of the housing section 212. As shown in fig. 5A, the insert 226 allows for a hole, channel, slot, etc. to be formed in the housing section 212 in which the first tab 222 is attached. For example, an aperture 240 for an audio output device (e.g., a speaker, see speaker cover 242) may be formed within the housing section 212. Furthermore, the use of the insert 226 to couple the housing section 212 to the first tab 222 requires less space within the housing 212 because the first tab 222 extends perpendicular to the ground plate 220 and is therefore positioned closer to the housing section 212 than the non-perpendicular second tab 224. Thus, the first tab 222 occupies less space within the housing 208 and thus provides additional space within the housing 208 for other components of the electronic device 200. Since the space within the housing 208 is limited, freeing up additional space via the first tab 222 and the insert 226 provides significant design and performance advantages.

Fig. 6A shows an example of a second connection point (coupled to the antenna feed 218). The second connection point may include an insert 226 electrically and/or mechanically coupled to the housing section 212. In some examples, the insert 226 may be attached to the housing section 212 via laser welding or another process that provides electrical conductivity between the insert 226 and the housing section 212. In some examples, one or more components or portions of the antenna feed 218 may then be electrically coupled to the housing section 212 and/or other components of the device in order to provide electrical ground and allow these features to act as the radiating body of the antenna. For example, the antenna feed 218 may include a ground portion or ground braid 217, a non-conductive coating 216, and a conductive core 215. The non-conductive coating 216 may provide electrical insulation between the ground portion 217 and the conductive core 215, e.g., to electrically isolate these portions from each other. In some examples, the ground portion 217 may be electrically coupled to the housing 212 at a first location or portion that may be electrically isolated from a second location or portion to which the conductive core 215 is electrically coupled. In some examples, the configuration may allow one or both of these portions of the housing section and the component in electrical communication therewith to act as a radiating component of the antenna.

As can be seen, the member 304 can include a first portion or cradle 306 that can be in electrical communication with both the ground braid 217 and a portion of the housing 212. For example, the first bracket 306 may define one or more apertures, and the fastener 314 may extend through the apertures to electrically and mechanically couple the first bracket 306 to the housing 212. The second portion or cradle 308 may be in electrical communication with the first cradle 306 and may be electrically and mechanically coupled thereto. For example, the second bracket 308 may define one or more apertures that align with one or more apertures defined by the first bracket 306. A fastener, such as fastener 312, may extend through the apertures defined by the first and second brackets 306, 308 and may be received by the housing 212 to electrically and/or mechanically couple the brackets thereto.

In some examples, one or more surfaces of second bracket 308 may include a non-conductive coating and/or an insulating coating 310 to prevent undesired electrical contact between second bracket 308 and other components of the apparatus. In some examples, the second bracket 308 may also be electrically coupled with one or more components of the device as needed to electrically couple the ground braid 217 with those components. For example, the electronic device may include a display assembly that may cover the second bracket 308, as described herein. The second bracket 308 may be electrically coupled to or in contact with a surface of a display assembly (not shown). In some examples, the second bracket 308 may be in electrical contact with a surface of the display assembly that at least partially defines an interior volume of the device. In this way, some or all of the display components may define an antenna volume of the antenna.

In some examples, the conductive core 215 may be electrically coupled to another portion of the housing 212, e.g., through the insert 226, as described herein. In some examples, the member or tab 302 may be electrically and/or mechanically coupled to the insert 226 and the conductive core 215. In some examples, the tab 302 may define a hole and may be coupled to the insert 226 using a fastener (such as a screw 232) that passes through the hole and is retained by the insert 226. The tab 302 may also include a curled portion 303 that may mechanically retain the non-conductive coating 216 and the conductive core 215 in a desired position relative to the tab 302. In some examples, the conductive core 215 may be electrically coupled to the tab 302 and may be soldered, welded, soldered, or otherwise mechanically coupled to the tab 302. By electrically coupling the conductive core 215 to the insert 226, the portion of the housing 212 electrically coupled to the insert 226 may act as a radiating element of the antenna, including the antenna feed 218.

In some examples, one or more portions of the component 304 may include an electrically conductive material (e.g., aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, amorphous alloys, magnesium, or other metals or alloys) or otherwise have a metal plating attached to its outer surface. For example, the component 304 may comprise stainless steel with a conductive plating of nickel and/or gold thereon. The component 304 may be attached anywhere within the housing 212 to support wires, feeds, conductive paths, or other components of the electronic device 200.

Fig. 6B shows an example of a connection point similar to that shown in fig. 6A and coupled to the antenna feed 218. The connection point shown in fig. 6B may be substantially similar to the connection point shown in fig. 6A and may include some or all of the features of the connection point shown in fig. 6A. For example, the connection point may include a first bracket 306, a second bracket 308, a first bracket 306, and a second bracket 308 that may be similar to the antenna feed 218 described with respect to fig. 6A. In some examples, the connection point may include an integrated insert 316. In some examples, the integrated insert 316 may be attached to the housing segment 212 via laser welding or another process that provides electrical conductivity between the insert 316 and the housing segment 212. By connecting conductive path 218 directly to interposer 316 without a flexible connector, controller, or other component disposed therebetween, signal loss between conductive path 218 and interposer 316 may be significantly reduced, thereby enhancing antenna performance in addition to saving space within the electronic device. In some examples, the conductive core 215 and the insulating layer 216 may be held in place relative to the insert 316 by the crimped portion 303. In some examples, the conductive core 215 may be electrically coupled to the conductive contact portion 305 of the insert 316. In some examples, the conductive core 215 may be soldered, welded, or otherwise electrically coupled to the insert 316. By connecting conductive path 218 directly to interposer 316 without a flexible connector, controller, or other component disposed therebetween, signal loss between conductive path 218 and interposer 316 may be significantly reduced, thereby enhancing antenna performance in addition to saving space within the electronic device.

The functionality of modern electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, etc., is increasingly expanded to include high performance speakers, cameras, wireless communication hardware, etc. As a result, the space within the housing of modern electronic devices is quickly depleted by many of the components that provide the functionality. Some components may require a particular location within the electronic device to perform adequately. For example, the placement of the speaker within the housing can affect the quality of the audio emitted from the device. The antenna also requires specific placement within the housing to adequately transmit and receive wireless signals. In some cases, the antenna volume required to operate the antenna satisfactorily may prevent the speaker from being placed at an optimal position relative to the user. One aspect of the present disclosure incorporates a ground layer (such as copper tape) over at least a portion of an audio output device (e.g., speaker) to ground the audio output device to the antenna volume. Thus, the speaker may be at least partially incorporated within the antenna volume.

Fig. 7A shows a partial cross-sectional view of the second antenna volume 406 at a location such as indicated in fig. 1C. As shown in fig. 7A, the radiating element 410 occupies a major portion of the second antenna volume 406. Radiating member 406 may be coupled to housing 402 and antenna circuitry (not shown). Fig. 7B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the first antenna volume 404 having an audio output device 408 positioned between portions of the radiating member 412. To at least partially overcome this problem inherent in placing the audio output device 408 within the first antenna volume 404, at least a portion of the audio output device 408 may be electrically grounded to the radiating member 412. For example, coupling layer 414 may be applied over radiating portion 412 and at least a portion of audio output device 408. In some examples, coupling layer 414 may be a copper tape or other conductive material that electrically grounds a portion of audio output device 408 to radiating element 412. The coupling layer 414 may be applied such that the periphery of the audio output component 408 is covered by the coupling layer 414.

Fig. 7B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the first antenna volume 404 at a location indicated, for example, in fig. 1C, having at least a portion of the audio output device 408 coupled to the radiating component 412 via the coupling layer 414. More specifically, an audio output housing 416 supporting audio output device 408 is electrically coupled to radiating member 412 via coupling layer 414. Thus, a portion of the audio output device 408 may also serve as an active antenna volume within the first antenna volume 404.

Fig. 7A and 7B illustrate an electronic device including a housing 402, a first antenna volume 404, and a second antenna volume 406, according to an example. The first antenna volume 404 may include an audio output device (speaker) 408 positioned within the first antenna volume 404. In this particular example, the second antenna volume 406 does not include a speaker positioned therein. The antenna volume is the actual volume within the housing 402 of the electronic device 400 that is occupied by the radiating components of the antenna. The size or volume of the antenna volume directly affects the function or performance of the antenna. Thus, components within the antenna volume, such as a speaker, may affect the performance and/or functionality of the antenna.

Any number or variety of components in any of the configurations described herein may be included in an electronic device. The components may include any combination of the features described herein, and may be arranged in any of the various configurations described herein. The structure and arrangement of the components of the electronic device having a housing with the structure described herein and defining an interior volume, and the concepts related to the engagement features and retention features, are applicable not only to the particular examples discussed herein, but to any number of examples in any combination. Various examples of electronic devices that include components having various features in various arrangements, such as speaker assemblies, will be described below with reference to fig. 8-12.

Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional side view of the speaker housing 524 coupled to a surface of the enclosure 504. The speaker housing 524 may be substantially similar to the speaker housings described herein and may include some or all of the features of the speaker housings described herein. The speaker housing 524 may be plastic. In some examples, a speaker module (not shown in fig. 8) is positioned in a volume 526 defined by the speaker housing 524 to form the speaker assembly 510. The volume 526 may serve as a back volume for the speaker assembly 510. In some examples, the speaker housing 524 may be a five-sided box with an open side or large aperture. An adhesive element, film, layer or material 556, such as a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA), may be configured to adhere the speaker housing 524 to the enclosure 504. The adhesive element 556 may also be configured to form a seal between the speaker housing 524 and the enclosure 504.

In some examples, a sheet of fabric or similar woven structure, a rubber sheet (or a sheet of any other polymeric material), or a combination thereof may be configured to cover or close the open end of the five-sided box 524. The speaker housing 524 may be secured to an inner surface 552 of the enclosure 504 such that a sealing membrane 556 is positioned between the speaker housing 524 and the enclosure 504. In some examples, the membrane may be secured over the aperture of the speaker enclosure 524 prior to securing the speaker enclosure 524 to the enclosure 504. In this way, the manufacturing process of the electronic device may be improved by ensuring a properly sealed volume within the speaker enclosure 524 prior to securing the speaker enclosure 524 to the housing 104. Further details of the speaker assembly will be discussed below with reference to fig. 9A-9E.

Fig. 9A shows an enlarged front view of the electronic device 100, and fig. 9B shows a cross-sectional side view of the electronic device 100 taken from cross-section 9B-9B shown in fig. 9A. Further, fig. 9C shows an exploded perspective view of the speaker assembly 610A.

Referring to fig. 9A-9E, the speaker assembly 610A may be positioned in an upper region or "forehead" of the electronic device 100. The speaker assembly 610A may include a speaker housing 624. The speaker housing 624 may be substantially similar to the speaker housings described herein and may include some or all of the features of the speaker housings described herein. In some examples, the speaker housing 624 may be attached to an inner surface of the enclosure 104. The speaker housing 624 may include a variable amount of sides or areas. In other words, the speaker volume that houses the speaker components and forms the rear volume may be defined not only by the speaker enclosure 624, but also by one or more walls or regions of the enclosure 104, such as the rear wall of the enclosure 104 (i.e., opposite the display).

As best shown in fig. 9B and 9C, speaker assembly 610A may include a moving mass 614, such as a diaphragm, a driver frame 618, a magnet assembly 622, a speaker housing 624, wiring 638, acoustic damping foam 630, an adhesive member 642, such as a sealing PSA, and an adhesive 646 for the driver. The foam 630 may be positioned, sized, and optimized to provide damping to the speaker assembly 610. That is, the foam 630 may reduce the amount of partial movement or resonance of the speaker assembly 610 after the acoustic signal is no longer generated. By strategically placing the foam 630, the stereo quality of the speaker assembly 610A may be improved.

In some examples, the speaker housing 624 in combination with the moving mass or diaphragm 614 may form a five-sided box with open sides defining an aperture. As can be seen in fig. 9C, the speaker housing 624 may define an opening in which the diaphragm 614 resides. As used herein, the term "pentapod" refers to any generally three-dimensional housing, such as a cuboid-shaped housing, that partially defines a volume, but includes an aperture so as not to completely enclose the volume. The five-sided speaker housing 624 may have any shape and is not limited to a square or rectangular shape. The speaker housing 624 may then be secured on the rear interior surface of the housing 104 using the PSA 642 such that the interior surface covers or closes the open side of the speaker housing 624 to form an enclosed speaker volume. The advantage of using a five-sided box is that the height of the speaker enclosure is reduced, appearing as the walls of the enclosure 104 acting as the sides of the speaker enclosure. It may be desirable to increase the back volume of the speaker assembly to achieve a desired level of performance while reducing the amount of space occupied by the speaker assembly within the interior volume of the electronic device. This can be achieved by using a five-sided loudspeaker enclosure.

Fig. 9D illustrates a top view of the speaker assembly 610A shown in fig. 9A including a compressible material in the form of a compressible portion or member 631 positioned on top of the speaker housing 624 of the speaker assembly 610A. Although the speaker assembly 610A may have any location within the electronic device as described herein, in some examples, the speaker assembly 610A may be positioned adjacent or proximate to one or more edges of the device, as shown in fig. 9D. In some examples, it may be desirable to direct sound produced by the speaker assembly 610A in one or more directions, such as toward an edge of the device, where a port or opening may be present to allow sound to emanate from the device. In the example shown in FIG. 9D, it may be desirable to direct the sound produced by moving the diaphragm 614 toward the edge of the device positioned at the top of the page. Accordingly, the compressible portion 631 can be positioned on a top surface of the housing 624 to direct sound and/or audio signals generated by the speaker assembly 610A in one or more desired directions. In some examples, compressible portion 631 may include any desired compressible and/or resilient material, such as foam, including polymer foam. In some examples, the compressible portion 631 may include one or more separate portions or a single continuous portion. In some examples, the compressible portion 631 may at least partially surround an aperture in which a speaker module including a diaphragm may be disposed. In some examples, the compressible portion 631 may surround at least one side, at least two sides, or at least three sides of the aperture.

Fig. 9E illustrates a top view of the speaker assembly 610A shown in fig. 9A, including the foam portion 631 disposed on the outer surface of the speaker assembly 610A and its position relative to other components of the speaker assembly 610A. Foam portion 631 may be positioned and/or sized differently than foam portion 631 shown in figure 9D. For example, certain foam portions 631 of figure 9E may be larger or smaller than the corresponding foam 631 shown in figure 9D to accommodate or make room for other components in the device while still providing the same or similar sound directing functionality. In some examples, the foam 631 shown in fig. 9D and 9E may reduce air pressure imbalances that may occur when driving a speaker without the presence of the foam 631. In some examples, such reduction in pressure imbalance may reduce the incidence of sway of the speaker assembly 610A and may result in improved sound quality and increased efficiency, particularly for low frequency sounds. Additionally, the presence of foam 631 on the top of the speaker enclosure may prevent accidental and/or undesired contact between the diaphragm of the speaker assembly 610 and any components of the device that may be disposed over the speaker assembly 610A, such as the display assembly. Further details of the speaker assembly will be provided below with reference to fig. 10A-12.

FIG. 10A shows an enlarged front view of a lower region or chin of electronic device 100, and FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional side view of electronic device 100 taken from cross-section 10B-10B shown in FIG. 10A. Further, fig. 11A shows an exploded view of the speaker assembly 710B. As best shown in fig. 11A, the speaker assembly 710B may include a moving mass 714 such as a diaphragm, a driver frame 718, a magnet assembly or driver 722, a speaker housing 724, wiring 738, an air pressure vent 728, acoustic damping and/or guiding foam 730, a passive radiator 726, an adhesive element 742 such as a sealing PSA, and an adhesive 746 of the driver.

Speaker assembly 710B may be substantially similar to speaker assembly 610A described herein and may include some or all of the features of the speaker assemblies described herein. However, due to space limitations in the bottom of the device 100, the speaker assembly 710B may be smaller than the speaker assembly 610A. Accordingly, the speaker assembly 710B may include a passive radiator 726 to amplify the sound and create a more balanced experience for the user. The speaker assembly 710B may include a speaker housing 724. In some examples, the speaker housing 724 may be attached to an inner surface of the enclosure 104, for example, using a PSA 742. The speaker housing 724 may include a variable amount of sides or area. In other words, the speaker volume may be defined not only by the speaker enclosure 724, but also by one or more walls or regions of the enclosure 104, such as a back wall of the enclosure 104 (i.e., opposite the display). The speaker housing 724 may define an opening in which the moving mass or diaphragm 714 resides. In some examples, the speaker housing 724 in combination with the diaphragm 714 may be a five-sided box having open sides defining an aperture. The speaker housing 724 may then be positioned on the rear interior surface of the enclosure 104 such that the interior surface covers or closes the open side of the speaker housing 724 to form an enclosed speaker volume.

Fig. 11B illustrates a top view of a speaker assembly 710B similar to that shown in fig. 11A, including a foam portion 731 disposed on a surface of a speaker housing of the speaker assembly 710B. Although the speaker assembly 710B may be positioned at any location within an electronic device as described herein, in some examples, the speaker assembly 710B may be positioned adjacent or proximate to one or more edges of the device. In some examples, it may be desirable to direct sound produced by the speaker assembly 710B in one or more directions, such as toward an edge of the device, where there may be ports or openings to allow sound to emanate from the device and away from the edge and into the interior volume of the device. Accordingly, foam 731 may be positioned in housing 724 to direct sound and/or audio signals produced by speaker assembly 710B in two or more desired directions.

Fig. 12A illustrates a top view of a portion of a speaker assembly 810, which may be substantially similar to speaker assemblies described herein (such as speaker assemblies 610A and 710B) and may include some or all of the features of the speaker assemblies described herein. As with other speaker assemblies described herein, the speaker assembly 810 may include a moving mass 814 (such as a diaphragm) that may be coupled to the frame 818 and may be driven by a magnet assembly or driver disposed below the diaphragm 814.

Fig. 12B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the speaker assembly 810 of fig. 12A taken along the line indicated in fig. 12A. As can be seen, the speaker assembly 810 can include a driver 822 disposed below the diaphragm 814 in a volume defined at least in part by the frame 818. In some examples, septum 814 can be a relatively flexible and compliant material, such as rubber and/or a polymer material. Further, in some examples, a single speaker assembly 810 may be used to produce high and low frequency sounds, thereby eliminating the need for separate woofer and tweeter modules and saving space within the interior volume of the electronic device. However, in some examples, the flexibility of the diaphragm 814 that allows for the desired quality of low frequency sound output may be too flexible to achieve the desired quality of high frequency sound output. Thus, in some examples, septum 814 may define a non-planar structure or feature, such as recess 815 as shown in fig. 12B.

Figure 12C illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the speaker assembly of figure 12A taken perpendicular to the cross-sectional view illustrated in figure 12B. While the septum 814 may define a single recess 815 along the axis shown in fig. 12B, the septum 814 may also define a plurality of recesses 815 spaced along the length or width of the septum 814. In some examples, adjacent recesses 815 may define ridges or raised portions 816, and the septum 814 may define one or more ridges 816, as desired. In some examples, the septum 814 may define between 1 and 50 ridges, between 1 and 25 ridges, between 5 and 20 ridges, or between 5 and 15 ridges, for example, about 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 ridges. The recesses 815 and/or ridges 816 defined by the diaphragm 814 may be used to increase the stiffness of the diaphragm 814 over one or more desired frequency ranges. Thus, the diaphragm 814 may comprise a flexible material having a flexibility that may provide a desired quality of sound at low frequencies, while the recesses 815 and/or ridges 816 defined by the diaphragm 814 may serve to stiffen the diaphragm 814 and allow a desired level of sound quality for high frequency sound output. More details regarding the speaker assembly of the electronic device are provided with respect to fig. 13A and 13B.

Fig. 13A illustrates a front view of the passive radiator 926 shown in fig. 11A. The passive radiator 926 may include a high tension, low elongation mesh 929 (such as a saiti mesh) adhered using PSA, and a stainless steel etched plate 931. To improve the performance of the speaker assembly 710B in the chin, a passive radiator 926 can be positioned in the rear volume to amplify the speaker assembly 710B. Because the speaker assembly 710B has a smaller speaker volume than the speaker assembly 610A due to space limitations near the bottom of the device, the speaker assembly 710B may incorporate the passive radiator 926 to supplement the performance of the speaker assembly 710B to better match and balance the speaker assembly 610A.

Fig. 13B shows an exploded view of the passive radiator 926 of fig. 13A, including a saiti mesh 929, a perforated stainless steel plate 931, and a speaker housing 940. As can be seen, the plate 931 may define one or more holes or apertures 932. In some examples, the holes 932 may be separate from the perforations of the mesh, but in some other examples, the holes may be perforations of the mesh. The apertures 932 may be positioned near the corners and/or edges of the plate 931, as desired. In some examples, the aperture 932 may be aligned with one or more posts or struts 942, 944, 946, 948 that may be positioned in a volume 941 at least partially defined by the housing 940. In some examples, the struts 942, 944, 946, 948 may be positioned at least partially in or through the aperture or opening 932 and the plate 931 may be heat welded to the housing 940 to hold it in a desired position during assembly. Thus, in some examples, the speaker housing may include a polymer material that may be selectively melted and/or deformed to form a structure that cannot pass back through the opening 932 once the struts 942, 944, 946, 948 have passed through the opening 932, thereby securing the plate 931 to the housing 940. Although shown at only a single location of a housing of a speaker assembly, such as assembly 710B, the speaker assemblies described herein may include any number of passive radiators in any desired configuration. In some examples, the speaker assembly may include two passive radiators positioned on opposite sides of the speaker driver. This configuration may increase the balance of the speaker assembly, thereby reducing wobble and improving sound quality.

Any number or variety of components in any of the configurations described herein may be included in an electronic device. The components may include any combination of the features described herein, and may be arranged in any of the various configurations described herein. The structure and arrangement of the components of the electronic device having a housing with the structure described herein and defining an interior volume, and the concepts related to the engagement features and retention features, are applicable not only to the particular examples discussed herein, but to any number of examples in any combination. Various examples of electronic devices including components (such as antennas) having various features in various arrangements will be described below with reference to fig. 14A to 16.

Fig. 14A illustrates an enlarged front view of an upper region of an electronic device that may be substantially similar to the electronic devices described herein (such as electronic device 100) and that may include some or all of the features of the electronic devices described herein. This upper region may be referred to as the "forehead" of the electronic device and may include a housing 1012 that may at least partially define an interior volume of the device and one or more speaker assemblies 1010, as described herein. The forehead region may also include one or more antennas, such as antenna modules 1020, 1022, and 1024. In some examples, any of these antenna modules 1020, 1022, 1024 may radiate at one or more desired frequencies, such as WI-FI frequencies and/or cellular, LTE, and 5G frequencies. In some examples, antenna module 1020 may operate at 2.4GHz, antenna module 1022 may operate at 5GHz, and antenna module 1024 may be a dual-band antenna operating at 2.5GHz and 5 GHz.

In some examples, housing 1012 may include a relatively electromagnetically opaque material, such as a metal. Thus, the antenna module may not be able to radiate outward from the rear of the housing 1012, but will radiate in a substantially upward direction, e.g., extending out of the page of fig. 14A. In some examples, as shown in fig. 1A, a display or top module (not shown) may be disposed above the antenna modules 1020, 1022, 1024. In some examples, the antenna module 1020 may be coupled to a component 1021 that may at least partially define a cavity of the antenna module 1020. In some examples, the member 1021 may comprise a metallic material, for example in the form of a plate or sheet. Thus, in some examples, the antenna module 1020 and the component 1021 may comprise a parallel plate antenna. Although the component 1021 may be positioned near the antenna module 1020, in some examples, other components in electrical communication with other antenna modules 1022, 1024 may not be positioned adjacent to the antenna module.

In some examples, component 1026 may be coupled to antenna module 1022 to form a parallel plate antenna, and component 1025 may be coupled to antenna module 1024 to form a parallel plate antenna. Additionally, the antenna modules 1020, 1022, 1024 and/or components 1021, 1025, 1026 may be electrically grounded to one or more other components of the device to tune the antenna and achieve a desired level of antenna performance.

Further, because the antennas described herein may be parallel plate antennas, the presence of other components of the device (such as a display or top module) may have capacitance values that may affect the tuning of the antenna. Thus, as shown in fig. 14B, conductive components may be added at desired locations to compensate for the capacitance of the components of the device. For example, the conductive tape 1030 may be positioned as shown and may be electrically connected to one or more components of the device (such as the housing 1012) to compensate for the capacitance of the top module on the parallel plate antenna described herein. Further details regarding the antenna components will be described with respect to fig. 15A-15E.

Fig. 15A illustrates a close-up view of several components of a forehead region of an electronic device, such as that shown in fig. 14A. As described herein, the apparatus may include one or more antenna modules 1120, 1122 that may be single-band modules or multi-band modules. In some examples, antenna module 1020 may operate at 2.4GHz and antenna module 1022 may operate at 5 GHz. One or both of the antenna modules 1120, 1122 may be electrically coupled to the antenna resonating structure 1130. The structure may comprise a metallic material, for example in the form of a metal sheet. In some examples, the resonant structure may comprise a first material coated with a metal of a second, greater conductivity, such as copper coated steel or plastic. The antenna resonating structure 1130 may be in electrical communication with one or both antenna modules 1120, 1122, for example, by a flexible electrical connector that may be soldered, SMT connected, or otherwise connected to the antenna resonating structure 1130.

Typically, the circuitry comprising the antenna circuit is electrically isolated or shielded from other components of the device in order to prevent or reduce any effect these components may have on the resonant frequency and/or performance of the antenna circuit. However, due to the relatively compact geometry of the devices described herein, it may be desirable to tune antenna performance to accommodate components that may provide additional functionality to the device and may not be shielded or completely electrically isolated from the antenna circuitry. Thus, in some examples, the electronic device may include a component, such as a shunt 1132, that may be positioned near the antenna resonating structure 1130. In some examples, the component may serve substantially any desired function and may be an operational component and/or a passive component. In some examples, the shunt 1132 may include a conductive material, such as a metal. In a certain example, the shunt 1132 may include a ferrous material, such as steel. In some examples, shunt 1132 may be part of the accessory sensing circuit and/or the accessory sensing component. In some examples, the shunt 1132 may be part of a circuit for sensing a magnetically attachable accessory (such as a keyboard, a case, or another accessory). That is, in some examples, the shunt 1132 and/or circuitry comprising the shunt 1132 may be used to detect the presence of an accessory at a desired location adjacent to the device. For example, the shunt 1132 and/or the circuitry comprising the shunt 1132 may detect the presence of an accessory adjacent to an external surface of the device at a location opposite the shunt 1132. In some examples, the shunt 1132 may capacitively couple with the antenna circuit during operation, and the performance and/or resonant frequency of the antenna modules 1120, 1122 may be tuned to accommodate the effects of one or more components (such as the shunt 1132). Further details regarding antenna tuning will be discussed below with reference to fig. 15C-15E.

Fig. 15C shows a close-up view of housing 1112 of the area of the device shown in fig. 15A. In some examples, as shown in fig. 3B, the housing 1112 can define a recess or recess region, and the dielectric member 1132 can be disposed in the recess to facilitate coupling portions of the housing 1112 to one another. However, in some examples, the dielectric member may not provide any mechanical coupling or support. In some examples, the dielectric element 1132 may include one or more dielectric materials, such as one or more polymers, ceramics, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the dielectric component 1132 may include a polymer-ceramic composite material. In some examples, the dielectric component 1132 may include a glass-filled laminated polymer material. In some examples, the dielectric component 1132 may include a ceramic and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite. In some examples, the dielectric member 1132 may have a dielectric constant of about 1 to about 10, or about 2 to about 5, such as about 3.

As shown in fig. 15D, the dielectric element 1132 may be disposed below an antenna resonating structure 1130, which may be coupled to one or more antenna modules 1120, 1122, e.g., as described with respect to fig. 15A and 15B. The resonant structure 1130 acts as one plate of a parallel plate antenna structure, as described herein. Thus, the performance of any antenna circuit including the resonant structure 1130 can be tuned by controlling the dielectric constant of any material present between the parallel plates of a parallel plate antenna. Accordingly, the material, size, geometry, and location of the dielectric member 1132 may be selected as desired to improve the performance of the antenna. In some examples, the presence of the dielectric element 1132 described herein may improve the efficiency of an antenna including the resonant structure 1130 for frequencies between about 5500MHz and about 5900MHz as compared to the same parallel plate antenna that does not include the dielectric element 1132. Additionally, the antenna resonating structure 1130 may be positioned adjacent to and at least partially around the periphery of the speaker assembly 1110, as described herein.

Fig. 15E shows a top view of the region of fig. 15B and 15C, which includes the housing disposed over the antenna resonating structure 1130 and at least some of the speaker assemblies 1110. In some examples, the housing 1140 may be used to electrically isolate the antenna resonating structure 1130 and the speaker assembly 1110 from other components of the device, such as a display module that may be disposed over these components, as described herein.

Fig. 16 illustrates a top view of a region of the forehead adjacent to the region illustrated in fig. 15A-15E. The area of the device shown in fig. 16 may include an antenna module 1225, a housing 1212 that may at least partially define an interior volume of the device, and electrical components 1240. In some examples, electrical components 1240 may be electrically coupled to antenna module 1225 and may be part of an antenna circuit. To provide electrical grounding for the component 1240 and/or antenna circuitry, portions 1241, 1242, 1243 of conductive material may be electrically coupled to the component 1240 and to other portions of the device, such as the housing 1212. In some examples, the portions 1241, 1242, 1243 of conductive material may include conductive adhesive tape. In some examples, the portions 1241, 1242, 1243 of conductive material may provide electrical shorting between various locations of the device to provide a desired antenna path length and to give a wide antenna frequency response as desired.

Any number or variety of components in any of the configurations described herein may be included in an electronic device. The components may include any combination of the features described herein, and may be arranged in any of the various configurations described herein. The structure and arrangement of the components of the electronic device having a housing with the structure described herein and defining an interior volume, and the concepts related to the engagement features and retention features, are applicable not only to the particular examples discussed herein, but to any number of examples in any combination. Various examples of electronic devices including components having various features in various arrangements, such as biometric components, will be described below with reference to fig. 17-19C.

FIG. 17 illustrates a close-up view of an area of an electronic device, such as electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1C. In some examples, electronic device 1300 may include some or all of the features of any electronic device as described herein (such as electronic device 100). In some examples, electronic device 1300 may include biometric input component 1306.

The biometric input component 1306 may be disposed in an opening or aperture formed in the housing 1302. In some examples, the aperture extends through housing 1302 and one or more components of biometric input component 1306 are positioned in the housing. In some examples, housing 1302 defines a recess to hold biometric input device 1306, and may additionally include one or more apertures through which a portion of biometric input component 1306 may extend through housing 1302.

The biometric input component 1306 may include a sensor cover 1312, which may be a dielectric cover surrounded by a conductive frame 1310. The conductive frame 1310 may be a ring of conductive material. Sensor cover 1312 (e.g., a dielectric cover) may define an outer surface of electronic device 1300 that may be in contact with an object, such as a user's finger. When a finger or other body part contacts the outer surface of sensor cover 1312, the skin of the finger may be at least partially flattened over the outer surface, but this is not required. In the event that the skin of a finger is in contact with the outer surface of sensor cover 1312, the sensor under sensor cover 1312 may capture biometric information, such as a fingerprint image. These sensors may be organized into sensor layers, as discussed in more detail below.

In one example, the biometric input component 1306 may be a capacitive fingerprint sensor; the fingerprint sensor may be a sensor layer in a stack of biometric input components. The capacitive fingerprint sensor may comprise an array of capacitive electrodes which may be driven by electrical signals. In some examples, the user's finger may also be in contact with a conductive frame 1310, which may be held at a reference voltage level (such as ground). Other examples may use different types of sensing technologies. For example, ultrasonic, infrared, multispectral, RF, thermal, optical, resistive, and piezoelectric technologies may be used instead of or in addition to capacitive sensing.

In some examples, the biometric input component 1306 may receive additional input. For example, the biometric input component 1306 may use capacitive sensing or similar sensing to sense touch inputs and/or gesture inputs on the sensor cover 1312. Thus, the biometric input device 1306 may be configured to capacitively detect movement of a finger across the sensor cover 1312, such as a swipe along the length of the sensor cover 1312. In response to such gestures, the electronic device 1300 may perform functions such as a change in volume, a change in brightness of the display 569, opening an application, changing another setting of the electronic device 1300, and so forth.

Fingerprints are typically formed by ridges and valleys arranged in a unique pattern. FIG. 18A depicts a graphical illustration of a portion of a fingerprint image. In fig. 18A, the ridge 1460 is indicated by a dotted line. Valleys 1462 are located in the regions between ridges 1460. Typically, the capacitance measured between the ridge 1460 and an electrode in the fingerprint sensor is different from the capacitance measured between the valley 1462 and another electrode in the fingerprint sensor. Rather than capturing a series of images as the user moves his or her finger across the sensor, the elongate fingerprint sensor described herein may capture a single image at a single time that is compared to stored images in order to authenticate the user or otherwise perform a function of the electronic device.

The capacitance measured between a ridge and an electrode in the fingerprint sensor may be greater than the capacitance measured between a valley and another electrode in the fingerprint sensor because the ridge is closer to the electrode. The difference between the measured capacitances can be used to distinguish the ridges and valleys and produce or generate a fingerprint image.

It should be understood that alternative fingerprint sensing technologies may measure fingerprints in different ways, and it should also be understood that these alternative fingerprint sensing technologies may be used or incorporated in the examples described herein. For example, instead of capacitive sensing, ultrasonic, optical, inductive, and/or thermal fingerprint sensing techniques may be used with the various examples described herein.

As used herein, the term "image" or "fingerprint image" includes images and other types of data that may be captured by a fingerprint sensor (which may be a sensor layer) and/or used to represent a fingerprint. By way of example only, a fingerprint sensor may generate a data structure that defines features in a fingerprint. In some examples, multiple images of various portions of a fingerprint may be combined to create a composite image.

For example, a fingerprint image may be considered to be composed of several nodes, where each node represents an area of the fingerprint image. The nodes may typically overlap so that the nodes can be stitched together to form the entire fingerprint image. One or more electrodes in the fingerprint sensor/layer may capture nodes. One or more nodes may be matched with data stored in memory, such as a fingerprint template, to authenticate a user's access rights to features of an electronic device. For example, the nodes captured by the fingerprint sensor may be compared to stored nodes of the fingerprint template, or the captured fingerprint image may be otherwise compared to the stored fingerprint image. Such a comparison may be a comparison of the overall captured image to the overall stored image, a comparison of a node of the captured image to a node of the stored image, a comparison of a hash or other mathematical representation or abstraction of the captured image to a hash or other mathematical representation or abstraction of the stored image, a comparison of a portion of the captured image to a portion of the stored image, and so forth. All the foregoing is covered by the concept of comparing a captured fingerprint image (or captured fingerprint data) with a stored fingerprint image (or stored fingerprint data). While multiple nodes and/or images may be captured to create a fingerprint template, during an authentication operation, a single set of nodes is typically captured by a sensor. Further, the single set of nodes is captured at a single time in one capture operation, rather than across multiple capture operations.

FIG. 18B shows a cross-sectional view of a user's finger 1401 in contact with a biometric input component as described herein. In this example, the biometric input component may be substantially similar to the biometric input components described herein and may include some or all of the features of the biometric input components described herein, including sensor cover 1412 and conductive frame 1402. Ridge 1460 of user's finger 1401 can contact sensor cover 1412 during operation. However, the user's finger 1401 may also contact the frame or trim 1402. In some examples, to maximize the sensing area of the biometric component, the active sensing area disposed below sensor cover 1412 can be disposed adjacent or in close proximity to frame 1402. For example, the active sensing area may be less than about 1mm, less than about 0.75mm, less than about 0.5mm, less than about 0.3mm, or even closer to the frame 1402. In some examples, it may be desirable to seal sensor cover 1412 to frame 1402 in order to prevent the ingress of contaminants or other materials that may affect sensing, such as perspiration.

As shown in fig. 18C, the small distance between the sensing area under cover 1412 and frame 1402 may generate noise in the biometric sensor near that location (here indicated as area 1512). Thus, signals 1510 and 1520 detected by the biometric sensor, which may correspond to ridges and valleys of the user's finger, may be washed out by noise near the edges of the sensor (washed out). In some examples, the biometric input component and/or other components of the electronic device may apply one or more algorithms to the data or signal generated by the biometric input component to normalize the signal near the edge region, effectively flattening the noise in that region, resulting in signals 1510 and 1520, as shown in the lower graph in fig. 18C.

Returning to fig. 17, the biometric input component 1306 may be formed as a compressible button. Accordingly, conductive frame 1310, sensor cover 1312, and other components of the biometric input component may deflect in response to a force on sensor cover 1312 and/or the conductive frame. The biometric input component 1306 may incorporate a pressure sensing component or a force sensing component to register the application of force. For example, an electrical switch may cause an actuation signal to be generated in response to application of sufficient force to the biometric input component 1306.

In response to the actuation signal, the electronic device 1300 may initiate a process. For example, a fingerprint sensor in the biometric input component 1306 may be activated to capture a fingerprint image in response to an actuation signal without requiring the user to move his or her finger, e.g., as a single set of nodes (or other fingerprint data) for a single capture. In other examples, the actuation signal may additionally or alternatively cause another action, such as a software action, a power up or power down of the electronic device 1300, a volume change, or another action.

In some examples, the biometric input component 1306 may incorporate a non-binary force sensor, or a force sensor that measures an amount of force in a range of values. In other words, the force sensor may exhibit a non-binary electrical response (e.g., a change in voltage, capacitance, resistance, or other electrical parameter) indicative of the amount of force applied to the biometric input component 1306. The non-binary response may produce or be a non-binary signal that conveys information corresponding to an amount of force applied on an input surface, such as an input surface defined by a sensor cover, and is not limited to being present or absent (e.g., on/off).

For example, the biometric input component 1306 may incorporate a force sensor that can distinguish between three or more force values and that can respond differently to different force thresholds. As one example, no action may occur below the first force threshold. Between the first force threshold and the second force threshold, the biometric input component 1306 may capture one or more fingerprint images. Above the second force threshold, the electronic device 1300 may power down. It will be appreciated that a variety of actions may result from the application of varying amounts of force and that the above description is exemplary in nature.

Fig. 19A depicts a cross-sectional view of the biometric input component 1506 taken along the cross-section shown in fig. 17. As shown in fig. 19A, the biometric input component 1506 may be at least partially recessed within a housing 1502 of the electronic device. The biometric input component 1506 may include a bracket 1530 or other support structure that may be attached or otherwise attached to the housing 1502. In some examples, the housing 1502 may include a shelf or other support structure for supporting the bracket 1530.

The biometric input component 1506 may include a sensor cover 1512 and a sensor layer 1518. The sensor cover 1512 can be any suitable dielectric or other non-conductive material, such as glass, sapphire, ceramic, plastic, acrylic, or a combination of such materials. In some examples, sensor cover 1512 may be formed from a material that is at least partially transparent, but this is not necessary and opaque materials may also be used. One or more layers may be disposed between sensor cover 1512 and sensor layer 1518, such as a color masking layer that reduces the visibility of biometric sensor 1518 and provides a desired visual appearance to a user.

Sensor layer 1518 may be coupled to sensor cover 1512 by adhesive layer 1516. Adhesive layer 1516 may comprise a pressure sensitive adhesive or another adhesive that adheres sensor cover 1512 to sensor layer 1518. Sensor layer 1518 may include an array of capacitive electrodes disposed over a substrate (e.g., silicon or another suitable material). Analog and/or digital circuitry may be electrically coupled to the capacitive electrode array to control operation of the electrodes and receive biometric data. In some examples, the sensor layer 1518 may include analog and/or digital circuitry, and in other examples, the analog and/or digital circuitry may be disposed on another layer or separate from the biometric input component 1506. The sensor layer 1518 may be disposed within the conductive frame 1510, and may not be in contact with the conductive frame 1510.

A circuit layer 1520 (such as a flex circuit) connects the sensor layer 1518 to additional processing circuitry. As one example, the circuit layer 1520 may connect the sensor layer 1518 to additional processing circuitry to transmit signals to or from the fingerprint sensor. In some examples, some additional processing circuitry may be disposed in the circuitry layer 1520.

The conductive frame 1510 may surround and support components of the biometric input component 1506. When a force is applied to the sensor cover 1512 and/or the conductive frame 1510, the conductive frame 1510 can deflect, moving the sensor cover 1512 and other components into the cavity of the housing 1502. In some examples, the conductive frame 1510 can be formed of a material that is sufficiently rigid to provide structural support to the sensor cover 1512. The conductive frame 1510 may be formed of a suitable material, such as steel, aluminum, brass, nickel, and other conductive materials or combinations of materials.

The conductive frame 1510 may also be coupled to a reference voltage, such as system ground. Coupling to ground may reduce signal attenuation due to variable capacitive coupling between the user and the system ground due to other fingers, hands, or body parts in contact with other components of the electronic device 1500 when the user contacts the conductive frame 1510.

In some examples, the sensor cover 1512 can be sealed to the frame 1510 around some or all of the periphery of the sensor cover 1512. In some examples, adhesive may be used to seal the sensor cover 1512 to the frame 1510 to prevent ingress of materials or contaminants that may undesirably affect the performance of the sensor layer 1518. In some examples, the adhesive can have a viscosity such that the adhesive can wick into the gap between the sensor cover 1512 and the frame 1510 to fill substantially the entire volume of the gap. In some examples, the frame 1510 can at least partially surround the periphery of the sensor layer 1518. In some examples, the conductive frame 1510 can completely surround the periphery of the sensor layer 1518. In some examples, sensor layer 1518 may include sensing pixels, where each pixel provides a corresponding signal. In some examples, the distance between the sidewalls of the conductive frame 1510 and the pixels of the sensor layer 1518 can be less than 1mm, less than 0.9mm, less than 0.75mm, less than 0.5mm, or less than 0.3mm, or less than 0.25mm, or even less.

Referring now to fig. 19B (which illustrates an exploded view of the biometric input component 1506), an isolation member or layer may be positioned between the housing sensor layer 1518 and the sensor cover 1512 to electrically isolate components of the biometric input component 1506 from the housing 1502. For example, housing 1502 may be formed from an electrically conductive material, such as aluminum, steel, or other metal. In such cases, the isolation member can further reduce signal attenuation of the biometric data captured by the biometric input component 1506 by electrically isolating the sensor layer 1518 from the housing 1502. In some examples, the isolation layer may include an insulating or relatively non-conductive material, such as a polymer material.

In some examples, isolating conductive frame 1510 from housing 1502 may be accomplished by any technique as desired, such as film or surface treatment of housing 1502 and/or conductive frame 1510. For example, an anodization layer may be formed in the portion of the housing 1502 around the biometric input component 1506. The anodization layer can be formed with sufficient thickness to electrically isolate the conductive frame 1510 from the housing 1502.

As depicted in fig. 19B, the conductive frame 1510 can be coupled to a stiffener layer 1522. The sensor cover 1512, the sensor layer 1518, and the circuit layer 1520 may be coupled to the stiffener layer 1522 to transfer a force applied to the sensor cover 1512 to the force sensors 1528. In some examples, the force sensor 1528 is disposed within the housing 1502 of the electronic device. Accordingly, a bracket 1530 or other support member can engage or be secured to the housing 1502, thereby coupling the biometric input member 1506 to the housing 1502.

The conductive frame 1510, the bracket 1530, and the stiffener layer 1522 can be formed of the same or different materials, and can be coupled together by suitable techniques, such as welding, soldering, brazing, one or more adhesive layers, mechanical coupling (e.g., screws or studs through the stiffener layer 1522 and into the conductive frame 1510), and the like. The stiffener layer 1522 generally provides a rigid structure through which force can be transferred to the force sensor 1528. In some examples, the stiffener layer 1522 may include a metal, which may be the same or different metal as the conductive frame 1510, and in other examples, the stiffener layer 1522 may be formed of glass, plastic, sapphire, or another material. In some examples, the conductive frame 1510 can be electrically grounded to one or more components of the device, including the device housing, e.g., through the bracket 1530. In some examples, stiffener layer 1522 may include an electrically conductive material and may be in electrical communication with frame 1510 and one or more other components of the device to ground frame 1510 or other portions of component 1506. In some examples, the stiffener layer may include a bracket or a curved material portion.

Stiffener layer 1522 may be coupled to force sensor 1528 by an adhesive layer (which may be the same or different adhesive than adhesive layer 1516). In some examples, a flex circuit can be coupled to the force sensor 1528 and can provide signals to and from the force sensor 1528. The force sensors 1528 may be further coupled to the circuit layer 1520 (e.g., connected to each other by vias or flex circuits, or otherwise electrically and/or physically coupled together) and/or processing circuitry. Thus, the operation of the fingerprint sensor may be controlled or influenced by actuation of the force sensor 1528.

The force sensor 1528 may be positioned proximate a structural component, such as a bracket 1530 of an electronic device. In some examples, the force sensor 1528 may be an electrical switch, such as a compressible dome switch. When a force is applied to sensor cover 1512, the force may be transferred from conductive frame 1510 to stiffener layer 1522 and from stiffener layer 1522 through adhesive layer 1527 to force sensor 1528.

The force sensor 1528 may include a compliance member and/or a biasing member, such as a compressible spring, beam, or other structure. When a force is transferred from the stiffener layer 1522 to the force sensor 1528, the biasing member may contact and compress with the structural member 1530. In some examples, when the biasing member is collapsed, it completes a circuit, causing an actuation signal to be generated or otherwise sent to the processing circuitry and/or sensor layer 1518. When the input on sensor cover 1512 is released, the compressible domes can provide a restoring force to return at least the sensor cover and the conductive frame of biometric input device 1506 to their original positions.

In other examples, the force sensor 1528 may be implemented as another type of switch or force sensing device. For example, the force sensor 1528 may detect non-binary amounts of force through capacitive force sensing, ultrasonic force sensing, strain gauges, optical, resistive, and piezoelectric technologies. The force sensor 1528 may output a signal voltage range to the processing circuitry in some examples, and may additionally or alternatively provide an actuation signal at a fixed force threshold in other examples.

In some examples, the bracket 1530 may include one or more attachment features, such as holes or apertures, through which fasteners may pass to engage the bracket 15150 to the housing 1502 and secure the biometric input member 1506. In some examples, the carriage 1530 can hold the position of the biometric input member 1506 such that the force sensor 1528 can actuate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of attachment between the housing 1502 and the carriage 1530. In some examples, the bracket 1530 may comprise a relatively hard and rigid material, such as a metallic material, e.g., aluminum or steel. Further details regarding the carriage 1530 will be described with respect to fig. 19C.

Fig. 19C illustrates a front view of the biometric input component 1506, which includes a bracket 1530 attached to the housing 1502 of the electronic device 1500. In some examples, the bracket 1530 may include multiple components that may be joined or secured together in any manner, such as a first bracket component 1531 and a second bracket component 1532. In some examples, one or more other components of the electronic device can also be supported by the carrier 1530 such that the single support component 1530 can provide mechanical support and secure the position of multiple components and/or circuitry of the device, thereby reducing the amount of internal volume required for the support component. This configuration may allow for a reduction in the size of the internal volume and/or allow for additional space in the internal volume for other functional components.

For example, one or more sensors (such as an ambient light sensor 1540) may be attached to the bracket 1530 at desired locations. In some examples, the location of the bracket 1530 adjacent to an edge or outer surface of the housing 1502 may allow for support of other components that may also be positioned near the edge or exterior of the housing 1502. For example, an Ambient Light Sensor (ALS)1540 may be positioned adjacent or near an edge of a display (not shown) and under a cover (not shown) of the device such that ALS 1540 may receive light from the ambient through the cover. In some examples, any other components or circuitry (such as one or more controllers or processors) may also be carried or supported by the carriage 1530 and thus fixed in position relative to the housing 1502. In some examples, one or more printed circuit boards may be supported by the carrier 1530. Further, in some examples, at least a portion of component 1506 can be disposed in an antenna volume of the device, as described herein. In those examples, the printed circuit board supported by the carrier 1530 can include one or more chokes to electrically and/or capacitively decouple the carrier 1530 and/or the component 1506 from the antenna.

Any number or variety of components in any of the configurations described herein may be included in an electronic device. The components may include any combination of the features described herein, and may be arranged in any of the various configurations described herein. The structure and arrangement of the components of the electronic device having a housing with the structure described herein and defining an interior volume, and the concepts related to the engagement features and retention features, are applicable not only to the particular examples discussed herein, but to any number of examples in any combination. Various examples of electronic devices including components having various features in various arrangements (such as charging components) will be described below with reference to fig. 20.

FIG. 20 illustrates a close-up view of a region of an electronic device, such as electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1C. In some examples, electronic device 1600 may include some or all of the features of any electronic device as described herein (such as electronic device 100). As can be seen, in some examples, the housing 1602 can define one or more features that can allow for positioning and retention of a desired component. In some examples, device 1600 may include inductive charging component 1650. The inductive charging element 1650 may be any form of wireless charging element, such as an inductive charging coil, as desired. In use, the inductive charging component 1650 can be used to wirelessly charge one or more peripheral or external components positioned substantially adjacent or adjacent to the inductive charging component 1650 at the housing 1602. For example, a secondary input component (such as a stylus or digital pen or pencil) may be positioned adjacent to inductive charging component 1650 to receive wireless power therefrom.

In some examples, housing 1602 may define a recess or cavity 1603 in which inductive charging component 1650 may be positioned and secured. In some examples, the recesses 1603 can be machined in the material of the housing 1602. In some other examples, the recesses 1603 can be molded or cast when forming the housing 1602. The efficiency of the inductive charging component may depend on the position of the component relative to the component to be charged, and thus it may be desirable to accurately fix the position of the inductive charging component relative to other components of the device 1600 (e.g., the housing 1602). Furthermore, by attaching inductive charging element 1650 directly to the housing, for example at recess 1603, the need for a separate cradle element may be eliminated or reduced, thereby saving space and/or cost. The housing may also define an aperture or hole 1604 that may allow communication between recess 1603 and the interior volume of housing 1602. One or more electrical connectors can pass through the aperture 1604 and allow power and/or data to be transferred between components of the electronic device 1600 and the inductive charging component 1650.

In some examples, one or more magnets 1653 may also be positioned in or near the recess 1603, for example, between the housing 1602 and the inductive charging component 1650. In use, these magnets 1653 can help retain and/or position the peripheral component to be charged relative to the inductive charging component 1650. In some cases, charging cover 1652 may be disposed at recess 1603 above inductive charging element 1650 to protect inductive charging element 1650 and provide a desired visual appearance to housing 1602. In some examples, the window or cover 1652 can comprise any one or more substantially non-conductive materials, such as polymers, ceramics, and/or glass.

Although this disclosure generally describes components and features of an electronic device, the components and features described herein may be used in any combination or order and with any component or electronic device as desired. Further, the components and features may take on any geometry, pattern, size, or combination of shapes, patterns, and sizes. Additionally, the features described herein may be positioned on or extend from any one or more surfaces of any desired housing and/or component.

Within the limits applicable to the present technology, the collection and use of data from a variety of sources may be used to improve the delivery of heuristic content or any other content to a user that may be of interest to the user. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, this collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or may be used to contact or locate a particular person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, personal information, and/or personal information,ID. A home address, data or records relating to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), a date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology may be useful to benefit the user. For example, the personal information data may be used to deliver target content that is of greater interest to the user. Thus, using such personal information data enables the user to have planned control over the delivered content. In addition, the present disclosure also contemplates other uses for which personal information data is beneficial to a user. For example, health and fitness data may be used to provide insight into the overall health condition of a user, or may be used as positive feedback for individuals using technology to pursue health goals.

The present disclosure contemplates that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing, or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should enforce and adhere to the use of privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as data is collected and/or used. Personal information from the user should be collected for legitimate and legitimate uses by the entity and not shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. Furthermore, such acquisition/sharing should be performed after receiving user informed consent. Furthermore, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to defend and secure access to such personal information data, and to ensure that others who have access to the personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third party evaluations to prove compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted to the particular type of personal information data collected and/or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including specific considerations of jurisdiction. For example, in the united states, the collection or acquisition of certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the health insurance association and accountability act (HIPAA); while other countries/regions may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be treated accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country.

Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates examples in which a user selectively prevents use or access to personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and/or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of an ad delivery service, the present technology may be configured to allow a user to opt-in or opt-out of participating in the collection of personal information data at any time during or after registration service. In another example, the user may choose not to provide emotion-related data for the targeted content delivery service. In another example, the user may choose to limit the length of time that emotion-related data is kept, or to prohibit the development of the underlying emotional condition altogether. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications related to accessing or using personal information. For example, the user may be notified that their personal information data is to be accessed when the application is downloaded, and then be reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

Further, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification may be used to protect the privacy of the user. De-identification may be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data on a user), and/or other methods, as appropriate.

Thus, while this disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed examples, this disclosure also contemplates that various examples may also be implemented without having to access such personal information data. That is, various examples of the present technology do not fail to function properly due to lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content may be selected and delivered to a user by inferring preferences based on non-personal information data or an absolute minimum amount of personal information, such as content requested by a device associated with the user, other non-personal information available to a content delivery service, or publicly available information.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the examples may be practiced without the specific details. Thus, the foregoing description of the specific examples described herein has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit these examples to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.