Methods of manufacturing a hidden antenna in an encasing of a handheld device

Abstract

The disclosed techniques include a method of integrating antenna elements separated by concealed antenna breaks with an encasing. The method can include forming a continuous non-conductive coating on a conductive substrate. The continuous non-conductive coating has sufficient thickness and hardness to remain intact when gaps are etched in the conductive substrate to form separate conductive regions. The method also includes etching the gaps in the conductive substrate to form the conductive regions on the continuous non-conductive coating, and backfilling the gaps with a non-conductive substance such that the conductive regions, the non-conductive substance separating the conductive regions, and the continuous non-conductive coating collectively form a continuous encasing.

1 . A method of manufacturing an encasing for an electronic device, the encasing including a plurality of antenna elements formed of a plurality of conductive regions separated by one or more gaps forming one or more antenna breaks concealed by a non-conductive coating, the method comprising:
 forming a continuous non-conductive coating on a conductive substrate, the continuous non-conductive coating having sufficient thickness and hardness to remain intact when one or more gaps are etched in the conductive substrate to form a plurality of separate conductive regions;   etching the one or more gaps in the conductive substrate to form the plurality of separate conductive regions on the continuous non-conductive coating; and   backfilling the one or more gaps with a non-conductive substance such that the plurality of separate conductive regions, the non-conductive substance separating the plurality of separate conductive regions, and the continuous non-conductive coating collectively form a continuous encasing.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive coating is an oxide coating and the conductive substrate is a metal substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the continuous non-conductive coating comprises:
 subjecting the conductive substrate to an electrochemical surface treatment process to form the continuous non-conductive coating on the conductive substrate.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the electrochemical surface treatment process is a plasma electrolytic oxidation process. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the non-conductive coating is an oxide coating and the conductive substrate is a metal. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a thickness of the conductive substrate to a thickness of the non-conductive coating is 3 to 2. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive substrate is a metal substrate, and the continuous non-conductive coating is an oxide coating grown on the metal substrate in accordance with a plasma electrolytic oxidation process. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive substance is an adhesive that bonds the plurality of separate conductive regions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the continuous non-conductive coating comprises:
 spraying heated particles of non-conductive material that adhere onto a surface of the conductive substrate to form the non-conductive coating.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the continuous non-conductive coating comprises:
 spraying particles of non-conductive material with sufficient velocity such that the particles undergo a deformation and adhere to a surface of the conductive substrate to form the non-conductive coating.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the spraying is gas dynamic cold spraying. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the particles of non-conductive material are ceramic particles. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the particles of non-conductive material are plastic particles. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the continuous non-conductive coating comprises:
 spraying particles of non-conductive material with sufficient acceleration and velocity of at least supersonic speed such that the particles undergo a deformation and adhere to a surface of the conductive substrate to form the non-conductive coating.   
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing an encasing of a smartphone including a plurality of antenna elements formed of a plurality of conductive metal regions separated by one or more gaps forming one or more antenna concealed by a non-conductive coating, the method comprising:
 growing a continuous non-conductive oxide coating on a conductive metal substrate in accordance with a plasma electrolytic oxidation process, the continuous oxide coating having sufficient thickness and hardness to remain intact when one or more gaps are etched in the conductive metal substrate to form a plurality of separate conductive metal regions;   etching the one or more gaps in the conductive metal substrate to form the plurality of separate conductive metal regions on the continuous non-conductive oxide coating; and   backfilling the one or more gaps with a non-conductive adhesive substance such that the conductive metal regions, the non-conductive adhesive substance separating the plurality of separate conductive metal regions, and the continuous non-conductive oxide coating collectively form a continuous encasing.   
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing an encasing for an electronic device, the encasing including a plurality of antenna elements formed of a plurality of conductive regions separated by one or more gaps forming one or more antenna breaks concealed by a non-conductive coating, the method comprising:
 forming a plurality of conductive regions on a continuous non-conductive substrate, the plurality of conductive regions being separated by one or more gaps; and   backfilling the one or more gaps with a non-conductive substance such that the plurality of conductive regions, the non-conductive substance separating the plurality of conductive regions, and the continuous non-conductive coating collectively form a continuous encasing.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the continuous non-conductive substrate is a ceramic substrate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein forming the plurality of conductive regions comprises:
 spraying particles of conductive material with sufficient velocity such that the particles undergo a deformation and adhere to a surface of the non-conductive substrate to form the plurality of conductive regions.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein forming the plurality of conductive regions comprises:
 spraying heated particles of conductive material that adhere onto a surface of the non-conductive substrate to form the plurality of conductive regions.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the non-conductive substrate is a ceramic substrate, and the conductive material is aluminum or titanium sprayed on the ceramic substrate in accordance with a thermal spraying process or a velocity spraying process.