CN108448228B

CN108448228B - Antenna components and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN108448228B
Application number: CN201810338526.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴坚林
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2018-04-16
Filing date: 2018-04-16
Publication date: 2021-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 2038-04-16
Also published as: CN108448228A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an antenna assembly and electronic equipment. The antenna assembly is arranged on an electronic device and comprises a carrier and a radiator arranged on the carrier, wherein the carrier comprises a first carrier part and a second carrier part, and the first carrier part and the second carrier part are positioned on the same side of the electronic device; the radiating body comprises a first radiating body, is arranged on the first carrier part and is used for receiving and transmitting a first radio frequency signal; and the second radiator is arranged on the second carrier part and used for receiving and transmitting a second radio frequency signal and a third radio frequency signal. The antenna assembly in the embodiment of the application can reduce the occupied space of the antenna in the electronic equipment by multiplexing the second radiator and optimizing the distribution mode of the antenna, so that the clearance area of the electronic equipment is increased, and the performance of the antenna is improved.

Description

Antenna assembly and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to an antenna assembly and an electronic device.

Background

With the development of network technology and the increase of the intelligence degree of electronic devices, users can implement more and more functions, such as voice call, video chat, playing network games, and the like, through electronic devices such as smart phones. In the process of executing functions such as voice call, video chat and the like, the electronic device needs to perform data interaction with a base station or a server. During the data interaction process, the electronic device needs to transmit wireless signals through the antenna.

Currently, a plurality of antennas are generally disposed in an electronic device, in the prior art, generally, a medium-high frequency wireless signal is transmitted and/or received through one antenna radiator, and a low-frequency wireless signal is transmitted and/or received through another antenna radiator, however, since electronic components in the electronic device are continuously increased, there is no excessive space for disposing the antenna radiator for transmitting and/or receiving the medium-high frequency wireless signal, and the radiator is disposed in the electronic device by shortening the length of the radiator, so that the radiator with too small length cannot guarantee good radiation performance in the whole medium-frequency band, and is also easily affected by a hand holding and an earphone seat.

Disclosure of Invention

The antenna assembly and the electronic equipment can reduce the occupied space of the antenna in the electronic equipment, further increase the clearance area of the electronic equipment and improve the performance of the antenna.

This application implementation provides an antenna module, locates electronic equipment, electronic equipment includes the back lid, antenna module installs inside the back lid, antenna module includes the carrier and sets up radiator on the carrier, its characterized in that:

the carrier comprises a first carrier part and a second carrier part, and the first carrier part and the second carrier part are positioned on the same side of the electronic equipment;

the radiator includes:

the first radiator is arranged on the first carrier part and used for transceiving 2/3/4/5G radio frequency signals; and

the second radiator is arranged on the second carrier part and used for receiving and transmitting WIFI signals, GPS signals and 5G radio frequency signals;

the antenna assembly further comprises a first radio frequency module, a second radio frequency module and a first switching module;

the second radio frequency module is used for processing the 5G radio frequency signal;

the first switching module is electrically connected with the first radio frequency module and the second radio frequency module to control the second radiator to be electrically connected with the second radio frequency module to receive and transmit the 5G radio frequency signal; or

The second radiator is controlled to be electrically connected with the first radio frequency module, so that multiplexing of the WIFI signal and the GPS signal is realized; or

The second radiator is controlled to be electrically connected with the first radio frequency module and the second radio frequency module at the same time, so that multiplexing of the 5G radio frequency signals and the GPS signals or multiplexing of the 5G radio frequency signals, the GPS signals and the WIFI signals is achieved.

An embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including:

a housing; and

an antenna assembly disposed on the housing, the antenna assembly being as described above; wherein:

the carrier is arranged on the shell, the first carrier part is arranged at a first corner of the shell, and the second carrier part is arranged at a second corner of the shell; or

The carrier is the housing, the first carrier portion is located at a first corner of the housing, and the second carrier portion is located at a second corner of the housing;

the first corner is located on the same side of the electronic device as the second corner.

The embodiment of the application provides an antenna assembly, which comprises a carrier, a radiating body, a first antenna, a second antenna and a third antenna, wherein the carrier comprises a first carrier part and a second carrier part; and the second radiator is arranged on the second carrier part and used for receiving and transmitting a second radio frequency signal and a third radio frequency signal. The antenna assembly in the embodiment of the application can reduce the occupied space of the antenna in the electronic equipment by multiplexing the second radiator and optimizing the distribution mode of the antenna, so that the clearance area of the electronic equipment is increased, and the performance of the antenna is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is another schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a first structural schematic diagram of an antenna assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a second structural schematic diagram of an antenna assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of an antenna assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a fourth structural schematic diagram of an antenna assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the present application and for simplicity in description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated in a particular manner, and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may comprise direct contact of the first and second features, or may comprise contact of the first and second features not directly but through another feature in between. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, specific example components and arrangements are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present application. Moreover, the present application may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. In addition, examples of various specific processes and materials are provided herein, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or use of other materials.

The embodiment of the application provides electronic equipment. The electronic device can be a smart phone, a tablet computer and the like. In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 and 3, the electronic device 100 includes a display screen 10, a middle frame 20, a circuit board 30, a battery 40, and a rear cover 50.

Wherein the display screen 10 is mounted on the rear cover 50 to form a display surface of the electronic device 100. The display screen 10 serves as a front housing of the electronic device 100, and forms a receiving space with the rear cover 50 for receiving other electronic components or functional components of the electronic device 100. Meanwhile, the display screen 10 forms a display surface of the electronic apparatus 100 for displaying information such as images, texts, and the like. The Display screen 10 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Display screen.

In some embodiments, a glass cover plate may be disposed over the display screen 10. Wherein, the glass cover plate can cover the display screen 10 to protect the display screen 10 and prevent the display screen 10 from being scratched or damaged by water.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the display screen 10 may include a display area 11 and a non-display area 12. The display area 11 performs a display function of the display screen 10 for displaying information such as images and texts. The non-display area 12 does not display information. The non-display area 12 can be used for setting functional components such as a camera, a receiver, a touch electrode of a display screen, and the like. In some embodiments, the non-display area 12 may include at least one area located at upper and lower portions of the display area 11.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the display screen 10 may be a full-face screen. At this time, the display screen 10 may display information in a full screen, so that the electronic apparatus 100 has a large screen occupation ratio. The display screen 10 comprises only the display area 11 and no non-display area. At this time, functional components such as a camera and a proximity sensor in the electronic apparatus 100 may be hidden under the display screen 10, and the fingerprint recognition module of the electronic apparatus 100 may be disposed on the back of the electronic apparatus 100.

The middle frame 20 may have a thin plate-like or sheet-like structure, or may have a hollow frame structure. The middle frame 20 can be accommodated in the accommodating space formed by the display screen 10 and the rear cover 50. The middle frame 20 is used for providing a supporting function for the electronic components or functional modules in the electronic device 100, so as to mount the electronic components or functional modules in the electronic device together. For example, functional components such as a camera, a receiver, a circuit board, and a battery in the electronic apparatus may be mounted on the center frame 20 for fixation. In some embodiments, the material of the middle frame 20 may include metal or plastic.

The circuit board 30 is mounted inside the receiving space. For example, the circuit board 30 may be mounted on the middle frame 20 and received in the receiving space together with the middle frame 20. The circuit board 30 may be a motherboard of the electronic device 100. The circuit board 30 is provided with a grounding point to realize grounding of the circuit board 30. One, two or more of the functional components such as the motor, the microphone, the speaker, the receiver, the earphone interface, the universal serial bus interface (USB interface), the camera, the distance sensor, the ambient light sensor, the gyroscope, and the processor may be integrated on the circuit board 30. Meanwhile, the display screen 10 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 30.

In some embodiments, display control circuitry is disposed on the circuit board 30. The display control circuit outputs an electrical signal to the display screen 10 to control the display screen 10 to display information.

The battery 40 is mounted inside the receiving space. For example, the battery 40 may be mounted on the middle frame 20 and be received in the receiving space together with the middle frame 20. The battery 40 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 30 to enable the battery 40 to power the electronic device 100. The circuit board 30 may be provided thereon with a power management circuit. The power management circuit is used to distribute the voltage provided by the battery 40 to the various electronic components in the electronic device 100.

The rear cover 50 is used to form an outer contour of the electronic device 100. The rear cover 50 may be integrally formed. In the forming process of the rear cover 50, a rear camera hole, a fingerprint identification module mounting hole and the like can be formed in the rear cover 50.

In some embodiments, the back cover 50 may be a metal back cover, such as a metal such as magnesium alloy, stainless steel, or the like. It should be noted that the material of the rear cover 50 in the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, and other manners may also be adopted, for example, the rear cover 50 may be a plastic rear cover, and for example, the rear cover 50 may be a ceramic rear cover. For another example, the rear cover 50 may include a plastic portion and a metal portion, and the rear cover 50 may be a rear cover structure in which metal and plastic are matched with each other. Specifically, the metal part may be formed first, for example, a magnesium alloy substrate is formed by injection molding, and then plastic is injected on the magnesium alloy substrate to form a plastic substrate, so as to form a complete rear cover structure.

In some embodiments, electronic device 100 also includes an antenna assembly. The antenna assembly is mounted inside the rear cover 50. The antenna assembly is used to transmit and/or receive wireless signals to enable communication between the electronic device 100 and a base station or other electronic device.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the antenna assembly includes a carrier and a radiator disposed on the carrier, the carrier including a first carrier portion 611 and a second carrier portion 612, the first carrier portion 611 and the second carrier portion 612 being located on the same side of the electronic device. In particular, the carrier may be a housing of the electronic device, such as a back cover, a bezel, etc., or may be a separate carrier structure, such as an antenna mount. The present application is not limited thereto. The first carrier portion 611 and the second carrier portion 612 may be a part of the structure of the carrier.

The radiator may be a metal structure, such as a metal frame or a metal sheet, or may be a PFC antenna or an antenna processed by an LDS processing technique. The radiator includes a first radiator 621 disposed on the first carrier portion 611 and configured to receive and transmit a first rf signal. The second radiator 622 is disposed on the second carrier 612 and configured to receive and transmit the second rf signal and the third rf signal.

In some embodiments, the electronic device comprises a housing, the carrier is an antenna stand, the first carrier part 611 of the antenna stand is provided at a first corner of the housing, and the second carrier part 612 of the antenna stand is provided at a second corner of the housing. In other embodiments, the carrier is a housing, the first carrier portion 611 of the housing is disposed at a first corner of the housing, and the second carrier portion 612 of the housing is disposed at a second corner of the housing. It should be noted that the first corner and the second corner are located on the same side of the electronic device. The specific structure of the antenna bracket or the housing can be set according to actual conditions, and the application is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, the first RF signal may be an 2/3/4/5G (2nd/3rd/4th/5th generation mobile networks/generation wireless systems) RF signal, which may cover high/medium/low frequencies. The second radio frequency signal may be a WIFI signal, and the WIFI signal may cover a radio frequency band of 5G or 2.4G. The third radio frequency signal may be a GPS signal.

When the second radio frequency signal is a WIFI signal and the third radio frequency signal is a GPS signal, it is equivalent to multiplexing the WIFI signal and the GPS signal on the second radiator 622.

Of course, in addition to the above embodiments, the second radio frequency signal may also be a signal of a GPS, the third radio frequency signal may also be a WIFI signal, and the kind of the specific radio frequency signal may be determined according to an actual situation.

In some embodiments, the antenna assembly further includes a first rf module 631, wherein the first rf module 631 is connected to the second radiator 622 for simultaneously processing the second rf signal and the third rf signal. Specifically, the first rf module 631 may control the second radiator 622 to be specifically configured to separately receive and transmit the second rf signal, or to separately receive and transmit the third rf signal, and may further process the second rf signal and the third rf signal simultaneously through multiplexing.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the antenna assembly includes a carrier and a radiator disposed on the carrier, the carrier includes a first carrier portion 611 and a second carrier portion 612, and the first carrier portion 611 and the second carrier portion 612 are located on the same side of the electronic device. In particular, the carrier may be a housing of the electronic device, such as a back cover, a bezel, etc., or may be a separate carrier structure, such as an antenna mount. The present application is not limited thereto. The first carrier portion 611 and the second carrier portion 612 may be a part of the structure of the carrier.

Specifically, the first radiator 621 and the second radiator 622 are both provided with a feeding end and a grounding end, so that the first radiator 621 and the second radiator 622 form a loop between the radio frequency modules, and the radio frequency signals are received and transmitted.

In some embodiments, the second radiator 622 is further configured to transceive a fourth rf signal, and the antenna assembly further includes a first rf interface 64 and a second rf module 632.

Specifically, the first rf interface 64 is disposed at a side close to the second radiator 622, and is connected to the second radiator 622; the second rf module 632 is connected to the first rf interface 64, and is connected to the second radiator 622 through the first rf interface 64, for processing the fourth rf signal.

The first rf interface 64 is disposed near the second radiator 622, so that the fourth rf signal output by the second rf module 632 can feed the second radiator 622 through the first rf interface 64 near the second radiator 622 to be connected, thereby reducing the routing distance of the signal line and reducing the loss of the signal in the transmission process.

In some embodiments, the fourth rf signal may be a 5G (5th generation mobile networks/generation wireless systems) rf signal, and when the fourth rf signal is connected to the second radiator 622, multiplexing of three signals (5G/WIFI/GPS) of the second radiator 622 may be implemented, so as to further save an occupied space of the antenna, improve a space utilization of the antenna, and increase a headroom area of the antenna in the electronic device.

In some embodiments, in conjunction with fig. 6, the antenna assembly may further include a first switching module 651. The first switching module 651 is electrically connected to the first rf module 631 and the second rf module 632 to control the second radiator 622 to be electrically connected to the first rf module 631 or the second rf module 632 for switching.

For example, when a user needs to use a 5G signal, the first switching module 651 can connect the second rf module 632 to the second radiator 622, so that the second radiator 622 can receive and transmit the 5G rf signal. When the 5G signal is not needed, the first switching module 651 can cut off the conduction between the second radio frequency module 632 and the second radiator 622, thereby avoiding the collision between the 5G signal and the WIFI signal.

Of course, if the user needs to use the GPS signal and the 5G signal in the specific use process, the frequency bands of the signals do not conflict with each other, so the first rf module 631 and the second rf module 632 can be simultaneously conducted with the second radiator 622, thereby implementing signal multiplexing of the second radiator 622.

Through the first switching module 651, the electronic device can control the conduction between the second radiator 622 and the first and second radio frequency modules as required, thereby implementing multiplexing of a plurality of different radio frequency signals in the second radiator 622.

In some embodiments, the first rf module 631 in the antenna assembly may also be used for processing of the fourth rf signal.

Specifically, the first rf module 631 is connected to the second radiator 622, and can simultaneously process the second rf signal, the third rf signal, and the fourth rf signal, so that the fourth rf signal can be multiplexed without extra wires, thereby reducing the difficulty of the wires of the rf signals and saving the occupied space of the components and the wires.

Referring to fig. 7, an antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, which includes a third radiator 623 and a third rf module in addition to the antenna assembly included in fig. 4-6.

The third radiator 623 is disposed on the other side of the electronic device opposite to the first radiator 621 and the second radiator 622, and is configured to receive and transmit a fifth rf signal.

The third rf module is connected to the first radiator 621 and the third radiator 623, and configured to process the first rf signal and the fifth rf signal.

Specifically, a connection circuit is connected between the third rf module and the first radiator 621 and the third radiator 623.

In some embodiments, the antenna assembly further includes a fourth radiator 624. The fourth radiator 624 is disposed on the other side of the electronic device opposite to the first radiator 621 and the second radiator 622, and is configured to receive and transmit a sixth radio frequency signal. Specifically, the fourth radiator 624 may be located at the same side as the third radiator 623.

The connection circuit may include a second switching module 652, wherein the second switching module 652 is electrically connected to the second rf module 632, and is electrically connected to the third radiator 623 and the fourth radiator 624, so as to control the second rf module 632 to be electrically connected to the third radiator 623 or the fourth radiator 624 for switching.

Specifically, the second switching module 652 may be a single-pole single-throw switch or a combiner.

In some embodiments, a third switching module 653, a diversity receiving section 662, and a primary set receiving section 661 are included in the third radio frequency module. When it is required for the first radiator 621 to transmit and/or receive a radio frequency signal, the connection with the third radiator 623 or the fourth radiator 624 is disconnected. When it is required that the third radiator 623 or the fourth radiator 624 transmit and/or receive a radio frequency signal, the connection with the first radiator 621 is disconnected.

In some embodiments, the third switching module 653 may also control the connection between the first radiator 621, the third radiator 623, and the fourth radiator 624 and the diversity receiving part 662 and the main diversity receiving part 661. Specifically, the third switching module 653 may be a double-pole double-throw switch to switch the main and diversity control of the first radiator 621, the third radiator 623 and the fourth radiator 624.

In the embodiment of the present application, by providing the third radiator 623 and the fourth radiator 624, and matching the first radiator 621 and the second radiator 622, the antenna layout can be further optimized, and the occupied space of the antenna in the electronic device is greatly reduced.

As can be seen from the above, an antenna assembly and an electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application include a carrier, where the carrier includes a first carrier portion and a second carrier portion, and the antenna assembly further includes a radiator, where the radiator includes a first radiator, and is disposed in the first carrier portion and configured to receive and transmit a first radio frequency signal; and the second radiator is arranged on the second carrier part and used for receiving and transmitting a second radio frequency signal and a third radio frequency signal. The antenna assembly in the embodiment of the application can reduce the occupied space of the antenna in the electronic equipment by multiplexing the second radiator and optimizing the distribution mode of the antenna, so that the clearance area of the electronic equipment is increased, and the performance of the antenna is improved.

The antenna assembly and the electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail above. The principles and implementations of the present application are described herein using specific examples, which are presented only to aid in understanding the present application. Meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. An antenna assembly, provided in an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a back cover, the antenna assembly being installed inside the back cover, the antenna assembly comprising a carrier and a radiator arranged on the carrier, the It is characterized by:

the carrier includes a first carrier part and a second carrier part, the first carrier part and the second carrier part are located on the same side of the electronic device;

The radiator includes:

a first radiator, disposed on the first carrier part, for sending and receiving 2/3/4/5G radio frequency signals; and

a second radiator, arranged on the second carrier part, for sending and receiving WIFI signals, GPS signals and 5G radio frequency signals;

The antenna assembly further includes a first radio frequency module, a second radio frequency module, and a first switching module;

the second radio frequency module, for processing the 5G radio frequency signal;

The first switching module is electrically connected to the first radio frequency module and the second radio frequency module, so as to control the second radiator to be electrically connected to the second radio frequency module, so as to send and receive the 5G radio frequency signal; or

to control the electrical connection between the second radiator and the first radio frequency module, so as to realize the multiplexing of the WIFI signal and the GPS signal; or

To control the second radiator to be electrically connected to the first radio frequency module and the second radio frequency module at the same time, so as to realize the multiplexing of the 5G radio frequency signal and the GPS signal or the 5G radio frequency signal, all the Multiplexing of the GPS signal and the WIFI signal.

2 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first radio frequency module is connected to the second radiator for processing the WIFI signal and the GPS signal at the same time. 3 .

3. The antenna assembly of claim 2, wherein the antenna assembly further comprises:

a first radio frequency interface, disposed on a side close to the second radiator, and connected to the second radiator; and

The second radio frequency module is connected to the first radio frequency interface, and is connected to the second radiator through the first radio frequency interface, and is used for processing the 5G radio frequency signal.

4. An electronic device, characterized in that, comprising:

housing; and

The antenna assembly provided on the housing, the antenna assembly is the antenna assembly described in any one of claims 1-3; wherein:

The carrier is provided on the housing, the first carrier portion is provided at the first corner of the housing, and the second carrier portion is provided at the second corner of the housing; or

The first corner and the second corner are located on the same side of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the antenna assembly further comprises:

a third radiator, disposed on the other side of the electronic device relative to the first radiator and the second radiator, and configured to send and receive fifth radio frequency signals;

The third radio frequency module is connected to the first radiator and the third radiator, and is used for processing the 2/3/4/5G radio frequency signal and the fifth radio frequency signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the antenna assembly further comprises:

a fourth radiator, disposed on the other side of the electronic device relative to the first radiator and the second radiator, for sending and receiving sixth radio frequency signals; and

The second switching module is electrically connected to the second radio frequency module, and is electrically connected to the third radiator and the fourth radiator, so as to control the second radio frequency module and the third radiator, or Electrical connection switching with the fourth radiator is performed.