Wireless communication with dielectric medium

• US 10,027,018 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Kyles, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US15/360,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20170077591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 375219, 370277
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/48 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/495 Lead-frames or other flat leads H01L23/498 takes precedence; lead frame interconnections between components H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 : used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 : formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 : Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0485 : Dielectric resonator antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/265 : Open ring dipoles; Circular dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 : Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 : Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 : for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0243 : Printed circuits associated with mounted high frequency components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 : Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 : associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0723 : provided by an inner layer of PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10522 : Adjacent components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0056 : specially adapted for microwave applications

Abstract

An electronic device may include a dielectric substrate, an electronic circuit supported by the substrate, for processing data, and a communication unit having an antenna. The communication unit may be mounted to the substrate in communication with the electronic circuit for converting between a first EHF electromagnetic signal containing digital information and a data signal conducted by the electronic circuit. The electromagnetic signal may be transmitted or received along a signal path by the antenna. An electromagnetic signal guide assembly may include a dielectric element made of a dielectric material disposed proximate the antenna in the signal path. The electromagnetic signal guide may have sides extending along the signal path. A sleeve element may extend around the dielectric element along sides of the dielectric element. The sleeve element may impede transmission of the electromagnetic signal through the sides of the dielectric element.

Claims

1. A connector comprising:

a connector housing that encapsulates;

a first communication unit disposed on a dielectric substrate and coupled to a first transducer, the first transducer configured to convert received electrical data into an electromagnetic signal operating in an extremely high frequency (EHF) band,

a second communication unit disposed on the dielectric substrate and coupled to a second transducer, the second transducer configured to convert an electromagnetic signal operating in the EHF band received from a source external to the connector, and

a sleeve assembly having a first portion surrounding one or more sides of the first communication unit and having a second portion surrounding one or more sides of the second communication unit; and

a pair of magnets disposed at least partially in the connector housing and positioned flush with a mating surface of the connector housing, the mating surface of the connector housing comprising an alignment portion configured to mate with a corresponding portion of a target connection region of an external device.

2. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a first electromagnetic signal guide assembly disposed between the first communication unit and the first portion of the sleeve assembly, the first electromagnetic signal guide comprising a first dielectric element composed of a first dielectric material.

3. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a first electromagnetic signal guide assembly disposed between the first communication unit and the first portion of the sleeve assembly, the first electromagnetic signal guide comprising:

a first dielectric element composed of a first dielectric material; and

a first sleeve element extending around the first dielectric element along at least a portion of one or more sides of the first dielectric element, the first sleeve element impeding transmission of electromagnetic energy through the one or more sides of the first dielectric element.

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein the first sleeve element is composed of one of an electrically conductive material, an electromagnetically absorptive material, or an electromagnetically dissipative material.

5. The connector of claim 3, wherein the first sleeve element is composed of a second dielectric material having a dielectric constant that is lower than a dielectric constant of the first dielectric element.

6. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a second electromagnetic signal guide assembly disposed between the second communication unit and the second portion of the sleeve assembly, the second electromagnetic signal guide assembly comprising a second dielectric element composed of a third dielectric material.

7. The connector of claim 6, the second electromagnetic signal guide assembly further comprising a second sleeve element extending around the second dielectric element along at least a portion of the one or more sides of the second dielectric element, the second sleeve element impeding transmission of electromagnetic energy through the one or more sides of the second dielectric element.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the second sleeve element is composed of one of an electrically conductive material, an electromagnetically absorptive material, or an electromagnetically dissipative material.

9. The connector of claim 7, wherein the second sleeve element is composed of a fourth dielectric material having a dielectric constant that is lower than a dielectric constant of the second dielectric element.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first communication unit comprises a transmitter circuit having an input coupled to receive electrical data and an output coupled to the first transducer.

11. The connector of claim 1, wherein the second communication unit comprises a receiver circuit having an input coupled to the second transducer and an output coupled to send data to the source external to the connector.

12. The connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit is a transceiver.

13. The connector of claim 1, wherein the sleeve assembly is comprised of at least one of an electrically conductive material, an electromagnetically absorptive material, and an electromagnetically dissipative material.

14. The connector of claim 1, wherein the alignment portion is a protrusion.

15. The connector of claim 1, wherein the alignment portion is a recess.

16. The connector of claim 1, wherein the mating surface is planar.

17. The connector of claim 1, wherein the mating surface is curved.

18. The connector of claim 1, wherein each magnet in the pair of magnets is a permanent magnet.

19. The connector of claim 1, wherein each magnet in the pair of magnets is an electromagnet.

20. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first transducer is oriented orthogonally to the second antenna.