Antenna assembly for wireless device

• US 10,411,330 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: TE Connectivity Corporation (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Yun, Xing, Bishop, Bruce Foster, Hall, John Wesley, Schroll, Neil Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US15/974,270
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/314 using frequency dependent circuits or components, e.g. trap circuits or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

An antenna assembly for a wireless device includes an antenna cable having a feed line and a ground shield and a substrate. The antenna includes a low band ground terminal, a low band feed terminal, a high band ground terminal and a high band feed terminal. The low band ground terminal is electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable. The low band feed terminal is electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable. The high band ground terminal is electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable. The high band feed terminal is electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable. The low band ground terminal and the high band ground terminal are ground plane independent.

Claims

1. An antenna assembly for a wireless device, the antenna comprising:

an antenna cable having a feed line and a ground shield coaxial with the feed line;

a substrate having a feed line mounting pad and a ground shield mounting pad;

a low band ground terminal on the substrate and operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

a low band feed terminal on the substrate and operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

a high band ground terminal on the substrate and operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable; and

a high band feed terminal on the substrate and operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

wherein the low band ground terminal and the high band ground terminal are ground plane independent.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate does not include a ground plane.

3. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a printed circuit board, all of the circuits of the printed circuit board being provided on a single layer of the printed circuit board.

4. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate has discrete conductive elements defining the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal, and wherein the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal.

5. The antenna assembly of claim 4, wherein the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal includes a first cell and a first bridge between the first cell and the feed line mounting pad, the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal includes a meandering trace electrically connected to the feed line mounting pad, the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal includes a second cell and a second bridge extending between the second cell and the ground shield mounting pad, the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal includes a third cell and a third bridge extending between the third cell and the ground shield mounting pad.

6. The antenna assembly of claim 5, wherein the meandering trace taps into the first cell.

7. The antenna assembly of claim 4, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal.

8. The antenna assembly of claim 4, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is separated from the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal by a first gap, and wherein the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal is separated from the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal by a second gap.

9. The antenna assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tuning element on the substrate, the tuning element being operatively coupled to at least one of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal.

10. The antenna assembly of claim 9, wherein the tuning element comprises one of a variable capacitor, a varactor diode, a MEMS switched capacitor, or an electronically switched capacitor.

11. The antenna assembly of claim 9, wherein the tuning element is coupled in series with the corresponding at least one of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal.

12. The antenna assembly of claim 9, wherein the tuning element is provided as a shunt for the corresponding at least one of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal.

13. The antenna assembly of claim 9, wherein the tuning element is operatively coupled to at least two of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal, the tuning element providing matched tuning for the corresponding low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal.

14. An antenna assembly for a wireless device, the antenna comprising:

an antenna cable having a feed line and a ground shield coaxial with the feed line;

a substrate having discrete conductive elements defining a feed line mounting pad, a ground shield mounting pad, a low band ground terminal, a low band feed terminal, a high band ground terminal and a high band feed terminal

the low band ground terminal being operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal;

the low band feed terminal being operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

the high band ground terminal being operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable, wherein the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal; and

the high band feed terminal operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

wherein the low band ground terminal and the high band ground terminal are ground plane independent.

15. The antenna assembly of claim 14, wherein the substrate does not include a ground plane.

16. The antenna assembly of claim 14, wherein the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal includes a first cell and a first bridge between the first cell and the feed line mounting pad, the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal includes a meandering trace electrically connected to the feed line mounting pad, the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal includes a second cell and a second bridge extending between the second cell and the ground shield mounting pad, the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal includes a third cell and a third bridge extending between the third cell and the ground shield mounting pad.

17. The antenna assembly of claim 14, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is separated from the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal by a first gap, and wherein the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal is separated from the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal by a second gap.

18. The antenna assembly of claim 14, further comprising a tuning element on the substrate, the tuning element being operatively coupled to at least one of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal.

19. An antenna assembly for a wireless device, the antenna comprising:

an antenna cable having a feed line and a ground shield coaxial with the feed line;

a substrate having a feed line mounting pad and a ground shield mounting pad;

a low band ground terminal on the substrate and operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

a low band feed terminal on the substrate and operable in a low frequency bandwidth, the low band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

a high band ground terminal on the substrate and operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band ground terminal being electrically coupled to the ground shield of the antenna cable and being capacitively coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable;

a high band feed terminal on the substrate and operable in a high frequency bandwidth, the high band feed terminal being electrically coupled to the feed line of the antenna cable; and

a tuning element on the substrate, the tuning element being operatively coupled to at least one of the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal;

wherein the low band ground terminal and the high band ground terminal are ground plane independent.

20. The antenna assembly of claim 19, wherein the substrate has discrete conductive elements defining the low band ground terminal, the low band feed terminal, the high band ground terminal and the high band feed terminal, wherein the conductive element defining the low band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the low band feed terminal, and wherein the conductive element defining the high band ground terminal is capacitively coupled to the conductive element defining the high band feed terminal.