Antennas

• US 20020016181A1
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Inventors: Hulbert, Anthony Peter, Twigg, Helena Kathryn
• Granted Patent: US 6,832,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• 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 3/242 Circumferential scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

A mobile phone antenna comprising a belt which is adapted to be worn by a user and which comprises an antenna arrangement which in use is coupled to the mobile phone transceiver.

Claims

1. A mobile phone antenna comprising a belt which is adapted to be worn by a mobile phone user and which comprises an antenna arrangement which in use is coupled to the mobile phone transceiver.

2. A mobile phone antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the antenna arrangement comprises a plurality of antenna elements which are arranged in spaced apart relationship on a belt in a region inset from each end of the belt so as to provide for belt fixing, the elements being selectively fed via a signal feed network thereby to produce a predetermined beam pattern thereby to optimise operational efficiency.

3. A mobile phone antenna as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the signal feed network comprises switches, which in use are arranged to be automatically operated so as to connect the mobile phone transmitter to an antenna element(s) selected for optimal operational efficiency.

4. A mobile phone antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal feed network may comprises an adaptive weighting arrangement which serves selectively to weight the antenna elements so they tend to form an antenna beam in a selected direction.

5. A mobile phone antenna as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the belt comprises a strip of dielectric substrate material having on one side a conductive ground plane and on the other side the antenna arrangement and at opposing ends thereof a buckle and complementary piercing respectively, which are arranged mutually to co-operate for holding the belt in place around the body of a user.

6. A mobile phone antenna as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ground plane and/or the antenna arrangement is/are printed on opposite sides of the belt together with conductors which serve to couple the antenna arrangement to a connector via which signals are fed from the mobile to the antenna arrangement for transmission.

8. A mobile phone assembly comprising a mobile phone in operative association with a mobile phone antenna as claimed in any preceding claim.

7. A mobile phone antenna substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.