Receiver module comprising a wideband antenna

• US 20050186931A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Laiho, Kimmo, Tahtinen, Ilkka A., Makivuoti, Maurj
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/280
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/244 extendable from a housing along a given path
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment

Abstract

A receiver module 11 comprises a loop antenna 14 for receiving signals from a digital broadcast network 3. The receiver module 11 may be an integral component of, or attached to, a mobile terminal 1 that comprises a cellular transceiver 8. For example, the receiver module 11 may be incorporated in a battery pack and inserted into a battery compartment of the mobile terminal 1, so that the receiver module 11 and mobile terminal 1 are powered by battery 13. The loop antenna 14 is substantially resistant to electric fields produced by the transceiver 8 and other sources, and may be arranged within the receiver module 11. Where an external loop antenna 41 is provided instead of, or in addition to, loop antenna 14, the receiver module 11 may be arranged to monitor the quality of signals received from the digital broadcast network 3 and alert a user to deploy the external antenna 41 if the signal quality is low or decreasing.

Claims

1. A receiver module for digital broadcast reception comprising:

an antenna;

an amplifier for amplifying signals received by the antenna;

a demodulator for demodulating signals received by the antenna; and

means for connecting the receiver module to a mobile terminal.

2. A receiver module according to claim 1, attachable to the mobile terminal and connectable to a battery, so that said battery can supply power to both the mobile terminal and receiver module simultaneously.

3. A receiver module according to claim 2, wherein said battery is received in a recess provided in the receiver module.

4. A receiver module according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the antenna is arranged to be substantially resistant to an electric field component in an electromagnetic wave within a predetermined waveband.

5. A receiver module according to claim 4, wherein the antenna is a loop antenna.

6. A receiver module according to claim 5, wherein the antenna is arranged within a casing of the receiver module.

7. A receiver module according to claim 6, arranged so that each portion of the loop is located at a position close to the periphery of the receiver module.

8. A receiver module according to claim 6, wherein the loop antenna is housed in a slot in a casing of the receiver module.

9. A receiver module according to claim 6, wherein the antenna is mounted on a printed circuit board within the receiver module.

10. A receiver module according to claim 1, wherein the loop antenna is mounted externally of a housing of the mobile terminal.

11. A receiver module according to claim 1, integrated within the mobile terminal.

12. A receiver module according to claim 6, arranged to receive signals through a second loop antenna extending outside a housing of the mobile terminal.

13. A receiver module according to claim 12, arranged to compare the quality of incoming digital broadcast signals with a predetermined value.

14. A receiver module according to claim 13, arranged to respond to a determination that the signal quality is below the predetermined value by generating an alert message for display on a user interface of the mobile terminal.

15. A receiver module according to claim 14, arranged so that, if said incoming digital broadcast signals are received through the first loop antenna, the alert message comprises an indication that the second loop antenna should be deployed.

16. A receiver module according to claim 14, arranged so that, if said incoming digital broadcast signals are received through the second loop antenna, the alert message comprises an indication that the second loop antenna should be repositioned.

17. A receiver module according to claim 1, configured for use in a mobile terminal that comprises a telephone transceiver.

18. A receiver module according to claim 17, comprising means for electrically decoupling the antenna and telephone transceiver.

19. A receiver module according to claim 1, comprising a matching circuit for matching the impedance of the antenna to that of the amplifier.

20. A receiver module according to claim 19, wherein said matching circuit is configured to track a desired reception frequency and match the impedance of the amplifier to the impedance of the antenna accordingly.

21. A receiver module according to claim 1, configured to receive signals broadcast over DVB-T and/or DVB-H networks.

22. A receiver module according to claim 19, further configured to selectively receive bursts of time-sliced data.

23. A battery pack comprising a receiver module according to claim 1.

24. A cover configured for attachment to an exterior portion of the mobile terminal comprising a receiver module according to claim 1.

25. A mobile terminal comprising a receiver module according to claim 1.

26. A mobile terminal comprising a battery pack according to claim 23.

27. A mobile terminal comprising a cover according to claim 24.

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)