Low profile full wavelength meandering antenna

• US 20060132364A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Qi, Yihong, Jarmuszewski, Perry, Man, Ying Tong
• Granted Patent: US 7,486,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• 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 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 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A low profile antenna has a meander length based on the full electrical wavelength of the signal being transmitted or received. The antenna can have either an open-loop structure or a closed-loop structure with a matching network. The low profile enables the antenna to be used in a card for a device such as a personal computer, personal digital assistant, wireless telephone and so on with minimal risk of the antenna breaking off, as compared with a prior art antenna having a higher height and thus more likelihood of being broken from its card.

Claims

1. An antenna, comprising:

a first portion having a meandering path and two ends, and

second and third portions, each having a straight path and connected to respective ends of the first portion.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the meander length is based on the full electrical wavelength of a signal being transmitted or received.

3. The antenna of claim 1, having an open-loop configuration.

4. The antenna of claim 1, having a closed-loop configuration and a matching network coupled to the second and third portions.

5. The antenna of claim 1, having a low-profile configuration.

6. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the first portion is horizontal.

7. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the second and third portions are vertical.

8. The antenna of claim 1, having an average gain of −

2.5 dBi or better.

9. The antenna of claim 1, having a peak gain of 0.1 dBi or better.

10. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising fourth and fifth portions each having a meandering path, the fourth portion connected to the second portion, the fifth portion connected to the third portion, so that the first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions are in series.

11. The antenna of claim 10, wherein the fourth and fifth portions are bottom portions.

12. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the first portion is a top portion, and the second and third portions are side portions.

13. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the meandering path has a configuration that is one of a roman key-type meander, a sinusoidal meander, a sawtooth meander and an inverted Q meander.

14. An open-loop antenna, comprising:

first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions connected serially,

the first, third and fifth portions having meandering paths, and

the fifth portion being coupled to a current source or transceiver.

15. The open-loop antenna of claim 14, wherein the first, third and fifth portions are horizontal.

16. The open-loop antenna of claim 14, wherein the second and fourth portions are vertical.

17. The open-loop antenna of claim 14, wherein the second and fourth portions have meandering paths.

18. The open-loop antenna of claim 14, having an average gain of −

2.5 dBi or better.

19. A closed-loop antenna, comprising:

a matching network that is coupled to a current source or transceiver, and

first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions connected serially,

the first, third and fifth portions having meandering paths, and

the first and fifth portions connected to the matching network.

20. The closed-loop antenna of claim 19, wherein the first, third and fifth portions are horizontal.

21. The closed-loop antenna of claim 19, wherein the second and fourth portions are vertical.

22. The closed-loop antenna of claim 19, wherein the second and fourth portions have meandering paths.

23. The closed-loop antenna of claim 19, having an average gain of −

2.5 dBi or better.