Wireless Portable Device Including Internal Broadcast Receiver

• US 20090156151A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fractus SA
• Original Assignee: Fractus SA
• Inventors: Anguera, Jaume, Sanz, Alfonso
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/289
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates, inter alia, to a wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising at least one antenna element (1210), at least one ground-plane (1250), radio frequency communication circuitry (1310) and at least one matching network (1320). The device is arranged for communication involving, at least, receiving and processing a signal in accordance with a communication system having a bandwidth with a lower frequency limit (f_min) and an upper frequency limit (f_max). The antenna element is a non-resonant antenna element for frequencies from said lower frequency limit (f_min) up to said higher frequency limit (f_min). Another aspect of the invention involves two antenna elements (2001, 2002) tuned around two different central frequencies within a frequency band, and a switch (2003) for selectively operatively connecting one of said at least two antenna elements to a radio frequency communication circuitry (2000).

Claims

1-52. -52. (canceled)

53. A wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising:

at least one antenna element;

at least one ground-plane having a length and a width, no ground-plane having a width larger than 55 mm;

radio frequency communication circuitry for processing a signal received through the at least one antenna element;

at least one matching network operatively arranged between the at least one antenna element and the radio frequency communication circuitry;

wherein the device is arranged for communication involving, at least, receiving and processing a signal in accordance with a communication system having a bandwidth with a lower frequency limit (f_min) and un upper frequency limit (f_max);

wherein the at least one antenna element is a non-resonant antenna element for frequencies that are not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max) so that an imaginary part of an input impedance of the antenna element is not equal to zero for any frequency that is not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max); and

wherein the antenna element is configured so that the imaginary part of the input impedance for any selected frequency not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max) is closer to zero than the imaginary part of the input impedance for any frequency not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and lower than the selected frequency.

72. The device according to claim 53, wherein the lower frequency limit is 88 MHz and the higher frequency limit is 108 MHz.

73. The device according to claim 53, wherein the lower frequency limit is 180 MHz and the higher frequency limit is 210 MHz.

74. The device according to claim 53, the device being a handheld device.

75. The device according to claim 53, wherein the device includes means for processing digital television signals and for displaying corresponding video images.

76. The device according to claim 53, wherein the device further comprising:

a casing housing, the at least one ground plane, and at least one antenna element, the casing being provided with an external conductive coating connected with the at least one ground plane so as to connect a user'"'"'s hand to the at least one ground plane when the user is using the device.

77. The device according to claim 53, wherein at least one of the at least one antenna elements includes a portion shaped as a space-filling curve.

78. The device according to claim 77, wherein the space-filling curve comprises at least five segments, wherein each of the at least five segments forms an angle with each adjacent segment in the space-filling curve, wherein at least three of the at least five segments of the space-filling curve are shorter than one-fifth of a longest free-space operating wavelength of the antenna, wherein each angle between adjacent segments is less than 180°

, and at least two of the angles between adjacent sections are less than approximately 115°

.

79. The device according to claim 78, wherein a majority of the at least five segments of the space-filling curve are shorter than one-fifth of the longest free-space operating wavelength of the antenna.

80. The device according claim 53, wherein at least one of the at least one antenna element includes a portion shaped as a box-counting curve.

81. The device according to claim 80, wherein the space-filling curve has a box-có

unting dimension larger than 1.15.

82. The device according to claim 53, wherein at least one of the at least one antenna element includes a portion shaped as a grid dimension curve.

83. The device according to claim 82, wherein the space-filling curve has a grid dimension larger than 1.15.

84. The device according to claim 77, wherein the space-filling curve is fitted over a flat surface.

85. The device according to claim 53, wherein each antenna element of the at least one antenna element fits in a rectangle, a largest side of which has a length that does not exceed one-fifth of a longest free-space operating wavelength of the at least one antenna element.

86. The device according to claim 53, wherein at least one of the at least one antenna elements includes a portion having a multi-level structure.

55. A wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising:

at least one antenna element;

at least one ground-plane having a length and a width, no ground-plane having a width larger than 55 mm;

radio frequency communication circuitry for processing a signal received through the at least one antenna element;

at least one matching network operatively arranged between the at least one antenna element and the communication circuitry;

wherein the device is arranged for communication involving at least receiving and processing a signal in accordance with a communication system having a bandwidth with a lower frequency limit (f_min) and a higher frequency limit (f_max);

wherein the at least one antenna element is a non-resonant antenna element for frequencies that are not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max) so that an imaginary part of an input impedance of the at least one antenna element is not equal to zero for any frequency that is not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max); and

wherein the antenna element is configured so that the imaginary part of the input impedance, for any selected frequency not lower than the lower frequency limit (f_min) and not higher than the higher frequency limit (f_max) is closer to zero than the imaginary part of the input impedance for any frequency not higher than the higher frequency limit (fmax) and higher than the selected frequency.

56. A wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising:

a radio frequency communication circuitry; and

an antenna system;

the antenna system comprising;

at least one ground-plane;

at least two antenna elements tuned around two different central frequencies within a frequency band having a lower frequency limit (f_min) and un upper frequency limit (f_max); and

a switch for selectively operatively connecting one of the at least two antenna elements to the radio frequency communication circuitry.

57. The device according to claim 56, the at least two antenna elements comprises:

a first antenna element having a first electrical length;

a second antenna element having a second electrical length;

wherein the first electrical length being larger than the second electrical length wherein, for a frequency band having the lower frequency limit (f_min) and the upper frequency limit (f_max), the first antenna element is arranged to have a maximum of gain at a first frequency (f₁);

wherein the second antenna element is arranged to have a maximum of gain at a second frequency (f₂), the second frequency being higher than the first frequency, both the first frequency and the second frequency being frequencies within the frequency band (f_min<

f1<

f2<

f_max);

wherein at least one of the first and second antenna elements is arranged to act as a parasitic element for another one of the first and second antenna elements so that the antenna system has a local maximum of gain at a third frequency (f₃) substantially different from the first frequency (f₁) and the second frequency (f₂); and

wherein the third frequency being a frequency within the frequency band.

58. The device according to claim 57, wherein the third frequency (f₃) is lower than the first frequency (f₁).

59. The device according to any of claim 57, wherein at least another antenna element of the first and second antenna elements is the second antenna element, so that the first antenna element acts as a parasitic element for the second antenna element at the third frequency.

60. The device according to any of claims 57, wherein at least one antenna element of the first and second antenna elements is connected to ground through a matching network including at least one inductance and/or one capacitance.

61. The device according to any of claims 57, wherein at least another antenna element of the first and second antenna elements is not connected to ground through a matching network.

62. The device according to any of claims 57, wherein the second antenna element is arranged to act as a parasitic element for the first antenna element so that the antenna system has a local maximum of gain at a fourth frequency (f₄) different from the first frequency (f₁), the second frequency (f₂) and the third frequency (f₃), the fourth frequency (f₄) being a frequency within the frequency band.

63. A wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising:

a radio frequency communication circuitry; and

an antenna system;

wherein the device being arranged for communication involving, at least, receiving and processing a signal in accordance with a communication system having a bandwidth with a lower frequency limit (f_min) and an upper frequency limit (f_max), wherein the lower frequency limit is not higher than 470 MHz and the upper frequency limit is not lower than 770 MHz, the device comprising;

at least one antenna element;

at least one ground-plane;

wherein the ground-plane comprising two electrically interconnected conductive portions; and

wherein the two electrically interconnected conductive portions are interconnected by at least two conductive strips.

64. The device according to claim 63, wherein the at least two conductive strips interconnect a first end portion of a first one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions and a second end portion of a second one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions.

65. The device according to claim 64, wherein each one of the two electrically interconnected conductive portions are substantially rectangular, each one of the two electrically interconnected conductive portions having two shorter sides and two longer sides, the first end portion corresponding to a shorter side of the first one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions and the second end portion corresponding to a longer side of the second one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions.

66. The device according to any of claims 63, wherein the device comprises:

at least two body portions pivotally arranged with regard to each other;

a first one of the two electrically interconnected conductive portions being housed in a first one of the body portions; and

a second one of the two electrically interconnected conductive portions being housed in a second one of the body portions.

67. The device according to any of claims 63, wherein the at least one antenna element is arranged at one end of a first one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions, the at least two conductive strips being arranged at an opposite end of the first one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions.

68. The device according to claim 67, wherein the at least two conductive strips are placed near to respective opposite ends of opposite end of the first one of the electrically interconnected conductive portions.

69. The device according to claim 63, wherein the at least one antenna element comprises at least one conductive portion and a plurality of switches arranged in the at least one conductive portion, the plurality of switches being arranged for selectively setting an effective electrical length of the at least one antenna element to one of a plurality of values, for tuning the at least one antenna element.

70. The device according to claim 63, wherein the at least one antenna element is arranged over a ground-plane free area.

71. The device according to claim 63, wherein the lower frequency limit is 470 MHz and the upper frequency limit is 770 MHz.