OPTIMIZED CONFORMAL-TO-METER ANTENNAS

• US 20110063172A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: World Products Inc. (eVance Processing, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: World Products Inc. (eVance Processing, Inc.)
• Inventors: Podduturi, Bharadvaj R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/700.MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2233 used in consumption-meter devices, e.g. electricity, gas or water meters
• 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 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

A dual-dipole, multi-band conformal antenna for facilitating optimized wireless communications of a utility meter. The antenna includes an antenna backing, the backing adapted to conform to an inside surface of a utility meter and an antenna trace affixed to the antenna backing. The antenna trace is made of a conductive material and includes a symmetric low-band portion and an asymmetric high-band portion.

Claims

1. A dual-dipole, multi-band conformal antenna for facilitating optimized wireless communications of a utility meter, the antenna comprising:

an antenna backing, the backing adapted to conform to an inside surface of a utility meter; and

an antenna trace affixed to the antenna backing, the antenna trace comprising a conductive material and including;

a low-band portion for radiating in a low-band frequency range and having a left low-band arm and a right low-band arm, the left low-band arm and the right low-band arm being substantially the same as the right low-band arm such that the low-band portion is substantially symmetrical about a central axis of the antenna trace; and

a high-band portion for radiating in a high-band frequency range and having a left high-band arm having a left length and a right high-band arm having a right length, the left high-band arm and the right high-band arm being asymmetrical about the central axis of the antenna trace such that the length of the right high-band arm is not substantially equal to the length of the left high-band arm;

wherein a left-side conductive area of the antenna trace is substantially equal to a right-side conductive area of the antenna trace.

2. A method of optimizing performance of an asymmetrical conformal antenna in a utility meter having a meter housing and distributed electrical components, including:

vertically positioning an antenna including a low-band portion with left and right low-band arms and a high-band portion having left and right high-band arms inside a utility meter having a meter housing and distributed electrical components forming a high component density area and a low component density area, such that at least a portion of the low-band portion is located above a plane formed by a top surface of a meter housing and the distributed electrical components, and a portion of the high-band portion is located below the plane and adjacent the distributed electrical components;

radially positioning the antenna about the meter housing and electrical components such that the left high-band arm is adjacent the low electrical component density and the right high-band arm is adjacent the high electrical component density; and

causing the antenna to radiate the energy at either a low-band frequency or a high-band frequency.