DEPOSITION ANTENNA APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20130229314A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Inventors: Annamaa, Petteri, Kalistaja, Esa, Kuehler, Dan, Hamilton, Bruce, Benjamin, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,780,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• 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: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1241 by ink-jet printing or drawing by dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/32 electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

Space- and cost-efficient antenna apparatus and methods of making and using the same. In one embodiment, the antenna is formed using a deposition process, whereby a conductive fluid or other material is deposited directly on one or more interior components of a host device (e.g., cellular phone or tablet computer). The antenna can be formed in a substantially three-dimensional “loop” shape, and obviates several costly and environmentally unfriendly processing steps and materials associated with prior art antenna manufacturing approaches.

Claims

1. Antenna apparatus, comprising:

a conductor deposited on a component of a portable device, wherein the conductor is formed using the process comprising;

depositing a conductive flowable substance onto said component in a desired pattern; and

curing said deposited flowable substance so as to render the flowable substance substantially non-flowable.

2. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductor comprises a wire-like form factor substantially enclosing a central region having no conductive substance therein.

3. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the curing comprises using at least one of electromagnetic radiation or heat, and the depositing comprises depositing using an electrically controlled print head.

4. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductor comprises a wire-like form factor substantially enclosing a central region, the component comprising a plurality of electrical components disposed substantially within the central region.

5. Antenna apparatus, comprising a structure formed by deposition of a conductive flowable material and having at least one variation in at least one of a (i) cross-sectional shape and/or (ii) a cross-sectional area.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the structure comprises a substantially wire-like form factor, and the variation in at least one of a (i) cross-sectional shape and/or (ii) a cross-sectional area comprises variation in both of (i) cross-sectional shape and (ii) cross-sectional area.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the flowable material has been rendered substantially non-flowable at least by application of at least one of heat and/or electromagnetic radiation.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the variation in both of (i) cross-sectional shape and (ii) cross-sectional area effects a change in electromagnetic radiation or reception performance for the antenna from a first portion having a first cross-sectional shape and first cross-sectional area to a second portion having a second cross-sectional shape and second cross-sectional area.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the change in electromagnetic radiation or reception performance for the antenna comprises an ability to operate in two or more different frequency bands.

10. A method of manufacturing an antenna apparatus, comprising:

depositing a conductive fluid in a desired form, and

subsequently curing the deposited fluid using thermal energy.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said method utilizes no plating steps or processes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the depositing comprises depositing on an extant interior surface or component of a mobile wireless device, and said method utilizes no additional preparation of the surface.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the depositing comprises depositing on two or more extant interior surfaces or components of a mobile wireless device that are substantially adjacent to one another.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the form comprises a three-dimensional form such that a trace formed by the deposited fluid includes one or more changes in direction.

15. A method of developing an antenna apparatus, comprising:

depositing a wire-like loop antenna of a first configuration on a substrate;

depositing modified configurations of the wire-like loop antenna on other substrates, and

testing the wire-like loop antenna and other configurations to identify one or more desirable operational relationships of the wire-like loop antenna and modified configurations generally.

16. Manufacturing apparatus useful for manufacturing of deposition antennas, the apparatus comprising:

a print head configured to emit a quantity of a flowable conductive substance for deposition onto a target component;

motion apparatus configured to move the target component relative to the print head or move the print head relative to the target component, so as to permit deposition of said conductive substance onto different portions of said target component;

wherein said motion apparatus is further configured to move said print head or target component in three dimensions so as to effect deposition of said conductive substance on a three-dimension portion of said target component.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising heat or electromagnetic radiation curing apparatus.

18. An electronic component for use in a host device, comprising:

a substrate comprising a plurality of circuits and electronic components disposed thereon, the substrate having at least one edge; and

a loop-like antenna disposed on at least a portion of the at least one edge, the antenna configured to perform at least one of transmission and/or reception of a wireless signal in one or more prescribed frequency bands.

19. The component of claim 18, wherein the antenna has been disposed using a fluidic printing process and subsequently cured.

20. The component of claim 18, wherein the antenna has been disposed prior to a soldering process associated with the substrate, and curing of the printed antenna is performed substantially simultaneous with the soldering process.

21. The component of claim 20, wherein the curing of the printed antenna performed substantially simultaneous with the soldering process comprises use of the soldering process to provide said curing.

22. A method of manufacturing an antenna apparatus, comprising:

depositing a conductive fluid in a desired form, and

subsequently curing the deposited fluid using electromagnetic energy.

23. A method of forming an antenna having first and second portions having first and second geometries, respectively, the method comprising:

depositing a first flowable conductive fluid in the first portion in the first geometry; and

depositing a second flowable conductive fluid in the second portion in the second geometry, the acts of depositing causing formation of an electrically conductive pathway from the first portion to the second portion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first flowable conductive fluid comprises a different fluid than the second fluid.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first geometry comprises a different cross-sectional profile than that of the second geometry.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising curing the first portion and the second portion simultaneously using at least one of heat or electromagnetic radiation.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second conductive fluids comprise the same fluid, and the depositing a flowable conductive fluid in the first portion and the depositing a flowable conductive fluid in the second portion comprise depositing using a common print head and in one substantially continuous expulsion of the conductive fluid by the print head.

28. A method of surface mounting an electronic component, the method comprising:

providing an electronic device having a plurality of leads arranged in a prescribed pattern;

depositing a flowable conductive fluid on a surface of a substrate substantially according to the prescribed pattern;

placing the electronic device on the substrate surface such that the plurality of leads are in contact with corresponding portions of the conductive fluid; and

curing the fluid so as to form an at least partially permanent electrical connection between each of the leads and its respective corresponding portion of the fluid.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the depositing comprises using a print head to expel the fluid therefrom in the prescribed pattern.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising curing the deposited fluid using at least one of heat and/or electromagnetic radiation.