CO-LOCATED ANTENNA AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENT

• US 20150053773A1
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hsu, Morris, Dron, Anuj
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0727 the arrangement being a circuit facilitating integration of the record carrier with a hand-held device such as a smart phone of PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• 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: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields

Abstract

An apparatus includes a non-conductive sheet, an electrically conductive coil disposed on the non-conductive sheet, and an electronic component. The non-conductive sheet has a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, the third surface defining an opening. The electrically conductive coil surrounds the third surface and the third surface surrounds the electronic component, the electronic component being disposed within the opening.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a cover;

a non-conductive sheet, wherein the non-conductive sheet has a first surface coupled to the cover, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the third surface surrounds an opening;

an electrically conductive coil disposed on the second surface, wherein the electrically conductive coil surrounds the third surface; and

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the cover and disposed within the opening, wherein the third surface surrounds the RFID tag.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive sheet and the RFID tag are coupled to the cover with a non-conductive adhesive.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cover is non-metallic, and wherein the electrically conductive coil and the RFID tag are coupled to the non-metallic portion of the cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coil comprises a near field communication (NFC) antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller, coupled to the electrically conductive coil, to transmit and receive data via the electrically conductive coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coil comprises an inductive charging antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a battery, coupled to the electrically conductive coil, to charge from a current induced in the electrically conductive coil.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag comprises an ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tag.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a cover;

a non-conductive sheet, wherein the non-conductive sheet has a first surface coupled to the cover, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the third surface surrounds an opening;

a near-field communication (NFC) antenna disposed on the second surface, wherein the NFC antenna surrounds the third surface; and

an electronic component coupled to the cover and disposed within the opening, wherein the third surface surrounds the electronic component.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the NFC antenna is to operate at a frequency of about 13.56 megahertz (MHz).

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the electronic component comprises an ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, wherein the UHF RFID tag is to operate in a frequency range between 860 megahertz (MHz) to 960 MHz.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the electronic component comprises at least one of memory or a battery.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the electronic component is isolated from other components of the system.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a non-conductive sheet, wherein the non-conductive sheet has a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the third surface surrounds an opening;

an electrically conductive coil disposed on the non-conductive sheet, wherein the electrically conductive coil surrounds the third surface; and

an electronic component disposed within the opening, wherein the third surface surrounds the electronic component.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the electronic component is no more than 2 millimeters from the third surface.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the electronic component contacts the third surface.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the third surface is between 5 and 10 millimeters from the electrically conductive coil.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the non-conductive sheet comprises a ferrite sheet.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the opening is devoid of ferrite.