ANTENNA FOR USE WITH AN AUDIO INDUCTION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 3,673,334 A
• Filed: 03/19/1971
• Issued: 06/27/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acoustiguide Corp. (Espro Acoustiguide Group)
• Original Assignee: Justin L. Turner
• Inventors: Turner, Justin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooper, William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Helvestine, William A.
• Application Number:
  US05/126,028
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 179/82 343/866,867
• US Class Current: 343/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems

Abstract

An antenna for use with an audio induction communication system provides a communication field of substantially uniform strength at all points within a given pick-up zone along which receiverequipped persons are expected to travel or within which such persons are expected to stand while receiving a message through their receivers. The antenna comprises a continuous wire located in the vicinity of the pick-up zone and preferably buried beneath the surface of the earth defining the pick-up zone. The wire is disposed in a plurality of loops each of which loops includes two portions crossing the zone at two different points, such zonecrossing loop portions being arranged so as to include a spaced series of such portions located along the length of the zone and through which the exciting current passes in the same direction, those zone-crossing loop portions through which the exciting current passes in the opposite direction being closely grouped together at one end of the zone.

Claims

1. An antenna for use with an audio induction communication system for producing a communication field in the vicinity of a given pickup zone, said antenna comprising a continuous wire wound in one direction of winding to form a plurality of loops, each of said loops including a first portion which extends across said zone along one line common to all of such first portions, and each of said loops including a second portion which extends across said path along a respective one of a plurality of other lines extending across said zone, said other lines being generally parallel to said one line and spaced from one another along the length of said zone.

2. An antenna as defined in claim 1 further characterized by all of said second portions of said loops being located on the same side of said first line.

3. An antenna as defined in claim 1 for use with a generally four-sided pickup zone including two end edges and two side edges and further characterized by said one line being located along one of said end edges and said one line and said other lines extending generally perpendicular to said side edges, each of said loops including other portions extending between said first and second portions, said other portions being spaced outwardly from the adjacent side edge of said zone by a distance which is substantial in comparison to the width of said zone.

4. An antenna as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said other lines being spaced from one another along the length of said zone by spacing intervals having lengths falling within the range of 6 inches to 2 feet.

5. An antenna as defined in claim 1 for use with a generally four-sided pickup zone including two end edges and two side edges and further characterized by each of said loops including third and fourth portions extending between said first and second portions, said third and fourth portions of said loops being spaced outwardly from the adjacent side edge of said zone by a distance greater than 2 feet.

6. An antenna as defined in claim 1 further characterized by additional wire wound to form an additional plurality of loops duplicating several times over said first-mentioned plurality of loops.

7. An antenna as defined in claim 6 further characterized by all of said loops being connected in series with one another.

8. An antenna as defined in claim 6 further characterized by said loops including a first set connected in series with one another and a second set connected in series with one another, and means connecting said first and second sets in parallel to one another.

9. An antenna for use with an audio induction communication system, said antenna comprising a continuous wire disposed relative to a given four-sided area in such a fashion as to form a plurality of four-legged loops, said four-sided area having first and second end edges and first and second side edges, and each of said loops having a first leg extending generally along said first end edge of said four-sided area, a second leg extending at least partially along said first side edge from said First end edge toward said second end edge, a third leg extending from said first side edge to said second side edge, and a fourth leg extending along said second side edge from said fourth leg toward said first end edge, said third legs of said loops being spaced from one another along the length of said first and second side edges, all of said loops being wound in the same direction relative to said four-sided area so that when an electrical current is passed through said wire said current in flowing through all of said first legs of said loops moves in one direction relative to said two side edges and in flowing through all of said third legs of said loops moves in the opposite direction relative to said two side edges.

10. An antenna for an audio-induction communication system for producing a communication field in the vicinity of a given pick-up zone, said antenna comprising a continuous wire disposed in a plurality of loops each of which loops includes two portions crossing said zone at two different points, said loops therefore defining one set of zone-crossing portions through which the exciting current passes in one direction and a second set of zone-crossing portions through which the exciting current passes in the opposite direction, said first set of zone-crossing portions being spaced from one another along the length of said zone and said second set of zone-crossing portions being grouped together at one end of said zone.

11. An antenna as defined in claim 10 further characterized by said pick-up zone being close to the surface of the ground and said wire being buried in the ground.

12. An antenna for use with an audio induction communication system, said antenna involving a generally four-sided wire path having two end edges, two side edges and a plurality of lines extending between said two side edges arranged generally parallel to one another and to said end edges and spaced from one another along the length of said area as measured between said two end edges, said antenna comprising a wire making at least one pass along said wire path, such pass consisting of a plurality of loops each of which loops includes one portion extending generally along one of said one edges and another portion extending along a respective one of said plurality of lines.

13. An antenna as defined in claim 12 further characterized by said wire being disposed in a number of passes around said wire path.

14. An antenna as defined in claim 12 further characterized by said wire being part of a multi-conductor cable, said cable making one complete pass along said wire path.

15. An antenna as defined in claim 14 further characterized by said multi-conductor cable having two adjacent ends across which ends its individual conductors are connected together to form a single plurality of series connected passes around said wire path.

16. An antenna as defined in claim 14 further characterized by said multi-conductor cable having two adjacent ends across which ends its individual conductors are connected together to form a plurality of parallel connected sets of passes around said wire path.