Slot antenna arrangement for portable personal computers

• US 5,677,698 A
• Filed: 08/04/1995
• Issued: 10/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitel Semiconductor, Limited (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Plessey Semiconductors Limited (Plessey Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Snowdon, Robert Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US08/511,543
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700 MS, 343/725, 343/767, 343/846, 343/770
• US Class Current: 343/770
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas

Abstract

An antenna arrangement is provided in which a slot antenna is attached to the surface of an equipment case made of a dielectric material, there being provided also a ground plane spaced a small distance apart from the case and behind the antenna. The equipment may be a personal computer, e.g. a notebook computer, and the antenna, which may take the form of a copper foil, may be attached to the lid of the computer by an adhesive on its rear surface. The ground plane may, in this case, take the form of an existing display backplane. The invention provides for the realization of a compact antenna arrangement due to the effect of the case dielectric on the effective electrical length of the slot antenna.

Claims

1. Electrical apparatus incorporating an antenna arrangement, the apparatus comprising:

a casing of dielectric material, said casing having an inner face;

a substantially planar sheet of electrically conductive material secured to the inner face of said casing, and having formed therein at least two elongate apertures defining respective slot antennas in a diversity configuration, said slot antennas being electrically coupled to the dielectric material of said casing;

a substantially planar ground plane means secured in spaced relationship with, and substantially parallel with, said sheet of electrically conductive material; and

respective connection means coupled to at least one edge of each said elongate aperture.

2. The electrical apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein each said slot antenna is dimensioned for operation at a predetermined center frequency, and said ground plane means is spaced from said sheet of electrically conductive material by approximately one sixtieth of a wavelength at said predetermined center frequency.

3. The electrical apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein each said slot antenna is dimensioned as a half-wave antenna at said predetermined center frequency.

4. The electrical apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said casing houses a portable computer, wherein said sheet of electrically conductive material is secured to an inner face of a lid portion of the casing, and wherein said ground plane means is formed by a conductive rear face of a display circuit board attached to said lid portion.

5. The electrical apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sheet of electrically conductive material comprises a copper foil.

6. The electrical apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sheet of electrically conductive material is secured to said inner face of said casing by means of an adhesive.