Closed slot antenna having outer and inner magnetic loops

• US 5,691,731 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: van Erven, Cornelis Maria Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US08/481,010
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 343/742, 343/743, 343/788, 343/842, 343/866, 343/867
• US Class Current: 343/742
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0452 Antenna structure, control or arrangement vehicle tyre mounted antennas H01Q1/2241
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/75 using transponders powered from received waves, e.g. using passive transponders , or using passive reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• 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

Abstract

An RF identification system having an interrogator operable to send RF interrogations to a transponder and to receive RF responses from the transponder. The interrogator is in electrical communication with a closed slot antenna. The closed slot antenna is formed by an an outer visual magnetic loop and an inner visual magnetic loop such that the antenna has a superior magnetic field when compared to a balanced double loop antenna with an equal area and a superior far-field noise suppression when compared to the single loop antenna. The antenna receives said RF responses from the transponder and provides said RF responses to said interrogator. Other devices, systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A closed slot antenna, said antenna comprising a wire which is configured to form an antenna having an outer magnetic loop and an inner magnetic loop, said outer loop and said inner loop being generally concentric about a center point, said wire proceeding in a first angular direction with respect to said center point from a first point on the outer loop to a second point on the outer loop thereby traversing a first portion of the outer loop, said wire then reversing direction inwardly to a third point on the inner loop and proceeding in a second angular direction nearly completely about the inner magnetic loop until reaching a fourth point on the inner loop, said fourth point in non-contacting, close proximity to said third point, and reversing direction outwardly to a fifth point on the outer loop, and proceeding in said first angular direction about a second portion of the outer loop to a fifth point on the outer loop, said sixth point in non-contacting, close proximity to said second point thereby forming a virtual inner closed magnetic loop between said third point and said fourth point and a virtual outer closed magnetic loop between said first point and said sixth point.

2. The antenna of claim 1 wherein said loops are rectangular.

3. The antenna of claim 1 wherein said inner loop has a different geometric shape than said outer loop.

4. An antenna, said antenna comprising a single conductor arranged such that said conductor originates at a first point, forms a first loop where a second point of said conductor lies near to said first point, substantially closing said first loop without forming an electrical contact between said first and second points, and forms a second loop originating at said second point where a third point lies near to said first point, substantially closing said second loop without forming an electrical contact between said first and third points, said second loop being substantially parallel to said first loop.

5. The antenna of claim 4 wherein said first loop is substantially circular.

6. The antenna of claim 5 wherein said second loop is substantially circular.

7. The antenna of claim 4 wherein said first and second loops have different geometric shapes.

8. An antenna formed of a single conductor which has a first end and a second end, said antenna comprising:

an outer loop which is formed from said single conductor such that a portion of said conductor extends from said first end to a first point and another portion of said conductor extends from said second end to a second point, said first and second points in non-contacting but close proximity to each other;

an inner loop which is formed from said single conductor such that said a portion of said single conductor extends inwardly from said first point to a third point then extends from said third point to a fourth point and then extends outwardly to said second point, said third and fourth points being in non-contacting but close proximity to each other; and

wherein said inner and outer loops are substantially concentric about a point, and wherein a current flowing on said single conductor will flow in one direction on said outer conductor and in a generally opposite direction on said inner conductor.