Dual-band antenna for a wireless local area network device

• US 7,057,560 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erkocevic, Nedim
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): AL NAZER, LEITH A
• Application Number:
  US10/696,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20040222923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A dual-band antenna, a method of manufacturing the same and a wireless networking card incorporating the antenna. In one embodiment, the antenna includes: (1) a substrate, (2) an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by the substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band and (3) a monopole antenna printed circuit supported by the substrate, connected to the inverted F antenna printed circuit and tuned to resonate in a second frequency band.

Claims

1. A dual-band antenna, comprising:

a substrate;

an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band, said inverted F antenna having a ground plane; and

a monopole antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and located on a different plane than said ground plane, said monopole antenna printed circuit tuned to resonate in a second frequency band and indirectly connected to said ground plane via said inverted F antenna.

2. The antenna as recited in claim 1 further comprising a feed line located on a different plane of said substrate from a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit is coupled to said feed line.

3. The antenna as recited in claim 1 further comprising a feed line located on one surface of said substrate, said antenna further comprising a conductive interconnection coupling said feed line to a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit located on an opposing surface of said substrate.

4. The antenna as recited in claim 1 wherein said ground plane is coupled to and spaced apart from both a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

5. The antenna as recited in claim 1 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit comprises first and second traces tuned to differing resonance in said second frequency band.

6. The antenna as recited in claim 5 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit further comprises a root trace from which said first and second traces extend.

7. The antenna as recited in claim 5 wherein a footprint of a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit lies between footprints of said first and second traces.

8. The antenna as recited in claim 1 wherein said substrate is composed of a higher loss material and has a plurality of lower loss regions located proximate a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

9. The antenna as recited in claim 1 wherein said first frequency band is lower than said second frequency band.

10. The antenna as recited in claim 9 wherein said first frequency band is between about 2.4 GHz and about 2.5 GHz and said second frequency band is between about 5.2 GHz and about 5.8 GHz.

11. A wireless networking card, comprising:

wireless networking circuitry;

a dual-band transceiver coupled to said wireless networking circuitry; and

a dual-band antenna coupled to said dual-band transceiver and including;

a substrate,

an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band, said inverted F antenna having a ground plane, and

a monopole antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and located on a different plane than said ground plane, said monopole antenna printed circuit tuned to resonate in a second frequency band and indirectly connected to said ground plane via said inverted F antenna.

12. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 further comprising a feed line located on a different plane of said substrate from a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit is coupled to said feed line.

13. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 further comprising a feed line located on one surface of said substrate, said antenna further comprising a conductive interconnection coupling said feed line to a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit located on an opposing surface of said substrate.

14. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 wherein said ground plane is coupled to and spaced apart from both a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

15. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit comprises first and second traces tuned to differing resonance in said second frequency band.

16. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 15 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit further comprises a root trace from which said first and second traces extend.

17. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 15 wherein a footprint of a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit lies between footprints of said first and second traces.

18. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 wherein said substrate is composed of a higher loss material and has a plurality of lower loss regions located proximate a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

19. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 wherein said first frequency band is lower than said second frequency band.

20. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 19 wherein said first frequency band is between about 2.4 GHz and about 2.5 GHz and said second frequency band is between about 5.2 GHz and about 5.8 GHz.

21. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 11 further comprising a second dual-band antenna coupled to said dual-band transceiver.

22. The wireless networking card as recited in claim 21 further comprising a switch that selectively connects one of said first dual-band antenna and said second dual-band antenna to said dual-band transceiver and connects another of said first dual-band antenna and said second dual-band antenna to ground.

23. A method of manufacturing a dual-band antenna, comprising:

forming an inverted F antenna printed circuit on a substrate, said inverted F antenna printed circuit having a ground plane and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band; and

forming a monopole antenna printed circuit on said substrate and on a different plane than said ground plane, said monopole antenna printed circuit tuned to resonate in a second frequency band and connected indirectly to said ground plane via said inverted F antenna.

24. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising forming a feed line on a different plane of said substrate from a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and coupling said monopole antenna printed circuit to said feed line.

25. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising forming a feed line on one surface of said substrate and forming a conductive interconnection to couple said feed line to a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit located on an opposing surface of said substrate.

26. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein said ground plane is coupled to and spaced apart from both a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

27. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit comprises first and second traces tuned to differing resonance in said second frequency band.

28. The method as recited in claim 27 wherein said monopole antenna printed circuit further comprises a root trace from which said first and second traces extend.

29. The method as recited in claim 27 wherein a footprint of a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit lies between footprints of said first and second traces.

30. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein said substrate is composed of a higher loss material and has a plurality of lower loss regions located proximate a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said monopole antenna printed circuit.

31. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein said first frequency band is lower than said second frequency band.

32. The method as recited in claim 31 wherein said first frequency band is between about 2.4 GHz and about 2.5 GHz and said second frequency band is between about 5.2 GHz and about 5.8 GHz.

33. A dual-band antenna, comprising:

a substrate;

an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band;

a feed line located on a different plane of said substrate from a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit; and

a monopole antenna printed circuit, coupled to said inverted F antenna printed circuit and said feed line, said monopole antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a second frequency band.

34. A dual-band antenna, comprising:

a substrate;

an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band;

a feed line located on one surface of said substrate;

a conductive interconnection coupling said feed line to a radiator of said inverted F antenna printed circuit located on an opposing surface of said substrate; and

a monopole antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate, connected to said inverted F antenna printed circuit and tuned to resonate in a second frequency band.

35. A dual-band antenna, comprising:

a substrate;

an inverted F antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate and tuned to resonate in a first frequency band; and

a monopole antenna printed circuit supported by said substrate, connected to said inverted F antenna printed circuit and tuned to resonate in a second frequency band, said monopole antenna printed circuit including a first trace directly coupled to a second trace and each trace tuned to differing resonance in said second frequency band.