Method, apparatus, and system for parallel plate mode radial pattern signaling

• US 7,271,680 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Liang, Tao, Heck, Howard, Horine, Bryce, Brist, Gary, Hall, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BENNY T
• Application Number:
  US11/172,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 333/24.R, 333/239, 333/248, 333/125, 333/136, 333/137
• US Class Current: 333/24.00R
• 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 9/0471 Non-planar, stepped or wedge-shaped patch

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus for high data rate parallel plate mode signaling.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a driving agent electrically coupled to a driving antenna; and

a first receiving agent electrically coupled to a first receiving antenna, wherein the driving antenna is electromagnetically coupled between two parallel plates to the first receiving antenna, wherein the driving antenna propagates energy in a radial pattern, and wherein the two parallel plates are interior layers of a printed circuit board.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving antenna is a via and the first receiving antenna is a via.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two parallel plates are conductive layers.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the two parallel plates are a ground plane and a power plane.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ground plane and the power plane are separated by a material selected from the group consisting of FR4, ceramic, polyimide, and LCP.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second receiving agent electrically coupled to a second receiving antenna, wherein the driving antenna is electromagnetically coupled between two parallel plates to the second receiving antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first receiving agent and the second receiving agent are each a different distance from the driving agent.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first receiving agent and the second receiving agent are equidistant from the driving agent.

9. A method comprising:

transmitting a modulated signal from a driving antenna to a receiving antenna on a printed circuit board in a radial pattern using parallel plate mode; and

modulating a digital signal on a carrier wave by opening a switch for a digital high state and closing the switch for a digital low state.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising demodulating the modulated signal to obtain a digital signal at a receiving agent.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein parallel plate mode propagates energy by establishing an electromagnetic field between two planes on different layers of the printed circuit board.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising confining the modulated signal to the printed circuit board.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the carrier wave has a frequency which is selected to correspond to a peak insertion loss value.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the driving antenna and the receiving antenna are vias.

15. A system comprising:

a driving agent coupled to a driving antenna; and

a plurality of receiving agents, each of the plurality of receiving agents coupled to one of a plurality of receiving antennas, wherein the driving antenna is capable of being electromagnetically coupled in parallel plate mode to each of the plurality of receiving antennas when power is applied to the system, wherein the driving antenna is capable of propagating energy in a radial pattern, and wherein the driving agent, the driving antenna, the plurality of receiving agents, and the plurality of receiving antennas are on a multi-layer printed circuit board.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the driving agent is a memory controller device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of receiving agents is a microprocessor.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the driving antenna is a via and each of the plurality of receiving antennas is a via.