Compact radio frequency transmitting and receiving antenna and control device employing same
First Claim
1. An antenna operable to transmit or receive radio frequency signals at a specified frequency and to be used with a device for controlling power delivered to an electrical load, the antenna comprising:
- a first radiating loop of conductive material having a capacitance and an inductance, the capacitance and the inductance forming a circuit being resonant at the specified frequency, the first radiating loop transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals external to the device for controlling power delivered to the electrical load; and
a second feed loop of conductive material having two ends adapted to be electrically coupled to an electronic circuit, the second feed loop being substantially only magnetically coupled to the first radiating loop and electrically insulated from the first radiating loop;
said first radiating loop and second feed loop each having a loop axis, the loop axes of the first radiating loop and second feed loop being substantially parallel or coincidentsaid first radiating loop and second feed loop forming a single antenna contained in said device for controlling power delivered to the electrical load.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A compact antenna for use in a device for controlling the power delivered to an electric load and operable to transmit or receive radio frequency signals at a specified frequency is presented. The antenna comprises a first loop of conductive material having a capacitance and an inductance forming a circuit being resonant at the specified frequency, and a second loop of conductive material having two ends adapted to be electrically coupled to an electronic circuit. The second loop is substantially only magnetically coupled to the first loop and is electrically isolated from the first loop. In a first embodiment of the antenna, the first and second loops are formed on respective first and second printed circuit boards, which allow for a small, low-cost antenna that is easy to manufacture and maximizes efficiency. When the antenna is installed in a load control device, such as a dimmer, the first loop of the antenna is mounted on an outer surface of the device. The second loop of the antenna may be at a high-voltage potential such as line voltage.
160 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. An antenna operable to transmit or receive radio frequency signals at a specified frequency and to be used with a device for controlling power delivered to an electrical load, the antenna comprising:
-
a first radiating loop of conductive material having a capacitance and an inductance, the capacitance and the inductance forming a circuit being resonant at the specified frequency, the first radiating loop transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals external to the device for controlling power delivered to the electrical load; and a second feed loop of conductive material having two ends adapted to be electrically coupled to an electronic circuit, the second feed loop being substantially only magnetically coupled to the first radiating loop and electrically insulated from the first radiating loop; said first radiating loop and second feed loop each having a loop axis, the loop axes of the first radiating loop and second feed loop being substantially parallel or coincident said first radiating loop and second feed loop forming a single antenna contained in said device for controlling power delivered to the electrical load. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification