Antenna assembly and method of operation thereof

• US 7,471,257 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Candal, Alejandro, Gonzalez, Jose M., Allen, Aaron R., Staszesky, Francis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US11/613,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20080122727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 343/876, 343/702, 343/722, 343/793, 455/575.7
• US Class Current: 343/876
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/244 extendable from a housing along a given path
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention concerns an antenna assembly (102) and a method (600) of operation thereof. In one arrangement, the antenna assembly can include a first antenna element (202) and a second antenna element (204), electrically disconnected from the first antenna element and a switching element (210) to selectively connect the first antenna element and the second antenna element. In another arrangement, the method can include the steps of sliding (604) the switching element to a first position to operate the antenna assembly in a first mode of operation and sliding (606) the switching element to a second position to operate the antenna assembly in a second mode of operation. As an example, in the first mode of operation, the antenna assembly can operate as a one-half wavelength antenna. In the second mode of operation, the antenna assembly can operate as a quarter wavelength antenna.

Claims

1. A method of operating an antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising a first antenna element, a second antenna element and a switching element, the second antenna element being connected to the first antenna element by a non-conducting section, the method comprising:

sliding the switching element to a first position with respect to the non-conducting section for operating the antenna assembly in a first mode of operation; and

sliding the switching element to a second position with respect to the non-conducting section for operating the antenna assembly in a second mode of operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching element connects the first antenna element to the second antenna element at the first position.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching element disconnects the first antenna element from the second antenna element at the second position.