Dual-polarized, multiple strip-loop antenna, and associated methodology, for radio device

• US 7,511,670 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Rao, Qinjiang, Pecen, Mark, Wen, Geyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US11/735,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20080252550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/741, 343/742, 343/866, 343/867
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• 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

A dual-polarized antenna, and an associated methodology, is provided for a radio device, such as a mobile station. The antenna is formed of a plurality of loop strips disposed upon a substrate. The loop strips are configured into a pair of L-cornered loops, with the loops sharing a shared set of loop strips. A loop strip of the shared set provides a single feed connection, positioned to permit symmetrical excitation of the antenna.

Claims

1. Antenna apparatus for a radio device, said antenna apparatus comprising:

a substrate;

a first group of loop strips disposed upon said substrate, the loop strips of said first group configured to form a parallelogram, the loop strips of said first group having at least one strip extending in a first polarization direction and at least one strip extending in a second polarization direction; and

a second group of loop strips disposed upon said substrate, the loop strips of said second group configured to divide the parallelogram into two substantially equal parts, with the loop strips of said second group extending from a first side of the parallelogram to a second side of the parallelogram, the loop strips of said second group having at least one strip extending in the first polarization direction and at least one strip extending in a second polarization direction, said first group and said second group, each having strips extending in the first and second polarization directions, respectively, exhibiting dual-polarization operation.

2. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein adjacent ones of the strips of said first group intersect at substantially perpendicular angles relative to one another.

3. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein adjacent ones of the strips of said second group intersect at substantially perpendicular angles relative to one another.

4. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein two loop strips of said first group of loop strips and one loop strip of said second group of loop strips extend in the first polarization direction.

5. The antenna apparatus of claim 4 wherein two loop strips of said first group of loop strips and two loop strips of said second group of loop strips extend in the second polarization direction.

6. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein two loop strips of said first group of loop strips and two loop strips of said second group of loop strips extend in the second polarization direction.

7. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein one loop strip of said second group of loop strips extends in the first polarization direction and two loop strips of said second group of loop strips extend in the second polarization direction.

8. The antenna apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a single feed connection formed at the one loop strip said second group of loop strips that extends in the first polarization direction.

9. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a single feed connection formed at a loop strip of at least one of said first group and said second group, said single feed connection configured to provide symmetrical excitation of loop strips of said first group and said second group.

10. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first group of loop strips and said second group of loop strips are configured to be resonant at a 2.4 GHz frequency band.

11. A dual-polarized antenna apparatus for a radio device housed at a radio housing, said antenna apparatus comprising:

a substrate positionable within the radio housing;

a first plurality of loop strips etched upon said substrate and configured to form a parallelogram , each loop strip of the first plurality extending in one of a first polarization direction and a second polarization direction;

a second plurality of loop strips etched upon said substrate and configured to divide the parallelogram into a first antenna loop and a second antenna loop, each loop strip of the second plurality extending in one of the first polarization direction and the second polarization direction, said first antenna loop and said second antenna loop resonant within a selected frequency band to transduce signal energy polarized in the first polarization direction and in the second polarization direction.

12. The dual-polarized antenna apparatus of claim 11 wherein the selected frequency band at which said first and second antenna loops, respectively, are configured to be resonant comprises an ISM, Industrial Scientific and Medical, frequency band.

13. A method for transducing signal energy at a radio device, said method comprising the operations of:

disposing a first group of loop strips upon a substrate, the loop strips of the first group configured to form a parallelogram, the loop strips of the first loop having at least one strip extending in a first polarization direction and at least one strip extending in a second polarization direction;

disposing a second group of loop strips upon the substrate, the loop strips of the second group configured to divide the parallelogram into two substantially equal parts, with the loop strips of the second group extending from a first side of the parallelogram to a second side of the parallelgram, the loop strips of said second group having at least one strip extending in the first polarization direction and at least one strip extending in the second polarization direction; and

transducing signal energy, polarized in the first polarization direction and in the second polarization direction, at the first and second groups, respectively, of the loop strips disposed upon the substrate during said operations of disposing.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the operation of connecting to radio device to the first and second groups of the loop strips disposed during said operations of disposing.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the operation of symmetrically exciting the first and second groups of the loop strips with signal energy.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the the loop strips of the second group includes at least one loop strip extending in the first polarization direction and at least one loop strip extending in the second polarization direction.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the loop strips disposed during said operations of disposing define an in-phase, three-element array in each of the first and second polarization directions.