Electronic communication devices, methods of forming electrical communication devices, and communications methods

• US 7,948,382 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Tuttle, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US11/519,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20070007345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340/10.4, 340/10.1, 343/834, 343/720, 343846-849, 455/82, 455/83, 455/19, 455/562.1, 455/121
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07771 the record carrier comprising means for minimising adverse effects on the data communication capability of the record carrier, e.g. minimising Eddy currents induced in a proximate metal or otherwise electromagnetically interfering object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

The present invention provides electronic communication devices, methods of forming electrical communication devices, and communications methods. An electronic communication device adapted to receive electronic signals includes: a housing comprising a substrate and an encapsulant; an integrated circuit provided within the housing and comprising transponder circuitry operable to communicate an identification signal responsive to receiving a polling signal; an antenna provided within the housing and being coupled with the transponder circuitry; and a ground plane provided within the housing and being spaced from the antenna and configured to shield some of the electronic signals from the antenna and reflect others of the electronic signals towards the antenna. A method of forming an electronic signal communication device includes providing a substrate having a support surface; providing a conductive layer adjacent at least a portion of the support surface; providing a dielectric layer over the conductive layer; providing an antenna over the dielectric layer; coupling an integrated circuit with the antenna; and encapsulating the antenna, the dielectric layer, and the integrated circuit using a flowable encapsulant.

Claims

1. A method of forming a remote communications device comprising:

electrically coupling wireless communications circuitry with an antenna construction,

wherein the wireless communications circuitry is configured to implement wireless communications including at least one of processing first wireless communications signals received by the antenna construction and to control outputting of second wireless communications signals, using the antenna construction;

providing a ground plane configured to interact with the antenna construction during wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry; and

configuring the ground plane to be at a substantially constant voltage during the wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry, wherein, during the wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry, the ground plane is configured to shield the antenna construction from some of the wireless communications and reflect other of the wireless communications toward the antenna construction.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a power source, and wherein the configuring the ground plane to be at the substantially constant voltage comprises configuring using the power source.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing the power source comprises providing a battery.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring the ground plane to be at the substantially constant voltage comprises coupling the ground plane with a node of the wireless communications circuitry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring the ground plane to be at the substantially constant voltage comprises grounding the ground plane.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing dielectric material intermediate the ground plane and the antenna construction, and wherein the configuring the ground plane to be at the substantially constant voltage comprises configuring using an electrical connection within the dielectric material.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the antenna construction comprising a first antenna configured to receive the first wireless communications signals, and a second antenna configured to output the second wireless communications signals.

8. A wireless communications method comprising:

wirelessly communicating using an antenna of a wireless communications device, wherein the wirelessly communicating comprises at least one of receiving wireless communications signals from an interrogator and outputting wireless communications signals to be communicated to the interrogator;

interacting a conductive layer of the wireless communications device with the antenna during the wirelessly communicating, wherein, during the wirelessly communicating, the conductive layer plane is configured to sheild the antenna from some of the wireless communication signals and reflect others of the wireless communication signals toward the anntena; and

defining a voltage of the conductive layer during the wirelessly communicating.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the defining comprises providing the conductive layer at a substantially constant voltage during the wirelessly communicating.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the providing the conductive layer at the substantially constant voltage comprises grounding the conductive layer.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the wirelessly communicating comprises communicating using backscatter communications.

12. A wireless communications method comprising:

receiving a wireless polling signal using an antenna of a remote communications device;

using the remote communications device, outputting a wireless identification signal;

identifying the remote communications device responsive to the receiving the wireless polling signal;

reflecting first electromagnetic energy toward the antenna of the remote communication device using a ground plane during the receiving; and

sheilding the antenna of the remote communications device from second electromagnetic energy using the ground plane during the receiving.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising outputting the wireless polling signal using an interrogator.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing the ground plane at a substantially constant voltage during the reflecting.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing the ground plane at a grounded voltage reference during the reflecting.

16. A remote communications device comprising:

an antenna construction;

wireless communications circuitry coupled with the antenna construction and configured to communicate signals; and

a ground plane configured to interact with the antenna construction during operation of the wireless communications circuitry and configured to have a substantially constant voltage during the operation of the wireless communications circuitry, wherein the ground plane is configured to sheild the antenna construction from some of the signals and reflect others of the signals toward the antenna construction during operation of the wireless communications circuitry.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the ground plane is coupled with a node which provides the substantially constant voltage of the ground plane during the operation of the wireless communications circuitry.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the ground plane is grounded during the operation of the wireless communications circuitry.

19. The device of claim 16 further comprising a power source configured to provide operational energy to the remote communications device and to provide the ground plane at the substantially constant voltage.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the power source comprises a battery.

21. The device of claim 16 wherein the antenna construction comprises:

a first antenna configured to receive a first wireless communications signal; and

a second antenna configured to output a second wireless communications signal.

22. The device of claim 16 wherein the wireless communications circuitry is configured to process first wireless communications signals received by the antenna construction and to control outputting of second wireless communications signals using the antenna construction.

23. The device of claim 16 wherein the wireless communications circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate using backscatter communications.

24. A remote communications device comprising:

an antenna;

wireless communications circuitry to communicate signals, wherein the wireless communications circuitry is coupled with the antenna;

a conductive layer configured to interact with the antenna during wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry, wherein, during wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry, the conductive layer is configured to sheild the antenna from the some of the signals and reflect others of the signals toward the antenna; and

bias circuitry coupled with the conductive layer and configured to bias the conductive layer during the wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the bias circuitry is configured to bias the conductive layer at a substantially constant voltage during the wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry.

26. The device of claim 25 further comprising a power source configured to provide operational energy to the remote communications device, and wherein the bias circuitry is configured to couple the conductive layer with a terminal of the power source.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein the bias circuitry is configured to ground the conductive layer.

28. The device of claim 25 wherein the bias circuitry comprises a node of the wireless communications circuitry.

29. A remote communications device comprising:

a housing;

an antenna construction coupled with the housing;

wireless communications circuitry coupled with the housing and the antenna construction, wherein the wireless communications circuitry is configured to communicate signals, and is further configured to implement wireless communications of the remote communications device using the antenna construction; and

a ground plane coupled with the housing and configured to interact with the antenna construction during the wireless communications of the remote communication device, wherein the ground plane is provided at a substantially constant voltage during the wireless communications, wherein, during wireless communications of the wireless communications circuitry, the ground plane is configured to sheild the antenna construction from the some of the signals and reflect others of the signals toward the antenna construction.

30. The device of claim 29 wherein the antenna construction comprises:

a first antenna configured to receive a first wireless communications signal; and

a second antenna configured to output a second wireless communications signal.

31. The device of claim 29 wherein the ground plane is grounded during the wireless communications.

32. A radio frequency identification device comprising:

an antenna construction configured to receive a wireless polling signal and to output a wireless identification signal, wherein the wireless identification signal identifies the radio frequency identification device;

a ground plane configured to reflect first electromagnetic energy toward the antenna construction during the receiving of the wireless polling signal and to sheild the antenna from second electromagnetic energy during the receiving of the wireless polling signal; and

processing circuitry coupled with the antenna construction and configured to receive an electrical signal corresponding to the wireless polling signal received by the antenna construction and to control the outputting of the wireless identification signal responsive to the wireless polling signal.

33. The device of claim 32 further comprising circuitry configured to provide the ground plane at a substantially constant voltage during at least one of the receiving the wireless polling signal and the outputting the wireless identification signal.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein the circuitry is configured to couple the ground plane with a power source to provide the ground plane at the substantially constant voltage.

35. The device of claim 33 wherein the circuitry is configured to couple the ground plane with a ground terminal of the power source to provide the ground plane at the substantially constant voltage.

36. The device of claim 32 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process the electrical signal and to control the outputting of the wireless identification signal responsive to the processing.

37. The device of claim 32 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control backscatter modulation to control the outputting of the wireless identification signal comprising a backscattered signal.

38. A wireless communications system comprising:

an interrogator configured to implement wireless communications including communicating wireless communications signals;

a remote communications device remotely located with respect to the interrogator and configured to implement wireless communications including communicating the wireless communications signals via an antenna; and

wherein the remote communications device comprises a ground plane configured to reflect first electromagnetic energy toward the antenna and to sheild the antenna from second electromagnetic energy during the wireless communications of the remote communications device, and wherein the ground plane is provided at a substantially constant voltage during the wireless communications of the remote communications device.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the interrogator is configured to implement the respective wireless communications including outputting the wireless communications signals and the remote communications device is configured to implement the respective wireless communications including receiving the wireless communications signals.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein the ground plane is grounded during the wireless communications.

41. The system of claim 38 wherein the remote communications device is configured to backscatter modulate electromagnetic energy outputted by the interrogator to output the wireless communications signals.