Antenna configurations for compact device wireless communication

• US 8,059,046 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NETGEAR, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Nysen, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US12/203,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/725, 343/727, 343/730, 343/793, 343/794
• US Class Current: 343/725
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/085 Slot-line radiating ends
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/36 with top loading
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/48 Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on the same frequency or frequency band, to a common load or source phase shifters providing two or more output signals H03H7/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity

Abstract

A diversity antenna for use with a portable host device such as a laptop computer, for example as part of a PCMCIA card pluggable into the laptop computer to enable wireless computer by the laptop computer, includes a main antenna and a diversity antenna. Various configurations for these antennas are possible, including the use of a balanced dipole as the main antenna element and a split diversity antenna for the diversity antenna element. The diversity antenna provides high isolation between the antenna elements and isolation from interfering self-noise generated by the host device.

Claims

1. A diversity antenna system for use with a host device and configured to provide isolation from radiated self-noise by the host device and to minimize interactions between antenna elements of the diversity antenna system, the diversity antenna system comprising:

a ground plane;

a main antenna coupled to the ground plane and comprising a dual-band symmetrical center fed dipole; and

a diversity antenna coupled to the ground plane and configured to operate as a top loaded monopole.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the main antenna comprises a low band component and a high band component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of one of the low band and high band components is configured to be elevated relative to a surface of the system that is closest to a user of the system such that SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) to the user is minimized.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the main antenna is inductively coupled to the ground plane.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the inductive coupling is through a loop balun.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the host device is a laptop computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the host device is a portable telephone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the host device is a personal digital assistant.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the main antenna is formed on a FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) which is configured to have a three-dimensional shape.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an RF connector oriented orthogonally to the ground plane.

11. A diversity antenna system for use in a wireless communication device removably pluggable into a host device, the diversity antenna system comprising:

a ground plane;

a main antenna coupled to the ground plane and having at least one portion that is configured to be elevated relative to a surface of the wireless communication device that is closest to a user of the system such that SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) to the user is minimized; and

a diversity antenna coupled to the ground plane and configured to operate as a top loaded monopole.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the main antenna is inductively coupled to the ground plane.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the inductive coupling is through a loop balun.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication device is a PCMCIA (personal computer memory card international association) card.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the host device is a laptop computer having a top face and having a side face into which the wireless communication device is removably pluggable, and wherein the main antenna comprises at least one dipole having a dipole access that is substantially parallel to the top face and to the side face.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the host device is a laptop computer.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the host device is a portable telephone.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the host device is a personal digital assistant.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the main antenna is formed on a FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) which is configured to have a three-dimensional shape.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising an RF connector oriented orthogonally to the ground plane.