Compact polarized antenna and methods

• US 8,988,296 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulse Finland Oy (Yageo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Finland Oy (Yageo Corporation)
• Inventors: Koskiniemi, Kimmo, Nissinen, Pertti
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US13/439,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 343/718, 343/702
• US Class Current: 343/718
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/045 with particular feeding means for circular polarisation H01Q9/0428
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A right-hand circular polarized antenna and associated methods. In one embodiment, a quarter-wave antenna configuration is used within a small form factor portable device (e.g. wristwatch). The antenna comprises a radiator element which operates in as a linear polarized antenna while the device is operating in free space. However, when the device is attached to a user (e.g. at a user'"'"'s wrist), the antenna utilizes the loading of the user'"'"'s body tissue in order to suppress unwanted signals (e.g. left hand polarized signals) to permit operation in circular polarized mode (e.g. right hand polarized mode), thereby allowing for increased sensitivity to received circularly polarized signals such as those emanated from global positioning satellites.

Claims

1. A small form factor portable device configured to provide positioning information to a user thereof, the device comprising:

an antenna capable of operating in a free-space mode and a non-free-space mode; and

positioning receiver circuitry configured to extract data from one or more received circularly polarized signals received via at least the non-free-space mode of the antenna, the data useful to determine a position of the device;

where the free-space mode comprises a mode where the device is not in direct contact with a user thereof, and the non-free-space mode comprises a mode where the device is loaded by at least contact of the device with bodily tissue of the user.

2. The device of claim 1, where the device comprises a wristwatch-like form factor having a substantially planar face, and the antenna is disposed so as to provide maximal sensitivity in a direction substantially normal to the planar face.

3. The device of claim 2, where the antenna comprises a quarter-wave antenna configured to allow the device form factor to be smaller than it would otherwise be without use of the quarter wave antenna.

4. The device of claim 3, where the quarter-wave antenna comprises:

a three-dimensional polymer-based structure;

where at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of a surface of the three-dimensional polymer-based structure so as to produce a quarter-wave radiator, portions of the selected regions corresponding to a feed and a ground for the quarter-wave radiator; and

where the feed and the ground are positioned so as produce desired right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) and left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) isolation gains.

5. The device of claim 4, where the position of the feed and the ground are selected so as to provide an RHCP isolation gain which is substantially greater than an LHCP isolation gain when operating in the non-free-space mode.

6. The device of claim 4, where the three-dimensional polymer-based structure comprises a substantially arcuate shape.

7. The device of claim 4, where the at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of the surface of the three-dimensional polymer-based structure via a laser direct structuring process.

8. The device of claim 4, where the at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of the surface of the three-dimensional polymer-based structure via a printing process using a flowable conductive material, and without using any plating processes.

9. The device of claim 2, where the antenna comprises no high-dielectric (high Epsilon) materials.

10. The device of claim 1, where the antenna comprises a substantially polymeric three-dimensional base member and at least one layer of conductive material disposed over prescribed portions of a surface thereof.

11. The device of claim 10, where the at least one layer of conductive material is formed using a laser direct structuring (LDS) technique.

12. A small form factor portable device configured to provide positioning information to a user thereof, the device comprising:

an antenna capable of operating in a free-space mode and a non-free-space mode; and

positioning receiver circuitry configured to extract data from one or more received circularly polarized signals received via at least the non-free-space mode of the antenna, the data useful to determine a position of the device;

where the antenna comprises a substantially polymeric three-dimensional base member and at least one layer of conductive material disposed over prescribed portions of a surface thereof.

13. The device of claim 12, where the at least one layer of conductive material is formed using a laser direct structuring (LDS) technique.

14. The device of claim 13, where the free-space mode comprises a mode where the device is not in direct contact with a user thereof, and the non-free-space mode comprises a mode where the device is loaded by at least contact of the device with bodily tissue of the user.

15. The device of claim 14, where the device comprises a wristwatch-like form factor having a substantially planar face, and the antenna is disposed so as to provide maximal sensitivity in a direction substantially normal to the planar face.

16. The device of claim 15, where the antenna comprises a quarter-wave antenna, to allow the device form factor to be smaller than it would otherwise be without use of the quarter wave antenna.

17. A small form factor portable device configured to provide positioning information to a user thereof, the device comprising:

a quarter-wave antenna comprising a three-dimensional polymer-based structure, the quarter-wave antenna capable of operating in a free-space mode and a non-free-space mode, the quarter-wave antenna further configured to allow the device form factor to be smaller than it would otherwise be without use of the quarter-wave antenna; and

positioning receiver circuitry configured to extract data from one or more received circularly polarized signals received via at least the non-free-space mode of the antenna, the data useful to determine a position of the device;

where the device comprises a wristwatch-like form factor having a substantially planar face, and the quarter-wave antenna is disposed so as to provide maximal sensitivity in a direction substantially normal to the planar face;

where at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of a surface of the three-dimensional polymer-based structure so as to produce a quarter-wave radiator, portions of the selected regions corresponding to a feed and a ground for the radiator; and

where the feed and the ground are positioned so as produce desired right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) and left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) isolation gains.

18. The device of claim 17, where the antenna comprises no high-dielectric (high Epsilon) materials.

19. The device of claim 17, where the position of the feed and the ground are selected so as to provide an RHCP isolation gain which is substantially greater than an LHCP isolation gain when operating in the non-free-space mode.

20. The device of claim 17, where the three-dimensional polymer-based structure comprises a substantially arcuate shape.

21. The device of claim 17, where the at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of the surface of the structure via a laser direct structuring process.

22. The device of claim 17, where the at least one layer of conductive material is applied to selected regions of the surface of the structure via a printing process using a flowable conductive material, and without use of any plating processes.

23. An antenna component for use in a small form factor portable device configured to provide positioning information to a user thereof, the antenna component comprising:

a dielectric substrate;

a radiator element disposed proximate to a surface of the dielectric substrate; and

a feed conductor configured to couple to the radiator element at a feed point;

where the antenna component is configured to operate in a free-space mode when placed under a first operating condition, and to operate in a non-free-space mode when placed under a second operating condition;

where the free-space mode comprises operating as a linear polarized antenna, and the non-free-space mode comprises operating as a right hand circular polarized (RHCP) antenna; and

where the non-free-space mode comprises the small form factor portable device being in electrical contact with at least a part of a user'"'"'s body.

24. The antenna component of claim 23, where the antenna component comprises a quarter-wave antenna.

25. The antenna component of claim 23, further comprising a ground conductor configured to couple to the radiator element at a ground point.

26. The antenna component of claim 23, where a feed port is coupled to a ground point of the small form factor portable device, the coupling occurring at a point between the feed point and the ground point.