Arrangement for coupling a mobile phone to an external antenna

• US 9,136,895 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peiker Acustic GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Peiker Acustic GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Peiker, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLECEK, PATRICK R
• Application Number:
  US13/270,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20120062441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700.MS, 343/793, 343/794, 343/795, 343/801, 343/802, 343/806, 343/809, 343/810, 343/711, 343/713, 343/818, 343/841
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/526 Electromagnetic shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• 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: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for coupling an antenna, which is in the form of a transmitting and/or receiving antenna, of a mobile telephone to an external antenna or an arrangement for accommodating a mobile telephone from amongst a large number of different mobile telephones in a vehicle with low levels of loss and interference radiation, and for coupling the respective mobile telephone to devices of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An arrangement, in particular a mobile telephone coupling arrangement, for coupling an antenna, which is in the form of at least one of a transmitting and receiving antenna, of a mobile telephone from a plurality of different mobile telephones to an external antenna of a vehicle with low levels of loss and interference radiation, the arrangement comprising:

a first antenna structure comprising at least an antenna body for wireless transmission signals to and from the antenna of the mobile phone, wherein the first antenna structure wirelessly transmits and receives signals on at least one mobile communications frequency; and

a receptacle having an accommodation space spatially dimensioned so that mobile phones of different dimensions can be placed against a wall of the accommodation space, wherein said wall is a bottom wall of the accommodation space, and the first antenna structure is arranged below a surface of said wall of the accommodation space,

wherein the antenna body has a flat web-like shape having a width B4, a height H4, and a length L4, the length L4 extending substantially parallel to the surface of said wall of the accommodation space, and the height H4 extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface of said wall of the accommodation space,

wherein the height H4 is a multiple of the width B4 of the antenna body, and the length L4 is a multiple of the height H4 of the antenna body,

wherein a conductive structure extends through the antenna body of the first antenna structure and centrally intersects the first antenna structure with respect to the length L4 and the width B4, and the first antenna structure is symmetrical with respect to the antenna body, when the symmetry is observed with respect to a line of reflection and a mirror image inverted plane of reflection, which are orthogonal to said wall against which the mobile phone is placed, and

wherein the arrangement forms a three-dimensional, symmetrical antenna structure for coupling the antenna of the mobile telephone with a low level of loss independent of the position of the mobile telephone in the accommodation space.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accommodation space for the mobile telephone further comprises a shielding means, and the three-dimensional, symmetrical antenna structure, which is in the form of a coupling antenna, is arranged within the shielding means.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement further comprises a second antenna structure which is matched to a frequency for a wire-free transmission of energy for charging a battery of the mobile telephone;

wherein the accommodation space includes at least a partial shielding means, and a third antenna structure for the transmission of data and audio signals to operate the mobile telephone in a hands-free mode.

4. A mobile telephone accommodation arrangement for accommodating a mobile telephone from amongst a large number of different mobile telephones in a vehicle and for coupling the mobile telephone to devices of the vehicle, in particular to an external antenna and/or a hands-free device of the vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

a first antenna structure for the wire-free transmission of signals to and from the transmit/receive antenna of the mobile telephone; and

a second antenna structure for transmitting energy to the mobile telephone having a ring shape that substantially surrounds the first antenna structure,

wherein a container having an accommodation space which is physically dimensioned in such a way that mobile telephones of different dimensions can be placed on and removed from one of a wall and a base of the accommodation space;

the first antenna structure is arranged beneath a surface of the wall of the accommodation space,

the first antenna structure comprises a flat web-like antenna body which has a length that runs approximately parallel to the surface of the wall, which has a width that runs approximately parallel to the surface of the wall, and which has a height that is approximately perpendicular to the surface of the wall,

wherein the first antenna structure transmits and receives on a mobile radio frequency, and

wherein the second antenna structure runs through adjacent walls of the container and surrounds the accommodation space, wherein energy is transmitted from the vehicle to the mobile telephone by way of the second antenna structure inductively in the near field, wherein an imaginary plane which is defined by the second antenna structure is oriented parallel to the rear face of the mobile telephone which is located in the accommodation space.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second antenna structure is arranged in such a way that a maximum distance, which is dependent on the transmission frequency, from the mobile telephone and an antenna, which receives the energy, is maintained.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the web-like antenna body of the first antenna structure is arranged perpendicularly beneath the surface of the wall of the accommodation space, and perpendicularly opposite or beneath a mobile telephone which is located in the accommodation space to avoid parallel orientation with respect to the antenna of the mobile telephone and to avoid matching to the position, orientation and structure of the antenna of the mobile telephone, wherein the web-like antenna body is oriented perpendicular to an antenna of the mobile telephone, and wherein the antenna of the mobile telephone and the flat antenna body are arranged in such a way that a corresponding minimum distance and a corresponding maximum distance is ensured between said components.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein a height of the web-like body of the antenna structure is a multiple of a width of the web-like body of the antenna structure, and a length of the web-like body of the antenna structure is a multiple of the height of the web-like body of the antenna structure.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mobile telephone one of:

rests on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space by way of a rear face which is situated opposite a display face or operator control face,

rests on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space by way of a display face or operator control face which is situated opposite a rear face, and

rests on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space by way of a side face which is close to the antenna of the mobile telephone and is formed between a display face or operator control face and a rear face, during operation of the arrangement.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the accommodation space has dimensions that are larger than and extend beyond the mobile telephone in such a way that said mobile telephone can be placed in the accommodation space with any desired orientation.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the antenna of the mobile telephone and the flat web-like antenna body of the first antenna structure are located in one of a near field, a limit region between a near field and a far field, and a far field in relation to the wavelength of the transmitted waves.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first antenna structure comprises, in addition to the first flat, web-like antenna body, at least one second antenna body which forms a wing on the first antenna body, said wing extending approximately parallel to the surface of the wall, wherein the first and second antenna bodies further comprise a conductor structure which runs through the first and second antenna bodies, and wherein the first and the second antenna bodies form a body which has an L-shaped cross section.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first antenna structure is symmetrical, in relation to one of the first antenna body, and all the antenna bodies, when the symmetry is viewed in relation to at least one of a line of reflection and a mirror image inverted plane of reflection which are perpendicular to the wall against which the mobile telephone rests, and intersect the first antenna structure in a center in relation to the length and width thereof.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the arrangement further comprises a third antenna structure for the wire-free transmission of data and audio signals, via one of a UHF band wireless transceiver connection, a low-energy UHF band wireless transceiver connection, and an infrared connection.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first antenna structure further comprises at least one further antenna body which is arranged at a right angle to the first antenna body and forms a three-dimensional antenna structure with said first antenna body, and wherein the further antenna body defines a plane which is oriented parallel to the base of the accommodation space.

15. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein an orientation of the mobile telephone is one of a rear face resting on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space, a display face/operator control face of the mobile telephone resting on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space, and a side face of the mobile telephone resting on the surface of the wall of the accommodation space.

16. A mobile telephone coupling arrangement to an external antenna comprising:

a mobile telephone having a transmit/receive antenna;

an external antenna;

an accommodation space;

a three-dimensional antenna structure; and

a second antenna structure for transmitting energy to the mobile telephone having a ring shape that substantially surrounds the three-dimensional antenna structure, wherein

the accommodation space is physically dimensioned to be larger and extend beyond the mobile telephone having the transmit/receive antenna so that the mobile telephone can be placed at any position in the accommodation space, the accommodation space consisting of a pair of opposing side walls, a pair of opposing end walls that connect the pair of opposing side walls and a base wall that connects to the pair of opposing side walls and the pair of opposing end walls,

the second antenna structure runs through adjacent walls of the container and surrounds the accommodation space, wherein energy is transmitted from the vehicle to the mobile telephone by way of the second antenna structure inductively in the near field, wherein an imaginary plane which is defined by the second antenna structure is oriented parallel to the rear face of the mobile telephone which is located in the accommodation space,

the three dimensional antenna structure couples the external antenna to the transmit/receive antenna of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is placed in the accommodation space, and

the coupling between the transmit/receive antenna of the mobile telephone and the external antenna has low levels of loss and interference radiation independent of a position of the mobile telephone in the accommodation space.