Tunable multiband multiport antennas and method

• US 9,325,067 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ali, Shirook M., Pecen, Mark E., Warden, James Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, AMAL A
• Application Number:
  US13/973,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/321 within a radiating element or between connected radiating elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/35 using two or more simultaneously fed points
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/145 by varying the electrical length
• 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

An antenna, comprising a plurality of feed points and tuning elements for tuning a resonant frequency at each feed point independently of the others of the plurality of feed points. The tuning elements are placed on the configured radiating element such that for a given feed point its tuning element is placed on the configured radiating element where a current distribution of the other feed points is a minimum.

Claims

1. An antenna, comprising:

a radiation element having at least one adjustable tuning element positioned on the radiation element, the radiation element configured to resonate at a fundamental frequency when excited at a first feed point;

a second feed point positioned on the configured radiation element, the position of the second feed point located at a current distribution maxima of a harmonic of the fundamental frequency; and

the at least one adjustable tuning element positioned on said radiation element at a location displaced along said radiation element from said first and second feed point locations so that adjustment of a value of said tuning element tunes a resonant frequency of the second feed point with no effect on the resonant frequency of the first feed point.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein a location of the at least one adjustable tuning element is based on a current distribution on the antenna.

3. The antenna of claim 1, further including a plurality of feed point locations wherein the feed point locations are determined by using a current distribution of different harmonics of the fundamental frequency of the configured radiating element.

4. The antenna of claim 3, wherein the plurality of feed point locations on the radiation element are based on where the different harmonics have current maxima.

5. The antenna of claim 3, further including a plurality of tuning elements wherein respective positions of the plurality of tuning element is at a minima of a current distribution of the plurality of feed point locations.

6. The antenna of claim 3, wherein the at least one tuning element is placed on the configured radiating element so that changing a value of the tuning element does not change a resonant frequency at the plurality of feed point locations.

7. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the tuning element is a capacitor.

8. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the at least one tuning element is connected in series with the configured radiating element of the antenna.

9. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the tuning elements is connected between the configured radiating element of the antenna and a ground plane.

10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is an inverted F antenna.

11. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is a dipole antenna.

12. The antenna of claim 1, including feeds coupling the feed point locations to respective front end circuits of a mobile device, the respective front end circuits being operable in respective independent frequency bands.

13. A method for an antenna comprising:

configuring a radiation element to resonate at a fundamental frequency when excited at a first feed point, the radiation element having at least one adjustable tuning element positioned on the radiation element;

positioning a second feed point on the configured radiation element, the position of the second feed point located at a current distribution maxima of a harmonic of the fundamental frequency;

placing the at least one adjustable tuning element on the configured radiating element at a location displaced along said radiation element from said first and second feed point locations; and

adjusting said tuning element value to tune a resonant frequency of the second feed point with no effect on the resonant frequency of the first feed point.

14. The method of claim 13, including determining a location of a minimum for the current distribution along the radiation element for the resonant frequencies of others of the plurality of feed points.

15. The method of claim 14, including determining a value of the tuning element for the resonant frequency of the at least one feed point and connecting the determined tuning element at said location of the minimum.

16. The method of claim 13, including operating said antenna with one of said plurality feed points open, wherein the antenna forms an antenna structure of a first type operable in a first frequency band;

and operating said antenna with another of said plurality feed points open, wherein the antenna forms the antenna structure of a second type operable in a second frequency band.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a change in a geometric dimension of said antenna structure of said first type or said second type changes said respective first frequency band or second frequency band independently.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of feed points is connected to respective front end circuitry of a mobile device.