Near field communication on a seamless metal band and metal backed device

• US 10,193,214 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Slater, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Huedung X
• Application Number:
  US15/223,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20180034133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 343702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• 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 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/392 the parasitic elements having dual-band or multi-band characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/40 Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements
• 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: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A method and a mobile device that provides near field communication and wireless powering capabilities by coupling a one-piece metal back and a metal band to a device housing to form a device. The device is configured to provide at least one antenna keep-out area. The metal band is adapted to be a dual-band antenna that is coupled to a coil. The coil, operable as one of a near field communication coil and a wireless power transmission coil, forms an overlapping trace with the dual-band antenna along at least one physical area. The coil and the dual-band antenna are positioned in the antenna keepout area and around the perimeter of the device. The method further includes forming at least two turns in the coil. At least one diplexing component is coupled both to the coil and to the dual-band antenna.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing including a one-piece metal back coupled to an external component casing, the housing utilized to enclose components of the device, the external component casing configured to include a keep-out area that is covered by a different material from the one-piece metal back to reduce electrical interference for components within the keep out area;

a seamless metal band that extends from the one piece metal back into the keep-out area, the seamless metal band and the one-piece metal back being a seamless structure manufactured as a single metal piece, without any breaks, and are a single conducting unit, the seamless metal band being positioned in the keep-out area of the component casing, the seamless metal band being an antenna coil adapted to function as a dual-band antenna;

a second coil, separate from the antenna coil, the second coil operable as at least one of a near field communication coil and a wireless power transmission coil;

at least one diplexing component coupled to both the second coil and to the antenna coil of the dual-band antenna; and

a transceiver circuit communicatively coupled to the dual-band antenna; and

wherein the second coil is adapted to provide a secondary device function contemporaneously with a wireless communication function of the dual band antenna.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the coil and the dual-band antenna share at least one overlapping physical trace area.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the at least one diplexing component is coupled between the coil and the dual-band antenna along the at least one overlapping physical trace area.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein each diplexing component comprises at least one capacitive component which provides a high impedance to ground associated with a near field communication (NFC) coil and a low impedance to ground associated with the dual-band antenna, wherein capacitive elements of duplexing components are coupled to the NFC coil and to the dual-band antenna, enabling isolation of operations associated with the dual-band antenna as well as isolation of operations associated with the NFC coil.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second coil is indirectly coupled to the dual-band antenna.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the second coil forms one or more turns to increase an inductance between the coil and the dual-band antenna.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the seamless metal band continues around a perimeter of the housing.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one diplexing component is a multi-layer capacitor.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the capacitive component is coupled to the coil and enables isolation of an operation associated with the dual-band antenna.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the coil is a near field communication (NFC) coil and the diplexer is coupled to the NFC coil and an NFC transceiver, wherein the diplexer receives a dual-band antenna wireless signal and a NFC signal, matches the received signals to their respective frequencies, and distributes the received signals to a respective one of a wireless transceiver and the NFC transceiver.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the coil is a wireless power transmission (WPT) coil and the diplexer is couple to the WPT coil and a WPT system.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the dual-band antenna is adapted to receive and transmit communication signals from among:

a global positioning system geo-location service signal, a WiFi communication signal, and a cellular communication signal.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the second coil is an integrated coil that is adapted for use as both a near field communication (NFC) coil and a wireless power transmission (WPT) coil and the diplexer couples the second coil to both a WPT system and an NFC transceiver.

14. A method comprising:

coupling, to an external component casing having a keep out area, a one-piece metal back having a seamless metal band that extends from the one piece metal back into the keep out area, the device casing and one piece metal back providing a device housing for enclosing components of the device, the seamless metal band and one-piece metal back being a single seamless structure, manufactured as a single metal piece, without any breaks, and are a single conducting unit, with the metal band extending from the one-piece metal back into the keep out area, the seamless metal band operating as an antenna coil;

adapting the metal band to be a dual-band antenna;

coupling a second coil to the dual-band antenna, the second coil being operable as one of a near field communication coil and a wireless power transmission coil, where the second coil and the dual-band antenna form an overlapping trace along at least one physical area;

positioning the second coil and the dual-band antenna in the antenna keep-out area and around a perimeter of the device;

forming at least two turns in the second coil;

coupling at least one diplexing component to the second coil and the dual-band antenna to enable use of the second coil to provide a secondary device function contemporaneously with a wireless communication function of the dual band antenna.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one diplexing component is a capacitive component, wherein the coil is an integrated coil that is adapted for use as both a near field communication (NFC) coil and a wireless power transmission (WPT) coil and the diplexer couples the coil to both a WPT system and an NFC transceiver.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

coupling one or more capacitive components between the coil and the dual-band antenna to form an isolated dual-band antenna communication signal, wherein capacitive elements of duplexing components are coupled to the NFC coil and to the dual-band antenna, enabling isolation of operations associated with the dual-band antenna as well as isolation of operations associated with the NFC coil.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the coil is a near field communication coil, the method further comprises:

communicatively coupling, by the diplexer, the near field communication coil to a near field communication transceiver, wherein the diplexer receives a dual-band antenna wireless signal and a near field communication signal, matches the received signals to their respective frequencies, and distributes the received signals to a respective one of a wireless transceiver and the NFC transceiver.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the coil is a wireless power transmission coil, the method further comprises:

communicatively coupling, by the diplexer, the wireless power transmission coil to a power conversion component.