Method of fabricating a single structure multi mode antenna for wireless power transmission using magnetic field coupling

• US 10,636,563 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nucurrent, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nucurrent, Inc.
• Inventors: Peralta, Alberto, Singh, Vinit, Rajagopalan, Ajit, Luzinski, Jason, Babcock, Jacob, Frysz, Christine A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter Dungba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parvez, Azm A
• Application Number:
  US14/821,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20170040105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 29601, 29600, 295921, 296021
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2871 Pancake coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• 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: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A method of fabricating a single structure multiple mode antenna is described. The antenna is preferably constructed having a first inductor coil that is electrically connected in series with a second inductor coil. The antenna is constructed having a plurality of electrical connections positioned along the first and second inductor coils. A plurality of terminals is connected to the electrical connections that facilitate numerous electrical connections and enables the antenna to be selectively tuned to various frequencies and frequency bands.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an antenna, the method comprising:

a) providing a substrate having a surface composed of an electrically insulative material;

b) forming a conductor on the substrate, wherein the conductor is a one piece construction providing an unitary electrically conductive body, the one piece construction comprising a first coil, a second coil, a continuous junction, a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal in one piece, wherein

i. the first coil has N₁ number of turns and is configured to generate a first inductance, the first coil comprising a continuous electrically conductive path that extends along the first coil from a first coil first end that resides at an end of an outermost turn of the first coil to a first coil second end that resides at an end of an innermost turn of the first coil;

ii. the second coil has N₂ number of turns and is configured to generate a second inductance, the second coil comprising a continuous electrically conductive path that extends along the second coil from a second coil first end that resides at an end of an outermost turn of the second coil to a second coil second end that resides at an end of an innermost turn of the second coil, wherein the second coil is positioned on the substrate within an inner perimeter formed by the innermost turn of the first coil, wherein the first end of the second coil meets and joins the second end of the first coil forming the continuous junction therebetween, and wherein the continuous junction resides within the inner perimeter formed by the innermost turn of the first coil;

iii. the first end of the first coil disposed at the first terminal, the second end of the second coil disposed at the second terminal, the third terminal disposed along either of the first or second coils, wherein the third terminal is electrically connecting the first coil and the second coil, and wherein the first coil, the second coil, the continuous junction therebetween, the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal form the one piece construction; and

c) selecting a connection between two of the first, second and third terminals to adjust an inductance that is generatable by the antenna, the selected connection thereby tuning the antenna to a frequency or a frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second coils are formed by at least one of the following methods:

a surface printing technique, photolithography, chemical or laser etching, laser cladding, laser cutting, physical or chemical vapor deposition, electrochemical deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, atomic layer deposition, stamping, or chemical processing.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a gap separating the outermost turn of the second coil from the innermost turn of the first coil.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a gap size of at least about 0.1 mm.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the first coil with two or more filars electrically connected in parallel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the second coil with two or more filars electrically connected in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first terminal is disposed at an end of the first conductive wire of the first coil located at an outermost first coil perimeter, the third terminal is disposed at the first end of the second coil positioned at a second coil outer perimeter, and the second terminal is disposed at the second end of the second coil located along an interior perimeter of the second coil.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a selection circuit comprising at least one of a capacitor, a resistor, and an inductor electrically connected to the first, second, and third terminals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selection circuit actively connects two of the first, second, and third terminals to generate a tunable inductance.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing N₁ at least one and N₂ at least two.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing N₂ greater than N₁.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing each terminal with a terminal lead portion that extends between a coil connection point and a terminal end, the coil connection point electrically connected to one of either of the first and second coils, respectively, and wherein the terminal lead portion extends over at least a portion of either of the first and second coils, respectively.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a plurality of first vias are positioned adjacently along a right side of a length of the terminal lead portion and a plurality of second vias are positioned along a left side of a length of the terminal lead portion and opposed from the plurality of first vias so that each of the plurality of first vias opposes one of the plurality of second vias, wherein the respective opposing vias of the plurality of first and second vias are electrically connected to the same conductive wire of either of the first or second coils thereby establishing a conductive electrical path therebetween that bypasses the terminal lead portion.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least the first or second coils with a variable width.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a quality factor greater than 10 at a frequency of at least 10 kHz.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an electrical signal from the group consisting of a data signal, an electrical voltage, an electrical current, and combinations thereof receivable by at least one of the first and second coils.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an electrical signal from the group consisting of a data signal, an electrical voltage, an electrical current, and combinations thereof transmittable by at least one of the first and second coils.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a material of the substrate from the group consisting of a polyimide, an acrylic, fiberglass, polyester, polyether imide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyethylene napthalate, fluropolymers, copolymers, a ceramic material, a ferrite material and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to receive or transmit an electrical signal within a frequency band selected from the group consisting of about 100 kHz to about 250 kHz, about 250 kHz to about 500 kHz, 6.78 MHz, 13.56 MHz, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to receive or transmit an electrical signal at frequencies of at least 10 kHz.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second coils are at least partially overlapping.