Dipole antenna for a watchband

• US 20070146218A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mercer, Sean, Turner, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,463,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/718
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic device such as watch adapted for wireless communication, the electronic device using a dipole antenna, the dipole antenna having two component parts, each of which being disposed in respective parts of a two-part connecting band, such as a watchband of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device adapted for wireless communication, the electronic device comprising:

an electronics case;

electronic circuitry disposed within the electronics case, the electronic circuitry providing for wireless communication;

a band connected to the electronics case; and

,

a dipole antenna disposed within the band and electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry to provide for one or both of electromagnetic signal transmission and reception.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the wherein the band is an electromagnetically transmissive band.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the dipole antenna is disposed in an electromagnetically exposed position relative to the electronics case.

4. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the band has first and second side portions, and wherein the dipole antenna has first and second component parts, the first component part being disposed within the first side portion of the band, and the second component part being disposed within the second side portion of the band.

5. An electronic device according to claim 4 wherein the second side portion of the band is of a length that provides an overlapping end, wherein the overlapping end overlaps a portion of the first side portion of the band, and wherein the second component part of the dipole antenna has an aperture defined therein at the overlapping end of the second side portion of the band to reduce interference between the first and second component parts of the dipole antenna.

6. An electronic device according to claim 4 wherein the band has a tongue buckle attached to the first side portion of the band for fastening together the first and second side portions.

7. An electronic device according to claim 6 wherein the second side portion of the band has one or more buckle holes for engagement with the tongue buckle, and

wherein the second component part of the dipole antenna has an aperture defined therein to accommodate one or more of the one or more buckle holes.

8. An electronic device according to claim 6 wherein the second side portion of the band is of a length which defines an overlapping end, the overlapping end being adapted to overlap a portion of the first side portion of the band, and the overlapping end being adapted to accommodate the tongue buckle for fastening together the first and second side portions of the band.

9. An electronic device according to claim 8 wherein the second side portion of the band has one or more buckle holes for engagement with the tongue buckle, and

wherein the second component part of the dipole antenna has an aperture defined therein to accommodate one or more of the one or more buckle holes, and

wherein at least one of the one or more buckle holes is disposed in the overlapping end of the second side portion of the band.

10. An electronic device according to claim 9 wherein the second component part of the dipole antenna has a further aperture defined therein at the overlapping end of the second side portion of the band to reduce interference between the first and second component parts of the dipole antenna.

11. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a watch, and wherein the band is a watchband.

12. An electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising a tuning circuit for the dipole antenna, the tuning circuit including:

a fixed value inductor, and,

a variable capacitor disposed in parallel with the fixed value inductor,

wherein both the fixed value inductor and the variable capacitor are disposed in parallel with the dipole antenna.

13. An electronic device according to claim 12 further including an oscillating member to automatically switch on the tuning circuit.

14. A dipole antenna adapted to be disposed in operative association with a watch, the watch having a watch case with electronic circuitry disposed within the watch case;

the watch being adapted for wireless communication, the dipole antenna being connected to the watch case and forming a watchband, the dipole antenna also being disposed in electrical communication with the electronic circuitry and disposed to provide for one or both of electromagnetic signal transmission and reception, the dipole antenna comprising;

an electromagnetically active material disposed in an electromagnetically exposed disposition outside of the watch case, and disposed to one or both receive or transmit electromagnetic signals.

15. A dipole antenna according to claim 14 wherein the dipole antenna has first and second component parts, the first component part forming a first side portion of the band, and the second component part forming a second side portion of the band.

16. A dipole antenna according to claim 15 wherein the second side portion of the band is of a length which provides an overlapping end, wherein the overlapping end overlaps a portion of the first side portion of the band, and wherein the overlapping end has an aperture defined therein to reduce interference between the first and second component parts of the dipole antenna.

17. A dipole antenna according to claim 14 wherein the second side portion of the band is of a length which provides an overlapping end, wherein the overlapping end overlaps a portion of the first side portion of the band, and wherein the overlapping end accommodates the tongue buckle for fastening together the first and second side portions of the band.

18. A dipole antenna according to claim 17 wherein the second side portion of the band has one or more buckle holes for engagement with the tongue buckle, and

wherein at least one of the one or more buckle holes is disposed in the overlapping end of the second side portion of the band.

19. A tuning circuit for a dipole in a wristwatch watchband, the tuning circuit comprising:

a fixed value inductor, and,

a variable capacitor disposed in parallel with the fixed value inductor,

wherein both the fixed value inductor and the variable capacitor are disposed in parallel with the dipole antenna.

20. A tuning circuit according to claim 19 wherein the fixed value inductor is formed by a switchable inductor circuit switchable two or more fixed inductances.