Accordion Antenna Structure

• US 20160294058A1
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nxt-Id, Inc.
• Inventors: Tunnell, David, Zurasky, Jacob, Keen, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,074,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• 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 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0053 Selective devices used as spatial filter or angular sidelobe filter
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/10 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/08 Ferrite rod or like elongated core
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/04 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 : detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An antenna for transmitting electromagnetic radiation. The antenna comprises a core further comprising at least one layer of contiguous core material and windings disposed on the core forming a plurality or winding segments. The windings define gaps between each winding segment, wherein parameters of the gaps and parameters of the windings are selected to generate a balanced magnetic field. A material of the core comprises an amorphous or annealed material, further comprising metal or alloys, comprising one or more of nickel or nano-crystalline or nano-materials.

Claims

1. An antenna for transmitting electromagnetic field, the antenna comprising:

a core comprising at least one layer of contiguous core material; and

windings disposed on the core forming a plurality or winding segments; and

the windings defining gaps between each winding segment, wherein parameters of the gaps and parameters of the windings are selected to generate a balanced magnetic field, wherein a material of the core comprises an amorphous or annealed material, further comprising metals or alloys, further comprising one or more of nickel or nano-crystalline or nano-materials.

2. The antenna of claim 1 wherein one or more parameters of the plurality of windings are optimized for one or both of a specific resonant radio frequency and a pulse or baseband transmission, the parameters comprising a number of windings, a number of windings per segment, a distance between segments and a material of the core.

3. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the core has a circular, rectangular, or square cross section.

4. The antenna of claim 1 wherein one of a cross-sectional shape and a cross-sectional dimension of the core varies from a first core terminal end to a second core terminal end.

5. The antenna of claim 1 each one of the plurality of winding segments exhibiting a different resonant frequency.

6. The antenna of claim 5 operative with a microprocessor for selecting one of the winding segments, responsive to a desired resonant frequency, for generating the electromagnetic field.

7. The antenna of claim 1 the core comprising a continuous core extending through each winding or a plurality of cores with one of the plurality of winding segments disposed on one of the plurality of cores.

8. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the windings and the core are configured to generate an electromagnetic field pattern defining a field horn at terminal ends of the antenna.

9. The antenna of claim 1 further comprising first and second terminal ends fed differentially from a signal source or the first terminal end connected to ground and the second terminal end of the antenna connected to the signal source.

10. The antenna of claim 1 operative with a microprocessor comprising a plurality of pins, the microprocessor for controlling power to the antenna by selecting pins from the plurality of pins supplying current to the antenna.

11. The antenna of claim 10 wherein the power is modified by the microprocessor responsive to a financial transaction executed by a swiping action of the antenna within a magnetic card reader or executed when the antenna is stationary and external to the magnetic card reader.

12. The antenna of claim 1 comprising one or more passive devices to tune a resonant frequency of one or more of the winding segments.

13. The antenna of claim 1 wherein a length of the core is less than a distance from a first winding to a last winding disposed on the core.

14. The antenna of claim 1 further comprising a gap between certain ones of the plurality of winding segments, each gap having a same length or at least two gaps having a different length.

15. The antenna of claim 1 further comprising radio frequency blocking material disposed at locations proximate the antenna to shape the electromagnetic field.

16. A system comprising:

a device;

a plurality of antennas disposed on or in the device for transmitting electromagnetic radiation, each antenna of the plurality of antennas further comprising;

a core comprising at least one layer of contiguous core material;

windings disposed on the core forming a plurality of winding segments;

the windings defining gaps between each winding segment, wherein parameters of the gaps and parameters of the windings are selected to generate a balanced magnetic field, wherein a material of the core comprises an amorphous or annealed material, further comprising metal or alloys, comprising one or more nickel or nano-crystalline or nano-materials; and

wherein the device operates with a reader further comprising an NFC reader or a magnetic card reader when one or more of the plurality of antennas transmit electromagnetic radiation.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas transmit simultaneously to increase a power of the electromagnetic field.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein one or more of the plurality of antennas are optimized for one or both of a specific resonant radio frequency and a pulse or baseband transmission, the parameters comprising a number of windings, a number of windings per antenna, a distance between antennas, and a material of the core.

19. An antenna for transmitting electromagnetic radiation, the antenna comprising:

a dielectric substrate; and

one or more conductive traces on opposing surfaces of the dielectric substrate, the conductive traces connected by one or more conductive vias extending through the dielectric substrate.

20. The antenna of claim 19 wherein the one or more conductive traces are oriented at an acute angle or are oriented perpendicular to opposing edges of the dielectric substrate.

21. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising one or more radiating structures disposed on a dielectric substrate.

22. The antenna of claim 21 the one or more radiating structures comprising two spiral-shaped radiating structures disposed on opposing surfaces of the dielectric substrate.

23. The antenna of claim 19 the dielectric substrate comprising multiple layers of dielectric material with conductive traces disposed on or more of the multiple layers.

24. The antenna of claim 19 wherein the antenna is fed differentially from a signal source at first and second terminal ends of the antenna.

25. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising first and second terminal ends fed differentially from a signal source or the first terminal end connected to ground and the second terminal end of the antenna connected to the signal source.

26. The antenna of claim 19 wherein one or more of the conductive traces is configured into a three-dimensional shape.

27. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising an antenna core disposed within the dielectric substrate.

28. The antenna of claim 27 wherein a material of the antenna core comprises an amorphous or annealed material, further comprising metal or alloys, comprising one or more nickel or nano-crystalline or nano-materials.

29. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising one or both of reflecting elements and directing elements to shape the electromagnetic radiation.

30. The antenna of claim 19 wherein the one or more conductive traces comprise at least two spiral conductive traces connected together in series or in parallel.

31. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising one or more layers of core material disposed within the dielectric substrate.

32. The antenna of claim 19 wherein one or more conductive traces are disposed in a diagonal “

zig-zag”

or a straight or a offset cross-stich pattern.

33. The antenna of claim 19 further comprising a core formed by printing with a nano-ink or a powder having a high permeability.

34. The antenna of claim 19 wherein one or more of the conductive traces comprise conductive trace segments extending across a width of the dielectric substrate.

35. The antenna of claim 34 the conductive trace segments having one or both of varying length and varying spacing between adjacent segments.

36. The antenna of claim 19 operative with a microprocessor comprising a plurality of pins, the microprocessor for controlling power to the antenna by selecting pins from the plurality of pins supplying current to the antenna.

37. The antenna of claim 36 wherein the power is modified by the microprocessor responsive to a financial transaction executed by a swiping action of the antenna within a magnetic card reader or executed when the antenna is stationary and external to the magnetic card reader.

38. A plurality of antennas each one comprising an antenna of claim 19, wherein one or more of the plurality of antennas are disposed on or in a device, and wherein the device operates with a reader further comprising an NFC reader or a magnetic card reader when one or more of the plurality of antennas transmit electromagnetic radiation.

39. The plurality of antennas of claim 38 wherein two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas transmit simultaneously to increase a power of the electromagnetic field.

40. An antenna comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a square or circular shape;

wires wound around the dielectric substrate with all windings within or proximate a first plane;

a core disposed in a second plane and attached to the dielectric substrate; and

wherein a material of the core comprises an amorphous or annealed material, further comprising metals or alloys, further comprising one or more of nickel or nano-crystalline or nano-materials

41. The antenna of claim 40 wherein a thickness of the antenna is less than about 0.45 mm to about 0.7 mm.