The present invention is generally directed to a manner by which to transduce signal energy at a radio device, such as a portable mobile station. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna, and an associated methodology, for the radio device.
The antenna is of dimensions permitting its positioning within, or carriage together with, a hand-carriable mobile station while providing operability over a wide range of frequencies. The antenna is formed of a wire antenna (monopole) and a set of patches that are configured together in a tri-dimensional arrangement. The spatial requirements of the antenna are reduced by folding one of the patches into folded portions. The antenna is operable with a multi-mode radio device that operates at multiple, spaced frequency bands.
Mobile communications have become pervasive throughout modern society. Ready access to a mobile communication system is, for many, a practical necessity. A cellular, or cellular-like communication system is an exemplary mobile radio communication system whose availability is widespread throughout significant portions of the populated areas of the world.
A cellular communication system is constructed generally to be in conformity with operational requirements set forth in an operating specification promulgated by a standards-setting body. The operating specification, amongst other things, defines a radio air interface extending between communication stations, i.e., the network infrastructure and a mobile station, operable in the communication system. Regulatory bodies allocate portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Different allocations are made for different types of systems, and different regulatory bodies regulate the use of the electromagnetic spectrum in different jurisdictions. And, operating standards associated with different communication systems define operating parameters including parameters associated with the frequencies upon which the radio air interface is defined.
While early implementations of mobile stations used to communicate in a cellular communication system were relatively bulky and heavy, advancements in integrated-circuit processing, and communication technologies have permitted the miniaturization of newer implementations of mobile stations. Mobile stations are now regularly of dimensions permitting their hand-carriage. And, increasingly, mobile stations are constructed to be operable in conformity with the operating requirements of more than one operating standard. Such a mobile station, referred to as a multi-mode mobile station, is capable of operation pursuant to a communication service by way of any communication system with which the multi-mode mobile station is operable.
Miniaturization of a mobile station provided as a result of the technological advancements noted-above has permitted the circuitry required for multi-mode mobile station to be housed in a housing of small dimension. Multi-mode mobile stations are, for example, sometimes of configurations permitting their carriage in a shirt pocket of a user. Miniaturization is provided, not only by reducing the physical dimensions of the circuit paths of the receive and transmit chains of the circuitry of the mobile station, but also through sharing of circuit components between circuit paths used for communications pursuant to the different communication systems.
Miniaturization of antenna elements present unique challenges, particularly when the antenna element is to form part of a multi-mode mobile station, operable at disparate frequency bands. An antenna element is generally most effective in transducing signal energy when the transducer is of dimensions related to the wavelength of the signal energy that is to be transduced. For instance, antenna lengths corresponding to, or multiples of, one-quarter wavelengths of the signal energy that is to be transduced exhibit good antenna characteristics. When the mobile station forms a multi-mode mobile station that operates at different frequency bands, different sizes of antennas are needed to transduce the signal energy of the different frequencies and wavelengths. As the sizes of housings otherwise required to house the circuitry of a multi-mode mobile station continue to decrease, dimensional requirements of the antenna elements are sometimes a factor limiting further miniaturization of a mobile station. Significant effort has therefore been exerted to construct an antenna, operable over multiple frequency bands, that is also of small dimension, thereby to permit its positioning within the housing of a mobile station.
A PIFA (Planar Inverted-F Antenna) is sometimes utilized to transduce signal energy at a mobile station. Generally, a PIFA is of compact size and is of a low profile while providing for transducing of signal energy at more than one frequency band. A problem typically exhibited with a PIFA, however, is that a PIFA generally exhibits pass bands of narrow bandwidths. A bandwidth of a PIFA is enhanced by configuring the PIFA together with a parasitic element. Such use of a parasitic element, however, increases the dimensions of the antenna. Also, the branches sometimes introduce EMC and EMI that interferes with antenna operation.
An improved antenna structure, of small dimensions, and operable to transduce signal energy at multiple, disparate frequency bands is therefore needed.
It is in light of this background information related to radio communications that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.
The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides an antenna, and an associated methodology for transducing signal energy at a radio device, such as a portable mobile station.
Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention, an antenna is provided for the radio device. The antenna is of compact dimensions that permits its positioning within, or carriage together with, a mobile station. The characteristics of the antenna permit its operation at selected frequency bands over a wide range of frequencies.
The antenna includes a wire antenna (monopole) and a set of patches that are configured together in a tri-dimensional arrangement that extends in multiple planar directions. Reduction in the spatial requirements of the antenna is provided by the tri-dimensional configuration of the antenna. The antenna is configured to be operable at disparate frequency bands over a wide range of frequencies.
In another aspect of the present invention, a monopole, formed of multiple folded portions, extends in a serpentine manner across six planar surfaces of a dielectric substrate. The monopole includes a first end and a second end. The first end of the monopole defines a feed connection point connectable with corresponding portions of circuitry of a mobile station. Signal energy generated at the mobile station circuitry is provided to the antenna at the feed point connection, and signal energy transduced into electrical form at the antenna is provided to the transceiver circuitry at the feed point connection.
A first patch of the antenna forms a first main matching element, and is, e.g., rectangular-shaped, forming a rectangular-shaped patch, extending from, and contiguous and integral with, the monopole. The first patch improves matching to provide for antenna resonance at a first frequency band, depending upon the size of the patch and its location of connection to the monopole. A second antenna patch forms a second matching element proximate to the feed point connection and extending from, and contiguous and integral with, said monopole. The second patch improves matching to provide for antenna resonance is resonant at least at a second frequency band. A third patch forms a third matching element, extending from and contiguous and integral with, the second end of the monopole. The third patch improves matching to provide for antenna resonance is resonant at least at a third frequency band. By use of the antenna disclosed herein, the spatial requirements of the antenna are reduced relative to the space that would be required to be provided if the antenna were not folded.
In one implementation, the antenna forms at least a nine-band antenna, capable of operation at nine disparate frequency bands, including the 800, 900, 1500, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2200, 2400, and 2450 MHz frequency bands. In other implementations, the antenna is configured to be resonant at other, and other numbers of, frequency bands. When connected to transceiver circuitry capable of operating in conformity with communication systems at the corresponding frequencies, the antenna permits signal energy to be transduced at any of the resonant frequencies. Due to its compact size, the antenna facilitates increased miniaturization of a mobile station, permitting its positioning within the housing of the mobile station.
In these and other aspects, therefore, an antenna, and an associated methodology is provided for a radio communication device. A substrate is fabricated from a dielectric and a monopole is disposed thereon. A first patch, defined in a first planar direction and contiguous and integral with the monopole, forms a first matching element that improve matching to provide for antenna resonance at least at a first frequency band. A second patch, defined in a second planar direction and contiguous and integral with the monopole, forms a second matching element that improves matching to provide for antenna resonance at least at a second frequency band. A third patch, defined in the second planar direction and contiguous and integral with the monopole, forms a third matching element that improves matching to provide for antenna resonance at least at a third frequency band.
Referring first, therefore, to
A plurality of radio access networks (RANs) 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 are illustrated in
The mobile station 12 sends data upon the radio air interface 14 and receives data communicated thereon. Transceiver circuitry 36 is embodied at the mobile station 12, formed of a transmit part and a receive part to operate upon data that is to be communicated by the mobile station or data that is received thereat. The receive and transmit chains forming the receive and transmit parts, respectively, of the transceiver circuitry are operable in conformity with the operating standards and protocols associated with, and defining, the respective systems. The transceiver circuitry 36 of the mobile station 12 is coupled to an antenna 42 of an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna 42 is constructed to permit its operation to transduce signal energy at all of the frequency bands at which the mobile station 12 transceiver circuitry 36 is operable. That is to say, in the exemplary implementation, the antenna 42 operates to transduce signal energy at any of the 800, 1500, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2200, 2400, and 2450 MHz frequency bands. In the exemplary implementation, the antenna 42 is positioned within a housing 44 of the mobile station 12 to be supportively enclosed by the housing. Howsoever positioned, the antenna 42 is of relatively small dimensions, facilitating its carriage together with the mobile station 12 at any of the frequencies at which the mobile station operates. Where desired, multiple antennas 42 may be configured in an array of two or more antennas for enhancing the communication of signals to and from the mobile station 12.
The antenna 42 includes a monopole 64 and three antenna patches, a first antenna patch 61, a second antenna patch 62, and a third antenna patch 63 which improve the matching for low and high frequency bands of the antenna 42. The monopole 64 includes a first end 66 and extends in a serpentine manner to a second end 68. The first end 66 is also effective as a feed point connection to the transceiver circuitry (shown in
The first antenna patch 61 can be rectangular-shaped and is constructed to extend from a fold at fold line 50 and to be contiguous to, and integral with, portions of the monopole 64. The second antenna patch 62 can be rectangular-shaped and is constructed to extend from a fold line 52 and to be contiguous to, and integral with, portions of the monopole 64 proximate to the feed point connection 66. The third antenna patch 63 can be rectangular-shaped and is constructed to extend from a fold line 52 and to be contiguous to, and integral with, portions of the monopole 64 proximate to the second end 68. Each of the first antenna patch 61, second antenna patch 62, and third antenna patch 63 are preferably configured to improve matching to provide for antenna resonance at one or more frequency bands determined by the characteristics desired of the respective antenna patch. Appropriate selection of the dimensions of the patches is, in significant part, determinative of the operable frequency band of the respective antenna patches. By way of example, in one exemplary, nine-band embodiment, the first antenna patch 61 is configured to exhibit a resonant band of a relatively low frequency, such as, 800 MHz and/or 900 MHz.
Folded in accordance with fold lines 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 depicted in
Analogously, in
First, and as indicated by the block 902, the substrate 70 is fabricated from a dielectric characterized as described above. In step 904, the monopole 64 is formed on the substrate 70, with a first end and a second end, the first end being operative as a feed connection point. The monopole is folded about six fold lines 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60, and disposed on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth planar surfaces 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76 of the substrate, as discussed above with respect to
In step 906, with the antenna folded at the fold line 50, the first antenna patch 61 is formed on the fifth planar surface 75 of the substrate, extending from, and contiguous and integral with, the monopole, to thereby form a first matching element to improve matching to provide for antenna resonance at a first frequency band. In step 908, with the antenna folded at the fold line 52, the second antenna patch 62 is formed on the sixth planar surface 76 of the substrate, extending from, and contiguous and integral with, the monopole, proximate to the feed connection point 66, to thereby form a second matching element to improve matching to provide for antenna resonance at a second frequency band. In step 910, with the antenna folded at the fold line 52, the third antenna patch 63 is formed on the sixth planar surface 76 of the substrate, extending from, and contiguous and integral with, the second end 68 of the monopole, to thereby form a third matching element to improve matching to provide for antenna resonance at a third frequency band.
At step 912, signal energy is transduced within any of the frequency bands of the antenna 42.
Due to the tri-dimensional configuration of the antenna, a multi-band antenna is formed, of compact configuration, facilitating its use together with a mobile station, or other portable radio device.
Presently preferred embodiments of the invention and many of its improvements and advantages have been described with a degree of particularity. The description is of preferred examples of implementing the invention, and the description of preferred examples is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.