Multiple Band Chassis Antenna

Abstract

A wireless device including a conductive chassis and a conductive coupling element is provided. The conductive coupling element may be connected to the conductive chassis and may cooperate with the conductive chassis to form a slit. An elongate feed element may be disposed within the slit. The coupling element may be configured to activate at least a portion of the conductive chassis to enable the chassis to operate as an antenna.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to antenna structures for wireless devices. Wireless devices described herein may be used for mobile broadband communications.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure may include a wireless device. The wireless device may include a conductive chassis and a conductive coupling element connected to the conductive chassis. The conductive coupling element and the conductive chassis may cooperate to form a slit therebetween. The device may further include an elongated feed element disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the chassis. The coupling element may be configured to activate at least a portion of the conductive chassis to enable the chassis to operate as an antenna in at least one frequency band.

Another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure may include a wireless device. The wireless device may include a counterpoise and a conductive coupling element connected to the counterpoise. The conductive coupling element and the counterpoise may cooperate to form a slit therebetween. The device may further include an elongated feed element disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the counterpoise. The coupling element may be configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a first frequency and define a slot antenna configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a second frequency.

In yet another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, a wireless device may include a conductive body element, a conductive coupling element connected to the body element, and an elongated feed element. The conductive coupling element and the conductive body element may cooperate to form a slit therebetween, and an elongate feed element may be disposed therein. The coupling element may be configured to activate at least a portion of the conductive body element to enable the body element to operate as an antenna in at least one frequency band.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of coupled resonance circuits.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of multi-coupled resonance circuits.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 4 a-4d illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 5 a-5b illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 6 a-6b illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 7 a-7b illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 8 a-8d illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 9 a-9c illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIGS. 10 a-10b illustrate the operation of an antenna consistent with the disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an antenna consistent with the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a coupling structure consistent with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to wide bandwidth antennas provided for use in wireless devices. Multi-band antennas consistent with the present disclosure may be employed in mobile devices for cellular communications, and may operate at frequencies ranging from approximately 700 MHz to approximately 2.7 GHz. Multi-band antennas consistent with the present disclosure may further be employed for any type of application involving wireless communication and may be constructed to operate in appropriate frequency ranges for such applications. Multi-band antennas consistent with the present disclosure may function as coupled resonance circuits and as multiple coupled resonance circuits.

FIG. 1 illustrates a coupled resonance circuit 100 which may be used to provide a model of an antenna. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a coupled resonance circuit may include two resonance circuits 101, at least one coupling portion 104, and a feeding portion 105. Resonance circuits 101 may include a parallel resonance circuit 102 and a serial resonance circuit 103.

As used herein, a parallel resonance circuit describes a circuit model having a high impedance and having resonance characteristics, including, for example, resonance frequency and Q factor, being substantially determined by one or more reactive elements arranged electrically in parallel to one another. Q factor, or antenna quality factor, is inversely related to antenna bandwidth. Thus, an antenna having a low Q factor has a high bandwidth. In contrast, a serial resonance circuit describes a circuit model having a low impedance and having resonance characteristics with low impedance being substantially determined by one or more reactive elements arranged electrically in serial to one another. For example, a parallel resonance circuit may include at least one inductive element and at least one capacitive element arranged in parallel to one another. A serial resonance circuit may include at least one inductive elements and at least one capacitive element arranged serially. Both parallel and serial resonance circuits may include additional reactive elements that contribute less significantly to the resonance characteristics of the circuit.

Resonating structural elements of an antenna may be modeled as parallel resonance circuits and serial resonance circuits. For example, as used herein, a parallel resonance element and a serial resonance component may be physical structural elements of an antenna. A structure having one or more parallel resonance elements may be electrically modeled as, or may function as, a parallel resonance circuit. As described herein, a structure having one or more serial resonance components may be electrically modeled as, or may function as, a serial resonance circuit. A structure may be configured to function as either a serial resonance circuit or a parallel resonance circuit, depending, for example, on a frequency of radiofrequency signal that is fed to it or on a location of a point at which a radiofrequency signal is fed to it.

Reactive elements of a structure modeled as a resonance circuit may include, for example, capacitors and inductors. Reactive structural elements of a structure modeled as a resonance circuit may also include any other structure that exhibits reactive (e.g., capacitive and/or inductive) characteristics when carrying an electrical signal. Some structures that may function as reactive elements in a resonance circuit may display frequency dependent reactive characteristics. For example, a capacitive structure may display reactive properties when excited by an electrical signal of a first frequency, but may display different reactive properties when excited by an electrical signal of a second frequency. As described herein, reactive elements of structures modeled as resonance circuits display reactive characteristics at frequencies appropriate for wireless communication performed by antennas of which they are a part.

Structures functional as or modeled by both parallel and serial resonance circuits may be included as distinct structures within an antenna, and/or may include antenna portions that serve as portions of more than one element of an antenna. For example, a structure serving as a portion of a parallel resonance element may also serve as a portion of a ground plane element. In another example, a structural element serving as a serial resonance component may also serve as a portion of a coupling structure. Many other dual roles are possible for a single structural element, and are described in more detail herein.

Elements fitting to a resonance circuit model may further include gaps, spaces, slits, slots, and cavities within, near, between, and around structural elements. That is, structural elements modeled as or functional as a resonance circuit need not be defined by a continuous galvanicaly connected structure. For example, a slot or slit between two structural elements may function as a serial resonance component or parallel resonance element when carrying a radiofrequency signal.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, coupling portions 104 may be modeled as transformers, displaying no reactivity. In some embodiments, coupling portion 104 may be realized as a coupling structure, which may exhibit one or more of inductance and capacitance, or may display no reactivity at all. In the example model as shown, coupled resonance circuit 100 may have a Q factor substantially similar to the resonance circuit 101 displaying the lower Q factor. Thus, in the example model shown in FIG. 1, in order to achieve a low Q factor for the entirety of coupled resonance circuit 100, only one of the two resonance circuits 101 may have a low Q factor.

As with the resonance circuit elements described above, a coupling structure functioning as coupling portion 104 may be a distinct structure within a coupled resonance circuit 100, and/or it may be formed from one or more antenna portions that also serve other functions. In some embodiments, a coupling structure may include gaps, spaces, slits, slots, and cavities within, near, between, and around structural elements. For example, a serial resonance component having a structural element sufficiently close to a structural element of a parallel resonance element may couple to the parallel resonance element across the gap between structural elements. In such an arrangement, a coupling structure may include portions of structural elements from each of the serial resonance component and the parallel resonance element, as well as the gap between them.

As shown in the model illustrated in FIG. 1, the coupled resonance circuit 100 may operate as follows. Feeding portion 105 may supply a radiofrequency signal which is coupled through coupling portion 104 to serial resonance circuit 103. The signal is then coupled through another coupling portion 104 to parallel resonance circuit 102. An antenna designed to correspond to the model the illustrated in FIG. 1 may function in a similar fashion, as described in greater detail below.

In operation, an antenna modeled after coupled resonant circuit 100 may display a Q factor substantially similar the Q factor of the one of two resonance circuits 101 having the lower Q factor. Thus, bandwidth of antenna modeled as a coupled resonance circuit 100 may be determined by the lower Q factor resonance circuit 101.

In some embodiments, while the Q factor of the coupled resonance circuit 100 may substantially depend on the Q factor of just one of the resonance circuits 101, the frequency at which resonance circuit 100 resonates may be determined by both parallel resonance circuit 102 and serial resonance circuit 103. Accordingly, an antenna may be designed by using a first resonance circuit 101 having a desirable Q factor and coupling it through a coupling portion 104 with a second resonance circuit 101 having characteristics suitable for adjusting the resonance of coupled resonance circuit 100 to a desirable value.

For example, structural elements modeled as a parallel resonance circuit 102 may have a low Q factor, which may be desirable in a wireless antenna because it provides a wide bandwidth. A structural element of parallel resonance circuit 102 may then be coupled via coupling portion 104 to a structural element of a serial resonance circuit 103 provided to adjust the frequency resonance of coupled resonance circuit 100. Thus, in some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, a structural element of a parallel resonance circuit 102, e.g., a parallel resonance element, providing a desirable Q factor may be coupled with a structural element of a specific serial resonance circuit 103, e.g., a serial resonance element, for tuning to be used at a specific frequency.

FIG. 2 illustrates a multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 which may be used to provide a model for antenna operation. As illustrated in FIG. 2, multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 may model an antenna structure including at least one parallel resonance element modeled as a parallel resonance circuit 102, a plurality of serial resonance components modeled as serial resonance circuits 103a-103d, and corresponding coupling structures modeled as coupling portions 104. The following description describes the modeled interactions between circuit components. Structural antenna elements according to the following model may function similarly.

Multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 may operate in a similar fashion to coupled resonance circuit 100. Multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 may be configured such that one of the plurality of serial resonance circuits 103 couples through a coupling portion 104 to one of the at least one parallel resonance circuit 102. Feed 204 may deliver a signal to coupling portion 104. The one of the plurality of serial resonance circuits 103, which couples to the at least one parallel resonance circuit 102, may be determined by a frequency of a supplied radiofrequency signal. As used herein, coupling between circuit structures may be capacitive, inductive, or resistive.

For example, a first serial resonance component functioning may be configured to radiate at a first frequency, and may be configured to couple through a coupling structure to a parallel resonance element at the first frequency. A second serial resonance component may be configured to radiate at a second frequency, and may be configured to couple through a coupling structure to the parallel resonance element at the second frequency. Thus, when an antenna modeled according to the multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 is excited by a signal at the first frequency, the first serial resonance component may couple to the parallel resonance element and radiate at the first frequency. When an antenna modeled according to multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 is excited by a signal at the second frequency, second serial resonance component may couple to the parallel resonance element and radiate at the second frequency. Further serial resonance components may couple and radiate at additional frequencies. Although FIG. 2 illustrates multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 having four serial resonance circuits 103 and one parallel resonance circuit 102, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to such a configuration. More or fewer serial resonance circuits 103 may be coupled to more or fewer parallel resonance circuits 102 through at least one coupling portion 104.

As discussed above, serial resonance components corresponding to serial resonance circuits 103a, 103b, 103c, 103d, may share physical structural components of the antenna and may also share gaps, slots, slits, spaces, windows, and cavities with each other, with the coupling structure corresponding to at least one coupling portion 104 and with a parallel resonance element corresponding to the at least one parallel resonance circuit 102.

In operation, that is, when excited by a radiofrequency signal, different resonance structures modeled as different resonance circuits 101 may be activated, depending on the frequency of the exciting signal. For example, if a combination of one parallel resonance element and one serial resonance component resonates at a particular frequency, then that combination of resonance structures may be activated by a radiofrequency signal having a similar frequency. The activated combination in the a structure modeled after multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 may have a Q factor substantially determined by the activated resonance structure having the lowest Q factor, while the frequency of activation may be determined by the combination of serial resonance component and parallel resonance element that are activated. Thus, a structure modeled after multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 may be configured such that different combinations of resonance structures are activated, depending on the activation frequency. This may permit a designer to optimize performance in specific frequency ranges, by optimizing each resonance structure combination in its activation frequency range.

Achieving the above described selective coupling between one of at least one parallel resonance element and one from among a plurality of serial resonance components may involve the use of a unique coupling structure serving as coupling portion 104. A coupling structure may be configured to couple radiofrequency signals between the activated parallel resonance element and the activated serial resonance component. The coupling structure may be configured to selectively couple a radiofrequency signal between a parallel resonance element and a serial resonance component determined based on a frequency of the radiofrequency signal.

Coupling portion 104 may include a feeding portion 202 for delivering a radiofrequency signal to multi-coupled resonance structure. A feeding portion may carry a radiofrequency signal to or from signal processing portions of a wireless device. The radiofrequency signal carried by the feeding portion 202 may be selected to activate a specific combination of resonance structures. For example, in some embodiments, feeding portion 202 may be configured to activate and couple together a parallel resonance element and a first serial resonance component when supplied with a radiofrequency signal in a first frequency range, and may be configured to activate and couple together the parallel resonance element and a second serial resonance component to radiate in a second frequency range. In such an embodiment, for example, a first frequency range may be a low-band frequency range and a second frequency range may be a high-band frequency range. Feeding portion 202 may enable a coupling structure to provide coupling between multiple serial resonance components and at least one parallel resonance element due to unique structural elements, as discussed below with respect to FIG. 3. In some embodiments, the radiofrequency signal carried by the feeding portion 202 may also be selected to activate only a single resonance structure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a multi-band antenna 301, which may be modeled as a multi-coupled resonance circuit 200, for a wireless device 302. Wireless device 302 may include a device chassis 304, a portion of which is illustrated in FIG. 3. Device chassis 304 may be a conductive chassis, and may include one or many interconnected conductive elements. Device chassis 304 may form an internal structure of a housing of wireless device 302. Device chassis 304 may be distributed throughout an interior of wireless device 302, and may provide structural rigidity to wireless device 302. Device chassis 304 may include a ground plane 303. Device chassis 304 may also form at least a portion of or an entirety of a housing of wireless device 302. In some embodiments, device chassis 304 may include a conductive frame or conductive bezel surrounding a portion or an entirety of wireless device 302. Device chassis 304 may include conductive elements in galvanic communication with one another, and may include additional conductive elements not in galvanic communication with the entirety of device chassis 304. Device chassis 304 may be coupled, galvanically or otherwise, to other conductive elements of wireless device 302 to serve as at least a portion of a radiating antenna structure. For example, at least a portion of device chassis 304 may be configured to radiate as a parallel resonance element when activated with an appropriate frequency signal.

Wireless device 302 may include a counterpoise 303. Counterpoise 303 may be a conductive element forming at least a portion of a grounding region of antenna 301. Counterpoise 303 may be formed on a substrate and may be formed of various structures within wireless device 302. Counterpoise 303 may include ground edge 315. Ground edge 315 may be, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a substantially straight, elongated edge of counterpoise 303. In other embodiments, ground edge 315 may have a curved, wavy, labyrinthine, or other non-linear configuration. In some embodiments, ground edge 315 may have linear and non-linear portions. In some embodiments, counterpoise 303 may be galvanically connected to, i.e., at chassis ground connection 314, or may be a portion of device chassis 304. While FIG. 3 illustrates counterpoise 303 as a regular, elongated rectangle, counterpoise 303 may be formed of any suitable shape and size. In particular, counterpoise 303 may be configured to accommodate other components located within wireless device 302.

Counterpoise 303 may form at least a portion of a resonance structure of antenna 301. For example, counterpoise 303 may form at least a portion of a parallel resonance element. In some embodiments, device chassis 304 may include counterpoise 303 and may form at least a portion of a resonance structure.

Counterpoise 303 and wireless device chassis 304 may be configured to be of appropriate electrical lengths to form, each alone or together in combination, at least a portion of a resonance structure. As used herein, electrical length refers to the length of a feature as determined by the portion of a radiofrequency signal that it may accommodate. For example, a feature may have an electrical length of λ/4 (e.g., a quarter wavelength) at a specific frequency. An electrical length of a feature may or may not correspond to a physical length of a structure, and may depend on radiofrequency signal current pathways. Features having electrical lengths that appropriately correspond to intended radiation frequencies may operate more efficiently. Thus, a structural element of antenna 301 may be sized to be of an appropriate electrical length for a frequency range at which the structure is designed to radiate. For example, in an embodiment including a wireless device chassis 304 configured to function as at least a portion of a parallel resonance element, the wireless device chassis 304 may be sized at λ/2 (e.g., a half-wave) at an intended activation frequency.

Antenna 301 may include a common conductive element 307. Common conductive element 307 may include a first elongate segment 308, a second elongate segment 309, and a third elongate segment 310. Common conductive element 307 may be configured with more or fewer segments, as may be implemented for specific applications. Common conductive element 307 may share physical structure with other elements of wireless device 302. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, third elongate segment 310 may form a portion of an external frame of wireless device 302, and thus may serve as a portion of device chassis 304. Common conductive element 307 may include a first end 311 and a second end 313. Common conductive element 307 may be coupled, galvanically, reactively (e.g., capacitively or inductively), or otherwise, at connection 312. Common conductive element 307 may be configured as a folded monopole, folded around slot 325, which may be a window or space partially or completely surrounded by elongate segments of folded common conductive element 307. Thus common conductive element 307 may define slot 325.

Common conductive element 307 may be located so as to form slit 320 between a portion of common conductive element 307 and ground edge 315. Slit 320 may be an elongated slit or gap between common conductive element 307 and ground edge 315. Slit 320 may be an element of coupling portion 104 in multi-coupled resonance circuit 201. The width and length of slit 320 may be varied based on a frequency of operation of a wireless device, for example slit 320 may be between 30 and 45 mm long, and/or may have an electrical length of between 0.06λ and 0.405λ at frequencies between 600 MHz and 2.7 GHz. The width of slit 320 may be between 0.2 and 2 mm and have an electrical length between 0.0004λ and 0.018λ.

Antenna 301 may further include a feeding portion 204 including several elements. Feeding portion 204 may include feed line 320 configured to carry a radiofrequency signal from processing elements of wireless device 301 to a feedpoint 305. Feed element 306 may be coupled, galvanically, reactively, or otherwise, to feedpoint 305. Feed element 306 may be an elongated feed element. Feed element 306 may be a distributed feed element. Feed element 306 is pictured in greater detail in the inset image shown in the lower portion of FIG. 3. Feed element 306 may be located in proximity to slit 320 and may be located so as to define a first gap 316 between distributed feed element 306 and ground edge 315 and a second gap 317 between distributed feed element 306 and common conductive element 307. First gap 316 and second gap 317 may each have a smaller physical width than slit 320. Although distributed feed element 306 may be located in a same plane as ground edge 315 and common conductive element 307, it is not required, and distributed feed element 306 may be located offset from these features. Slit 320, first gap 316, and second gap 317 may be partially or completely filled by a dielectric material, such as air, plastic, teflon, or other dielectric. Feed element 306 may be separated from common conductive element 307 by a distance in the range of approximately 0.2-1 mm, corresponding to an electrical distance in the range of approximately 0.0004-0.009λ, where λ is a wavelength corresponding to at least one frequency at which antenna 301 may radiate. Feed element 306 may have a width of electrical length between approximately 0.0004λ and 0.009λ, or between approximately 0.002-0.0135λ. In some embodiments, feed element 306 may have a width in the range 0.2-1 mm.

At least a portion of common conductive element 307 may also be configured as a conductive coupling element. In some embodiments, a conductive coupling element may be connected to device chassis 304, for example via connection 312. A coupling structure, including at least distributed feed element 306, ground edge 315, first elongate segment 308 of common conductive element 307, and slit 320 may be formed between the first serial resonance component at least partially formed by common conductive element 307 and a parallel resonance element at least partially formed by device chassis 304. Thus, a conductive coupling element and the conductive device chassis 304 may cooperate to form slit 320 therebetween. As discussed above, feed element 306, which may be an elongated feed element may be disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the device chassis 304.

When provided with a radiofrequency signal via feed line 306 antenna 301 may operate as follows, as described with respect to FIGS. 4a-4c. FIG. 4a illustrates a representative current pathway 402 of a low-band (e.g., between approximately 600 MHz-1000 MHz) signal in common conductive element 307. Representative current pathway 402 is illustrative only, as a person of skill in the art will recognize that current pathways may differ from that illustrated without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4a, common conductive element 307 may operate as a first serial resonance component, receive current via coupling with distributed feed element 306, and radiate as a quarter wave monopole in the activated low band frequency range illustrated in FIG. 4a.

Device chassis 304 may operate as a parallel resonance element, radiating as a half wavelength element in the activated frequency range. That is, common conductive element 307, configured as a conductive coupling element may be configured to activate as least a portion of device chassis 304 to radiate in at least one frequency band. As illustrated in FIG. 4a, a low band frequency range may be included in the at least one frequency band.

Thus, the structure illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b may function as a coupled resonance circuit 100. As discussed above, this structure, modeled as coupled resonance circuit 100, may have a wide bandwidth due substantially to properties of a parallel resonance element at least partially formed by device chassis 304 functioning as a parallel resonance circuit 102 while having an effective frequency range due substantially to properties of both the serial resonance component at least partially formed by common conductive element 307 functioning as a serial resonance circuit 103 and the parallel resonance element at least partially formed by device chassis 304.

Multi-band properties of antenna 301 may be achieved through the dual function of common conductive element 307 as a serial resonance component in a high band frequency range (e.g., approximately 1.7-2.76 GHz). When activated with a radiofrequency in this higher frequency range, the structure defined by common conductive element 307 and slot 325 may radiate as a quarter wavelength slot antenna, with representative slot antenna current pathway 403 as illustrated in FIG. 4b. In this frequency band, the common conductive element 307, configured as a conductive coupling element, may activate at least a portion of the chassis to enable radiation in this frequency band. Thus, in operation, antenna 301 may exhibit multi-band properties, radiating in multiple frequency ranges. Common conductive element 307 may form at least a portion of a first serial resonance component configured to radiate at a first frequency, and may form at least a portion of a second serial resonance component configured to radiate at a second frequency different than the first frequency. Either or both of the first and second serial resonance components so defined may be configured to couple to, and/or activate, the parallel resonance element (formed at least partially by device chassis 304) through a coupling structure at least partially formed by distributed feed element 306.

An exemplary graph of the multiband performance of antenna 301 as illustrated in FIGS. 4a-4c is shown in FIG. 4d. FIG. 4d illustrates an exemplary return loss graph 450 of antenna 301 in a frequency range between 500 MHz and 3 Ghz. As illustrated in FIG. 4d, antenna 301 exhibits resonances at 800 MHz and 2.3 GHz, which permit antenna 301 to effectively radiate as a multi-band antenna. While antenna 301, as illustrated, exhibits multi-band performance in the 800 MHz and 2.3 GHz band, it is understood that these frequency bands may be altered or tuned based on properties of the antenna without departing from the concepts disclosed herein.

It may be further understood that multiband performance may be achieved in more than two frequency bands by applying the same principles discussed above to alternative designs. That is, by configuring common conductive element 307 to radiate in additional frequencies when supplied with additional frequencies of radiofrequency signal, a multi-band antenna according to some embodiments may radiate in three or more frequency bands.

The achievement of multi-band performance and the dual radiation function of common conductive element 307 may be at least partially attributed the folded nature of common conductive element 307 and to the nature of distributed feed element 306.

First, in order to radiate as a quarter wave monopole at two different frequency ranges, common conductive element 307 may define radiating structures having two different electrical lengths corresponding to the frequency ranges. These two electrical lengths may be achieved by establishing two alternate current pathways 402, 403. As illustrated in FIG. 4c, first current pathway 402 may have an electrical length determined substantially by an overall length of radiating element 307, while second current pathway 403 may have an electrical length determined substantially by a length of slot 325 as defined by a fold in common conductive element 307. The establishment of two current pathways having different electrical lengths permits radiation in two frequency ranges.

Second, in order to radiate as a quarter wave monopole at two different frequency ranges, the monopole may use two different feed points. A feed point may be where a radiofrequency signal is transferred from a feeding element to a radiating element or a coupling element. In conventional quarter wave monopole designs, an antenna may be fed at a feed location on one end, and the feedline may be sized to deliver a radiofrequency signal having appropriate current characteristics at the feedpoint. Such a design may, however, may face significant performance drops when supplied with a radiofrequency signal outside of the design frequency. Distributed feed element 306 may address this issue by providing a range of potential feeding locations throughout its length. In operation, radiofrequency signals of different frequencies (and different wavelengths) may therefore couple from distributed feed element 306 to common conductive element 307 at different points along the portion of distributed feed element 306 located in proximity to common conductive element 307.

FIGS. 3 and 4 a-4d illustrate one particular physical embodiment of the antenna concepts described by this disclosure. Alternative embodiments of coupled resonance circuits and activated chassis designs are discussed in greater detail below. Alternative physical embodiments may be designed and implemented to achieve an antenna with various parameters without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. FIGS. 5-9 disclose additional embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 a illustrates an antenna 501 consistent with the present disclosure. Antenna 501 includes conductive protrusion 502, which may assist in establishing an additional serial resonance component, illustrated by representative current path 404. In some embodiments, conductive protrusion 502 may be formed at least partially from a power connector of wireless device 302. The additional serial resonance component illustrated in FIG. 5a may operate as a quarter wave monopole in the high frequency band of the antenna, and may function to improve the coupling to distributed feed element 306 and/or improve the bandwidth in the high-frequency range. Improved coupling can be seen in the return loss graph 550 of antenna 501, illustrated in black in FIG. 5b, as compared to return loss graph 450 of antenna 301, illustrated with shading in FIG. 5b. Return loss graph 550 displays an improved return loss response in the high-frequency range.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5a-5b, serial resonance components illustrated by representative current pathway 402 and representative slot antenna current pathway 403 may still operate when distributed feed element 306 provides the appropriate activation frequency. Thus, FIG. 5a illustrates an antenna 501 wherein common conductive element 307 functions as at least a portion of three different serial resonance components, each resonant at a different frequency.

FIG. 6 a illustrates an antenna 601 consistent with the present disclosure. Antenna 601 includes conductive spur 602. The addition of conductive spur 602 may function to improve antenna coupling in the low frequency range, as illustrated in FIG. 5b. Improved coupling can be seen in the low frequency range in return loss graph 650 of antenna 601, as compared to return loss graph 450 of antenna 301, illustrated in gray in FIG. 5b. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6a-6b, serial resonance components illustrated by representative current pathway 402, 403, 404 (as shown in FIGS. 4c and 5a) may still operate when distributed feed element 306 provides the appropriate activation frequency.

FIG. 7 a illustrates an antenna 701 consistent with the present disclosure. Antenna 701 may include spur element 702, which may function as a parasitic element coupling at a frequency intermediate between the low-band and high-band frequencies. The current in spur element 702 may be illustrated by representative current path 405. Spur element 702 may be configured as a quarter wavelength parasitic element in the intermediate frequency band. Improved antenna bandwidth can be seen in the return loss graph 750 of antenna 701, illustrated in FIG. 7b. Return loss graph 750 displays an improved return loss response over significant portions of the multi-band frequency range. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7a-7b, serial resonance circuits 103 illustrated by representative current pathways 402, 403, and 404 may still operate when distributed feed element 306 provides the appropriate activation frequency. Thus, FIG. 7a illustrates an antenna 701 including multiple coupling paths and methods.

FIGS. 8 a-8d illustrate differences between a series of antennas consistent with the present disclosure. FIG. 8a illustrates antenna 701, also shown in FIG. 7a. FIG. 8b illustrates the return loss graph 750 of antenna 701, also shown in FIG. 7b. FIGS. 8b and 8c illustrate antennas 802 and 803, each of which is a design variant of antenna 701. In antenna 802, illustrated in FIG. 8b, a distance between ground plane edge 315 and a portion of common conductive element 307 that shares structure with device chassis 304 is reduced. In antenna 803, illustrated in FIG. 8c, the distance is reduced again. In antenna 802, the distance between ground plane edge 315 and a portion of common conductive element 307 that shares structure with device chassis 304 is reduced by approximately 2.5 mm, and, in antenna 803, the distance is reduced by 5 mm. As shown in FIG. 8d, these size reductions may shift the resonant frequencies of antennas 802 and 803 to higher frequencies, but do not have significant effects on the overall bandwidth of the antennas. This demonstrates that the bandwidth, related to the Q factor of the antenna, is substantially determined by the resonance structure having the lowest Q factor. In antennas 701, 802, 803, the lowest Q factor is demonstrated by the parallel resonance element including counterpoise 303. The alteration in Q factor caused by the antenna variations illustrated in FIGS. 8a-c may not substantially alter the bandwidth of the resulting antennas.

FIG. 9 a illustrates an alternative antenna 901 designed as a multi-coupling resonance structure functioning gas a multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 and consistent with the present disclosure. Antenna 901 may include a counterpoise 303 having a ground edge 315, a device chassis 304, a feed point 305, a distributed feed element 306, and a radiating element 907. Radiating element 907 may include a first branch 903, a second branch 902, a connection portion 904, a base portion 905, an extension 906, and a loop portion 911. Radiating element 907 may further define slot 910 and slot 909, each of which may be filled by a dielectric material.

Operating at low-band frequencies, antenna 901 may include a parallel resonance element, formed from at least a portion of counterpoise 303 and/or wireless device chassis 304. The parallel resonance element may couple through a coupling structure at least partially formed by distributed feed 306 to either one of a pair of serial resonance components. The coupling structure may include base portion 905 of radiating element 907, ground edge 315, and distributed feed element 306. A first serial resonance component of antenna 901 may include a current pathway 406 as illustrated in FIG. 9a. As illustrated, current pathway 406 of a first serial resonance circuit 103 may extend along radiating element 907, starting from base portion 905 and extending through connecting portion 904 to first branch 903. The antenna structure defined by current pathway 406 may operate as a quarter wave monopole in a low-frequency band. A second serial resonance component of antenna 901 may include current pathway 407 as illustrated in FIG. 9a. As illustrated, current pathway 407 of a second serial resonance component may extend along radiating element 907, starting from loop portion 911 and extending through second branch 902 to first branch 903. The antenna structure defined by current pathway 407 may operate as a quarter wave monopole in a low-frequency band.

Operating at high-band frequencies, antenna 901 may also include a plurality of serial resonance components. A first high-band serial resonance component may include looped current pathway 408, traveling around base portion 905, connection portion 904, second branch 902, and loop portion 911. A second high-band serial resonance component may include current pathway 409, traveling through loop portion 911 and into extension 906. High-band performance may be further augmented by harmonics of the low-band radiating structures. For example, a low-band radiating structure, having current pathway 406 or 407, may be configured to resonate at approximately 700 MHz. In such a case, the structure may also radiate at a third harmonic, at approximately 2.1 GHz. The performance of antenna 901 is illustrated by return loss graph 950, as shown in FIG. 9c.

FIGS. 10 a and 10b illustrate the structure and performance of another antenna variant, antenna 1001, consistent with the present disclosure. Antenna 1001 may include device chassis 304, counterpoise 303 having ground edge 315, radiating element 1007 having base portion 1005, first connecting portion 1006, first branch 1002, extension 1014, loop portion 1011, second connecting portion 1008, and second branch 1012. The structural portions of radiating element 1007 may further define slot 1010, slot 1009, and gap 1013, each of which may be filled with dielectric material.

Antenna 1001 may be considered a variation of antenna 901. In the low-band frequency ranges, antenna 1001 may include a serial resonance component having a current pathway 414 that extends from base portion 1005, across second connecting portion 1008, and along second branch 1012. This pathway is similar to current pathway 406 of antenna 901. The addition of slot 1013 may eliminate a current pathway similar to current pathway 407 of antenna 901, leaving just one low-band frequency current pathway 406 which may follow base portion 1005, second connecting portion 1008, and second branch 1012. The slot 1013, however, may also permit an additional serial resonance component in the high-band frequency ranges by creating current pathway 410 in slot 1009, which may function as a quarter wave slot antenna. Current pathways 411 and 412 may define additional serial resonance components, operating similarly to current pathways 409 and 408, respectively. As illustrated in return loss graph 1050 of antenna 1001 as compared to return loss graph 950 of antenna 901 in FIG. 10b, antenna 1001 demonstrates a wider bandwidth in the high-frequency ranges. The additional structural changes shown do not significantly affect the low frequency bandwidth of antenna 1001, although the strength of the resonance appears to be reduced. In some embodiments, an inductive circuit element, acting as a short circuit at low frequencies and as an open circuit at high frequencies, may be arranged to bridge gap 1013. The addition of such an inductive circuit element may create an additional low band current pathway similar to current pathway 407 and may serve to increase the strength of the low band resonance in antenna 1001.

FIG. 11 illustrates another antenna embodiment consistent with the present disclosure. In antenna 1101, as illustrated in FIG. 11, chassis 304 may extend substantially over an entire length of wireless device 302. As illustrated in FIG. 11, chassis 304 extending beyond a location of the coupling structure including distributed feed element 306. Such an extended chassis 304 may be useful, for example, in mobile device designs with extended screen designs. The extended chassis 304, extending over substantially a full length of the wireless device, may provide additional support and strength to the wireless device having an extended screen.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the antenna 1101, which may be modeled as a multi-coupled resonance circuit as discussed above, may be provided with a projecting chassis extension 1102. Projecting chassis extension 1102 may project from chassis 304 at any angle and at any height and may provide at least a portion of a coupling structure. In the embodiment illustrated, projecting chassis extension 1102 projects from chassis 304 at a 90 degree angle and, together with distributed feed element 306 and common conductive element 307, creates a coupling structure. Common conductive element 307 may be coupled, galvanically or otherwise, to the device chassis 304 at connection 312. In this embodiment, both distributed feed element 306 and common conductive element 307 include planar portions. First elongated segment 308 of common conductive element 307 may be a planar portion parallel to a projecting chassis extension 1102, and distributed feed element 306 may include a planar portion residing in slit 320 between first elongated segment 308 and projecting chassis extension 1102. The interposition of distributed feed element 306 between common conductive element 307 and chassis extension 1102 may define first gap 316 and second gap 317. Although illustrated as parallel planar portions, it is not necessary that these elements be either planar or parallel to each other.

Slit 320 may be filled with a dielectric material. Slit 320 may be filled with a solid dielectric material, such as paper or plastic, and may be configured to maintain a predetermined distance between the elements of the coupling structure, e.g., common conductive element 307, projecting chassis extension 1102, and distributed feed element 306. The predetermined distance between the coupling structure elements may be constant or may be variable, as required by antenna design.

Antenna 1101 may be configured as a wideband multi-band antenna. Common conductive element 307 may include several portions configured to radiate at different frequencies. For example, high-band portion 1105 of common conductive element 307 may be configured and sized to enable common conductive element 307 to radiate in a high-frequency band, and low band portion 1104 may be configured and sized to enable common conductive element 307 to radiate in a low-frequency band. Antenna 1101 may further include a parasitic element 1103, positioned and configured to improve antenna bandwidth.

In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, common conductive element 307, device chassis 304, and distributed feed element 306 may be configured to operate as a coupling structure without perpendicular chassis extension 1102. Coupling structure 1201, as illustrated in FIG. 12, may include device chassis 304, distributed feed element 306, and common conductive element 307 forming a layered coupling structure, including dielectric portions 1220. Common conductive element 307 and device chassis 304 may cooperate to form slit 320 therebetween. Distributed feed element 306 may be positioned within slit 320. First gap 316 and second gap 317 between the conductive structures may be filled with dielectric portions 1220. Dielectric portions 1220 may be of any dielectric material, such as air, plastic, teflon, or any other suitable material. In some embodiments, a solid dielectric material may be used in dielectric portions 1220 in order to maintain a predetermined spacing between elements of the coupling structure. The coupling structure 1201 illustrated in FIG. 12 may be used as a component of many types of wideband multi-band antennas, depending, for example, on radiating structures formed by portions of common conductive element 307 not shown. Coupling structure 1201 may be configured to serve as a coupling portion 104 of an antenna structure modeled after a multi-coupled resonance circuit, as discussed herein.

As seen in FIG. 12, the coupling structure created by device chassis 304, distributed feed element 306, and common conductive element 307 is structurally similar to the coupling structures illustrated in other embodiments of this disclosure. That is, the coupling structure includes a device chassis 304, a distributed feed element 306, and a common conductive element 307, each separated from one another by gaps. When arranged with gaps therebetween, these three components may provide a coupling structure configured to serve as a coupling portion 104 of a wideband multi-band antenna modeled after a multi-coupled resonance circuit 200 as discussed herein. Such a coupling structure may enable tuned wide-band performance by coupling a low-Q parallel resonance element to a high-Q serial resonance component. Such a coupling structure may, due to the distributed nature of the feed element, enable multi-band performance by enabling coupling between a parallel resonance element and a serial resonance component at multiple frequencies. The present disclosure is not limited to the precise embodiments illustrated herein, and it will be recognized that the components of coupling structures configured to serve as coupling portions 104 of antennas modeled as multi-resonance circuits 200 may be arranged in alternative patterns without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The foregoing descriptions of the embodiments of the present application have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not exhaustive and do not limit the application to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments. For example, several examples of antennas embodying the inventive principles described herein are presented. These antennas may be modified without departing from the inventive principles described herein. Additional and different antennas may be designed that adhere to and embody the inventive principles as described. Antennas described herein are configured to operate at particular frequencies, but the antenna design principles presented herein are limited to these particular frequency ranges. Persons of skill in the art may implement the antenna design concepts described herein to create antennas resonant at additional or different frequencies, having additional or different characteristics.

Other embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising: a conductive chassis;a conductive coupling element connected to the conductive chassis, the conductive coupling element and the conductive chassis cooperating to form a slit therebetween; andan elongated feed element disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the chassis,wherein the coupling element is configured to activate at least a portion of the conductive chassis to enable the chassis to operate as an antenna in at least one frequency band.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one frequency band includes at least a high band and a low band.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least on frequency band includes at least three frequency bands.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling element is configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a first frequency and defines a slot antenna configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a second frequency.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the elongate feed element reactively couples to the coupling element.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a location of signal transfer between the elongate feed element and the coupling element is determined based on a frequency of the transferred signal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the conductive chassis includes a chassis extension and the slit is formed between the chassis extension and the conductive coupling element.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a solid dielectric material is disposed within the slit.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the chassis extension extends perpendicularly from the conductive chassis.

10. A wireless device, comprising: a counterpoise;a conductive coupling element connected to the counterpoise, the conductive coupling element and the counterpoise cooperating to form a slit therebetween;an elongate feed element disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the counterpoise, andwherein the coupling element is configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a first frequency and defines a slot antenna configured to radiate as a substantially quarter wave monopole at a second frequency.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the elongate feed element is configured to capacitively couple to the coupling element.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the coupling element is configured to activate at least a portion of the counterpoise to operate as an antenna in at least one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising a chassis, wherein the chassis includes at least a portion of the counterpoise.

14. A wireless device, a conductive body element;a conductive coupling element connected to the body element, the conductive coupling element and the conductive body element cooperating to form a slit therebetween; andan elongated feed element disposed in the slit between the coupling element and the conducting body element,wherein the coupling element is configured to activate at least a portion of the conductive body element to enable the body element to operate as an antenna in at least one frequency band.