Flexible substrate wide band, multi-frequency antenna system

Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – Spiral or helical type

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C343S7000MS

Reexamination Certificate

active

06501439

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention finds primary utility in the field of wireless communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna assembly suitable for wireless transmission of analog and/or digital data in a single or multiple frequency band antenna system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of prior art antennas are currently used in wireless communication devices. One type of antenna is an external half wave single or multi-band dipole. This antenna typically extends or is extensible from the body of a wireless communication device (WCD) in a linear fashion. While this type of antenna is acceptable for use in conjunction with some WCDs, several drawbacks impede greater acceptance and use of such external half wave single or multi-band dipole antennas. One significant drawback is that the antenna is typically mounted at least partially external to the body of a WCD which places the antenna in an exposed position where it may be accidentally or deliberately damaged, bent, broken, or contaminated.
Furthermore, due to the physical configuration of this class of omni-directional antenna, optimizing performance for a particular polarization and/or directional signal is not an option. That is, these types of prior art antennas are relatively insensitive to directional signal optimization or, said another way, these types of prior art antennas can operate in a variety of positions relative to a source signal without substantial signal degradation. This performance characteristic is often known as an “omni-directional” quality, or characteristic, of signal receipt and transmission. This means that electromagnetic waves radiate substantially equally in all directions during transmitting operations. Such prior art antennas also are substantially equally sensitive to receiving signals from any given direction (assuming adequate signal strength). Unfortunately, for a hand held WCD utilizing such a prior art antenna, the antenna radiates electromagnetic radiation toward a human user of the WCD equipped with such an antenna as there is essentially no front-to-back ratio. For reference, the applicant notes that for multi-band versions of prior art types of antenna, the external half wave single or multi-band dipole antenna (i.e., where resonances are achieved through the use of inductor-capacitor (LC) traps), signal gain on the order of approximately a positive two decibels (+2 dBi) are common and expected.
In addition, due mainly to the inherent shape of such prior art antennas, when operating they are typically primarily sensitive to receiving (and sending) vertical polarization communication signals and may not adequately respond to communication signals that suffer from polarization rotation due to the effects of passive reflection of the communication signals between source and receiver equipment. Furthermore, such prior art antennas are inherently inadequate in sensitivity to horizontal polarization communication signals.
Another type of prior art antenna useful with portable wireless communication gear is an external quarter wave single or multi-band asymmetric wire dipole. This type of antenna operates much like the aforementioned external half-wavelength dipole antenna but requires an additional quarter wave conductor to produce additional resonances and, significantly, suffers the same drawbacks as the aforementioned half wave single band, or multi-band, dipole antenna.
Therefore, the inventor recognizes and addresses herein a need in the art of WCD antenna design for an antenna assembly which is compact and lightweight, that is less prone to breakage and has no moving parts (which may fail, become bent, and/or misaligned), and, which utilizes the available interior spaces and structure of a WCD to achieve a more compact final configuration.
There is also a need for a multi-frequency antenna assembly which is able to receive and transmit electromagnetic radiation at one or more preselected operational frequencies.
There is also a need in the art for a deformable antenna resonator which is equally responsive to a variety of different communication signals having a variety of polarization orientations.
There also exists a need in the art for an antenna assembly which is compact and lightweight and which can receive and transmit electromagnetic signals at one or more discrete frequencies and which antenna assembly can be tuned to one or more frequencies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein taught, fully enabled, described and illustrated in detail herein is a multiple band antenna assembly for use in a wireless communication device (WCD) which meets the shortcomings of the prior art. The inventive antenna assembly of the present invention includes a deformable resonator element disposed on a dielectric resonator support substrate and operatively electrically connected to both an RF signal line and to a ground plane associated with a WCD. The resonator element comprises a substrate which supports a conductive element or portion.
The deformable substrate of the resonator element is preferably sufficiently flexible to permit fabrication of a variety of antenna shapes and configurations depending on the available space within a WCD. The flexibility of the substrate allows for a variety of shapes for the resonator element to be coupled to WCDs at a variety of locations with respect to the WCD, including discrete single or multiple locations disposed in the interior, the exterior, and/or located at discrete locations along the periphery of electronics disposed within a portion of the housing of the WCD. Preferably, the resonator element is curved or arcuately shaped, however, other configurations are possible and clearly within the purview of those skilled in the art to which the present invention is directed.
The resonator element also includes a conductive portion which may take several forms in different embodiments of the present invention. In one preferred embodiment, the conductive portion is a wire member which is coiled about the flexible resonator support substrate. In another embodiment, the conductive portion includes at least one trace of electrically conducting material spanning the resonator element and contacting a conductive layer. In another preferred embodiment, the conductive portion includes an array of deposited conductive material in contact with a continuous conductive layer. All of the preferred resonator embodiments of the present invention include a discrete electrical connection location which is operatively coupled to separate signal and ground lines. The position of the discrete electrical connection location may be varied depending upon the frequency ranges and performance requirements for a given application or a particular configuration or style of WCD.
The resonator element is preferably provided with a generally planar bridge, or support, element which mechanically supports and electrically couples the resonator element to the ground plane of reduced electrical potential preferably disposed on or in a printed wiring board of a WCD. The bridge or support element is formed of dielectric material and includes a first edge portion which helps support and maintain the resonator element in a desired, preferably arcuate, configuration. In one embodiment, the support element also has an edge portion with a conductive strip portion which is used to operatively connect the support element to a ground plane.
The antenna assembly comprises a dielectric resonator support element and an electrically conducting resonator element and an electrical connector element electrically coupling the resonator element to the ground plane of the WCD. The resonator support element may itself support the resonator element or may include another a preformed resonator support substrate which in combination with a dielectric bridge member supports the resonator element, respectively, or supported directly by a substrate having discrete electrical components coupled thereto (i.e., the printed wiring board, or “PWB”) providing fu

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