Abstract: A distributed multiband antenna intended for radio devices, and methods for designing manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) configured to operate in a high-frequency band, and a matched monopole configured to operate in a low-frequency band, are used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone). The two antennas are placed on substantially opposing regions of the portable device. The use of a separate low-frequency antenna element facilitates frequency-specific antenna matching, and therefore improves the overall performance of the multiband antenna. The use of high-band PIFA reduces antenna volume, and enables a smaller device housing structure while also reducing signal losses in the high frequency band. These attributes also advantageously facilitate compliance with specific absorption rate (SAR) tests; e.g., in the immediate proximity of hand and head “phantoms” as mandated under CTIA regulations.

Abstract: Switchable multi-radiator high band antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus is configured to operate in lower and upper frequency bands, for use within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone or smartphone). In one variant, the antenna apparatus includes a metal cup, two feeding elements, and a ground element. One feeding element is used to tune the antenna in both the lower and the upper bands. The other feed element is used to tune the antenna in the upper band. A switching element is configured to change the signal routing for the feed elements. During device operation, a user's body (e.g., hand) may cover or obstruct one of the antenna elements. Responsive to a determination of reduced performance associated with covered/obstructed antenna element, the signal route may be automatically switched to the other element, thereby improving robustness of mobile device communications.

Abstract: A space efficient multi-feed antenna apparatus, and methods for use in a radio frequency communications device. In one embodiment, the antenna assembly comprises three (3) separate radiator structures disposed on a common antenna carrier. Each of the three antenna radiators is connected to separate feed ports of a radio frequency front end. In one variant, the first and the third radiators comprise quarter-wavelength planar inverted-L antennas (PILA), while the second radiator comprises a half-wavelength grounded loop-type antenna disposed in between the first and the third radiators. The PILA radiators are characterized by radiation patterns having maximum radiation axes that are substantially perpendicular to the antenna plane. The loop radiator is characterized by radiation pattern having axis of maximum radiation that is parallel to the antenna plane.

Abstract: Switchable multi-radiator high band antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus is configured to operate in lower and upper frequency bands, for use within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone or smartphone). In one variant, the antenna apparatus includes a metal cup, two feeding elements, and a ground element. One feeding element is used to tune the antenna in both the lower and the upper bands. The other feed element is used to tune the antenna in the upper band. A switching element is configured to change the signal routing for the feed elements. During device operation, a user's body (e.g., hand) may cover or obstruct one of the antenna elements. Responsive to a determination of reduced performance associated with covered/obstructed antenna element, the signal route may be automatically switched to the other element, thereby improving robustness of mobile device communications.

Abstract: Grounding apparatus for mobile devices and methods of utilizing and manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, an outer metallized surface of a mobile device is configured to capacitively couple a metal back cover to the device ground. Specifically, in one implementation, an exterior surface of the mobile device is metalized and coupled to the device ground via galvanic contacts. The exterior metalized surface is configured to be capacitively coupled a metal back cover of a mobile device to the device ground when the back cover is installed on the mobile device. By capacitively coupling the back cover to the device ground via the exterior metalized surface, the need to otherwise ground the back cover through the use of galvanic contacts is obviated, thereby reducing the number of components needed.

Abstract: A “thin” and cost-effective three-dimensional antenna assembly and methods of use and manufacturing thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the solution of the present disclosure is particularly adapted for small form-factor portable radio devices, and comprises an antenna (or array of antennas) deposited on a thin preformed flexible or deformable structure using a conductive fluid. The antenna (array) includes one or more antennas each having a radiator and a plurality of contacts. Use of the thin preformed structure allows, among other things, thinner form factors for the host wireless device, and obviates use of a separate molded carrier or other more costly or involved processes (such as laser direct structuring).

Abstract: An antenna apparatus with isolated non-interactive sectors and methods operating and forming the same. In one embodiment, an antenna with a radiative element comprising a planar layer with multiple sectors is disclosed. The sectors are configured to be interactive or non-interactive. The interactive sectors contribute to the radiative profile of the antenna. The non-interactive sectors are galvanically isolated from the interactive sectors and do not substantially affect the radiative profile of the antenna. Region borders are present between various ones of the interacting and non-interacting sectors. These region borders provide the galvanic isolation between the interacting and non-interacting sectors. The antenna further includes feed portions coupled to the interactive sectors, thereby defining the antenna pattern. The non-interactive sectors are largely transparent to the radiative mode and thus do not substantially affect the antenna pattern.

Abstract: A chassis-excited antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, a distributed loop antenna configuration is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone). The antenna comprises two radiating elements: one configured to operate in a high-frequency band, and the other in a low-frequency band. The two antenna elements are disposed on different side surfaces of the metal chassis of the portable device; e.g., on the opposing sides of the device enclosure. Each antenna component comprises a radiator and an insulating cover. The radiator is coupled to a device feed via a feed conductor and a ground point. A portion of the feed conductor is disposed with the radiator to facilitate forming of the coupled loop resonator structure.

Abstract: A radiating antenna element intended for portable radio devices and methods for designing manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, a loop resonator structure for enhanced field (e.g., electric field) is provided, the resonator having an inductive and a capacitive element forming a resonance in a first frequency band. The loop resonator structure is disposed substantially on the ground plane, thereby altering electrical energy distribution. The location of the resonant element is selected to reduce electric field strength proximate to one or more sensitive components, such as a mobile device earpiece, thereby improve hearing aid compliance. Capacitive tuning of the resonator, and the use of multiple resonator structures on the same device, are further described.

Abstract: A chassis-excited antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, a distributed loop antenna configuration is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone). The antenna comprises two radiating elements: one configured to operate in a high-frequency band, and the other in a low-frequency band. The two antenna elements are disposed on different side surfaces of the metal chassis of the portable device; e.g., on the opposing sides of the device enclosure. Each antenna component comprises a radiator and an insulating cover. The radiator is coupled to a device feed via a feed conductor and a ground point. A portion of the feed conductor is disposed with the radiator to facilitate forming of the coupled loop resonator structure.

Abstract: An antenna system internal to the device especially intended for small-sized mobile stations, the system having separate operating bands. The system is implemented as decentralized in a way that the device (300) has a plurality of separate antennas (310-360). Each antenna is based on (a) radiating element(s) on the surface of a dielectric substrate. The substrate can be, for example, a piece of ceramics or a part of the outer casing of the device. The antennas are located at suitable places in the device. The operating band of an individual antenna covers the frequency range used by one radio system, the frequency ranges close to each other and is used by two different radio systems or only the transmitting or receiving band of the frequency range used by a radio system. If the device has a shared transmitter and a shared receiver for the radio systems using frequency ranges close to each other, there can anyway be a separate antenna for each system or the antenna can also be shared.

Abstract: Capacitively coupled antenna apparatus and methods of operating and adaptively tuning the same. In one embodiment, the insertion loss component in “beside the hand/head” use scenarios is significantly reduced or eliminated such that the antenna experiences only absorptive losses (which generally cannot be avoided), and a very small insertion loss by the host device radio frequency tuner. The exemplary antenna apparatus may be configured for multi-band operation, and also has a very small form factor (e.g., 3 mm ground clearance only at the bottom of the PCB, 4 mm height in one implementation), thereby allowing for use in spatially compact host devices such as slim-line smartphones, tablets, and the like. The adaptive antenna arrangement (using capacitive feed) can be tuned such that the tuner is used in free space, and the user's hand/head tunes the antenna to the band of interest while in use.

Abstract: A chassis-excited antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, a distributed loop antenna configuration is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone). The antenna comprises two radiating elements: one configured to operate in a high-frequency band, and the other in a low-frequency band. The two antenna elements are disposed on different side surfaces of the metal chassis of the portable device; e.g., on the opposing sides of the device enclosure. Each antenna component comprises a radiator and an insulating cover. The radiator is coupled to a device feed via a feed conductor and a ground point. A portion of the feed conductor is disposed with the radiator to facilitate forming of the coupled loop resonator structure.

Abstract: Space- and cost-efficient antenna apparatus and methods of making and using the same. In one embodiment, the antenna is formed using a deposition process, whereby a conductive fluid or other material is deposited directly on one or more interior components of a host device (e.g., cellular phone or tablet computer). The antenna can be formed in a substantially three-dimensional “loop” shape, and obviates several costly and environmentally unfriendly processing steps and materials associated with prior art antenna manufacturing approaches.

Abstract: An active diversity antenna apparatus and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, the active diversity antenna is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone or smartphone), and enables device operation in several low frequency bands (LBs). The exemplary implementation of the active LB diversity antenna comprises a directly fed radiator portion and a grounded (coupled fed) radiator portion. The directly fed portion is fed via a feed element connected to an antenna feed. The coupled fed portion of the LB antenna is grounded, forming a resonating part of the low frequency band. A gap between the two antenna portions is used to adjust antenna Q-value. Resonant frequency tuning is achieved by changing the length of the grounded element. The LB feed element is disposed proximate the feed element of a high band diversity antenna, thus reducing transmission losses and improving diplexer operation.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement for matching the antenna of a radio device in transmitting condition. The antenna impedance in the output of the power amplifier of a transmitter is adjusted by means of a ?-shaped reactive matching circuit, the component values of which can be selected from a relatively wide array of the alternatives. The component values are selected using multiple-way switches, which only are located in the transverse branches of the matching circuit. The switches are set by the control unit, input variables of which being the SWR value provided by the directional coupler, the operating band used each time and a value of the transmitting power. The matching is based on an adjusting process to be executed at regular intervals, in which process the control unit tries different combinations of the switch states and finally selects the combination, which brings the lowest SWR value.

Abstract: A space efficient multi-feed antenna apparatus, and methods for use in a radio frequency communications device. In one embodiment, the antenna assembly comprises three (3) separate radiator structures disposed on a common antenna carrier. Each of the three antenna radiators is connected to separate feed ports of a radio frequency front end. In one variant, the first and the third radiators comprise quarter-wavelength planar inverted-L antennas (PILA), while the second radiator comprises a half-wavelength grounded loop-type antenna disposed in between the first and the third radiators. The PILA radiators are characterized by radiation patterns having maximum radiation axes that are substantially perpendicular to the antenna plane. The loop radiator is characterized by radiation pattern having axis of maximum radiation that is parallel to the antenna plane.

Abstract: An antenna component (and antenna) with a dielectric substrate and a plurality of radiating antenna elements on the surface of the substrate. In one embodiment, the plurality comprises two (2) elements, each of them covering one of the opposite heads and part of the upper surface of the device. The upper surface between the elements comprises a slot. The lower edge of one of the antenna elements is galvanically coupled to the antenna feed conductor on a circuit board, and at another point to the ground plane, while the lower edge of the opposite antenna element, or the parasitic element, is galvanically coupled only to the ground plane. The parasitic element obtains its feed through the electromagnetic coupling over the slot, and both elements resonate at the operating frequency. Omni-directionality is also achieved. Losses associated with the substrate are low due to the simple field image in the substrate.

Abstract: An antenna component (200) with a dielectric substrate and two radiating antenna elements. The elements are located on the upper surface of the substrate and there is a narrow slot (260) between them. The antenna feed conductor (241) is connected to the first antenna element (220), which is connected also to the ground by a short-circuit conductor (261). The second antenna element (230) is parasitic; it is galvanically connected only to the ground. The component is preferably manufactured by a semiconductor technique by growing a metal layer e.g. on a quartz substrate and removing a part of it so that the antenna elements remain. In this case the component further comprises supporting material (212) of the substrate chip. The antenna component is very small-sized because of the high dielectricity of the substrate to be used and mostly because the slot between the antenna elements is narrow. The efficiency of an antenna made by the component is high.

Abstract: A multiband slot loop antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, the antenna configuration is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone or smartphone). The antenna comprises two radiating structures: a ring or loop structure substantially enveloping an outside perimeter of the device enclosure, and a tuning structure disposed inside the enclosure. The ring structure is grounded to the ground plane of the device so as to create a virtual portion and an operating portion. The tuning structure is spaced from the ground plane, and includes a plurality of radiator branches effecting antenna operation in various frequency bands; e.g., at least one lower frequency band and three upper frequency bands. On one implementation, a second lower frequency band radiator is effected using a reactive matched circuit coupled between a device feed and a radiator branch.