KR100793646B1 - Handset quadrifilar helical antenna mechanical structures - Google Patents

Abstract

A quadrifilar helical antenna includes two pairs of filers that are not equal in length and to which quadrature phase signals propagate. The disc-shaped impedance matching element disposed at the bottom of the antenna matches the source impedance to the antenna impedance. In certain embodiments, a first crossbar connector on a substrate disposed on top of the antenna electrically connects two helical pilers to form a first piler pair, and a second crossbar connector disposed on the substrate connects two pilers. To form a second pile pair.

Circularly Polarized, Satellite DMB, Filer, Impedance Matching Device, Crossbar Connector, Radome, Solder Fillet

Description

Handset quadrifilar helical antenna mechanical structures

1 and 2 are various views of the QHA according to the spirit of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows an impedance matching element in accordance with the teachings of the present invention for use in the QHA of Figures 1 and 2;

4 illustrates another embodiment of an impedance matching element in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

5 shows a QHA in accordance with the present invention comprising a radome.

6-8 illustrate other embodiments of QHA in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 9 shows solder filets connecting the impedance matching element and QHA.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of implementing a filar portion of a QHA according to the present invention on a flexible material; FIG.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the QHA of the present invention including a mandrel. FIG.

12-14 illustrate embodiments of impedance matching elements for use in QHA.

15-17 illustrate various embodiments of conductive bridges for use in the QHA of the present invention.

18 and 19 illustrate another embodiment of the QHA of the present invention having a pivot or hinge member.

20 illustrates a QHA of the present invention for use in a handset communication device further including a display.

21 and 22 illustrate embodiments of a mandrel for use in the QHA of the present invention.

23-25 illustrate structures associated with the alignment of the mandrel and substrate of the QHA of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10: QHA

12, 14, 16, 18: filer

20: lower region

22: upper region

23: conductive bridge

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application is filed on July 28, 2004 and is filed on November 26, 2004, which claims priority to Patent Application No. 60 / 592,011, entitled Patent Application No. 10 entitled " Quadrifilar Helical Antenna. &Quot; / 998,301 is a partial continuing claim.

Technical field

The present invention relates to an antenna for use in a satellite communication link, and more particularly to a quadrifilar spiral antenna (QHA) for use in a satellite communication link.

Background technology

The spiral antenna includes one or more elongated conductive elements wound in the form of a screw thread to form a helix. The geometric helical shape comprises conductive elements of length L arranged at a pitch angle P around a cylinder of diameter D. Pitch angle is defined as the angle formed by a line perpendicular to the spiral conductor and a plane perpendicular to the spiral axis. Antenna operating characteristics are determined by the helix geometric properties, the number of conductive elements and their interconnections, and the feed arrangement. When operating in end fire or forward radiating axial mode, the radiation pattern includes a single main pattern lobe. The pitch angle determines the maximum intensity position in this lobe. Low pitch angle helical antennas tend to have a maximum intensity region along the axis, and in the case of higher pitch angles, the maximum intensity region is off axis.

Quadreplier spiral antennas (QHA) are used in communication and navigation receivers operating in UHF, L and S frequency bands. Resonant QHA with limited bandwidth is also used to receive GPS signals. QHA has a relatively small size, good circular polarization coverage and low axial ratio over most of the upper hemisphere field of view. Since QHA is a resonant antenna, its magnitudes are typically chosen to provide optimal performance for narrowband frequencies. C.C. Kilgus, IEEE Transactions on Antenna and Propagation, Vol. AP-17, May 1969, pp. QHA was first described in "Resonant Qudarifilar Helix," published in 349-351.

Prior art quadreplier spiral antennas include four equal length pilers mounted on a helix having a diameter of about 30 mm to operate at about 1575 MHz. Given these geometric features, the antenna provides a drive point impedance of about 50 ohms, which is suitable for matching conventional 50 ohm characteristic impedance coaxial cables. The four pilers of QHA are fed in a phase orthogonal, ie 90 ° phase relationship between adjacent pilers. There are at least two known prior art techniques for orthogonally feeding four equal length QHA pilers. One such orthogonal matched structure uses a concentrated or distributed Branch Line Hybrid Coupler (BLHC) and a terminating load, with two concentrated or distributed baluns. Another technique that provides a rather wide bandwidth uses three branch line hybrid couplers, each operating with a termination load, where the first input BLHC receives the input signal and provides the output signal to two parallel BLHCs. The quarter wave phase shifter provides a 90 ° phase shift between one of the parallel-connected BLHCs and the first BLHC.

It is known that orthogonal matching techniques such as hybrid couplers and baluns have the disadvantage of increasing the size of the printed circuit board on which the antenna is installed. Couplers and baluns also increase antenna cost, and each additional component operating with the antenna imposes loss and bandwidth limitations.

Typically, QHA is a self-sufficient radiating structure that operates without a ground plane or counterpoise. However, when the QHA is installed very close to the radio transceiver handset, the handset structure can cause electromagnetic reflections that affect the radiation pattern and impedance of the QHA, much like the ground plane. For example, if QHA emits a right circularly polarized signal, upon reflection from the conductive surface, the signal is converted to a left circularly polarized signal. It is clear that such effects negatively affect the performance of the antenna and can be particularly problematic when the communication system uses dual signal polarizations.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a quadrature spiral antenna includes: a substantially cylindrical substrate; A first pair of serially connected helical pilers having a first length and disposed on the substrate, the first pair having series and first ends; A second pair of series connected helical pilers having a second length different from said first length, said second pair of series connected spiral pilers having third and fourth ends; And an impedance matching element conductively connected to the first, second, third and fourth ends to match the antenna impedance to the source impedance.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a handset communication device comprises: a base; A cover movably engaged with the base to adjust in various orientations with respect to the base; A quadriple helical antenna disposed within the base, the antenna comprising: a substantially cylindrical substrate; First, second, third and fourth spiral pilers disposed on the substrate, wherein at least two of the first, second, third and fourth pilers have different lengths; ; An impedance matching element conductively connected to the first, second, third, and fourth pilers to match antenna impedance to source impedance; And a connector disposed between the impedance matching element and the base.

The above and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the figures. The entire drawings need not be drawn in their original size, but instead are highlighted in describing the principles of the invention.

Before describing in detail the specific antenna device and method of manufacturing the antenna in accordance with the present invention, it should be noted that the present invention is based on a novel and non-obvious combination of hardware elements and process steps. Accordingly, these elements are represented by conventional elements in the entire drawing and in the specification, which have been described in less detail with respect to the elements and method steps already known in the prior art, and with respect to the elements and steps related to the understanding of the present invention. It was explained in more detail.

The present invention relates to an antenna responsive to a signal source for supplying orthogonal currents to each of four pilers including a pair of short pilers and a pair of long pilers. The antenna uses a simple, low cost, low loss matching element that utilizes the circularly polarized gain provided by the antenna pilers. In one embodiment, the antenna provides a useful gain in a relatively small physical package, which package is nearly optimal in terms of gain and size compared to other known antennas. In one application, the antenna provides the desired performance features for a ground-based communication handset for communicating with a satellite.

In one embodiment, the QHA of the present invention operates on a frequency band of 2630 to 2655 MHz (ie, approximately 1% bandwidth). The radiation pattern prefers right circular polarization (RHCP). Within a solid angle of about 45 ° from the zenith, the gain is about 2.5 dBic, ie greater than 2.5 dBic for a right circularly polarized isotropic antenna. At the peak, the gain is close to 4.0 dBic. The standing wave ratio (SWR) is about 1.5: 1 over the frequency range of 2630 to 2655 MHz. Demand for use in satellite commercial wireless systems operated by QHA XM Radio and Sirius or ground-based communication devices transmitting and / or receiving signals from satellites such as GPS satellites of the present invention or derivative embodiments thereof. Conditions can be met.

1 and 2 illustrate a QHA 10 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, wherein the QHA extends from the lower region 20 to the upper region 22 of the QHA 10, which is generally cylindrical in shape. (12, 14, 16 and 18). 1 shows a QHA in which opposingly arranged pilers 12 and 16 are conductively connected by a conductive bridge 23 and pilers 14 and 18 are conductively connected by a conductive bridge 24. The signals propagating on the pilers 12/16 are phase orthogonal to the signals propagating on the pilers 14/18 to generate the desired circular signal polarization. In a preferred embodiment, each of the pilers 12, 14, 16, and 18 comprises a conductive element, such as a wire or conductive line or trace, of circular or rectangular cross section on the dielectric substrate.

As is known in the art, conductive bridges are used for QHAs having a piler length equal to an even number of quarter wavelengths at an operating frequency, but are not typically used when the piler lengths include odd numbers of quarter wavelengths. . In one embodiment, each of the conductive bridges 23 and 24 (also referred to as a crossbar) comprises a strip of conductive tape.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the four piler conductors 12, 14, 16 and 18 extend in a substantially uniform spiral pattern from the lower region 20 to the upper region 22 of the processing cylinder. In another embodiment, although not shown, one or more pilers are disposed around the cylinder in a zigzag or serpentine pattern from the lower region 20 to the upper region 22.

In embodiments for implementing the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2 and for use in the band 2630-2655 MHz, the cylinder diameter range is from about 8 mm to about 10 mm. Antennas constructed in accordance with the present invention provide peak gains in excess of about 3.5 dBic. The maximum gain at the vertex is generated at a piler pitch angle of about 45 °. The gain increased within a 45 ° stereoscopic angle from the vertex can be achieved by using a pitch angle of about 60 °. In another embodiment, the pitch angle is about 75 °, but it has been observed that 60 ° pitch angle provides adequate gain within 45 ° stereoscopic angle for the intended application. In general, lowering the pitch angle increases the gain at the vertex. Antennas configured with a 60 ° pitch angle exhibit shorter axial heights than antennas with a pitch angle of 75 °, which may also be useful for certain applications. Higher pitch angles maintain beam peaks for all azimuth angles, but tend to generate beam peaks at lower elevation angles. In addition, the use of high pitch angles tends to increase bandwidth and lower SWR. An antenna with a pitch angle of about 45 ° has a narrower bandwidth and higher SWR than a QHA with a 60 ° pitch angle. Equilibrium and necessary resonance conditions to achieve satisfactory circular polarization generally suggest narrowband antennas.

The nominal length of each piler 12, 14, 16 and 18 is about 25 mm for an approximately quarter-wave antenna structure operating at about 2642.5 MHz. The nominal piler length is about 46 mm for half wavelength QHA. Based on these piler lengths and a pitch angle of about 60 °, the antenna axis height is about 18 mm for quarter wavelength QHA and about 39 mm for half wavelength QHA. In one embodiment of the quarter wavelength QHA, the antenna comprises a diameter of about 16 mm. In one embodiment of the half wavelength, the piler structure diameter is about 8.5 mm. When fully assembled with a radio frequency connector, a radome housing, and a short cable disposed between the antenna and the connector, the overall dimensions are 68 mm high and 12 mm diameter.

The half wavelength QHA radiation pattern exhibits better forward gain and smaller back lobe in terms of radiation pattern than quarter wavelength QHA. In other embodiments, wavelength QHAs such as 3/4, 5/4, etc. may be used in accordance with the spirit of the present invention. Embodiments with a high quarter-wave ratio provide higher gain at the peak of the beam, i.e. narrower radiation pattern, extended bandwidth and higher front hemisphere-to-back hemisphere. It is known to provide ratio.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lengths of the QHA pilers are modified from the nominal length. That is, the pilers 12, 14, 16, and 18 may comprise a first pair or loop of long pilers (eg, pilers 12 and 16), and short pilers (eg, 14 and 18). And a second pair of loops, wherein the long and short of the segment of the feed structure that matches the length of the conductive bridge 23/24 and the antenna impedance to the feed structure impedance described below so that the entire length surrounds the conductive loop. It is determined for a nominal length of about 25 mm for a quarter wave antenna that includes a length and operates at about 2642.5 MHz. The difference in length between the two piler pairs maintains an orthogonal phase relationship for the signals propagating on the four pilers.

In a half wavelength embodiment, each of the long piles is about 46 mm long and each of the short piles is about 44.5 mm, the two lengths being the length of the conductive bridge of each pile pair so that the entire length surrounds the conductive loop. And the length of the conductive segment of the feed structure described below (matching the antenna impedance to the feed structure impedance).

As shown in Fig. 1, each of the conductive bridges 23 and 24 connects the opposingly arranged parsers, and there is a gap 28 between these pilers due to the difference in the length of the pilers. Thus, in one embodiment this void distance adjusts the piler length difference. In another embodiment, the length difference is generated by forming pilers of unequal lengths using different pitch angles, eg, for two piler pairs. Other embodiments are described below, including the use of other conductive structures for connecting piler pairs.

In a quarter wavelength embodiment of the present invention operating at about 2642.5 MHz, the long and short filer lengths are about 23.325 mm and about 21.075 mm, respectively.

Considering consumer market research on new applications for these types of antennas (eg, consumer electronic devices such as handsets described below), antenna developers should develop antennas as small as possible. Certain sizes of the QHA embodiments of the present invention are in accordance with consumer requirements. These sizes are proposed to be very close to the minimum size that can provide the desired radiation pattern and bandwidth performance. At smaller sizes, it has been observed that antenna elements tend to self-absorb radiation.

One application for the QHA 10 is a communication handset. 1 and 2, the radio frequency connector 32 is electrically connected to the receiving and / or transmitting elements of the handset. In the transmission mode, the radio frequency signal is supplied to the QHA 10 through the connector 32 from the transmission elements in the handset. In the receive mode, the radio frequency signal received by the QHA 10 is supplied to the handset receiving elements via the connector 32. As further described and shown below, the QHA 10 further includes a radome having a radome base 33 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The antenna of the present invention may be configured with an antenna signal feed (eg, a signal feed described below) disposed in the upper region 22 or the lower region 20. The QHA 10 exhibits different operating characteristics (including radiation pattern) depending on whether the antenna is top fed or bottom fed. In either case, however, most of the energy is radiated in the direction of the vertex.

When the antenna signal feed is placed in the lower region 20, the QHA operates in forward fire axial mode with the signal feed directly connected to a signal conductor such as a 50 ohm coaxial cable.

If the antenna signal feed is placed in proximity to the upper region 22, the QHA operates in the backward fire axis mode. In one embodiment of the backward fire axis mode QHA, the transmission line is connected to the signal feed structure in the upper region 22 and extends into the lower region 20 (and extends below the lower region 20 in one embodiment). This transmission line is connected to a 50 ohm coaxial cable. The transmission line operates as a quarter wave transmission line converter to match the antenna impedance (also referred to as drive point impedance) present in the signal feed to the 50 ohm characteristic impedance of the coaxial cable. In certain applications, the lower feed structure is desirable because it eliminates the need for a transmission line (or transmission line converter) that extends between the upper region 22 and the lower region 20.

The QHA of the present invention, similar to all antennas, provides a drive point impedance (at its signal feed terminal) to the transmission line feeding the antenna. For optimal power transfer, it is desirable to match the antenna drive point impedance to the characteristic impedance of the transmission line, referred to as the source or load impedance. Impedance matching occurs when the resistive or real components of the antenna and source impedance are the same, and the reactive or imaginary components are the same magnitude and opposite signs. Since a commonly used transmission line has an impedance of 50 ohms, the QHA of the present invention is preferably configured to have an impedance of 50 ohms or an impedance that can be easily converted to 50 ohms in order to connect to a 50 ohm transmission line.

As mentioned above, using QHA for a particular application determines the operation and physical characteristics of the antenna. To achieve these characteristics, the QHA provides a relatively narrow diameter cylinder, and the relatively narrow diameter cylinder includes an inductive component to generate a drive point impedance of less than 50 ohms. In the case of certain embodiments, this impedance range has been found to be about 3 to 15 ohms. Similar inductance values are provided for all quarter wavelength multiples, for example 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 5/4, 7/4, and the like. Achieving 50 ohm antenna drive point impedance requires a larger cylinder diameter than is generally considered acceptable for use in communication handsets.

Impedance matching element 48 (see FIG. 3) matches antenna drive point impedance to source impedance in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Matching element 48 includes " H-shaped " conductive element 50 disposed on dielectric substrate 52, for example, conductive element 50 and dielectric substrate 52 are formed with a conductive pattern. A printed circuit board. The impedance matching element 48 further includes a signal feed terminal 54 (the terminal 54 is disposed close to the center of the substrate 52 and the various elements of the QHA are symmetrically oriented with respect to the center of the substrate). being). The center-feed impedance matching element 48 overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art baluns and provides a matching structure that can be physically integrated with the antenna radiating elements, thereby integrating into a communication device such as a handset. To provide an integrated radiation and impedance matching structure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the QHA 10 is fed from a coaxial cable 55 comprising a shield 58 and a center conductor 56 connected to the terminal 57A of the capacitor 57. The inductor 59 is connected between the center conductor 56 and the shield 58. In a preferred embodiment, the capacitor has a value of about 1.8 pF and the inductor 59 has a value of about 2.2 nH. The capacitor and inductor values are chosen to provide the desired impedance match when operating in conjunction with the structural features of the feed and antenna elements that also affect the impedance match. The capacitors 57 and inductors 59 arranged as shown form a two-element impedance match between the source impedance of the coaxial cable 55 and the QHA 10. Thus, the intrinsic drive point impedance of the antenna is converted to approximately 50 ohms by capacitors and inductors.

The length of the center conductor 56 should be kept short as is known to those skilled in the art. It is also known in the art that the balun can be connected in close proximity to the signal feed terminal 54 to prevent stray radio frequency fields from generating current in the shield 58.

The terminal 57B of the capacitor 57 is connected to the conductive element 60 of the impedance matching element 48 via the conductor 70. The conductive element 60 is conductively connected to the conductive pads 61 and 62. Shield 58 of coaxial cable 55 is connected to conductive pads 72 and 74 via conductive element 78. In one embodiment, a solder filet conductively connects shield 58 to conductive element 78. The pilers 12 (long), 14 (short), 16 (long), and 18 (short) are respectively disposed in the openings 72A, 74A, 60A, and 62A defined in their respective conductive pads and have impedance It extends perpendicularly from the plane of the matching element 48. Solder fillets (see Fig. 11) that bridge the conductive pads and their pilers form conductive connections therebetween.

To form the impedance matching element 48, in one embodiment, the conductive layer is disposed on the dielectric substrate 52 and the conductive pads 61, 62, 72 and 74 and the conductive element 78 form a conductive layer. It is formed by selectively subtractive etching.

Note that the pilers 12 and 16 (both long) are disposed on the helix with respect to the center of the substrate 52. Similarly, the pilers 14 and 18 (both short) are disposed opposite the substrate center. Accordingly, the conductive element 60 of the impedance matching structure 48 connects the long piler 18 and the short piler 16. Similarly, conductive element 78 connects long pile 12 and short pile 14. Conductive bridges 23 and 24 connect the pilers on their top as described above.

Impedance matching element 48 may be disposed at the proximal or distal end of QHA 10 as described. The physical characteristics of the matching element 48 (including the values of capacitors and inductors) may vary from those described above when placed in the far end.

Exemplary current flow in impedance matching element 48 is indicated by arrow 100 from shield 58 to conductive pad 72 through conductive element 78. Current flow continues to the conductive pads 61 through the long piler 12, the conductive bridge 23 and the long piler 16 (see FIG. 1). Arrow 102 represents the flow of current from conductive pad 61 through center 60 and through conductive element 60 and capacitor 57.

Similarly, current flow is indicated by arrow 104 from shield 58 to conductive pad 74 through conductive element 78. Current flow continues to the conductive pad 62 through the short piler 14, the conductive bridge 24, and the short piler 18 (see FIG. 1). Arrow 106 represents the current flow from conductive pad 62 through conductive element 60 and capacitor 57 to central conductor 56.

It is known to those skilled in the art that various radio frequency connectors may be used in place of the coaxial cable 55 of FIG. For example, as shown in the embodiments of Figures 1, 2 and 5, the connector 32 is connected to the antenna feed terminal. The terminals of the connector 32 are mated with a signal cable not shown in Fig. 3, which includes a signal conductor and a ground conductor. The signal conductor operates by replacing the center conductor 56 of the coaxial cable 55, and the ground conductor replaces the shield 58. The signal conductor and the ground conductor are connected to the impedance matching element 48 in a manner similar to that of the coaxial cable 55 as described above.

For an exemplary QHA structure with a diameter of about 8.5 mm and a pitch angle of about 60 °, the net reactance is about 1.6 nH (j26) at 2642.5 MHz; The resistance is about 12 ohms for an impedance of about 12 + j26 ohms (Zdp). Note that the reactive component is about twice the series equivalent resistance. Although the actual drive point impedance depends on the antenna diameter and the piler pitch angle, this tendency to make the inductive impedance about twice the value of the resistive component provides an acceptable solution to the orthogonal relationship between the pilers so that the circularly polarized signal is emitted Proper antenna gain and SWR can be provided.

It was also found that the peak QHA gain tends to occur at frequencies slightly below the frequency at which the lowest SWR is observed. Thus, according to one embodiment, QHA achieves satisfactory SWR while sacrificing some gains. However, computer-based design iterations can be performed to obtain piler sizes such as piler length (both short and long pilers, or both), piler cross section, cylinder radius, piler pitch angle and match component values ( That is, by adjusting the capacitor 57 and the inductor 59, higher peak gain with higher SWR can be achieved. Once these piler sizes and matching component values are determined, an antenna constructed based on this provides the proper process tolerance to achieve the desired performance.

The design of the QHA according to the present invention takes into account the relationship between various antenna physical parameters and desirable operating characteristics. According to one embodiment as described above, the antenna physical parameters are optimized to provide antenna drive point impedance (ie, series equivalent impedance) with less than 50 ohms real and positive reactive parts. In various embodiments of the present invention, the remaining reactive component due to the inductance of the conductive structures in the impedance matching element 48 is proportional to the length of these structures. Generally, the reactive component is about twice the resistive component or in the 20-40 ohms reactive range. According to the investigations conducted by the inventors, the QHA represents parameters such as desired gain, bandwidth, etc. when the relationship is provided between the real impedance component and the reactive impedance component.

According to one application, it is desirable for the QHA to have a relatively small cylindrical diameter for use in a handset communication device. Antenna characteristic impedance is directly related to antenna diameter, that is, the smaller the diameter, the lower the characteristic impedance. Reducing the diameter also lowers the resonant frequency and reduces the bandwidth. Small diameter QHAs with first and second piler pairs of equal length tend to provide somewhat wider bandwidth and somewhat higher peak gain compared to embodiments of non-equal length piler pairs. However, sophisticated orthogonal feed networks, such as the branch line hybrid couple described above in the background, are required to drive QHAs with filers of the same length. In contrast, according to the present invention, suitable bandwidths and gains are orthogonal feeds for impedance matching, such as impedance matching elements 48 (described above with respect to FIG. 3) and 110 (described below with respect to FIG. 4). This can be accomplished by using different length filer pairs operating in a network.

The capacitor 57 and inductor 59 of the impedance matching structure 48 of FIG. 3 match the impedance matching between the drive point impedance of the QHA and the 50 ohm characteristic impedance of the coaxial cable 55 connected to the antenna signal feed terminal 54. Is selected to provide. As is known in the art, in another embodiment, a lumped inductor and capacitor may be replaced with distributed components to perform an impedance matching function. The distributed components are a capacitor formed of interdigital conductive traces on the substrate 52 and an inductor formed of conductive traces in the form of one or more conductive loops or linear conductive segments. In an additional embodiment, the source characteristic impedance is not 50 ohms, so the capacitor and inductor are selected to match this impedance.

According to another embodiment, a balanced transmission line selected from one of a variety of types known in the art is used in place of the coaxial cable 55. Each conductor of the balanced transmission line is attached to a conductive pad, which is disposed on opposing surfaces of a printed circuit board, such as the substrate 52 of FIG. Each pad is also connected to the signal feed terminal 54 of FIG. 3 using conventional connection techniques.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, different sizes for the components of the QHA 10 (eg, different diameters, different piler lengths or different piler pitch angles) may be used in another embodiment. These parameters change the length difference and / or antenna load impedance of the first and second piler pairs, which change the value of the inductor and / or capacitor to match the antenna impedance to the source impedance. In one embodiment, impedance matching may only require one component (either an inductor or a capacitor). However, as described above, in order to optimize antenna operating characteristics, it may be desirable for the drive point impedance to include a reactive component.

In order to achieve optimal bandwidth, gain, and orthogonal signal distribution (which is required for circularly polarized signals), long pairs of filers and short pairs of filers may have nearly equivalent diameters (or piles containing conductive traces on a dielectric substrate). It is desirable to have an equivalent cross section for pilers having a quadrilateral cross section (i.e., length and width). However, it can accommodate somewhat divergent diameters without significantly affecting antenna performance. Using conductors of the same diameter also simplifies the physical piler structure and maintains antenna symmetry.

In one embodiment, the QHA diameter is about 8.5 mm, so the antenna perimeter is about 25 mm. It is desirable to use as wide a conductor as practical to lower the conductor resistance (ie, to reduce resistive losses), where the lowering of the resistance tends to broaden (with respect to the point) the antenna bandwidth. It is known that the pilers should be separated by sufficient distance to reduce the piler-to-piler coupling and dielectric loading. In one embodiment, the piler diameter is determined by dividing the circumference of the antenna by eight and rounding to an appropriate integer value. Thus, a 25mm circumference yields a piler diameter of about 3mm. A half dielectric relationship is used to set the conductor width according to an embodiment where the piler comprises flat, half conductors. It is known that several embodiments of the antenna according to the invention prefer the conductor-to-insulator ratio, while other embodiments may prefer other ratios. As is known to those skilled in the art, when performing such analyzes of QHAs, the flat conductor may be represented by a rounded conductor, where the diameter of the rounded conductor is half of the flat conductor width.

In one embodiment provided above, the drive point impedance of 15 + 30j is converted to 50 ohms by impedance matching element 48 (especially capacitor 57 and inductor 59) to match the characteristic impedance of coaxial cable 55. . According to another embodiment, such as the quarter wave version of QHA described below in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the capacitor and / or inductor converts a drive point impedance of 3 + 6j to about 12.5 ohms and 1 / The four-wavelength converter converts the 12.5 ohm impedance into 50 ohms. A quarter-wave transmission line with a characteristic impedance (Z _o ) of 25 ohms converts the 12.5 ohms impedance to 50 ohms according to the formula Z _o = sqrt [(driving point impedance) * (source impedance)].

4 shows an embodiment of an impedance matching element 110 that is connected to a signal feed terminal 54 and includes a quarter wave transmission line converter 112 that matches a 12.5 ohms impedance to 50 ohms. The transmission line converter 112 includes a conductor connected to an arm 120 of the conductive element 50 and a conductor 124 connected to the arm 128.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in embodiments where the physical parameters of the antenna produce a purely resistive drive point impedance of about 12.5 ohms, the impedance matching element 110 is sufficient to convert the drive point impedance to 50 ohms. The impedance matching element 48 is not necessary.

Radomes are useful to avoid antenna damage during user handling of the communication device to which the antenna is connected. The radome material, thickness and shape are chosen to minimize the effect on the reception and transmission characteristics of the antenna. That is, the loss is selected so that the loss is relatively small over the operating frequency range of the antenna. The dielectric load effect of the radome can be taken into account in the QHA design to achieve operation at the desired resonant frequency and desired bandwidth. A suitable radome 130 for the QHA 10 is shown in FIG. As shown, the radome 130 is paired with radome base components 33A and 33B surrounding the lower region 20 of the QHA 10.

Another embodiment according to the spirit of the present invention is represented by QHA 140 shown in FIG. 6, which QHA 140 is connector 32 and impedance matching element 48 in lower region 20 of QHA 140. ), A conductor 142 extending between the liver, which is preferably a coaxial cable including an inner conductor and an outer shield. Typically, due to the length of the conductor 142, the impedance matching element experiences a different impedance when the conductor 142 is positioned than when the QHA 140 is directly connected to the connector 32 as shown in FIG. do. Thus, the impedance matching components of impedance matching element 48 must be modified to provide proper impedance matching for QHA 140. In a preferred embodiment, the conductor 142 is a flexible conductive material that can absorb mechanical shocks and vibrations caused by the dropping or hitting of the QHA 140 against a rigid object to reduce the probability of damage to the QHA 140. Include. If it is desirable to separate connector 32 and QHA 140 in a handset mounted application, the length of conductor 142 provides such separation.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, QHA 144 further includes an over-molded deformable (eg, semi-plastic) member 146, which surrounds conductor 142 and in one embodiment is impedance It is attached to the mating element 48 and the surface 32A (see Fig. 6) of the connector 32. This member 146 absorbs the impact when the antenna is dropped. The QHA 144 further includes a radome or cover 130. The over-molded member 146 may also be used in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 6, where a portion of the conductor 142 is surrounded by the over-molded member 146.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a QHA 150 including a conductor extending between the connector 32 and the impedance matching element 48 and included in the sleeve 152.

In order to ensure the desired performance parameters of the QHA 150, it is desirable to maintain antenna sizes and limit the flexing of the pilers 12, 14, 16 and 18 during operation. To provide continuous antenna performance, solder fillets 156 (see FIG. 9) conductively connecting each of the pilers to each of the mounting pads 72, 74, 60, and 62 (see FIG. 3) of the impedance matching element 48. It is also required to control the shape and mass of the c). It is known that varying the shape, mass and / or size of one or more of the fillets of soldering fillets 156 can change the current path length of the QHA pilers so that various performance parameters, including the resonant frequency of the antenna, can be changed. In certain manufacturing processes of manufacturing the QHA 10, the solder fillets 156 are formed by a hand soldering operation resulting in potential performance variability.

In order to overcome piler bending, in one assembly process, the substrate 160 including the pilers 162 (see FIG. 10) is wound around a tubular mandrel 163 (see FIG. 11) and the mandrel 163 is held in a cylindrical shape. The mandrel remains after the manufacture of the QHA 10. Various known adhesives are suitable for attaching the substrate 160 to the mandrel 163. The material of the mandrel 163 is selected to exhibit low loss at the operating frequencies of the antenna while providing mounting integrity and stability for the substrate 160.

Mandrel 163 dielectrically loads QHA 10, which tends to lower the antenna resonant frequency. Thus, the dielectric load effect should be taken into account when determining antenna sizes to overcome the dielectric load imposed by the mandrel 163. Other antenna embodiments that reduce the dielectric load effect are described below.

Each piler 162 further includes a finger segment 164A extending beyond the lower edge 160A of the substrate 160 and a finger segment 164B extending beyond the upper edge 160B of the substrate 160 (FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). Finger segments 164B of unequal lengths are shown to form pilers with unequal lengths of QHA as described above. In another embodiment, not shown, the lengths of the finger segments 164B are substantially the same and the total piler conductive length, which is not the same, is the same as those of the conductive bridges 23 and 24 or other conductive bridges or cross bar embodiments described below. This is a result of the electrical path length difference.

As shown in FIG. 12, each finger segment 164A wraps around a tab 165 of the mandrel 163 when the substrate 160 is disposed around the mandrel 163. According to this embodiment, the impedance matching element 166, which is similar in function to the impedance matching element 48, has impedance matching components mounted on the top surface hidden from view in FIG. And a conductive region 170 each in conductive communication with the conductive elements on the top surface, wherein the conductive elements are conductive pads of the impedance matching element 48 of FIG. Fields 61, 62, 72 and 74 and conductive elements 60 and 78. The conductive regions 170 are formed to have the same width as the conductive pads and elements in accordance with known printed circuit board subtractive conductor etching techniques. The impedance matching element 166 further includes a feed terminal 171 for connecting to the conductor 142 of FIG. 6, for example.

Impedance matching element 166 is captured in opening 172 at the bottom of mandrel 163. As a result, each finger segment 164A (and corresponding tab 165) is in conductive communication with one of the conductive regions 170, bringing the pilers 162 onto the top surface of the impedance matching element 166. It is electrically connected to the impedance matching elements mounted in the.

Opposite-placed capture taps extending from the lower edge 174 of the mandrel 163 (single capture tab 173 may be sufficient in one embodiment) are the lower surface of the impedance matching element 166. 175 is captured and an upward force is applied to urge the device 166 against the lower edge 174 to hold the device 166 in the opening 172 of the mandrel 163. See also FIGS. 13 and 14. In order to install the impedance matching element 166, the cylinder shape of the mandrel 163 is slightly deformed by applying a force in an appropriate direction to insert the element 166 with respect to the lower edge 174. Upon removal of this strain, the mandrel 163 returns to its normal form and the impedance matching element is captured as described. Although impedance matching element 163 is shown in the figures as having a particular shape including a plurality of notches formed therein, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other shapes not shown may be suitable.

In another embodiment, the flexible film can be replaced with a rigid cylinder structure in which the conductive streams forming helical traces are for example printed on the outer surface of a portion of the cylinder or on the outer surface. By removing certain regions from the conductive sheet formed in the substrate, remaining conductive regions are formed by using a subtractive etching process to form helical traces.

Also in another embodiment, the conductive bridges or crossbars 23 and 24 are typically replaced by a circular substrate (or a printed circuit board), which has a thickness d (see FIG. 15) and opposing surfaces of the substrate. And conductive crossbar strips 182 and 184 disposed on 180A and 180B. In one embodiment, the distance d is about 1 mm. Each of the pilers 12, 14, 16, and 18 includes a finger segment 164B (see FIG. 10) at its crossbar end. Each finger segment 164B extends into the upper opening 190 of the mandrel 163. Crossbars 182 and 184 are piled up through conductive regions 185A-185D (only one of these regions are shown in FIG. 15) spaced around the circumferential edge of substrate 180. Electrically connected to one of the, 16, and 18 so that the conductive regions 185A- 185D are connected with the piler finger segments 164B when the substrate 180 frictionally engages in the upper opening 190. Electrical connections are made to physically mate. In one embodiment, the conductive regions 185A-185D include gold-plated conductive material to reduce oxidation at its surface.

Using the substrate 180, it is possible to provide the QHA 10 with additional size stability by adjusting the distance between the pilers at the top of the antenna in accordance with the sizes of the substrate 180. Changes in magnitude at the top of the antenna can result in frequency detuning and / or gain reduction. As mentioned above, the distance d relates to the difference in length between the long and short piles.

16 and 17 illustrate another embodiment of a circular substrate 200 supporting conductive crossbars 182 (on the top surface of substrate 200) and 184 (not visible in FIGS. 16 and 17). It is shown. The piler finger segments 164B wrap vertically with respect to the tabs 210A and the tabs 210B, and the tabs 210B extend farther from the upper edge 211 of the mandrel 163 than the tabs 210A. The terminal end of each finger segment 164B is disposed above the inner-facing surface of each tab 210A and 210B.

Capture tabs 216 and 217 extend from upper edge 211, where capture tab 216 further includes protrusion 218 extending inwardly from the inner-facing surface of tab 216. The capture tabs 216 and 217 and the protrusion 218 cooperate to hold the substrate 200 relative to the upper edge 211 and to properly align with the outer surface of the mandrel 163. In another embodiment, capture tab 217 also includes protrusion 218.

QHA embodiments of the present invention can be tuned by using electrically differentiated embodiments of the substrate 180 and / or the impedance matching element 166. For example, due to the coupling between the crossbars 182 and 184, the QHA can be tuned by varying the height d of the substrate 180, which changes the parasitic capacitance and the resonant frequency of the QHA. . The QHA can also be tuned by changing the dielectric constant of the substrate 180 or impedance matching element 166, ie by replacing it with a material having a different dielectric constant.

To facilitate the antenna fabrication process, a plurality of substrates 182 of varying heights are fabricated. Since each antenna is tested after manufacture, a substrate of the appropriate height is selected to tune the antenna to the desired resonant frequency.

In yet another embodiment, the relative orientation of the crossbars 182 and 184 is changed to tune the antenna. In Fig. 15, the crossbars 182 and 184 are separated by an angle α of about 70-80 degrees. Changing this orientation so that the angle α is less than 70-80 ° modifies the coupling between the crossbars 182 and 184 to affect antenna tuning.

18 and 19, the antenna assembly 300 includes a cylindrical sealing member 302 surrounding the QHA of the present invention. The sealing member 304 surrounds the impedance matching element and the specific components associated with the connector. The sealing members 302 and 304 are pivotally joined by a hinge structure 310 as shown.

In Figure 18, the sealing members 302 and 304 are substantially linearly oriented.

As shown in FIG. 19, the hinge structure 310 pivots the antenna 314 in a vertical orientation with respect to the connector 32. Depending on the nature of the hinge structure 310, an orientation greater than 90 ° may also be allowed. Arrows 315 of FIG. 19 indicate the range of allowable angular orientations between the connector 32 and the antenna 314, as permitted by the hinge structure 310. Arrows in FIG. 19 indicate that the connector 32, and thus the antenna assembly 300, can be rotated 360 degrees when inserted into the handset or other communication device. Combining the rotational features and pivotal features of the present invention, the position range of the antenna assembly 300 is almost unlimited relative to the communication device to which the antenna assembly 300 is connected.

20 shows a quarter-wavelength quadreplier spiral antenna 350 connected to handset communication device 352 via conductor 354. The handset device 352 further includes a fixed or base member 352A and a movable member 352B, wherein the movable member has a parallel back-to-back orientation back to the fixed member 352A. It has a first position and a second position in an orientation perpendicular to the fixing member 352A. The second position as shown in FIG. 20 reveals the display 356 properly oriented to view the multimedia files received by the handset 352. The length of the conductor 354 is determined to accommodate the second position of the rotatable member 352B.

As expected, quarter wave QHA 350 may not provide the same operating characteristics as half wave QHA 10 described above. In particular, the gain of the antenna 350 is reduced compared to the gain of the QHA 10. In one embodiment, the gain reduction is about 2 decibels.

As mentioned above, the quadriplier spiral antenna of the present invention operates with a mandrel for size stability, which changes the performance characteristics of the antenna by genetically loading the antenna. In one embodiment, a plurality of openings 400 are formed in the mandrel 402 as shown in FIG. 21 to reduce the mandrel dielectric rod. In another embodiment, the mandrel 400 (see FIG. 22) includes a plurality of dielectric strips 412 attached to or formed simultaneously with the cylindrical element 414. When the piler substrate 160 of FIG. 10 is disposed around the mandrel 140, the open area 412A between adjacent strips 412 provides the air dielectric with the QHA 10, thereby providing a mandrel to the QHA 10. Lower the dielectric load of 410.

Also in another embodiment, the mandrel material comprises a dielectric and the conductive piles 12, 14, 16 and 18 are formed directly thereon. For example, the conductive piles 12, 14, 16 and 18 are formed of a conductive material that includes an adhesive backing for adhesive attachment to the mandrel. In yet another embodiment, the pilers 12, 14, 16 and 18 are formed of conductive ink applied directly to the mandrel by known printing techniques.

In order to properly align the mandrel 163 and the substrate 160 (see FIG. 10), according to one embodiment, the mandrel is provided with projecting bosses on its outer surface as shown in FIG. 450). This substrate 160 defines the corresponding holes or openings 452 as shown in FIG. When the substrate 160 is disposed around the mandrel 160, the bosses 450 protrude through the openings 452 to properly align the substrate 160 and the mandrel 163. See Figure 25.

While the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalent elements may be substituted for elements of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention further includes any combination of elements from the various embodiments described herein. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the spirits of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments described, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

The present invention relates to an antenna responsive to a signal source for supplying orthogonal currents to each of four pilers including a pair of short pilers and a pair of long pilers. The antenna uses a simple, low cost, low loss matching element that utilizes the circularly polarized gain provided by the antenna pilers. In one embodiment, the antenna provides a useful gain in a relatively small physical package, which package is nearly optimal in terms of gain and size compared to other known antennas. In one application, the antenna provides the desired performance features for a ground-based communication handset for communicating with a satellite.

Claims (37)

As a quadrifilar helical antenna, A substantially cylindrical substrate; A first pair of serially connected helical pilers having a first length and disposed on the substrate, the first pair of series connected spiral pilers having first and second ends; A second pair of series connected helical pilers having a second length different from said first length, said second pair of series connected spiral pilers having third and fourth ends; And, An impedance matching element for matching an antenna impedance with a source impedance, the legs including legs extending from a center region, each leg being conductively connected to one of the first end, second end, third end, and fourth end; And the impedance matching element, comprising a feed terminal in the center region. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film disposed around the cylindrical structure, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth pilers is arranged in the Finger segments that extend beyond the edge of the dielectric film to cause the finger segments to extend beyond the lower edge of the cylindrical structure, and the impedance matching element is arranged around the circumferential surface thereof. And a disk-like structure having fourth conductive pads and in electrical communication with impedance matching elements disposed thereon, wherein the impedance matching element is paired with the cylindrical structure, such that the first, second, third and A quadriplier such that each one of the fourth conductive pads is in conductive communication with a finger segment of one of the first, second, third and fourth pilers Spiral antenna. 3. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 2 wherein the resonant frequency of the antenna is responsive to the thickness of the disc-shaped structure. 3. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 2 wherein the resonant frequency of the antenna is responsive to the dielectric constant of the material of the disc-shaped structure. 3. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 2 wherein the material of the first, second, third and fourth conductive pads comprises a conductive material having a gold-plated surface. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising finger tabs extending from the lower edge of the cylindrical structure, each of the finger segments extending beyond one of the finger tabs, wherein the finger angle tabs are disk-shaped. The disk is housed in a corresponding notch defined in the structure and to facilitate conductive communication between each one of the finger segments and one of the first, second, third and fourth conductive pads. Each one of the first, second, third and fourth conductive pads of the conical structure is urged toward one of the finger tabs having the finger segment extending beyond them. . The disk of claim 6, further comprising a protrusion extending from the cylindrical structure in an inward direction of the cylindrical structure, wherein the protrusion is configured to push the disk structure toward the lower edge of the cylindrical structure. Quadreplier spiral antenna in contact with the lower surface of the structure. 2. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a dielectric film, the first pair of pilers comprises first and second pilers disposed on the dielectric film, and the second pair of pilers are mounted on the dielectric film. A third and fourth piler disposed at each one of the first, second, third, and fourth pilers, wherein the one of the first, second, third, and fourth pilers comprises a finger segment extending beyond an edge of the dielectric film; And third pilers are connected in series through a first conductive element electrically connected between a finger segment of the first piler and a finger segment of the third piler, wherein the second and fourth pilers are finger segments of the second piler. And serially connected via a second conductive element electrically connected between the finger segment of the fourth piler and the fourth segment. 10. The finger of claim 8, wherein the lengths of the finger segments of the first and third pilers are substantially the same, different from the length of the finger segments of the second and fourth pilers, and the fingers of the second and fourth pilers. A quadriple helical antenna, wherein the lengths of the segments are substantially the same. 10. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 8 wherein the first and second conductive elements are disposed on a crossbar structure in an insulating relationship. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the first and second conductive elements comprises conductive strips disposed in or stacked on or in a surface of the crossbar structure, wherein the resonant frequencies of the antennas are the first and second. A quadriple helical antenna responsive to an angle formed between conductive strips. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film disposed around the cylindrical structure, the crossbar structure comprising: first, first A disk-like structure having second, third, and fourth conductive pads, wherein the first and second conductive elements are disposed on or in the surface of the crossbar structure, and the first and second conductive pads are formed of the first and second conductive pads. Electrically connected by a first conductive element, the third and fourth conductive pads are electrically connected by the second conductive element, and the crossbar structure is paired with the cylindrical structure, thereby providing the first and second conductive pads. Allow conductive communication with finger segments of the first piler and finger segments of the third piler, respectively, and the third and fourth conductive pads ping the second piler. Segment and, quad Li filer spiral antenna so as to communicate with the conductive finger segments, each of said fourth filer. 13. The cylindrical structure of claim 12, wherein the cylindrical structure includes a protrusion that extends in an inward direction of the cylindrical structure, wherein the protrusion is configured to push the crossbar structure with respect to the lower edge of the cylindrical structure. In contact with, quadreplier spiral antenna. 13. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 12 wherein the resonant frequency of the antenna is responsive to the thickness of the crossbar structure. 13. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 12 wherein the resonant frequency of the antenna is responsive to the dielectric constant of the material of the crossbar structure. 13. The quadreplier spiral antenna of claim 12 wherein the material of the first, second, third and fourth conductive pads comprises a conductive material having a gold-plated surface. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising finger tabs extending from a lower edge of the cylindrical structure, wherein each one of the finger segments wraps around one of the finger tabs, wherein each finger tab is the crossbar. The first and second of the crossbar structure are accommodated in corresponding notches defined in the structure and to facilitate conductive communication between each segment and one of the first, second, third and fourth conductive pads. And each one of the third and fourth conductive pads is pushed against one of the finger tabs with the finger segment wrapping around them. The quad of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film disposed around the cylindrical structure, the cylindrical structure defining a plurality of openings therein. Replier spiral antenna. The method of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film, a plurality of ribs are disposed on an outer surface of the cylindrical structure, and the flexible dielectric film is formed by the plurality of ribs. And surround said cylindrical structure adjacent axial ribs of said quadriplier spiral antenna. The method of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film, wherein a material having a lower dielectric constant than the material of the cylindrical structure is disposed between the cylindrical structure and the dielectric film. Quadreplier spiral antenna inserted. The method of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical dielectric structure, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible dielectric film, the flexible dielectric film defining a plurality of openings therein and one of the plurality of openings. The outer surface of the cylindrical structure includes a plurality of corresponding protrusions for receiving the quadriplier spiral antenna. 2. The quadreplier spiral antenna of claim 1, further comprising a connector in electrical communication with the impedance matching element, wherein an open electrical terminal of the connector is adapted to connect to a communication device operating with the quadreplier spiral antenna. 23. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 22 wherein the connector lies below the impedance matching element and is spaced apart from the element, the length of the conductor electrically connecting the connector and the impedance matching element. 24. The quadriplexer spiral antenna of claim 23 wherein the conductor comprises a coaxial cable. 24. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 23 wherein the conductor comprises an impact absorbing length of a conductive material. 24. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 23 wherein the conductor is substantially surrounded by a flexible sleeve. 24. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 23 wherein the conductor is substantially surrounded by an over-molded element that extends between the impedance matching element and the connector. 24. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 23 wherein a portion of the length of the conductor is substantially surrounded by an over-molded element. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first and second pairs of pilers are substantially surrounded by a cover, the antenna further comprising a connector in electrical communication with and physically underlying the impedance matching element, the connector The open electrical terminal of the quadreplier spiral antenna is adapted to connect to a communication device operating with the antenna, the connector pivotally coupled to the cover to adjust an angle formed between the cover and the connector. 30. The quadriplier helical antenna of claim 29 wherein the open electrical terminals form a rotatable joint with the communication device for rotating the antenna relative to the communication device. 2. The quadriplier spiral antenna of claim 1 wherein the first piler length is longer than the resonant length at the resonant frequency and the second piler length is shorter than the resonant length at the resonant frequency. The signal of claim 1, wherein when the antenna is operating in a transmission mode, the second length different from the first length propagates on the first and second pairs of pilers to generate a circularly polarized signal. Quadrature spiral antenna, which creates an orthogonal phase relationship for the field. A handset communication device, Base; A cover movably engaged with the base to adjust in different orientations with respect to the base; A quadriple helical antenna disposed within the base, the antenna comprising: A substantially cylindrical substrate; First, second, third and fourth spiral pilers disposed on the substrate, wherein at least two of the first, second, third and fourth pilers have different lengths; An impedance matching element for matching an antenna impedance with a source impedance, the legs including legs extending from a center region, each leg being conductively connected to one of the first end, second end, third end, and fourth end; An impedance matching element comprising a feed terminal in the center region; And, And a connector disposed between the impedance matching element and the base. 34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a conductive element extending between the connector and the impedance matching element and electrically connecting therebetween, the length of the conductive element being determined to accommodate different orientations of the cover relative to the base. , Handset communication device. 34. The handset communication device of claim 33, further comprising a cover substantially surrounding the cylindrical substrate, wherein the connector forms a joint pivoting with the cover to adjust an angle formed between the cover and the connector. . 34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the connector forms a rotatable joint with the base to rotate the antenna relative to the base. 34. The device of claim 33, wherein a first conductive element for forming a first helical conductor by connecting the first and second helical pilers in series, and a second helical conductor by forming the third and fourth helical pilers in series. Further comprising a second conductive element, wherein the length of the first helical conductor is different from the length of the second helical conductor.

Images