下面將參考圖式，其中相同的圖式標記在全文中指代相同的部分。
在本文中使用的用語“天線”和“天線組件”非限制性地指的是結合了能接收/發送和/或傳播一個或多個電磁輻射頻帶的單個元件、多個元件或一個或多個元件陣列的任何系統。輻射可以具有多種類型，例如微波、毫米波、射頻、數位調製、模擬、模擬/數位編碼、數位編碼的毫米波能量等。可以使用一個或多個轉發器鏈路將能量從一個位置傳輸到另一個位置，並且一個或多個位置可以是行動的、固定的，或固定在地球上某個位置(例如基站)。
在本文中使用的用語“板”和“基板”通常非限制性地指的是可以在其上佈置其他器件的任何基本上平坦或彎曲的表面或組件。例如，基板可以包括單層或多層印刷電路板(例如，FR4)、半導體管芯或晶片，或者甚至是外殼或其他設備器件的表面，並且可以是基本上剛性的或至少有些撓性。
用語“頻率範圍”和“頻帶”非限制性地指的是用於傳遞訊號的任何頻率範圍。這種訊號可根據一個或多個標準或無線空中接口來進行傳遞。
在本文中使用的用語“便攜式設備”、“行動設備”、“客戶端設備”和“計算設備”包括但不限於個人計算機(PC)和小型計算機(無論是桌上型計算機、膝上型計算機，還是其他)、機上盒、個人數位助理(PDA)、手持計算機、個人通訊器、平板計算機、便攜式導航輔助設備、配備J2ME的設備、蜂巢式電話、智慧型手機、平板計算機、個人集成通訊或娛樂設備、便攜式導航設備，或實際上任何其他能夠處理資料的設備。
此外，在本文中使用的用語“輻射器”、“輻射平面”和“輻射元件”非限制性地指的是可以用作接收和/或發射射頻電磁輻射的系統(例如，天線)的一部分的元件。因此，示例性的輻射器可以接收電磁輻射，發送電磁輻射，或兩者皆可。
用語“饋電器”和“RF饋電器”非限制性地指的是可向一個或多個導電元件(例如，輻射器)的能量導體和耦合元件傳輸能量、變換阻抗、增強性能特性並使輸入/輸出RF能量訊號之間的阻抗特性相符的任意能量導體和耦合元件。
在本文中使用的用語“頂部”、“底部”、“側部”、“上”，“下”，“左”，“右”等僅表示一個器件相對於另一個器件的相對位置或幾何形狀，絕不表示絕對的參照系或任何所需的方向。例如，當一個器件安裝到另一器件(例如，安裝到PCB的底側)時，該器件的“頂部”部分實際上可位於“底部”部分的下方。
在本文中所使用的用語“無線”指的是任何無線訊號、資料、通訊或其他接口，包括但不限於Wi-Fi、藍牙、3G(例如，3GPP、3GPP2和UMTS)、HSDPA/HSUPA、TDMA、CDMA(例如，IS-95A、WCDMA等)、FHSS、DSSS、GSM、PAN/802.15、WiMAX(802.16)、802.20、窄帶/FDMA、OFDM、PCS/DCS、長期演進(LTE)或高級LTE (LTE-A)、模擬蜂巢、CDPD、衛星系統(例如GPS和GLONASS)，以及毫米波或微波系統。
概述
在一個值得注意的方面中，本發明提供了改進的天線裝置以及使用和調諧方法。在一個示例性實施例中，本發明的解決方案特別適於利用衛星無線鏈路(例如，GPS)並使用電磁(例如，在一個實施例中為電容性的)的饋電方法的小尺寸、有金屬外殼的應用，其包括一個或多個未電流連接到天線的輻射元件的獨立的饋電元件。另外，天線裝置的某些實施方式提供了承載天線的一個以上工作頻帶的能力。
示例性實施例的詳細說明
下面將提供本發明的裝置和方法的各種實施例和變型的詳細描述。儘管主要在諸如手錶的便攜式無線電設備的語境下進行了說明，但是本文所述的各種裝置和方法不限於此。實際上，本文描述的許多裝置和方法可用於各種設備，包括可受益於本文描述的耦合天線裝置和方法的行動設備和固定設備。
此外，雖然圖1至圖2C中的耦合天線裝置的實施例主要在GPS無線頻譜內的工作環境下進行說明，但是本發明不限於此。實際上，圖1至圖2C中的天線裝置可用於各種工作頻帶，包括但不限於以下工作頻帶：GLONASS、Wi-Fi、藍牙、3G(例如，3GPP、3GPP2和UMTS)、HSDPA/ HSUPA、TDMA、CDMA(例如，IS-95A、WCDMA等)、FESS、DSSS、GSM、PAN/802.15、WiMAX(802.16)、802.20、窄帶/FDMA、OFDM、PCS/DCS、長期演進(LTE)或高級LTE(LTE-A)、模擬蜂巢，以及CDPD。
示例性的天線裝置
下面參考圖1，其示出並詳細描述了耦合天線裝置100的一個示例性實施例。如圖1所示，耦合天線裝置100包括三個主天線元件，包括與中間輻射器元件104相鄰設置的外側元件102，以及內側饋電元件106。輻射器元件104、饋電元件106和外側元件102彼此並不電流連接，而是如下文所述地電容耦合。外側元件102還配置為用作天線裝置100的基本輻射器元件。外側元件的寬度以及外側元件與中間元件之間的距離是基於特定的天線設計要求來選擇的，包括(i)感興趣的頻率工作頻帶，以及(ii)工作帶寬，本領域的普通技術人員在閱讀了本發明之後可以容易地得到其示例性值。
如圖1所示，耦合天線裝置的中間輻射器元件鄰近外側元件佈置，並以間隙距離120而與外側元件間隔開。例如，在一種實施方案中，使用0.2-1mm的距離，但是應當理解，該值可以根據實施方案和工作頻率而變化。此外，可以透過調節間隙距離、透過調節外側元件和中間輻射器元件的重疊面積以及外側元件與中間輻射器元件的總面積來調節耦合強度。間隙120尤其允許調諧天線諧振頻率、帶寬和輻射效率。中間輻射器元件還包括兩個部分104(a)和104(b)。第一部分104(a)是主耦合元件，而第二部分104(b)則保持懸空而不連接到天線結構。如果由於某些機械上的原因而使中間元件形成為較大的部分而其中只有較短的一部分需要用作為耦合元件，那麼第二部分104(b)可以保留在該結構中。在中間輻射器元件的部分104(a)的一端處設置有短路點110，用於將中間輻射器元件104接地。在所示的實施例中，短路點110位於與內側饋電元件106相距預定距離122(在示例性實施方案中通常為1-5mm，但是可根據實施方案和工作頻率而變化)處。短路點110的位置部分地確定耦合天線裝置100的諧振頻率。部分104(a)連接到部分104(b)，其中部分104(b)形成完整的中間輻射器(環)。
圖1還示出了包含接地點114以及電流連接的饋電點116的內側饋電元件106。內側饋電元件106佈置成與中間輻射器元件104相距距離124。此外，接地點114相對於饋電點116的佈置和定位部分地確定了耦合天線裝置100的諧振頻率。應當注意的是，饋電元件的接地點主要用於饋電點阻抗匹配。在一個實施方案中，饋電元件形成本領域已知類型的IFA型(倒F天線)結構，並且這種元件的阻抗調節是普通天線設計人員所熟知的，因此在此不再贅述。饋電點和接地點之間的典型距離約為1-5mm，但這可以根據頻率和應用而變化。
此外，應當理解的是，如果需要，例如可以透過將並聯電感器設置在饋電線上來消除接地點。如下文所述，饋電點116以及接地點110和114的設置會極大地影響右旋圓極化(RHCP)和左旋圓極化(LHCP)隔離增益。簡短地說，GPS和大多數衛星導航傳輸都是RHCP。衛星傳輸RHCP訊號是因為發現它例如與線性極化訊號相比受大氣訊號變形和損耗的影響較小。因此，任何接收天線應具有與發射衛星相同的極化。如果接收設備的天線主要是LHCP極化的，則會發生顯著的訊號損耗(大約數十dB)。另外，每當衛星訊號被物體(例如地球表面或建築物)反射時，其極化都將從RHCP變為LHCP。與直接接收的RHCP訊號相比，在接收單元附近反射過一次的訊號具有幾乎相同的幅度，但具有小的延時和LHCP。這些反射訊號特別有害於GPS接收器的靈敏度，因此較佳的是使用LHCP增益至少比RHCP增益低5 dB至10 dB的天線。
例如，在示例性圖式中，饋電線和接地線的佈置選擇為用於使RCHP增益佔優勢，並抑制LHCP增益(從而增強對GPS圓極化訊號的靈敏度)。然而，如果饋電線和接地線的佈置被顛倒，則天線裝置100的“旋向性”將顛倒，從而在抑制RHCP增益的同時產生佔優勢的LHCP增益。為此，本發明還在某些實施方案中設想了諸如借由硬件或軟件開關或手動地例如在運行中切換或重新配置天線的能力，以便根據特定用途或應用的需要來切換前述“旋向性”。例如，可以希望與LHCP源相結合地工作，或接收上述反射訊號。
因此，儘管未示出，但是本發明設想：(i)具有可以基本彼此獨立地工作的RHCP佔優勢的天線和LHCP佔優勢的天線的便攜式設備或其他設備，以及(ii)接收器可以根據所接收的訊號的極化而在兩者之間切換的變體。
因此，圖1的耦合天線裝置100包括堆疊結構，該堆疊結構包括外側元件102，佈置在該外側元件的內側的中間輻射器元件104，以及內側饋電元件106。應當注意的是，一個中間輻射器元件足以在期望的工作頻率下激發。但是，對於多頻帶工作而言，可以添加其他的中間元件和饋電元件。例如，如果需要2.4 GHz的ISM頻段，則同一外側輻射器可由另一組中間元件和饋電元件饋電。內側饋電元件還配置為與饋電點116電流耦合，中間輻射器元件配置為與內側饋電元件電容耦合。外側元件102配置為用作最終天線輻射器，並且還配置為與中間輻射器元件電容耦合。在本實施例中，外側元件102以及饋電元件104和106的尺寸選擇為能實現期望的性能。具體而言，如果元件(外側元件，中間元件，內側元件)測量為彼此分離，則不會將它們中的任何一個獨立地調諧到接近所需工作頻率的值。然而，當三個元件耦合在一起時，它們會形成一個能在所需的一個或多個工作頻率中產生諧振的輻射器組。由於天線的物理尺寸以及低介電介質(如塑料)的使用，可以實現相對較寬的單諧振帶寬。在衛星導航應用的示例性環境中，這種結構的一個顯著優點為，普遍有利於示例性實施方案所允許的具有同一天線的GPS和GLONASS導航系統(即，最小為1575-1610 MHz)。
本領域的技術人員在閱讀本發明時可以理解，以上參數對應於一個特定的天線/設備的實施例，配置為基於特定的實施方案，並因此僅是對本發明的較廣泛原理的說明。距離120、122和124還被選擇為能實現耦合天線裝置100的期望阻抗匹配。例如，由於可以調節多個元件，因此即使單元尺寸(天線尺寸)產生大幅變化，也可以將所得到的天線調諧到期望的工作頻率。例如，頂部(外側)元件的尺寸可以擴大到100mm乘60mm，並且透過調整元件之間的耦合，可以有利地實現正確的調諧和匹配。
便攜式無線電設備的結構
參照圖2A至圖2C，示出並描述了根據本發明的原理配置的包括耦合天線裝置的便攜式無線電設備的一個示例性實施例。外側元件的各種實施方案可以與圖2A至圖2C所示的耦合天線裝置的實施例結合使用，以便進一步優化各種天線工作特性。在一些實施例中，可用金屬覆蓋的塑料體主來形成圖1中的天線裝置100的一個或多個器件，該金屬覆蓋的塑料主體可透過任意適當的製造方法(例如，示例性的雷射直接構造(“LDS”)製造處理，或者甚至諸如下文所述的印刷處理)來製造。
LDS天線製造處理的最新進展使得天線能夠直接構造在原本不導電的表面上(例如，構造在摻雜有金屬添加劑的熱塑性材料上)。隨後透過雷射來活化摻雜的金屬添加劑。LDS允許將天線構造在更複雜的三維(3D)幾何形狀上。例如，在各種典型的智慧型電話、手錶和其他行動設備應用中，可以在其上放置天線的底層設備外殼和/或其他天線器件是使用LDS聚合物透過標準注射成型處理來製造的。然後，使用雷射來活化(熱塑性)材料的區域，然後對這些區域進行電鍍。通常，隨後進行電解銅浴，然後增加連續的附加層(例如鎳或金)，以完成天線的構造。
另外，可以與本發明相符地使用移印、導電油墨印刷、FPC、金屬板、PCB處理。應當理解的是，本發明的各種特徵有利地不限於任何特定的製造技術，因此可以廣泛地與各種前述特徵一起使用。儘管某些技術固有地在製造例如3D成型的輻射器以及調節元件之間的間隙方面具有局限性，但是可以透過使用任何種類的導電材料和處理來形成本發明的天線結構。
然而，儘管LDS的使用是示例性的，但是其他實施方案也可以用於製造耦合天線裝置，例如透過使用上文所述的撓性印刷電路板(PCB)、金屬板、印刷輻射器等。然而，可以選擇上述各種設計考慮因素來例如與維持期望的小尺寸形狀和/或其他設計要求和屬性相符合。例如，在一個變體中，在US9780438中描述的基於印刷的方法和裝置用於基板上的天線輻射器的設置。在這樣一個變體中，天線輻射器包括使用本文所述的印刷處理印在基板上的四分之一波長環或線狀結構。
圖2A至圖5C所示的便攜式設備(即，具有GPS功能的可腕戴式手錶、資產追蹤器、運動計算機、潛水計算機等)放置在外殼200內，該外殼200配置為具有大體為圓形的形式。然而，應當理解的是，儘管該所示的設備具有大體上圓形的形狀，但是本發明可以實施為設備具有其他期望的形狀，包括但不限於正方形、矩形、其他多邊形、橢圓形、不規則形狀等。另外，外殼配置為能接收至少部分地由透明材料(例如，透明聚合物、玻璃或其他合適的透明材料)形成的顯示蓋(未示出)。外殼還配置為能接收耦合天線裝置，類似於圖1所示的耦合天線裝置。在示例性實施例中，外殼由諸如聚乙烯或ABS-PC之類的注模聚合物形成。在一種變型中，塑料材料還具有設置在其表面上的金屬化導電層(例如，銅合金)。金屬化的導體層通常形成如圖1所示的耦合天線裝置。
參考圖2A至圖2C，示出了根據本發明的原理的用於便攜式無線電設備中的耦合天線裝置200的一個實施例。圖2A示出了耦合天線裝置200的底側，其顯示了到印刷電路板219(圖2B和圖2C)的各種連接。具體地，圖2A示出了用於環形的中間輻射器元件204的短路點210，以及用於內側饋電軌跡元件206的短路點216和電流饋電點214。內側饋電軌跡元件和環形的中間輻射器元件均設置在所示實施例中的與便攜式無線電設備一起使用的耦合天線裝置的前蓋203內。根據本發明的第一實施例，使用雷射直接構造(“LDS”)聚合物材料來製造前蓋203(參見圖2A和圖2C)，該聚合物材料隨後被摻雜並鍍有環形的外側輻射元件202(參見圖2B-2C)。LDS技術的使用是示例性的，其允許將複雜的(例如，彎曲的)金屬結構直接形成在下面的聚合物材料上。或者，環形的外側輻射元件402可包括例如由不銹鋼、鋁或其他耐腐蝕材料(如果暴露在環境應力下而沒有任何額外的保護塗層)形成的衝壓金屬環。理想地，所選材料應具有足夠的RF電導率。也可以使用電鍍金屬，例如鎳金鍍層等，或其他眾所周知的能設置在前蓋203上的RF材料。
另外，在一個示例性實施例中，也可使用LDS技術在摻雜的前蓋203的內側設置環形的中間輻射器元件204。環形的中間輻射器元件204構造成兩個部分204(a)和204(b)。在一個示例性實施方案中，元件204(a)用於提供與接地觸點(短路點)210配合的有利位置。短路點210設置在環形的中間輻射器的第一部分204(a)的一端上。耦合天線裝置200還包括LDS聚合物饋電框架218，在其上構造有內側饋電元件206。內側饋電元件包括電流饋電點216以及短路點214，這兩者配置為分別在點216'和214'處耦合至印刷電路板219(見圖2C)。內側饋電框架元件佈置為與環形的中間輻射器元件部分204相鄰，以使得同軸的饋電點與中間輻射器元件的短路點210相距一定距離222。中間輻射器元件的短路點210和內側饋電元件的短路點214配置為分別在點210'和214'處與PCB 219接合。後蓋220位於印刷電路板的下側，並形成耦合天線裝置的封閉結構。
儘管前述實施例通常包括佈置在主機設備外殼內的單個耦合天線裝置，但是還應當理解的是，在一些實施例中，除了例如圖1中的示例性的耦合天線裝置100之外，還可以在主機設備中設置其他的天線元件。這些其他的天線元件可設計為接收其他類型的無線訊號，例如但不限於Bluetooth®、低功耗藍牙(BLE)、802.11(Wi-Fi)、無線通用串行匯流排(USB)、AM/FM無線電、國際科學醫學(ISM)頻段(例如ISM-868、ISM-915等)、ZigBee®等，以擴展便攜式設備的功能，同時又保持空間緊湊的外形。
如圖所示的耦合天線裝置200可以包括兩個包含中間輻射器元件和內側饋電元件(未示出)的天線組件，兩個天線組件具有共同的環形的外側元件202。這兩個天線組件可在相同的頻帶中工作，或者在不同的頻帶中工作。例如，天線組件“a”可以配置為在約2.4 GHz的Wi-Fi頻帶中工作，而另一天線組件可以配置為在GNSS頻率範圍內工作以提供GPS功能。工作頻率的選擇是示例性的，並且可以根據本發明的原理針對不同的應用而改變。
另外，當結合使用者身體組織負荷來調諧天線饋電阻抗時，可以影響本發明的天線裝置的軸比(AR)(參見前面基於地面和饋電軌跡位置的阻抗調諧的說明)。軸比(AR)是定義圓極化天線性能的一項重要參數；最佳軸向比是1，它對應於旋轉訊號的幅度在所有相位上均相等的情況。完全線性極化的天線將具有無限的軸比，這意味著當相位旋轉90度時，其訊號幅度將減小為零。如果使用完全線性極化的天線來接收最佳的圓極化訊號，那麼會由於極化失配而發生3 dB的訊號損失。換句話說，會丟失50％的入射訊號。在實踐中，由於機械結構等的不對稱性，很難實現最佳的圓極化(AR=1)。常規使用的陶瓷GPS貼片天線在用於實際方案中時通常具有1至3 dB的軸比。這被認為是“行業標準”，並且具有足夠的性能水平。
此外，還應當理解的是，裝置200還可包括顯示器，例如液晶顯示器(LCD)、發光二極管(LED)或有機LED (OLED)、TFT(薄膜晶體管)等，以用於向使用者顯示所需的資訊。另外，主機設備還可包括觸摸屏輸入及顯示裝置(例如，電容性或電阻性)，或電子領域中公知類型的裝置，以提供使用者觸摸輸入的能力以及傳統的顯示功能。
圖3示出了包括瞬態電壓抑制器(TVS)的耦合天線裝置的另一實施例。圖3與上述圖1類似。在某些情況下，希望將外側輻射器元件132作為天線的一部分。外側輻射器元件132可與上文所述的外側元件102共享一些或全部特性。然而，在外側輻射器元件132是天線的一部分時，它不能容易地在圖1的天線結構中接地。因此，TVS二極管130電連接到外側輻射器元件132。在圖3中顯示了這種情況的一個示意性例子。因此，當外側輻射器元件132中有足夠大的電位或電壓時，TVS 130將外側輻射器元件132接地。這樣，TVS二極管可保護裝置內的電子設備免受例如來自設備外側的電火花的傷害。
在圖3的實施例中，中間輻射器元件的第一部分104(a)和內側饋電元件106接地。另外，它們處於由連接到TVS二極管的外側輻射器元件132提供的靜電放電(ESD)保護內。如果不將TVS接地，那麼實際上將會有足夠大的電位穿過設備的最外層導電部，並損壞內部的電子器件。智慧型手錶和行動設備中的一個特殊問題在於，大的電位會透過顯示線和顯示連接進入並損壞顯示驅動器。
圖4示出了本發明的包括瞬態電壓抑制器電路134的耦合天線裝置的一個實施例。圖4與上述圖1和圖3類似。在某些情況下，希望將外側輻射器元件132作為天線的一部分。外側輻射器元件132可與上文所述的外側元件102共享一些或全部特性。然而，在外側輻射器元件132是天線的一部分時，它不能容易地在圖1的天線結構中接地。因此，LC電路134電連接到外側輻射器元件132。在圖4中示出了這種情況的一個例子。LC電路134是閉合的，即，將外側輻射器元件132以低頻和直流電接地。因此，LC電路的阻抗值選擇為允許靜電放電流過其中。LC電路134保護設備中的電子器件免受例如來自設備外的電火花的傷害。
LC電路134在其諧振頻率下會形成阻帶，並像開路一樣起作用。L和C分量的值選擇為使得電路在天線的工作頻率下諧振。
在圖4的實施例中，中間輻射器元件的第一部分104(a)和內部饋電元件106接地。另外，透過外側輻射器元件132連接到LC電路134來提供靜電放電(ESD)保護。如果沒有這種高阻抗接地，那麼實際上會有足夠大的電位穿過設備最外側的導電部分，並損壞內部的電子器件。智慧型手錶和行動設備中的一個特殊問題在於，大的電位會透過顯示線和顯示連接進入並損壞顯示驅動器。
根據某些示例，可以與線圈L並聯地增加固定或可變電容器C或者一個或多個可切換電容器C1、C2(見圖4A)，以使LC電路134可調諧。透過調諧可變電容器C，和/或透過接通和/或斷開具有適當選擇的電容的電容器C1和C2，LC電路134或134a可以被調諧到天線所接收的不同頻率，例如GPS、格洛納斯和伽利略導航系統的頻率。另外，其他無線系統也可以與本發明的設備接合，例如藍牙或WiFi，其頻率可被接收並且LC電路134或134a也可被調諧到在這些頻率上諧振，從而在各種系統中優化天線性能。出人意料的是，LC電路134或134a能提供對天線性能的負面影響很小的ESD保護。
例如用於腕戴式電子設備的環圈可以具有內表面和外表面。環圈的整個外表面或一部分外表面可以是外側輻射器元件。此外，一個或多個其他輻射器元件可由環圈的內表面處定位、容納和/或支撐。根據某些實施例，一個或多個其他輻射器元件與環圈的內表面電絕緣但機械式連接。
如上文所述，耦合天線裝置可以包括環圈，該環圈包括外側輻射器元件。外側輻射器元件形成天線結構的一部分。外側輻射器元件例如可以是環圈的一部分和/或一段。外側輻射器元件可具有閉環結構，甚至可以是整個環圈。在金屬環圈的實施例中，外側輻射器元件可以是環圈的一個整體部分。外側輻射器元件也可以是環圈的一個獨立部分，其與一個或多個其他部分相結合以形成環圈。
許多類型的電子設備可以包含如本文所述的耦合天線裝置。一個例子是腕戴式電子設備，其具有包括一個或多個部分的外殼。外殼的至少一部分可以是環圈。根據某些實施例，該設備的外殼包括根據上文所述的任何環圈，以及主體。主體和/或環圈可以包含多個電子器件。環圈的外部可以包含金屬部分，該金屬部分為外側輻射器元件或可充當外側輻射器元件。外側輻射器元件通常可以不接地。然而，上述外側輻射器元件例如可透過彈簧針而電耦合到容納在外殼內的TVS器件，以保護多個內部電子器件中的至少一些免受外側輻射器元件可能會暴露於其中的大電位的影響。
此外，根據某些實施例，電子設備還可包括至少一個螺釘。螺釘可主要用於將環圈機械連接到外殼的主體和/或設備的一個或多個其他部分。螺釘可以是導電的，例如為金屬的，並因此與環圈和/或外側輻射器元件的一部分電接觸。因此，螺釘可形成外側輻射器元件的額外的導電部分。在某些實施例中，螺釘可以將環圈的至少一部分電接地。此外，也可以使用除了螺釘之外的但具有相似的機電性能的其他連接機構來代替實際的螺釘。
下面參考圖5，示出了可與本發明的至少一些實施例相結合地使用的潛水計算機50的示意圖。可穿戴式潛水計算機具有外殼，該外殼主要包括導電環圈51和主體52。環圈包括輻射器元件，例如圖2A至圖2C中所示的不接地的外側輻射器元件202。無線電單元54與封裝在外殼內的潛水計算機電路(未示出)功能性相連，並且具有到輻射器元件的導電耦合部58，用於允許潛水計算機與外部設備之間進行無線通訊。用於無線電單元的合適的核心電路例如可以是Nordic Semiconductor®公司提供的藍牙處理器(BLE SoC)nRF51422。無線電單元54還可包括位於藍牙處理器與電感器56之間的巴倫轉換器，例如為ST Microelectronics®公司提供的NRF02D3，以在平衡和不平衡的訊號之間轉換，和/或在處理器和電感電路之間轉換阻抗。電感器56可以是線圈，例如為Murata®公司提供的LQG15HS22NJ02D，天線能透過該線圈而為DC電流接地，並且可建立用於水接觸的電流路徑59。
還可包括水接觸檢測器電路55，其佈置成感測可穿戴式潛水計算機何時進入水下狀態。可以從主體的外側來操作延伸穿過主體52的示例性的按鈕53。該按鈕包括導電的水接觸表面，以使得該按鈕能夠將水接觸訊號傳送到水接觸檢測器電路55，該訊號被感測為電阻器R上的電壓降。按鈕53可以是作為潛水計算機的使用者界面的一部分的推壓按鈕或導航按鈕，透過這種方式使用它不會影響水接觸檢測，反之亦然。
作為按鈕的替代，水接觸器可以佈置為導航型按鈕，或者可由外殼中的任何能在潛水計算機浸入水中時與水接觸的表面或結構形成。
作為感測電阻器R上的電壓降的替代，可使用電流源在水接觸檢測器電路中進行電流感測。這可以淘汰電阻器R，並透過半導體電路進行檢測。其他實施例可包括各種訊號形式，例如DC、脈衝DC，或AC(交流電)。
圖5中的水下狀況感測電路包括位於環圈51中的輻射器元件與無線電單元54之間的導電耦合部58，以及低通濾波器，該低通濾波器至少包括一端連接至導電耦合部58、另一端連接到潛水計算機的接地電位部57的電感器56。
因此，水下狀況感測電路58、56和57感測水何時在從按鈕的水接觸表面到環圈51與輻射器元件之間建立導電路徑59，作為通過電感器56到接地的DC短路路徑，從而在電阻器R的感測環路中向水接觸檢測器電路55提供水下狀況的電壓指示。
重要的是，無線電單元54因低通濾波器56而不會察覺到到其輻射器元件短路。通常，舉例而言，無線電單元在用於藍牙應用時在2.4 GHz的範圍內工作，而在用於GPS應用中時在1.5 GHz的範圍內工作。DC短路會通過濾波器56，但是不會通過GHz範圍訊號。
根據一些實施例，水接觸檢測器電路55可配置為在檢測到水下狀況時自動切換到潛水計算機的潛水工作模式。在一些實施例中，接觸檢測器電路55可配置為在檢測到水下狀況時停用無線電單元，以便例如減少功耗。
下面參考圖6，示出了至少在本發明的一些實施例中可用的按鈕構件。按鈕構件在外殼中的孔處與設備外殼接合，並具有按鈕部分60，該按鈕部分60具有圓形或其他適合形狀的觸摸表面部64a，以由使用者手指的觸摸或按壓來形成接合。如圖所示，按鈕部分60還包括軸杆部64b，該軸杆部64b連接到觸摸表面部64a，並且觸摸表面部64a較佳地與軸杆部64b成型為一體並且垂直於軸杆部64b。當按鈕部分60被使用者觸及時，軸杆部64b在固定的引導部分63中如箭頭B所示地向內和向外滑動。
固定的引導部分63用作按鈕部分60的襯套。按鈕的軸杆部64b由塗有潤滑油的O形環69a支撐在引導部分內。具有墊圈69c的彈簧69b向觸摸表面64a提供了所需的返回力和阻力。
在引導部分63的另一端處，還設置有一個用於按鈕部分的觸摸表面部64a的襯套表面69d。
按鈕64a、64b的向外運動受到止動件67的限制，該止動件67抵靠在引導部63的端部上。
較佳地，固定引導部分63包括導電的水接觸表面區域A，如上文所述，在水下狀況中，水會接觸到該水接觸表面區域A，然後可透過導電元件65和檢測器電路66來感測水。顯然，水接觸部可以由按鈕構件中的任意導電表面製成。然而，由於按鈕64a、64b可以由非導電材料製成，因此允許更多的設計自由度，並且可以改善設備的美觀性，並且由於可以由固定結構形成與感測器電路的更可靠的連接，因此引導部分63上的水接觸表面區域A是較佳的實施方案。在一些實施例中，可以在設備的主體部61和底部62處分別設置有凹槽61a和62a(虛線)。凹槽的目的是使水能流到引導部分63的水接觸表面區域A，並防止在按鈕60和設備的外殼之間積聚壓力和/或氣泡(這會削弱水與引導部分的接觸)。可以對軸杆部64b和按鈕部64a進行塗覆，例如以抑制蠕變電流引起錯誤的電性的水接觸指示。
透過分別在裝置的引導部分63、主體部61和底部62之間延伸的諸如O形環68之類的密封件，可阻止水進入設備的內部。
在圖6中還示出了本發明的夾式墊圈65，其被按壓或卡扣到引導部分63上，還示出了相對於夾式墊圈65延伸並提供電連接銷66的連接元件。下面將參見圖7和圖8來詳細描述夾式墊圈。
在圖7中，示出了可用於本發明的組件的一些實施例中的夾式墊圈。夾式墊圈70較佳地由一體的金屬片製成，其整體外觀為卡簧緊固件，包括具有開口端的半撓性金屬夾環71，該開口端可被按壓或卡扣到圖6中的引導部分63上。
夾式墊圈設置有從墊圈延伸出去一定距離的撓性連接元件73，以提供用於設備中的電路的電連接部，例如接觸銷74。這種電路可以是如圖5所示的水接觸檢測電路。元件73可以與夾子70成型為一體，並由同一金屬片製成，或者元件73可以是舌片、彈簧、金屬絲，或任何其他適當的連接元件。
在一些實施例中，夾環71的內邊緣72可以是鋒利的，並且切入引導部分的導電表面，由此能在夾環被壓到引導部分上時將其自身鎖定在適當的位置。在一些其他實施例中，夾環71的內邊緣72可以是倒圓的，並且卡入引導部分的導電表面上的周向凹槽中，由此能在夾環被壓到引導部分上時將其自身鎖定在適當的位置。
由於位於接觸銷74處的撓性連接元件73受到來自印刷電路板等上的對應銷的力77，因此在一些實施例中，較佳的是確保夾式墊圈70不會開始圍繞引導部分旋轉。可以透過在夾式墊圈的某些點75a、75b、75c處提供來自設備外殼或結構的支撐來防止這種情況。在圖7中顯示了在點75a處的這種支撐結構76，這可防止向下的力77導致墊圈70旋轉。
圖8示出了本發明的組件的一些主要部分。如圖7所示的夾式墊圈81透過按壓和/或卡扣安裝在組件的引導部分82(類似於圖6的引導部分63)上。引導部分支撐按鈕部分80，該按鈕部分包括如虛線所示的在引導部分內的觸摸表面部83和軸杆部84。當按鈕部分80被使用者接合時，軸杆部84在引導部分內如箭頭85所示地向內和向外滑動。
應當理解的是，所公開的本發明的實施例不限於本文所述的特定結構、方法步驟或材料，而是可擴展至相關領域的普通技術人員能想到的它們的等價物。還應理解的是，本文採用的術語僅用於描述特定的實施例，而無意於進行限制。
在整個說明書中，對“一個實施例”的引用意味著結合該實施例描述的特定特徵、結構或特性包含在本發明的至少一個實施例中。因此，在說明書中各處出現的用語“在一個實施例中”並不一定都指同一個實施例。
在本文中使用的多個物體、結構元件、組成元素和/或材料可為了方便而呈現在共同的列表中。但是，這些列表應解釋為列表中的每個元素都獨立地作為單獨且唯一的元素。因此，僅基於它們呈現在共同的組中而沒有相反的指示，該列表中的任何單個元素都不應被解釋為同一列表中的任何其他元素的事實上的等價物。另外，在本文中，本發明的各種實施例和例子可具有其各種部分的替代物。應該理解的是，這些實施例、例子和替代物不應被理解為彼此的實際上等同，而是應被認為是本發明的獨立和自主的表達。
此外，所描述的特徵、結構或特性可透過任意適當的方式結合到一個或多個實施例中。在本文描述中，提供了許多具體細節，例如長度、寬度、形狀等的例子，以提供對本發明的實施例的透徹理解。然而，相關領域的技術人員應當理解，可以在沒有一個或多個特定細節的情況下，或者在利用其他方法、部件、材料等的情況下實踐本發明。另外，為了避免使本發明的各個方面變得不清楚，未詳細顯示或描述公知的結構、材料或操作。
儘管上述實施例在一個或多個特定應用中說明了本發明的原理，但是對於本領域的普通技術人員來說顯而易見的是，在不進行創造力勞動且不背離本發明的原理和概念的情況下，可以進行形式、用途和實施細節的許多修改。因此，本發明不欲受到除了隨附的申請專利範圍之外的限制。
Reference will be made to the drawings below, where the same drawing marks refer to the same parts throughout the text.
The terms "antenna" and "antenna assembly" as used herein refer to, without limitation, a single element, multiple elements, or one or more that can receive/transmit and/or propagate one or more electromagnetic radiation frequency bands. Any system of element arrays. Radiation can have many types, such as microwave, millimeter wave, radio frequency, digital modulation, analog, analog/digital code, digital coded millimeter wave energy, and so on. One or more transponder links can be used to transfer energy from one location to another, and one or more locations can be mobile, fixed, or fixed to a location on the earth (such as a base station).
The terms "board" and "substrate" as used herein generally, without limitation, refer to any substantially flat or curved surface or component on which other devices can be arranged. For example, the substrate may include a single-layer or multi-layer printed circuit board (for example, FR4), a semiconductor die or wafer, or even the surface of a housing or other equipment device, and may be substantially rigid or at least somewhat flexible.
The terms "frequency range" and "frequency band" refer to, without limitation, any frequency range used to transmit signals. Such signals can be transmitted according to one or more standards or wireless air interfaces.
The terms "portable device", "mobile device", "client device" and "computing device" used in this article include but are not limited to personal computers (PCs) and small computers (whether desktop computers, laptop computers) , Or other), set-top boxes, personal digital assistants (PDA), handheld computers, personal communicators, tablet computers, portable navigation aids, devices equipped with J2ME, cellular phones, smart phones, tablet computers, personal integrated communications Or entertainment equipment, portable navigation equipment, or virtually any other equipment capable of processing data.
In addition, the terms "radiator", "radiation plane" and "radiating element" as used herein refer to, without limitation, those that can be used as part of a system (for example, an antenna) that receives and/or emits radio frequency electromagnetic radiation. element. Therefore, the exemplary radiator can receive electromagnetic radiation, send electromagnetic radiation, or both.
The terms "feeder" and "RF feeder" non-limitingly refer to the energy conductors and coupling elements that can transmit energy to one or more conductive elements (e.g., radiators), transform impedance, enhance performance characteristics, and enable input / Any energy conductor and coupling element whose impedance characteristics match between the output RF energy signals.
The terms "top", "bottom", "side", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. used in this text only refer to the relative position or geometric shape of one device relative to another device , In no way represents an absolute frame of reference or any desired direction. For example, when one device is mounted to another device (for example, to the bottom side of a PCB), the "top" part of the device may actually be located below the "bottom" part.
The term "wireless" as used in this article refers to any wireless signal, data, communication or other interface, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (for example, 3GPP, 3GPP2 and UMTS), HSDPA/HSUPA, TDMA , CDMA (e.g. IS-95A, WCDMA, etc.), FHSS, DSSS, GSM, PAN/802.15, WiMAX (802.16), 802.20, narrowband/FDMA, OFDM, PCS/DCS, Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Advanced LTE (LTE -A), analog honeycomb, CDPD, satellite systems (such as GPS and GLONASS), and millimeter wave or microwave systems.
Overview
In a noteworthy aspect, the present invention provides an improved antenna device and method of use and tuning. In an exemplary embodiment, the solution of the present invention is particularly suitable for the small size, the small size, the power feed method using a satellite wireless link (e.g., GPS) and the use of electromagnetic (e.g., capacitive in one embodiment) There are applications for metal housings that include one or more independent feed elements that are not galvanically connected to the radiating element of the antenna. In addition, certain embodiments of the antenna device provide the ability to carry more than one operating frequency band of the antenna.
Detailed description of exemplary embodiments
A detailed description of various embodiments and variations of the apparatus and method of the present invention will be provided below. Although the description is mainly in the context of a portable radio device such as a watch, the various devices and methods described herein are not limited to this. In fact, many of the devices and methods described herein can be used in various devices, including mobile devices and fixed devices that can benefit from the coupled antenna devices and methods described herein.
In addition, although the embodiments of the coupled antenna device in FIGS. 1 to 2C are mainly described in a working environment in the GPS wireless spectrum, the present invention is not limited to this. In fact, the antenna devices in Figures 1 to 2C can be used in various operating frequency bands, including but not limited to the following operating frequency bands: GLONASS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (for example, 3GPP, 3GPP2 and UMTS), HSDPA/HSUPA, TDMA , CDMA (e.g. IS-95A, WCDMA, etc.), FESS, DSSS, GSM, PAN/802.15, WiMAX (802.16), 802.20, narrowband/FDMA, OFDM, PCS/DCS, Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Advanced LTE (LTE -A), simulated honeycomb, and CDPD.
Exemplary antenna device
Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the coupling antenna device 100 is shown and described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the coupled antenna device 100 includes three main antenna elements, including an outer element 102 arranged adjacent to the middle radiator element 104 and an inner feeding element 106. The radiator element 104, the feed element 106, and the outer element 102 are not galvanically connected to each other, but are capacitively coupled as described below. The outer element 102 is also configured to serve as a basic radiator element of the antenna device 100. The width of the outer element and the distance between the outer element and the middle element are selected based on specific antenna design requirements, including (i) the frequency operating frequency band of interest, and (ii) the operating bandwidth. Those of ordinary skill in the art are Exemplary values can be easily obtained after reading the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the middle radiator element of the coupled antenna device is arranged adjacent to the outer element, and is spaced apart from the outer element by a gap distance of 120. For example, in one embodiment, a distance of 0.2-1 mm is used, but it should be understood that this value can vary depending on the implementation and operating frequency. In addition, the coupling strength can be adjusted by adjusting the gap distance, by adjusting the overlap area of the outer element and the middle radiator element, and the total area of the outer element and the middle radiator element. The gap 120 particularly allows tuning of the antenna resonance frequency, bandwidth and radiation efficiency. The intermediate radiator element also includes two parts 104(a) and 104(b). The first part 104(a) is the main coupling element, while the second part 104(b) remains suspended and not connected to the antenna structure. If due to some mechanical reasons, the intermediate element is formed as a larger part and only a shorter part of it needs to be used as a coupling element, the second part 104(b) can remain in the structure. A short-circuit point 110 is provided at one end of the portion 104(a) of the middle radiator element for grounding the middle radiator element 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the short-circuit point 110 is located at a predetermined distance 122 (typically 1-5 mm in an exemplary embodiment, but may vary according to the implementation and the operating frequency) from the inner feeding element 106. The position of the short-circuit point 110 partially determines the resonant frequency of the coupled antenna device 100. Part 104(a) is connected to part 104(b), where part 104(b) forms a complete intermediate radiator (ring).
Fig. 1 also shows an inner feed element 106 including a ground point 114 and a galvanically connected feed point 116. The inner feeding element 106 is arranged at a distance 124 from the middle radiator element 104. In addition, the arrangement and positioning of the ground point 114 relative to the feed point 116 partially determines the resonant frequency of the coupled antenna device 100. It should be noted that the grounding point of the feeding element is mainly used for impedance matching at the feeding point. In one embodiment, the feeding element forms an IFA (inverted F antenna) structure of a type known in the art, and the impedance adjustment of this element is well known to ordinary antenna designers, so it will not be repeated here. The typical distance between the feed point and the ground point is about 1-5mm, but this can vary depending on frequency and application.
In addition, it should be understood that, if necessary, the grounding point can be eliminated, for example, by arranging a parallel inductor on the feeder line. As described below, the settings of the feed point 116 and the ground points 110 and 114 will greatly affect the right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) isolation gains. In short, GPS and most satellite navigation transmissions are RHCP. The satellite transmits the RHCP signal because it is found to be less affected by the distortion and loss of the atmospheric signal compared to the linearly polarized signal, for example. Therefore, any receiving antenna should have the same polarization as the transmitting satellite. If the antenna of the receiving device is mainly LHCP polarized, significant signal loss (about tens of dB) will occur. In addition, whenever a satellite signal is reflected by an object (such as the surface of the earth or a building), its polarization will change from RHCP to LHCP. Compared with the directly received RHCP signal, the signal reflected once near the receiving unit has almost the same amplitude, but has a small delay and LHCP. These reflected signals are particularly detrimental to the sensitivity of the GPS receiver, so it is better to use an antenna whose LHCP gain is at least 5 to 10 dB lower than the RHCP gain.
For example, in the exemplary diagram, the layout of the feeder line and the ground line is selected to make the RCHP gain dominant and suppress the LHCP gain (thus enhancing the sensitivity to GPS circularly polarized signals). However, if the arrangement of the feeder line and the ground line is reversed, the "handedness" of the antenna device 100 will be reversed, thereby suppressing the RHCP gain while generating the dominant LHCP gain. To this end, the present invention also envisages the ability to switch or reconfigure the antenna during operation, such as by hardware or software switches, or manually, for example, in operation, in order to switch the aforementioned "rotation direction" according to the needs of a specific use or application. Sex". For example, it may be desirable to work in conjunction with an LHCP source, or to receive the above-mentioned reflected signal.
Therefore, although not shown, the present invention envisages: (i) a portable device or other device with an RHCP-dominant antenna and an LHCP-dominant antenna that can operate substantially independently of each other, and (ii) the receiver can be The polarization of the received signal is a variant of switching between the two.
Therefore, the coupled antenna device 100 of FIG. 1 includes a stacked structure including an outer element 102, a middle radiator element 104 arranged on the inner side of the outer element, and an inner feeding element 106. It should be noted that an intermediate radiator element is sufficient to excite at the desired operating frequency. However, for multi-band operation, other intermediate elements and feed elements can be added. For example, if the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band is required, the same outer radiator can be fed by another set of intermediate elements and feeding elements. The inner feeding element is also configured to be galvanically coupled with the feeding point 116, and the middle radiator element is configured to be capacitively coupled with the inner feeding element. The outer element 102 is configured to function as a final antenna radiator, and is also configured to capacitively couple with the middle radiator element. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the outer element 102 and the feeding elements 104 and 106 are selected to achieve the desired performance. Specifically, if the elements (outer element, middle element, inner element) are measured to be separated from each other, none of them will be independently tuned to a value close to the desired operating frequency. However, when three elements are coupled together, they form a radiator group that can resonate at the desired operating frequency or frequencies. Due to the physical size of the antenna and the use of low dielectric media (such as plastic), a relatively wide single resonance bandwidth can be achieved. In the exemplary environment of satellite navigation applications, a significant advantage of this structure is that it is generally beneficial to GPS and GLONASS navigation systems with the same antenna allowed by the exemplary embodiment (ie, a minimum of 1575-1610 MHz).
Those skilled in the art can understand when reading the present invention that the above parameters correspond to an embodiment of a specific antenna/device, and are configured based on a specific implementation, and therefore only illustrate the broader principles of the present invention. The distances 120, 122, and 124 are also selected to achieve the desired impedance matching of the coupled antenna device 100. For example, since multiple elements can be adjusted, even if the unit size (antenna size) changes greatly, the resulting antenna can be tuned to a desired operating frequency. For example, the size of the top (outer) element can be expanded to 100mm by 60mm, and by adjusting the coupling between the elements, correct tuning and matching can be advantageously achieved.
Structure of portable radio equipment
2A to 2C, an exemplary embodiment of a portable radio device including a coupling antenna device configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown and described. Various implementations of the outer element can be used in combination with the embodiments of the coupled antenna device shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C in order to further optimize various antenna operating characteristics. In some embodiments, a metal-covered plastic body can be used to form one or more components of the antenna device 100 in FIG. 1, and the metal-covered plastic body can be made through any suitable manufacturing method (for example, an exemplary laser Direct construction ("LDS") manufacturing process, or even printing process such as described below) to manufacture.
The latest developments in LDS antenna manufacturing processes enable the antenna to be directly constructed on an otherwise non-conductive surface (for example, on a thermoplastic material doped with metal additives). The doped metal additives are then activated by laser. LDS allows antennas to be constructed on more complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries. For example, in various typical smart phones, watches, and other mobile device applications, the underlying device housing on which the antenna can be placed and/or other antenna components are manufactured using LDS polymer through standard injection molding processes. Then, a laser is used to activate the areas of the (thermoplastic) material, and then these areas are electroplated. Usually, an electrolytic copper bath is followed, and then a continuous additional layer (such as nickel or gold) is added to complete the antenna structure.
In addition, pad printing, conductive ink printing, FPC, metal plate, PCB processing can be used in accordance with the present invention. It should be understood that the various features of the present invention are advantageously not limited to any particular manufacturing technology, and therefore can be widely used with the various aforementioned features. Although certain technologies inherently have limitations in manufacturing, for example, 3D shaped radiators and adjusting gaps between elements, the antenna structure of the present invention can be formed by using any kind of conductive materials and processing.
However, although the use of LDS is exemplary, other embodiments can also be used to manufacture coupled antenna devices, such as through the use of flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs), metal plates, printed radiators, etc., as described above. However, the various design considerations described above may be selected to conform, for example, to maintain the desired small size shape and/or other design requirements and attributes. For example, in a variant, the printing-based method and device described in US9780438 are used for the placement of the antenna radiator on the substrate. In such a variant, the antenna radiator includes a quarter wave ring or linear structure printed on the substrate using the printing process described herein.
The portable devices shown in FIGS. 2A to 5C (ie, GPS-enabled wrist-worn watches, asset trackers, sports computers, diving computers, etc.) are placed in a housing 200 that is configured to have a generally circular shape form. However, it should be understood that although the device shown has a substantially circular shape, the present invention can be implemented as devices having other desired shapes, including but not limited to squares, rectangles, other polygons, ellipses, and irregularities. Shape etc. In addition, the housing is configured to receive a display cover (not shown) that is at least partially formed of a transparent material (e.g., transparent polymer, glass, or other suitable transparent material). The housing is also configured to receive the coupled antenna device, similar to the coupled antenna device shown in FIG. 1. In an exemplary embodiment, the housing is formed of an injection molded polymer such as polyethylene or ABS-PC. In a variant, the plastic material also has a metalized conductive layer (for example, a copper alloy) provided on its surface. The metalized conductor layer usually forms a coupled antenna device as shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2C, an embodiment of a coupling antenna device 200 used in a portable radio device according to the principles of the present invention is shown. Figure 2A shows the bottom side of the coupled antenna device 200, which shows various connections to the printed circuit board 219 (Figures 2B and 2C). Specifically, FIG. 2A shows the short-circuit point 210 for the ring-shaped intermediate radiator element 204, and the short-circuit point 216 and the current feeding point 214 for the inner feeding track element 206. The inner feeding track element and the ring-shaped intermediate radiator element are both arranged in the front cover 203 of the coupling antenna device used with the portable radio equipment in the illustrated embodiment. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a laser direct construction ("LDS") polymer material is used to manufacture the front cover 203 (see FIGS. 2A and 2C), which is then doped and plated with a ring-shaped outer side The radiating element 202 (see Figures 2B-2C). The use of LDS technology is exemplary, which allows complex (e.g., curved) metal structures to be formed directly on the underlying polymer material. Alternatively, the annular outer radiating element 402 may include, for example, a stamped metal ring formed of stainless steel, aluminum, or other corrosion-resistant materials (if exposed to environmental stress without any additional protective coating). Ideally, the selected material should have sufficient RF conductivity. Electroplated metal, such as nickel-gold plating, etc., or other well-known RF materials that can be set on the front cover 203 can also be used.
In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, the LDS technology may also be used to provide a ring-shaped intermediate radiator element 204 on the inner side of the doped front cover 203. The annular intermediate radiator element 204 is constructed in two parts 204(a) and 204(b). In an exemplary embodiment, the element 204(a) is used to provide a favorable location for mating with the ground contact (short-circuit point) 210. The short-circuit point 210 is provided on one end of the first part 204(a) of the ring-shaped intermediate radiator. The coupled antenna device 200 also includes an LDS polymer feed frame 218 on which an inner feed element 206 is constructed. The inner feeding element includes a current feeding point 216 and a short-circuit point 214, both of which are configured to be coupled to the printed circuit board 219 at points 216' and 214', respectively (see FIG. 2C). The inner feeding frame element is arranged adjacent to the ring-shaped middle radiator element part 204 so that the coaxial feeding point is separated from the short-circuit point 210 of the middle radiator element by a certain distance 222. The short-circuit point 210 of the middle radiator element and the short-circuit point 214 of the inner feed element are configured to be joined with the PCB 219 at points 210' and 214', respectively. The back cover 220 is located on the lower side of the printed circuit board and forms a closed structure for coupling the antenna device.
Although the foregoing embodiments generally include a single coupled antenna device arranged in the housing of the host device, it should also be understood that in some embodiments, in addition to the exemplary coupled antenna device 100 shown in FIG. Other antenna elements are provided in the host device. These other antenna elements can be designed to receive other types of wireless signals, such as but not limited to Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), 802.11 (Wi-Fi), Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB), AM/FM Radio, International Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency bands (such as ISM-868, ISM-915, etc.), ZigBee®, etc., to expand the functions of portable devices while maintaining a compact appearance.
The coupled antenna device 200 as shown in the figure may include two antenna assemblies including a middle radiator element and an inner feeding element (not shown), and the two antenna assemblies have a common ring-shaped outer element 202. The two antenna components can work in the same frequency band or in different frequency bands. For example, the antenna component "a" may be configured to operate in the Wi-Fi frequency band of approximately 2.4 GHz, and the other antenna component may be configured to operate in the GNSS frequency range to provide GPS functions. The selection of the operating frequency is exemplary and can be changed for different applications according to the principles of the present invention.
In addition, when the antenna feed impedance is tuned in conjunction with the user's body tissue load, the axial ratio (AR) of the antenna device of the present invention can be affected (see the previous description of impedance tuning based on the ground and the feed track position). The axial ratio (AR) is an important parameter that defines the performance of a circularly polarized antenna; the best axial ratio is 1, which corresponds to the situation where the amplitude of the rotating signal is equal in all phases. A fully linearly polarized antenna will have an infinite axial ratio, which means that when the phase is rotated by 90 degrees, its signal amplitude will be reduced to zero. If a fully linearly polarized antenna is used to receive the best circularly polarized signal, a 3 dB signal loss will occur due to polarization mismatch. In other words, 50% of the incident signal will be lost. In practice, due to the asymmetry of the mechanical structure, etc., it is difficult to achieve the best circular polarization (AR=1). The conventionally used ceramic GPS patch antennas usually have an axial ratio of 1 to 3 dB when used in practical solutions. This is considered an "industry standard" and has a sufficient level of performance.
In addition, it should also be understood that the device 200 may also include a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), or an organic LED (OLED), TFT (thin film transistor), etc., for displaying desired Information. In addition, the host device may also include a touch screen input and display device (for example, capacitive or resistive), or a well-known type of device in the electronic field, to provide the user with touch input capabilities and traditional display functions.
Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a coupled antenna device including a transient voltage suppressor (TVS). Figure 3 is similar to Figure 1 above. In some cases, it is desirable to use the outer radiator element 132 as part of the antenna. The outer radiator element 132 may share some or all of the characteristics with the outer element 102 described above. However, when the outer radiator element 132 is a part of the antenna, it cannot be easily grounded in the antenna structure of FIG. 1. Therefore, the TVS diode 130 is electrically connected to the outer radiator element 132. An illustrative example of this situation is shown in Figure 3. Therefore, when there is a sufficiently large potential or voltage in the outer radiator element 132, the TVS 130 grounds the outer radiator element 132. In this way, the TVS diode can protect the electronic equipment in the device from, for example, electrical sparks from the outside of the equipment.
In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the first part 104(a) of the middle radiator element and the inner feeding element 106 are grounded. In addition, they are within the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection provided by the outer radiator element 132 connected to the TVS diode. If the TVS is not grounded, there will actually be a large enough potential to pass through the outermost conductive part of the device and damage the internal electronic devices. A special problem in smart watches and mobile devices is that large potentials can enter through the display cable and display connection and damage the display driver.
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the coupled antenna device including the transient voltage suppressor circuit 134 of the present invention. Figure 4 is similar to Figures 1 and 3 described above. In some cases, it is desirable to use the outer radiator element 132 as part of the antenna. The outer radiator element 132 may share some or all of the characteristics with the outer element 102 described above. However, when the outer radiator element 132 is a part of the antenna, it cannot be easily grounded in the antenna structure of FIG. 1. Therefore, the LC circuit 134 is electrically connected to the outer radiator element 132. An example of this situation is shown in FIG. 4. The LC circuit 134 is closed, that is, the outer radiator element 132 is grounded with low frequency and direct current. Therefore, the impedance value of the LC circuit is selected to allow electrostatic discharge current to flow through it. The LC circuit 134 protects electronic components in the equipment from, for example, electrical sparks from outside the equipment.
The LC circuit 134 forms a stop band at its resonance frequency and acts like an open circuit. The values of the L and C components are chosen so that the circuit resonates at the operating frequency of the antenna.
In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the first part 104(a) of the intermediate radiator element and the internal feed element 106 are grounded. In addition, the external radiator element 132 is connected to the LC circuit 134 to provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. If there is no such high-impedance grounding, then there will actually be a large enough potential to pass through the outermost conductive part of the device and damage the internal electronic devices. A special problem in smart watches and mobile devices is that large potentials can enter through the display cable and display connection and damage the display driver.
According to some examples, a fixed or variable capacitor C or one or more switchable capacitors C1, C2 (see FIG. 4A) may be added in parallel with the coil L to make the LC circuit 134 tunable. By tuning the variable capacitor C, and/or by turning on and/or turning off capacitors C1 and C2 with appropriately selected capacitances, the LC circuit 134 or 134a can be tuned to different frequencies received by the antenna, such as GPS, Glo The frequency of Nass and Galileo navigation systems. In addition, other wireless systems can also be interfaced with the device of the present invention, such as Bluetooth or WiFi, whose frequencies can be received and the LC circuit 134 or 134a can also be tuned to resonate at these frequencies, thereby optimizing antenna performance in various systems. Surprisingly, the LC circuit 134 or 134a can provide ESD protection with little negative impact on the antenna performance.
For example, a loop used in a wrist-worn electronic device may have an inner surface and an outer surface. The entire outer surface or part of the outer surface of the ring may be the outer radiator element. In addition, one or more other radiator elements may be positioned, contained, and/or supported at the inner surface of the loop. According to some embodiments, one or more other radiator elements are electrically insulated but mechanically connected to the inner surface of the ring.
As described above, the coupled antenna device may include a loop including the outer radiator element. The outer radiator element forms part of the antenna structure. The outer radiator element may for example be a part and/or a section of the loop. The outer radiator element may have a closed-loop structure, or even the entire loop. In the embodiment of the metal ring, the outer radiator element may be an integral part of the ring. The outer radiator element may also be a separate part of the loop, which is combined with one or more other parts to form the loop.
Many types of electronic equipment can include coupled antenna devices as described herein. One example is a wrist-worn electronic device, which has a housing that includes one or more parts. At least a part of the housing may be a loop. According to certain embodiments, the housing of the device includes any ring according to the above, and a main body. The main body and/or the ring may contain multiple electronic devices. The outside of the ring may contain a metal part, which is an outer radiator element or may serve as an outer radiator element. The outer radiator element usually does not need to be grounded. However, the above-mentioned outer radiator element may be electrically coupled to a TVS device housed in the housing through a pogo pin, to protect at least some of the plurality of internal electronic devices from the large potential to which the outer radiator element may be exposed. influences.
In addition, according to some embodiments, the electronic device may further include at least one screw. Screws may be used primarily to mechanically connect the ring to the main body of the housing and/or one or more other parts of the device. The screw may be electrically conductive, for example metallic, and therefore make electrical contact with the ring and/or part of the outer radiator element. Therefore, the screw can form an additional conductive part of the outer radiator element. In some embodiments, the screw may electrically ground at least a portion of the loop. In addition, other connection mechanisms other than screws but with similar electromechanical properties can also be used instead of actual screws.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a schematic diagram of a dive computer 50 that can be used in conjunction with at least some embodiments of the present invention is shown. The wearable diving computer has a housing, and the housing mainly includes a conductive ring 51 and a main body 52. The ring includes a radiator element, such as the ungrounded outer radiator element 202 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. The radio unit 54 is functionally connected to a diving computer circuit (not shown) enclosed in the housing, and has a conductive coupling part 58 to the radiator element for allowing wireless communication between the diving computer and external equipment. A suitable core circuit for the radio unit may be, for example, a Bluetooth processor (BLE SoC) nRF51422 provided by Nordic Semiconductor®. The radio unit 54 may also include a balun converter between the Bluetooth processor and the inductor 56, such as NRF02D3 provided by ST Microelectronics®, to convert between balanced and unbalanced signals, and/or in the processor And the inductance circuit. The inductor 56 may be a coil, such as LQG15HS22NJ02D provided by Murata®. The antenna can be grounded for DC current through the coil, and a current path 59 for water contact can be established.
It may also include a water contact detector circuit 55 arranged to sense when the wearable diving computer enters an underwater state. An exemplary button 53 extending through the main body 52 can be operated from the outside of the main body. The button includes a conductive water contact surface so that the button can transmit a water contact signal to the water contact detector circuit 55, which signal is sensed as a voltage drop across the resistor R. The button 53 can be a push button or a navigation button that is part of the user interface of the dive computer. Using it in this way will not affect the water contact detection, and vice versa.
As an alternative to the button, the water contactor may be arranged as a navigation-type button, or may be formed by any surface or structure in the housing that can come into contact with water when the diving computer is immersed in water.
As an alternative to sensing the voltage drop across the resistor R, a current source can be used for current sensing in the water contact detector circuit. This can eliminate the resistor R and detect it through a semiconductor circuit. Other embodiments may include various signal forms, such as DC, pulsed DC, or AC (alternating current).
The underwater condition sensing circuit in FIG. 5 includes a conductive coupling part 58 between the radiator element in the ring 51 and the radio unit 54 and a low-pass filter, which includes at least one end connected to the conductive coupling Part 58, the other end is connected to the inductor 56 of the ground potential part 57 of the diving computer.
Therefore, the underwater condition sensing circuits 58, 56 and 57 sense when water establishes a conductive path 59 from the water contact surface of the button to the loop 51 and the radiator element as a DC short-circuit path through the inductor 56 to ground , Thereby providing a voltage indication of the underwater condition to the water contact detector circuit 55 in the sensing loop of the resistor R.
It is important that the radio unit 54 does not detect a short circuit of its radiator element due to the low-pass filter 56. Generally, for example, the radio unit operates in the 2.4 GHz range when used in Bluetooth applications, and in the 1.5 GHz range when used in GPS applications. The DC short circuit will pass through the filter 56, but not the GHz range signal.
According to some embodiments, the water contact detector circuit 55 may be configured to automatically switch to the diving operation mode of the diving computer when an underwater condition is detected. In some embodiments, the contact detector circuit 55 may be configured to deactivate the radio unit when an underwater condition is detected, in order to reduce power consumption, for example.
Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown a button member that is usable in at least some embodiments of the present invention. The button member is engaged with the device housing at a hole in the housing, and has a button portion 60 having a round or other suitable shape touch surface portion 64a to form an engagement by the touch or pressing of a user's finger. As shown in the figure, the button portion 60 also includes a shaft portion 64b connected to the touch surface portion 64a, and the touch surface portion 64a is preferably formed as one piece with the shaft portion 64b and is perpendicular to the shaft portion 64b . When the button portion 60 is touched by the user, the shaft portion 64b slides inward and outward as indicated by arrow B in the fixed guide portion 63.
The fixed guide portion 63 serves as a bush for the button portion 60. The shaft portion 64b of the button is supported in the guide portion by an O-ring 69a coated with lubricating oil. The spring 69b with the washer 69c provides the required return force and resistance to the touch surface 64a.
At the other end of the guide portion 63, a bushing surface 69d for the touch surface portion 64a of the button portion is also provided.
The outward movement of the buttons 64a, 64b is restricted by the stopper 67, which abuts on the end of the guide portion 63.
Preferably, the fixed guide portion 63 includes a conductive water contact surface area A, as described above, in an underwater condition, water will contact the water contact surface area A, and then can penetrate the conductive element 65 and the detector circuit 66 To sense the water. Obviously, the water contact part can be made of any conductive surface in the button member. However, since the buttons 64a, 64b can be made of non-conductive materials, more design freedom is allowed, and the aesthetics of the device can be improved, and since the fixed structure can form a more reliable connection with the sensor circuit, Therefore, the water contact surface area A on the guide portion 63 is a preferred embodiment. In some embodiments, grooves 61a and 62a (dashed lines) may be provided at the main body 61 and the bottom 62 of the device, respectively. The purpose of the groove is to allow water to flow to the water contact surface area A of the guide portion 63 and prevent pressure and/or air bubbles from accumulating between the button 60 and the housing of the device (which would weaken the water contact with the guide portion). The shaft portion 64b and the button portion 64a may be coated, for example, to prevent the creep current from causing erroneous electrical water contact indications.
Water can be prevented from entering the inside of the device by sealing members such as O-ring 68 extending between the guide portion 63, the main body portion 61 and the bottom portion 62 of the device, respectively.
6 also shows the clip washer 65 of the present invention, which is pressed or snapped onto the guide portion 63, and also shows the connecting element extending relative to the clip washer 65 and providing an electrical connection pin 66. The clip washer will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
In Figure 7, a clip-on gasket that can be used in some embodiments of the assembly of the present invention is shown. The clip-on washer 70 is preferably made of a one-piece metal sheet, and its overall appearance is a snap-spring fastener, including a semi-flexible metal clip ring 71 with an open end, which can be pressed or snapped to the The guide portion 63 is on.
The clip-on washer is provided with a flexible connecting element 73 extending a certain distance from the washer to provide an electrical connection for an electrical circuit in the device, such as a contact pin 74. Such a circuit can be a water contact detection circuit as shown in FIG. 5. The element 73 may be integrally formed with the clip 70 and made of the same metal sheet, or the element 73 may be a tongue, spring, wire, or any other suitable connecting element.
In some embodiments, the inner edge 72 of the clamp ring 71 may be sharp and cut into the conductive surface of the guide part, thereby being able to lock itself in place when the clamp ring is pressed onto the guide part. In some other embodiments, the inner edge 72 of the clamp ring 71 may be rounded and snap into a circumferential groove on the conductive surface of the guide part, thereby being able to hold itself when the clamp ring is pressed onto the guide part. Lock in place.
Since the flexible connecting element 73 located at the contact pin 74 receives a force 77 from a corresponding pin on a printed circuit board or the like, in some embodiments, it is better to ensure that the clip washer 70 does not start to rotate around the guide portion. This can be prevented by providing support from the device housing or structure at certain points 75a, 75b, 75c of the clip-on gasket. This support structure 76 at point 75a is shown in FIG. 7, which prevents the downward force 77 from causing the washer 70 to rotate.
Figure 8 shows some of the main parts of the assembly of the present invention. The clip-on gasket 81 shown in FIG. 7 is installed on the guide portion 82 (similar to the guide portion 63 of FIG. 6) of the assembly by pressing and/or snapping. The guide portion supports the button portion 80, which includes a touch surface portion 83 and a shaft portion 84 in the guide portion as shown by a broken line. When the button portion 80 is engaged by the user, the shaft portion 84 slides inward and outward as indicated by the arrow 85 within the guide portion.
It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific structures, method steps, or materials described herein, but can be extended to their equivalents that can be imagined by those of ordinary skill in the related art. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting.
Throughout the specification, reference to "one embodiment" means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the appearances of the term "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.
Multiple objects, structural elements, constituent elements, and/or materials used herein may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be interpreted as each element in the list independently as a separate and unique element. Therefore, only based on that they are presented in a common group without an indication to the contrary, any single element in the list should not be interpreted as the de facto equivalent of any other element in the same list. In addition, herein, various embodiments and examples of the present invention may have substitutes for various parts thereof. It should be understood that these embodiments, examples, and alternatives should not be construed as actual equivalents to each other, but should be construed as independent and autonomous expressions of the present invention.
In addition, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined into one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the description herein, many specific details are provided, such as examples of length, width, shape, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the relevant art should understand that the present invention can be practiced without one or more specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, and the like. In addition, in order to avoid making various aspects of the present invention unclear, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail.
Although the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate the principle of the present invention in one or more specific applications, it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that without creative work and without departing from the principles and concepts of the present invention Below, many modifications in form, use, and implementation details can be made. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be restricted beyond the scope of the attached patent application.
