Electronic device having millimeter wave antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10219389-B2
Application number	US-201715442974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An antenna assembly is formed in a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) for transceiving in a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band. A ground plane is formed on at least a portion of a planar surface of the multilayer PCB. Two metal components are physically attached to the multilayer PCB and electrically coupled to the ground plane. A monopole antenna is positioned vertically through one or more layers of the multilayer PCB. The antenna is positioned proximate to one lateral side of the multilayer PCB, and aligned between the two metal components. Vertical stubs are formed through the multilayer PCB, vertically aligned with the monopole antenna, and spaced to a side of the monopole antenna opposite to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB. Each vertical stub is electrically grounded to the ground plane. The two metal components and the vertical stubs shape beam directivity of the monopole antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a computing environment comprising active components attached to and functionally interconnected on more than one layer of a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), where a planar surface of each layer of the multilayer PCB defines a horizontal plane;
a communication module in communication with the active components of the computing environment, the communication module transceiving in a millimeter wave (mmWave) band via an input/output component;
at least one ground plane formed on at least a portion of a planar surface of the multilayer PCB, the input/output component comprising a conductive component attached to the multilayer PCB;
two or more metal components that are physically attached to the multilayer PCB and electrically coupled to the at least one ground plane;
a monopole antenna electrically connected to the input/output component, positioned vertically through one or more layers of the multilayer PCB, positioned proximate to one lateral side of the multilayer PCB, and aligned between two adjacent ones of the two or more metal components; and
one or more vertical stubs formed through the multilayer PCB, vertically aligned with the monopole antenna, and spaced to a side of the monopole antenna opposite to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB, each vertical stub electrically grounded to the ground plane;
wherein the two adjacent ones of the two or more metal components and the one or more vertical stubs shape beam directivity of the monopole antenna toward the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a first dielectric material positioned on at least a portion of one planar side of the multilayer PCB, vertically aligned and proximate to the monopole antenna.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the communication module comprises a transceiver circuit mounted on another planar side of the multilayer PCB, opposite to the first dielectric material, and comprising a transceiver connection connected to a first end of the monopole antenna.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising a second dielectric material positioned adjacent to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the mmWave antenna configuration further comprises one or more vertical parasitic antenna elements on a selected at least one of: an inner surface and an outer surface of the second dielectric material, and aligned with the monopole antenna to increase directivity.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising more than one aligned mmWave antenna assembly to increase antenna gain along the directivity direction.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the more than one aligned mmWave antenna assembly comprise laterally aligned mmWave antenna assemblies formed in the multilayer PCB.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the more than one aligned mmWave antenna assembly comprise a second multilayer PCB stacked on the multilayer PCB and having a second mmWave antenna assembly that is vertically aligned with the mmWave antenna assembly of the multilayer PCB.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vertical stubs are horizontally spaced a distance selected from a range of 0.1 to 0.5 of a wavelength (k) from the monopole antenna, wherein wavelength (k) is a wavelength of the lowest mmWave frequency that the mmWave antenna is intended to transmit or receive.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ground plane comprises a top ground plane and a bottom ground plane formed on opposite planar surfaces of the multilayer PCB, the electronic device comprises an array of vertical conductive elements electrically connected between the top and bottom ground planes adjacent to the one or more vertical stubs on an opposite side of the two metal components and the monopole antenna to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein each of the array of vertically conductive elements and the monopole antenna comprise stacked vias formed in the multilayer PCB.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a device chassis encompassing the multilayer PCB, wherein the two or more metal members comprise screw bosses that mechanically attach the multilayer PCB to the device chassis.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a second mmWave antenna assembly positioned in a selected one of an orthogonal alignment and an opposite alignment to the mmWave antenna assembly to provide a secondary directivity direction.

14. An antenna assembly comprising:
a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), where a planar surface of each layer of the multilayer PCB defines a horizontal plane;
an input/output component attached to a selected planar surface of the PCB and connectable to a communication module for propagating a signal in a millimeter wave (mmWave) band;
at least one ground plane formed on at least a portion of a planar surface of the multilayer PCB, the input/output component comprising a conductive component attached to the multilayer PCB;
two or more metal components that are physically attached to the multilayer PCB and electrically coupled to the at least one ground plane;
a monopole antenna electrically connected to the input/output component, positioned vertically through one or more layers of the multilayer PCB, positioned proximate to one lateral side of the multilayer PCB, and aligned between two adjacent ones of the two or more metal components; and
one or more vertical stubs formed through the multilayer PCB, vertically aligned with the monopole antenna, and spaced to a side of the monopole antenna opposite to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB, each vertical stub electrically grounded to the ground plane,
wherein the two adjacent ones of the two or more metal components and the one or more vertical stubs shape beam directivity of the monopole antenna toward the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB.

15. The antenna assembly of claim 14 , further comprising a selected at least one of:
a first dielectric material positioned on at least a portion of one planar side of the multilayer PCB, vertically aligned and proximate to the monopole antenna; and
a second dielectric material positioned adjacent to the one lateral side of the multilayer PCB,
wherein the second dielectric material comprises one or more vertical parasitic antenna elements on a selected at least one of: an inner surface and an outer surface and aligned with the monopole antenna to increase directivity of the antenna assembly.

16. The antenna assembly of claim 14 , further comprising at least one addition mmWave antenna assembly oriented in a selected one of lateral and vertical alignment to the mmWave antenna assembly to increase antenna gain along the directivity direction and an orthogonal alignment to add a second orthogonal directivity direction.

17. The antenna assembly of claim 14 , wherein:
the one or more vertical stubs are horizontally spaced a distance selected from a range of 0.1 to 0.5 of a wavelength (λ) from the monopole antenna, wherein wavelength (λ) is a wavelength of the lowest mmWave frequency that the mmWave antenna is intended to transmit or receive;
the at least one ground plane comprises a top ground plane and a bottom ground plane formed on opposite planar surfaces of the multilayer PCB, the electronic device comprises an array of vertical conductive elements electrically connected between th

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Islam Md Rashidul
• Krenz Eric
• Smith Hugh
• Szini Istvan

Classifications

• H05K3/30 Primary

  Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistors · CPC title

• H01Q19/06

  using refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens {(radome H01Q1/42)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q19/102

  wherein the surfaces are of convex toroïdal shape (biconical horns H01Q13/04) · CPC title

• H01Q9/30

  with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole (H01Q9/44 takes precedence) · CPC title