Antenna having a substrate configured to facilitate through-metal energy transfer via near field magnetic coupling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10432031-B2
Application number	US-201715836244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2017
Priority date	Dec 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

An electrically conductive material configured having at least one opening of various unlimited geometries extending through its thickness is provided. The opening is designed to modify eddy currents that form within the surface of the material from interaction with magnetic fields that allow for wireless energy transfer therethrough. The opening may be configured as a cut-out, a slit or combination thereof that extends through the thickness of the electrically conductive material. The electrically conductive material is configured with the cut-out and/or slit pattern positioned adjacent to an antenna configured to receive or transmit electrical energy wirelessly through near-field magnetic coupling (NFMC). A magnetic field shielding material, such as a ferrite, may also be positioned adjacent to the antenna. Such magnetic shielding materials may be used to strategically block eddy currents from electrical components and circuitry located within a device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna configured to receive or transmit wireless electrical energy, the antenna comprising:
a) at least one inductor coil positioned on a first substrate, the at least one inductor coil having an inner inductor coil diameter;
b) a second substrate having a second substrate surface extending to a second substrate perimeter having an end defining a second substrate surface area and having a second substrate thickness oriented about perpendicular to the second substrate surface, wherein the second substrate is positioned adjacent to the at least one inductor coil;
c) a cut-out residing within the substrate surface, the cut-out having a cut-out perimeter defining a cut-out shape oriented parallel to the second substrate surface, the cut-out extending through the second substrate thickness, wherein the perimeter of the cut-out is oriented in parallel with the inner diameter of the at least one inductor coil; and
d) at least one slit having a slit length extending from a slit proximal end to a slit distal end, a slit width oriented perpendicular to the slit length, and a slit depth extending at least partially within the second substrate thickness, wherein the slit proximal end extends from the cut-out perimeter, the slit distal end extending towards a second substrate edge.

2. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the slit depth extends through the second substrate thickness.

3. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the cut-out shape is configured in a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of a circle, an oval, a rectangle, a square, a triangle, an octagon, and a polygon.

4. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the second substrate is composed of an electrically conducting material.

5. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the cut-out and the at least one slit define a cut-out pattern surface area, and wherein the second substrate is configured according to the equation:

A
-
1

B
-
1

>

80
⁢

⁢
percent

where A is the cut-out pattern surface area defined by the combined surface areas of the cut-out and the at least one slit and B is the surface area of the second substrate without the cut-out and the at least one slit within the second substrate.

6. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the length of the at least one slit ranges from about 1 mm to about 50 mm.

7. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the width of the at least one slit ranges from about 1 mm to about 5 mm.

8. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the distal end of the at least one slit resides at the second substrate edge.

9. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the distal end of the at least one slit extends through the second substrate edge.

10. The antenna of claim 1 further configured to receive or transmit wireless electrical energy via near field magnetic coupling.

11. The antenna of claim 1 further comprising a self resonance frequency equal to or greater than 1.5 times an antenna operating frequency.

12. The antenna of claim 1 further electrically incorporated with an electric device.

13. The antenna of claim 12 wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a computer, a radio, a television, a medical device, and a device that comprises an electronic circuit.

14. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the second substrate comprises a sidewall of an electronic device.

15. The antenna of claim 1 wherein a gap resides between the at least one inductor coil and the second substrate.

16. The antenna of claim 15 wherein the gap ranges from about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm.

17. The antenna of claim 1 wherein a spacer comprising a polymeric material resides between the at least one inductor coil and the second substrate.

18. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the first substrate comprises a ferrite material.

19. The antenna of claim 18 wherein the ferrite material has a loss tangent equal to or less than about 0.70.

20. The antenna of claim 1 wherein an opening extends through a thickness of the first substrate, the at least one inductor coil positioned surrounding the opening.

21. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the first substrate comprises an overhang portion that circumferentially extends around an outer diameter of the at least one inductor coil.

22. The antenna of claim 1 wherein a third substrate comprising an electrically conductive material is positioned adjacent to a surface of the first substrate opposite the at least one inductor coil.

23. The antenna of claim 22 wherein the third substrate comprises copper, nickel, aluminum or a combination thereof.

24. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the cut-out and the inductor coil are aligned so that an imaginary line oriented perpendicular therebetween extends through a perimeter of the cut-out and an inner diameter of the at least one inductor coil.

Assignees

• Nucurrent Inc

Inventors

• Peralta Alberto
• Alam Md Nazmul
• Singh Vinit
• Alizad Sina Haji

Classifications

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J50/70

  involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields · CPC title

• H05K5/0247

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title

• H01Q7/005

  with variable reactance for tuning the antenna · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title