Slot mode antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11043748-B2
Application number	US-201916268533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Feb 8, 2018
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

The invention concerns an assembly for an antenna operating in a slot mode. It is also directed to an electronic wristwatch-like device comprising such antennas. The antenna assembly comprises at least one circuit board of an electronic device, a conductive body arranged at a distance from said at least one circuit board and defining a slot between them, at least one feed element for coupling an electromagnetic signal between said conductive body and said circuit board. A length of the slot is defined between two points at which said conductive body is connected to a ground plane of said at least one circuit board.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly for an antenna operating in a slot mode, wherein the assembly comprises:
at least two printed circuit boards of an electronic device, the printed circuit boards being semi-circular in shape,
a conductive body arranged at a distance from said at least one printed circuit board and defining a slot mode antenna between the conductive body and the printed circuit board, said slot mode antenna having
two end connection points at which said conductive body is connected to a ground plane of said at least one circuit board, and
between said connection points at the edge of one of said at least one printed circuit board at least one feed element for coupling an electromagnetic signal between said slot mode antenna and said circuit board, and
at least two L-shaped slot defining members,

wherein the effective width and/or length of the slot mode antenna is at least partially defined by a conductive rim structure running at least in part along the perimeter of said one printed circuit board and attached to the edge of said board.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said circuit board is arranged in a plane parallel to and at least partly aligned with said conductive body, and has at least along a part of a periphery a conductive layer at said ground plane.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising an element having a connection point that connects said conductive body to a ground plane of said circuit board, said connection point being located at a first end of said slot forming said slot mode antenna.

4. The assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising an element having a connection point that connects said conductive body to a ground plane of said circuit board, said connection point being located at a second end of said slot forming said slot mode antenna.

5. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said conductive body is a bezel being a part of the housing encompassing a wristwatch device.

6. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said feed element for said first and second connection points are separate and located at the first and second ends of said slot which defines the length of the slot mode antenna.

7. The assembly according to claim 5 , wherein said first and second connection points and said at least one feed element in said wristwatch device is positioned approximately between 3 and 9 o'clock along the periphery of the device.

8. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said conductive body has the shape of at least one of: a ring, an ellipse, a rectangle, a square, or any other polygon.

9. The assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising more than two connecting points.

10. The assembly according to claim 9 , wherein said circuit board and said conductive body are arranged to define multiple slots between them, each slot being defined between two connecting points and each slot having said at least one feed element between said connecting points.

11. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said conductive rim structure is at least in part forming an extension of the periphery of said one printed circuit board.

12. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one slot in the assembly is adapted for the reception of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal.

13. The assembly according to claim 12 , wherein said GNSS signal is selected from GPS, Glonass, Galileo and/or Beidou signals.

14. An electronic wristwatch device comprising:
a housing,
at least two printed circuit boards inside said housing, the printed circuit boards being semi-circular in shape,
a conductive bezel arranged at a distance from said printed circuit board as part of said housing and defining a slot between the conductive body and the printed circuit board,
and at least two L-shaped slot defining members,

wherein the slot comprises an antenna operating in a slot mode having two end connecting points at which said bezel is connected to a ground plane of said at least one printed circuit board, and between said connection points at the edge of one of said at least one printed circuit board at least one feed element for coupling an electromagnetic signal between said slot mode antenna and said circuit board, and wherein said wristwatch device further comprises a conductive rim structure running at least in part along the perimeter of said one printed circuit board and attached to the edge of said board, with which the effective width and/or length of the slot mode antenna at least partially is defined.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said circuit board is arranged in a plane parallel to and at least partly aligned with said conductive bezel, and has at least along a part of a periphery a conductive layer at said ground plane.

16. The device according to claim 14 , further comprising an element having a connection point that connects said conductive body to a ground plane of said circuit board, said connection point being located at a first end of said slot forming said slot mode antenna.

17. The device according to claim 14 , further comprising an element having a connection point that connects said conductive body to a ground plane of said circuit board, said connection point being located at a second end of said slot forming said slot mode antenna.

18. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said element for said first and second connection points are separate and located at the first and second ends of said slot which defines the length of the slot mode antenna.

19. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said first and second connection points and said at least one feed element are positioned approximately between 3 and 9 o'clock along the periphery of the device.

20. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said conductive bezel has the shape of at least one of: a ring, an ellipse, a rectangle, a square, or any other polygon.

21. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said slot mode antenna comprises more than two connecting points.

22. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said circuit board and said conductive bezel are arranged to define multiple slots between them, each slot being defined between two connecting points and each slot having at least one feed element between said connecting points.

23. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said conductive rim structure is at least in part forming an extension of the periphery of said one printed circuit board.

24. The device according to claim 14 , wherein said at least one slot in the device is adapted for the reception of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal.

25. The device according to claim 24 , wherein said GNSS signal is selected from GPS, Glonass, Galileo and/or Beidou signals.

26. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one feed element is directly connected to the at least one circuit board.

Assignees

• Suunto Oy

Inventors

• Varjonen Eero
• Perko Panu
• Sepänniitty Mikko
• Lindman Erik

Classifications

• G04R60/02 Primary

  Antennas also serving as components of clocks or watches, e.g. motor coils · CPC title

• H01Q1/273

  Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals · CPC title

• H01Q5/35

  using two or more simultaneously fed points · CPC title

• H01Q21/245

  provided with means for varying the polarisation  (polarising devices H01Q15/24; tracking by comparing linear polarisation compounds G01S3/146; reducing depolarisation effects H04B7/00; polarisation diversity H04B7/10) · CPC title

• H04B1/385 Primary

  Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets · CPC title