Antenna isolation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016285161-A1
Application number	US-201514670167-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wireless radio communication device includes a printed circuit board, a plurality of antennas formed on the printed circuit board, and one or more out-of-plane isolation elements conductively coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board. Each antenna extends in a reference plane or in a plane parallel to the reference plane. Each out-of-plane isolation element extends in a direction transverse to the reference plane. Each antenna of the plurality of antennas is configured to resonate in a selected radio frequency (RF) band. The one or more out-of-plane isolation elements are configured to conduct a current in response to excitation of one or more associated antennas that contributes to at least partially cancelling an RF transmission coupling between the one or more antennas and one or more other antennas of the plurality of antennas.

First claim

1 . A wireless radio communication device comprising:
a printed circuit board; a plurality of antennas coupled to the printed circuit board, each antenna configured to resonate in a selected radio frequency (RF) band, and each antenna extending in a reference plane or in a plane parallel to the reference plane; and one or more out-of-plane isolation elements conductively coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board and extending in a direction transverse to the reference plane, the one or more out-of-plane isolation elements being configured to conduct a current in response to excitation of one or more antennas that contributes to at least partially cancelling an RF transmission coupling between the one or more antennas and one or more other antennas of the plurality of antennas.

2 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more in-plane isolation elements coupled to the printed circuit board and extending in a plane parallel to the reference plane, the one or more in-plane isolation elements being configured to conduct a current in response to excitation of the one or more associated antennas that also contributes to at least partially cancelling the RF transmission coupling between the two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas.

3 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more out-of-plane isolation elements are coupled to the printed circuit board on an opposite side of the printed circuit board as the one or more in-plane isolation elements.

4 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of antennas include stamped-metal antennas having a feed point on the printed circuit board and being spaced apart from the printed circuit board.

5 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of antennas include microstrip antennas formed on the printed circuit board.

6 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 2 , wherein each of the one or more in-plane isolation elements is positioned intermediate an associated pair of antennas of the plurality of antennas.

7 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a metal chassis, wherein the one or more out-of-plane isolation elements include a plurality of metal posts each connected between the ground plane of the printed circuit board and the metal chassis.

8 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of in-plane isolation elements includes a first set of one or more isolation elements and a second set of one or more isolation elements, the first set of one or more isolation elements corresponding to a first RF band between two or more of the plurality of antennas, and the second set of one or more isolation elements corresponding to a second RF band between two or more of the plurality of antennas, and wherein the number of isolation elements in the first set differs from the number of isolation elements in the second set.

9 . A wireless radio communication device comprising:
a printed circuit board; a plurality of antennas formed on the printed circuit board, each antenna configured to resonate in a selected radio frequency band; and an isolation element configured such that excitation of a first antenna of the plurality of antennas at a resonant frequency induces an out-of-plane current in the isolation element in a direction transverse to a plane of the printed circuit board that contributes to at least partially cancelling an RF transmission coupling at a feed point of a second antenna of the plurality of antennas.

10 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 9 , wherein the isolation element includes an out-of-plane conductive element conductively coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board and extending in a direction transverse to the plane of the printed circuit board.

11 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a metal chassis, wherein the out-of-plane conductive element includes a metal post connected between the ground plane of the printed circuit board and the metal chassis.

12 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 9 , further comprising an in-plane isolation element formed on the printed circuit board and in the plane of the printed circuit board.

13 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 12 , wherein the out-of-plane isolation element is coupled to the printed circuit board on an opposite side of the printed circuit board as the in-plane isolation element.

14 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 12 , wherein the in-plane isolation element includes a conductive element formed on the printed circuit board and in the plane of the printed circuit board.

15 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 12 , wherein the in-plane isolation element includes a cutout that extends into a ground plane of the printed circuit board.

16 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 12 , wherein the in-plane isolation element is positioned between the first antenna and the second antenna on the printed circuit board.

17 . A wireless radio communication device comprising:
a printed circuit board; three or more multi-band antennas formed on the printed circuit board, each multi-band antenna configured to resonate in two or more RF bands; a first set of one or more isolation elements each configured to conduct a current that at least partially cancels RF coupling at a first RF band of the two or more RF bands between two or more of the three or more multi-band antennas; and a second set of one or more isolation elements each configured to conduct a current that at least partially cancels RF coupling at a second RF band of the two or more RF bands between the two or more of the three or more multi-band antennas, wherein a number of isolation elements in the first set differs from a number of isolation elements in the second set.

18 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 17 , wherein the first set of one or more isolation elements and the second set of one or more isolation elements include in-plane isolation elements formed on the printed circuit board and in a plane of the printed circuit board.

19 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 17 , further comprising:
one or more out-of-plane isolation elements conductively coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board and extending in a direction transverse to a plane of the printed circuit board, the one or more out-of-plane isolation elements being configured to conduct a current in response to excitation of one or more associated antennas that contributes to at least partially cancelling an RF transmission coupling between two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas.

20 . The wireless radio communication device of claim 18 , further comprising:
a metal chassis, wherein the one or more out-of-plane isolation elements include a plurality of metal posts each connected between the ground plane of the printed circuit board and the metal chassis.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Apaydin Nil
• De Luis Javier R
• Shewan Benjamin
• Casebolt Mark William

Classifications

• H01Q1/521 Primary

  reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas · CPC title

• H01Q9/42

  with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength · CPC title

• H01Q21/28

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/525 Primary

  between emitting and receiving antennas · CPC title