Antenna configuration to facilitate near field coupling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520917-B2
Application number	US-201213977041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2012
Priority date	Feb 13, 2012
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

Described herein are techniques related to near field coupling and wireless power transfers. A portable device may include a coil antenna that includes an upper loop and a lower loop to form a figure-eight arrangement. The figure-eight coil antenna arrangement is wrapped against top and bottom surfaces of a component to establish near field coupling through front side, top side, bottom side, or corner side of the portable device. Further, a flux guide may be placed between the coil antenna and the component to facilitate magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to induce current of the same phase during receive mode. During transmit mode, the flux guide facilitates the magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to generate magnetic fields of the same direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable device comprising:
a housing having at least one component positioned within the housing, the at least one component defining top and bottom surfaces;
a continuous loop of coil antenna that includes an upper loop and a lower loop to form a figure-eight arrangement, the upper loop includes an opposite sense of rotation against the lower loop, wherein the coil antenna is wrapped to the top and bottom surfaces of the at least one component; and
a flux guide installed between the component and the coil antenna, the flux guide at receive mode facilitates magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to induce current of the same phase, the flux guide at transmit mode facilitates the magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to generate magnetic fields of the same direction.

2. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge of a screen, or at an edge of a base of the portable device.

3. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes multiple coils to form the figure-eight arrangement.

4. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is wrapped around a corner of a base, or a corner of a screen of the portable device to read through front side, top side, bottom side, right side, or corner side of the portable device in tablet mode.

5. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge of a base, or at an edge of a screen of the portable device to read through top and bottom side in tablet mode.

6. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge or corner of a base, or at an edge or corner of a screen of the portable device to read through front and back side of the screen in clamshell mode.

7. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flux guide includes a ferrite material that captures and facilitates the magnetic flux at a receiving loop to penetrate and exit at the lower loop or the upper loop during the receive mode.

8. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flux guide during the receive mode captures and facilitates the magnetic flux that induces a current at a receiving loop in a counter-clockwise direction, wherein the facilitated magnetic flux penetrates and induces another current at the lower loop or the upper loop in a clockwise direction.

9. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flux guide includes both ends that are inserted into slots that are located at the upper loop and the lower loop of the coil antenna to receive incoming magnetic fields during the receive mode, wherein both ends of the flux guide are located on top of the component and the same side of the coil antenna, wherein a portion of the flux guide defined by a plane connecting the slots are located on top of the component on the other side of the coil antenna.

10. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable device is selected from one of a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a netbook, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a multimedia playback device, a digital music player, a digital video player, a navigational device, and a digital camera.

11. A method of manufacturing a device to establish near field coupling comprising:
means for establishing a near field coupling at the device through a continuous loop of coil antenna forming a figure-eight arrangement, which includes an upper loop and a lower loop, the upper loop includes an opposite sense of rotation against the lower loop;
means for receiving incoming magnetic fields at receive mode through a flux guide that is installed between the coil antenna and at least one component that defines top and bottom surfaces, the flux guide facilitates magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to induce current of the same phase during the receive mode, the flux guide facilitates the magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to generate magnetic fields of the same direction at transmit mode.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the means for establishing near field coupling includes the coil antenna, which includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge or corner of a screen, or at an edge or corner of a base of the device.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the means for establishing near field coupling includes the coil antenna that includes multiple coils to form the figure-eight arrangement.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein establishing near field coupling includes the figure-eight arrangement coil antenna that is wrapped around a corner of a base, or a corner of a screen of the device to read through front side, top side, bottom side, right side, or corner side of the device in tablet mode.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge of a base, or at an edge of a screen of the device to read through top and bottom side in tablet mode.

16. The portable device as recited in claim 11 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge or corner of a base, or at an edge or corner of a screen of the device to read through front and back side of the screen in clamshell mode.

17. The portable device as recited in claim 11 , wherein the flux guide includes a ferrite material that captures and facilitates the magnetic flux at a receiving loop to penetrate and exit at the lower loop or the upper loop during the receive mode.

18. The portable device as recited in claim 11 , wherein the flux guide during the receive mode captures and facilitates the magnetic flux that induces a current at a receiving loop in a counter-clockwise direction, wherein the facilitated magnetic flux penetrates and induces another current at the lower loop or the upper loop in a clockwise direction.

19. The method as recited in claim 11 , further comprising means for inserting both ends of the flux guide into slots located at the upper loop and the lower loop of the coil antenna to receive the incoming magnetic fields during the receive mode, wherein both ends of the flux guide are located on top of the component and the same side of the coil antenna, wherein a portion of the flux guide defined by a plane connecting the slots are located on top of the component and on the other side of the coil antenna.

20. A device comprising:
a continuous loop of coil antenna that includes an upper loop and a lower loop to form a figure-eight arrangement, the upper loop includes an opposite sense of rotation against the lower loop, wherein the coil antenna is wrapped to top and bottom surfaces defined by at least one component; and
a flux guide installed between the component and the coil antenna, the flux guide at receive mode facilitates magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to induce current of the same phase, the flux guide at transmit mode facilitates the magnetic flux at the upper loop and the lower loop to generate magnetic fields of the same direction.

21. The device as recited in claim 20 , wherein the coil antenna includes the figure-eight arrangement that is installed at an edge or corne

Assignees

• Yang Songnan
• Konanur Anand S
• Xiao Bin
• Karacaoglu Ulun
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Yang Songnan
• Konanur Anand S
• Xiao Bin
• Karacaoglu Ulun

Classifications

• H04B5/266

  One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils · CPC title

• H04B5/263

  Multiple coils at either side · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• Y10T29/49018

  with other electrical component · CPC title

• H02J5/005

  Electricity · mapped topic