Modular antenna for near field coupling integration into metallic chassis devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9819079-B2
Application number	US-201213995562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2012
Priority date	May 3, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Described herein are techniques related to near field communication and wireless power transfers. A portable device may include a modular antenna that offers consistent characteristics independent of integration environment. The modular antenna may include a continuous loop of coil antenna and a ferrite material that are encapsulated by a shield. The shield may form a “U” shape configuration to encapsulate the top layer coil antenna and the middle layer ferrite material in all three sides, which are defined by a bottom portion, an outer wall, and an inner wall. Furthermore, the shield may include an outer rim and an inner rim to maintain the same coil antenna characteristics in the modular antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable device comprising:
one or more processors;
a near field communication (NFC) module operatively coupled to the one or more processors; and
a modular antenna connected to the NFC module comprising:
a layer continuous loop that includes at least one coil antenna loop; a layer of ferrite material that isolates the coil antenna; and a shield to encapsulate the top layer coil antenna and the layer ferrite material along three sides, which are defined by a bottom portion, an outer wall, and an inner wall of the shield, wherein the shield includes an outer rim and an inner rim to maintain the same coil antenna characteristics in the modular antenna, wherein the shield exposes the encapsulated coil antenna and the ferrite material outside of an electromagnetic interference (EMI) coating that shields electrical components within a portable device, and wherein the shield includes one or more transverse slots cut to limit circulating Eddy currents.

2. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coil antenna includes an antenna made out of a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and a metal wire, which are created through a laser direct structuring (LDS) process, or directly printed onto the ferrite material.

3. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ferrite material protects the coil antenna from Eddy currents that may be induced on the shield, and blocks magnetic fields at the coil antenna from reaching the shield, wherein the ferrite material is extended along side walls of the shield.

4. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein a gap is allocated at least between the ferrite material and the bottom or side portion of the shield, or between the coil antenna and the ferrite material, wherein the gap is inserted with dielectric materials for mechanical support and stiffness of the modular antenna.

5. The portable device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the shield that encapsulates the coil antenna and the ferrite material integrates the NFC module to form a single module.

6. A portable device comprising:
one or more processors;
a near field communication (NFC) module operatively coupled to the one or more processors; and
a modular antenna connected to the NFC module comprising:
a layer continuous loop that includes at least one coil antenna loop; a layer of ferrite material that isolates the coil antenna; and a shield to encapsulate the top layer coil antenna and the layer ferrite material along three sides, which are defined by a bottom portion, an outer wall, and an inner wall of the shield, wherein the shield includes an outer rim and an inner rim to maintain the same coil antenna characteristics in the modular antenna
wherein the shield includes the inner rim and the outer rim, which provide continuity connection between an inner electromagnetic interference (EMI) coating and an outer EMI coating that includes a middle cut-off portion of the EMI coating, or between trackpad ground plane and outer metal chassis palm rest that include a middle cut-off portion for the trackpad to provide electromagnetic static discharge (ESD) stability and EMI shielding.

7. A modular antenna comprising:
a top layer continuous loop of coil antenna that includes at least one coil antenna loop; a middle layer of ferrite material that isolates the coil antenna from a shield; and
a shield that is isolated by the ferrite material from the coil antenna, that encapsulates the top layer coil antenna and the middle layer ferrite material in three sides which are defined by a bottom portion, an outer wall, and an inner wall of the shield, wherein the shield includes an outer rim and an inner rim to maintain the same coil antenna characteristics in the modular antenna, wherein the shield that encapsulates the coil antenna and the ferrite material integrates a near field communication (NFC) module to form a single module, wherein the shield includes at least one slot cut to limit an induced Eddy current on the shield.

8. The modular antenna as recited in claim 7 , wherein the coil antenna includes a ring shaped coil antenna made out of a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and a metal wire, which are created through a laser direct structuring (LDS) process, or directly printed onto the ferrite material.

9. The modular antenna as recited in claim 7 , wherein the ferrite material protects the coil antenna from Eddy currents induced on the shield, and blocks magnetic fields at the coil antenna from reaching the shield, wherein the ferrite material is extended to form a smaller U-shape configuration to protect side walls of the coil antenna from the shield.

10. The modular antenna as recited in claim 7 , wherein a gap is allocated at least between the ferrite material and the bottom or side portion of the shield, or between the coil antenna and the ferrite material, wherein the gap is inserted with dielectric materials for mechanical support and stiffness of the modular antenna.

11. The modular antenna as recited in claim 7 , wherein the shield exposes the encapsulated coil antenna and the ferrite material outside of an electromagnetic interference (EMI) coating that shields electrical components within a portable device.

12. The modular antenna as recited in claim 7 , wherein the shield includes metallic components that are fitted into metal free outer circumference of a trackpad active area in a full metal chassis device, wherein the coil antenna is exposed for near field communication (NFC) and/or wireless power transfer (WPT) purposes.

13. A method of manufacturing a modular antenna that is integrated into a host portable device comprising:
constructing a top layer continuous loop of coil antenna that includes at least one coil antenna loop;
building a middle layer of ferrite material that isolates the coil antenna from a shield; and
encapsulating the top layer coil antenna and the middle layer ferrite material with the shield to form the modular antenna, wherein the shield forms a U-shape shield to encapsulate the top layer coil antenna and the middle layer ferrite material in all three sides, which are defined by a bottom portion, an outer wall, and an inner wall of the U-shape shield, wherein the U-shape shield includes an outer rim and an inner rim to maintain the same coil antenna characteristics in the modular antenna; wherein the shield that encapsulates the top coil antenna and the middle layer ferrite material integrates a near field communication (NFC) module to form a single module, wherein the shield includes at least one slot cut to limit an induced Eddy current on the shield.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the constructing a top layer continuous loop of coil antenna includes a ring shaped coil antenna that is made out of a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and a metal wire, which are created through a laser direct structuring (LDS) process, or directly printed onto the ferrite material.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the coil antenna is interfaced to a near field communication (NFC) module through the PCB, the FPC, or through wire connections.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the encapsulating includes providing a gap allocated at least between the ferrite material and the bottom or side portion of the shield, or between the coil antenna and the ferrite material, wherein the gap is inserted with dielectric materials for mechanical support and stiffness of the modular antenna.

17. The method as recited in

Assignees

• Yang Songnan
• Konanur Anand S
• Hsu Hao-Han
• Sheng Changsong
• Karacaoglu Ulun
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Yang Songnan
• Konanur Anand S
• Hsu Hao-Han
• Sheng Changsong
• Karacaoglu Ulun

Classifications

• H04B5/43

  Antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/526 Primary

  Electromagnetic shields · CPC title

• H04B5/0081

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01Q7/00

  Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop · CPC title

• H01Q7/08

  Ferrite rod or like elongated core · CPC title