Dual Mode Antenna Arrangement

Abstract

An antenna arrangement—comprising a differential mode antenna—and a common mode antenna, the antenna arrangement—comprising an antenna structure comprising one radiating element, at least one differential antenna feed configured to induce differential mode currents in the radiating element, and at least one common antenna feed configured to induce common mode currents in the radiating element. The antenna structure is configured to excite a first radiofrequency range and a second radiofrequency range in response to the differential mode currents and the common mode currents. The first antenna element and the second antenna element are configured to excite a third radiofrequency range in response to the differential mode currents or the common mode currents. This arrangement makes it possible to locate two antennas in the same given volume while maintaining a high level of isolation between the antennas.

Claims

1. An antenna arrangement comprising a differential mode antenna and a common mode antenna, said antenna arrangement comprising: an antenna structure comprising one radiating element, at least one differential antenna feed configured to induce first differential mode currents in said radiating element, and at least one common antenna feed configured to induce first common mode currents in said radiating element; wherein the antenna structure is configured to excite a first radiofrequency range and a second radiofrequency range in response to said first differential mode currents and said first common mode currents, at least one first antenna element operably coupled to said differential antenna feed such that said differential mode antenna is formed, and at least one second antenna element operably coupled to said common antenna feed such that said common mode antenna is formed, wherein said at least one first antenna element and said second antenna element are configured to excite a third radiofrequency range in response to said first differential mode currents or said first common mode currents.

2. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first antenna element excites said third radiofrequency range in response to one of said first differential mode current and said first common mode current, and wherein said second antenna element excites said third radiofrequency range in response to one of said first differential mode current and said first common mode current.

3. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said differential antenna feed is isolated from said common antenna feed by a first amplitude and first phase relations of second differential mode currents induced at said common antenna feed by said first differential mode currents, and a second amplitude and second phase relations of second common mode currents induced at said differential antenna feed by said first common mode currents, wherein said further second differential mode currents and second common mode currents minimize a mutual coupling arising between said differential antenna feed and said common antenna feed.

4. The antenna arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said second differential mode currents induced at said common antenna feed have 180° phase difference and equal amplitude, and wherein said second common mode currents induced at said differential antenna feed have 180° phase difference and equal amplitude.

5. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna element extends orthogonally to said second antenna element, such that said first antenna element is isolated from said second antenna element.

6. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna element and said second antenna element each comprises at least one radiator, wherein said radiator is an open-ended slot formed in said radiating element, or wherein said radiator is a monopole strip extending from said radiating element.

7. The antenna arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said first antenna element comprises one radiator extending along a first axis, and wherein said second antenna element comprises at least one radiator extending along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis; or wherein said second antenna element comprises one radiator extending along a first axis, and wherein said first antenna element comprises at least one radiator extending along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis.

8. The antenna arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said first antenna element comprises one radiator extending along a first axis, and wherein said second antenna element comprises two radiators extending along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis; and wherein said two radiators of said second antenna element are arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of said one radiator of said first antenna element.

9. The antenna arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said second antenna element comprises one radiator extending along a first axis, wherein said first antenna element comprises two radiators extending along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis; and wherein said two radiators of said first antenna element being arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of said one radiator of said second antenna element.

10. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said differential antenna feed comprises at least two radiator contacts, wherein said common antenna feed comprises one radiator contact, and wherein said radiator contacts are arranged in one common plane parallel with a main plane of said radiating element.

11. The antenna arrangement according to claim 10, further comprising at least one ground connection comprising one radiator contact arranged in said common plane.

12. The antenna arrangement according to claim 11, wherein said differential antenna feed and said common antenna feed are coupled to said radiating element by means of a galvanic coupling or a capacitive coupling.

13. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said radiating element comprises conductive paint or a layer of flexible, conductive sheet material.

14. An electronic device comprising: a first dielectric substrate; a second dielectric substrate; at least one printed circuit board; and at least one antenna arrangement a differential mode antenna and a common mode antenna, the antenna arrangement comprising; an antenna structure comprising one radiating element, at least one differential antenna feed configured to induce first differential mode currents in said radiating element, and at least one common antenna feed configured to induce first common mode currents in said radiating element; wherein the antenna structure is configured to excite a first radiofrequency range and a second radiofrequency range in response to said first differential mode currents and said first common mode currents, at least one first antenna element operably coupled to said differential antenna feed such that said differential mode antenna is formed, and at least one second antenna element operably coupled to said common antenna feed such that said common mode antenna is formed, wherein said first antenna element and said second antenna element are configured to excite a third radiofrequency range in response to said first differential mode currents or said first common mode currents; wherein the radiating element of said antenna arrangement are arranged on a surface of said first dielectric substrate facing said second dielectric substrate; and wherein the differential antenna feed and the common antenna feed of said antenna arrangement are partially arranged on a surface of said second dielectric substrate facing said first dielectric substrate.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein said differential antenna feed and said common antenna feed extend through said second dielectric substrate to said printed circuit board.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein said first dielectric substrate is an outer glass cover, and said second dielectric substrate is an inner plastic substrate.

17. The antenna arrangement according to claim 12, wherein said at least one ground connection is coupled to said radiating element by means of the galvanic coupling or the capacitive coupling.

18. The electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising at least one ground connection comprising one radiator contact arranged in a common plane.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein the at least one ground connection of said antenna arrangement extend through said second dielectric substrate to said printed circuit board.

20. The electronic device according to any claim 14, wherein said radiating element comprises conductive paint or a layer of flexible, conductive sheet material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the following detailed portion of the present disclosure, the aspects, embodiments and implementations will be explained in more detail with reference to the example embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an antenna structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 2a is a schematic top view of an antenna structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 2b is a schematic side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2a;

[0032] FIG. 3a is a top view of an antenna arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 3b is a cross-sectional side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3a, arranged within an electronic device;

[0034] FIG. 4a is an exploded view of an antenna arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 4b is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4a, arranged within an electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an antenna arrangement 1 comprising a differential mode antenna 1a and a common mode antenna 1b, the differential mode antenna 1a and the common mode antenna 1b being arranged in a single, common volume within an electronic device 9. The differential mode antenna 1a may for example be a vertical high frequency antenna (V-HF) or a horizontal high frequency antenna (H-HF). Correspondingly, the common mode antenna 1b may for example be a vertical high frequency antenna (V-HF) or a horizontal high frequency antenna (H-HF).

[0037] The antenna arrangement 1 comprises an antenna structure 2, which comprises one radiating element 3, at least one differential antenna feed 4 configured to induce differential mode currents I1, I2 in the radiating element 3, and at least one common antenna feed 5 configured to induce common mode currents I3, I4 in the radiating element 3. The differential mode antenna is and the common mode antenna 1b may share one radiating element 3, or may have one radiating element 3 each. A differential mode antenna is has anti-symmetrical feed and electrical current distribution, while a common mode antenna 1b has symmetrical feed and electrical current distribution.

[0038] The radiating element 3 is a conductive element, and may be a floating element such as a surface radiator. The radiating element 3 may comprise of conductive paint or be a layer of flexible, conductive sheet material.

[0039] Differential mode currents Ii, I2 induce further currents I1′, I2′ at the common antenna feed 5, as shown in FIG. 1. Differential mode current Ii induces differential mode current I1′ at the common antenna feed 5, and differential mode current I2 induces differential mode current I2′ at the common antenna feed 5. Correspondingly, common mode currents I3, I4 induce further currents I3′, I4′ at the differential antenna feed 4. Common mode current I3 induces further current I3′ at the differential antenna feed 4, and differential mode current I4 induces further current I4′ at the differential antenna feed 4. The further currents I1′, I2′, I3′, I4′ are undesirable and should be compensated for as much as possible.

[0040] The mutual coupling which arises between the differential antenna feed 4 and the common antenna feed 5 can be minimized due to the specific properties of the differential mode current distribution, i.e. differential mode currents I1, I2, and the common mode current distribution, i.e. common mode currents I3, I4. These specific properties include amplitude and phase relations of the currents. The further currents I1′, I2′, induced at the common antenna feed 5 by differential mode currents I1, I2, cancel each other out by means of said specific amplitude and phase relations. This is the main mechanism behind how an excellent level of isolation between differential antenna feed 4 and the common antenna feed 5 is achieved. The same principle is valid for further currents I3′, I4′, induced by the common mode currents I3, I4 in the differential antenna feed 4. By isolating the differential antenna feed 4 from the common antenna feed 5, the efficiency of the differential mode antenna 1a and a common mode antenna 1b is improved.

[0041] In one embodiment, the further currents I1′, I2′ induced adjacent the common antenna feed 5 have 180° phase difference and equal amplitude, such that I1′=−I2′. Correspondingly, the currents I3′, I4′ induced adjacent the differential antenna feed 4 have 180° phase difference and equal amplitude, such that I3′=−I4′. This is shown in FIG. 1. Since each pair of further currents I1′ and I2′, I3′and I4′ are close and counterphase, the radiation of each current, in each pair, cancel each other out, wherefore maximally efficient isolation is provided between the differential antenna feed 4 and the common antenna feed 5. Different phase differences and amplitudes are also conceivable, as long as the further currents I1′ and 12′, and/or I3′and I4′, cancel each other out to a substantial degree The coupling cancellation of counterphase currents and the different distributions of the radiation currents results in a differential mode/common mode antenna arrangement having high isolation and complementary patterns even if the radiating elements 3 of the differential mode antenna 1a and the common mode antenna 1b are overlapped, or if only one radiating element 3 is used for both antennas. This facilitates good MIMO performance in a very compact volume.

[0042] The antenna arrangement 1 further comprises at least one first antenna element 6 which is operably coupled to the differential antenna feed 4, and at least one second antenna element 7 operably coupled to the common antenna feed 5. The first antenna element 6 and the differential antenna feed 4 together form the differential mode antenna 1a, and the second antenna element 7 and the common antenna feed 5 together form the common mode antenna 1b.

[0043] The antenna structure 2, in particular radiating element 3, differential antenna feed 4, and common antenna feed 5, is configured to excite a first radiofrequency range and a second radiofrequency range in response to differential mode currents I1, I2 and common mode currents I3, I4. The radiating element 3, differential antenna feed 4, and common antenna feed 5 together have two resonances allowing excitation of the first radiofrequency range and the second radiofrequency range. The first radiofrequency range is completely, or partially, different from the second radiofrequency range. For example, the first radiofrequency range may be within the 5G NR band n77, and the second radiofrequency range may be within the 5G NR band n79.

[0044] The first antenna element 6 and the second antenna element 7 are configured to excite a third radiofrequency range in response to the differential mode currents I1, I2 and/or the common mode currents I3, I4. By adding the first antenna element 6 and the second antenna element 7, a third high frequency resonance appears for both the differential mode antenna is and the common mode antenna 1b. The third radiofrequency range complements the first radiofrequency range and the second radiofrequency range, and may be completely, or partially, different from the first radiofrequency range and the second radiofrequency range. For example, the third radiofrequency range may be within the WLAN5 band. The first antenna element 6 and the second antenna element 7 may also be configured to excite any number of additional radiofrequency ranges.

[0045] When comparing the present invention with a prior art solution comprising two inverted F antennas (IFA), not only is the total volume reduced by at least 50%, but the present invention has 2 dB better N79 and WLAN5 efficiencies, as well as over 6 dB improvement of the isolation level.

[0046] The first antenna element 6 excites the third radiofrequency range in response to one of the differential mode currents I1, I2 and the common mode currents I3, I4. Correspondingly, the second antenna element 7 excites the third radiofrequency range in response to one of the differential mode currents I1, I2 and the common mode currents I3, I4. The third radiofrequency range may, in other words, be excited by differential mode currents only, common mode currents only, or a combination of differential mode currents and common mode currents.

[0047] The first antenna element 6 and the second antenna element 7 are preferably arranged such that they share a center line, i.e. such that share a center and extend symmetrically from the center line, as shown in FIGS. 2b, 3a, and 4a. By such a symmetrically arrangement, the further currents I1′ and I2′, I3′and I4′, respectively, can cancel each other out fully.

[0048] The first antenna element 6 may extend orthogonally to the second antenna element 7. This isolates the first antenna element 6 from the second antenna element 7. By placing the antenna elements 6,7 orthogonally, the antenna elements can be placed close together while still maintaining high isolation and thus efficiency.

[0049] The first antenna element 6 and the second antenna element 7 each comprise at least one radiator. The radiators may be quarter-wavelength open-ended slots formed in the radiating element 3, as shown in FIGS. 2a, 3a, and 4a. At least one of the radiators may also be a monopole strip extending from the radiating element 3, as shown in FIG. 2b.

[0050] The first antenna element 6 may comprise one radiator 6a extending along a first axis A1, and the second antenna element 7 may comprise at least one radiator 7a, 7b extending along a second axis A2 perpendicular to the first axis A1, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 3a and 4a. Correspondingly, the second antenna element 7 may comprise one radiator 7a extending along a first axis A1, and the first antenna element 6 may comprise at least one radiator 6a, 6b extending along a second axis A2 perpendicular to the first axis A1 (not shown).

[0051] The first antenna element 6 may comprise one radiator 6a extending along a first axis A1, and the second antenna element 7 may comprise two radiators 7a, 7b extending along a second axis A2 perpendicular to the first axis A1. The two radiators 7a, 7b of the second antenna element 7 are arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the one radiator 6a of the first antenna element 6, as shown in FIGS. 2a, 3a, and 4a.

[0052] Correspondingly, the second antenna element 7 may comprise one radiator 7a extending along a first axis A1, and the first antenna element 6 comprises two radiators 6a, 6b extending along a second axis A2 perpendicular to the first axis A1. The two radiators 6a, 6b of the first antenna element 6 are arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the one radiator 7a of the second antenna element 7 (not shown).

[0053] The differential antenna feed 4 may comprise at least two radiator contacts 4a, 4b, and the common antenna feed 5 may comprise one radiator contact 5a. The radiator contacts 4a, 4b, 5a are arranged in one common plane P1 parallel with a main plane P2 of the radiating element 3, as shown in FIG. 3b. The antenna arrangement 1 may further comprise at least one ground connection 8 comprising one radiator contact 8a also arranged in the common plane P1. The radiator contacts 4a, 4b, 5a, 8a may be floating radiator pads. The radiator contacts 4a, 4b, 5a, 8a, as well as antenna feeds 4, 5, ground connection 8, and the radiating element 3 are shown in detail in FIG. 4a.

[0054] One or several of the differential antenna feed 4, the common antenna feed 5, and the ground connection 8 may be coupled to the radiating element 3 by means of a galvanic coupling or a capacitive coupling.

[0055] The present invention also relates to an electronic device 9 as shown in FIG. 4b, the electronic device 9 comprising a first dielectric substrate 10 and a second dielectric substrate 11 arranged at least partially in substantially parallel. The first dielectric substrate 10 and the second dielectric substrate 11 may be separated by a small distance in a direction perpendicular to planes P1, P2, as shown in FIGS. 3b and 4b, or may be arranged such that they are in direct contact with each other (not shown). The first dielectric substrate 10 may be an outer glass cover, and the second dielectric substrate 11 may be an inner plastic substrate. The electronic device 9 may further comprise a display panel, supported by a frame and covered by an additional outer glass cover, as indicated at the bottom of FIG. 4b.

[0056] The electronic device 9 furthermore comprises at least one printed circuit board 12 (PCB), arranged between the second dielectric substrate 11 and a frame of the electronic device 9, as shown in FIG. 4b. The printed circuit board 12 may be a copper PCB or FR4 PCB. The frame may be made of any suitable material such as aluminium or glass. As mentioned above, the frame may be used to support the display panel of the electronic device 9.

[0057] The electronic device 9 furthermore comprises at least one of the above described antenna arrangement 1. The radiating element 3 of the antenna arrangement 1 is arranged on surface boa of the first dielectric substrate 10, i.e. the surface boa which faces the second dielectric substrate 11. The differential antenna feed 4 and the common antenna feed 5 of the antenna arrangement 1 may be partially arranged on surface 11a of the second dielectric substrate 11, i.e. the surface 11a which faces the first dielectric substrate 10.

[0058] One or several of the differential antenna feed 4, the common antenna feed 5, the ground connection 8 may extend through the second dielectric substrate 11 to the printed circuit board 12, as shown in FIG. 4b.

[0059] The various aspects and implementations have been described in conjunction with various embodiments herein. However, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed subject-matter, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored/distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0060] The reference signs used in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this disclosure. As used in the description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.