Abstract:
A Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) is disclosed comprising a radiator assembly positioned in the interior of a lower Radome member. An upper Radome member is placed over the radiator assembly with the upper Radome member and the lower Radome member fully enclosing the radiator assembly. The radiator assembly is held to the upper and lower Radome members by means of three dielectric blocks on each member. The radiator assembly comprises: (1) two radiating elements placed on the opposite sides of common ground plane; (2) two separate shorting strips extending between one end of each radiating element and one end of common ground plane; (3) a common feed conductor in the form of a single strip connecting one edge of each radiating element and the common feed conductor which has a disc-shaped portion with an opening formed therein. A ground tab is formed as an extension of the common ground plane. A hollow cylindrical structure formed as an outward extension of the lower Radome member constitutes the embedded (built-in) connector for the PIFA. A metal rod is inserted through the opening in the disc-shaped portion and protrudes into the hollow cylindrical structure to serve as the feed (center) pin of the embedded connector. A cylindrical dielectric block on the bottom surface of the upper Radome member holds the feed (center) pin in the designed location of the embedded connector. The ground tab protrudes into the hollow cylindrical structure and maintains a flush contact with the side wall of the hollow cylindrical structure to provide the ground potential of the embedded connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) and, in particular, to an integrated composite design of a PIFA having an embedded or built-in plastic connector on the Radome surface of the PIFA. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the rapid progress in wireless communication technology and the ever-increasing emphasis for its expansion, wireless modems on laptop computers and other handheld radio devices will be a common. feature. The technology employing a short-range radio link to connect devices such as cellular handsets, laptop computers, and other handheld devices has already been demonstrated [Wireless Design On-line Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 5, Nov. 22, 1999]. The performance of the antenna placed on devices like handsets and laptop computers is one of the critical parameters for the satisfactory operation of such a radio link. Therefore, the performance characteristics of the antenna utilized on communication devices assume significant importance in the evolving technology of wireless modems. 
     In the cellular communication industry, there recently has been an increasing emphasis on internal antennas instead of conventional external wire antennas. The concept of an internal antenna stems from the avoidance of a protruding external radiating element by the integration of the antenna into the device itself. Internal antennas have several advantageous features such as being less prone to external damage, a reduction in overall size of the handset with optimization, and ease of portability. The printed circuit board of the communication device serves as the ground plane of the internal antenna. Among the various choices for internal antennas, PIFA appears to have great promise. The PIFA is characterized by many distinguishing properties such as relative light weight, ease of adaptation and integration into the device chassis, moderate range of bandwidth, Omni directional radiation patterns in orthogonal principal planes for vertical polarization, versatility for optimization, and multiple potential approaches for size reduction. The PIFA also finds useful applications in diversity schemes. The sensitivity of the PIFA to both vertical and horizontal polarization is of immense practical importance in mobile cellular/RF data communication applications because of the absence of the fixed antenna orientation as well as the multi-path propagation conditions. The features enumerated above render the PIFA to be a good choice as an internal antenna for mobile cellular/RF data communication applications. 
     A conventional prior art single band PIFA assembly with an external RF connector is illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The PIFA  100  shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B consists of a radiating element  101 , a ground plane  102 , a connector feed pin  104   a , and a conductive post or pin  107 . A power feed hole  103  is formed in the radiating element  101  which receives the connector feed pin  104   a . The connector feed pin  104   a  serves as a feed path for radio frequency (RF) power to the radiating element  101 . The connector feed pin  104   a  is inserted through the feed hole  103  from the bottom surface of the ground plane  102  and is electrically insulated from the ground plane  102  where the pin passes through the hole in the ground plane  102 . The connector feed pin  104   a  is electrically connected to the radiating element  101  at  105   a  with solder. The body of the feed connector  104   b  is electrically connected to the ground plane at  105   b  with solder. The connector feed pin  104   a  is electrically insulated from the body of the feed connector  104   b . A through hole  106  is formed in radiating element  101  and a conductive post or pin  107  is inserted through the hole  106 . The conductive post  107  serves as a short-circuit-between the radiating element  101  and the ground plane  102 . The conductive post  107  is electrically connected to the radiating element  101  at  108   a with solder. The conductive post  107  is also electrically connected to the ground plane  102  at  108   b  with solder. The resonant frequency of the PIFA  100  is determined by the length (L) and width (W) of the radiating element  101  and is slightly affected by the locations of the feed pin  104   a  and the shorting pin  107 . The impedance match of the PIFA  100  is achieved by adjusting the diameter of the connector feed pin  104   a , by adjusting the diameter of the conductive shorting post  107 , and by adjusting the separation distance between the connector feed pin  104   a  and the conductive shorting post  107 . 
     In the prior art techniques of PIFA design (Murch R. D., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,190; Korisch I. A., U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,139) the center conductor of the coaxial cable from the RF source is directly connected to the radiating element of the PIFA at the feed point. Further, in these designs, the feed point of the PIFA is drawn away from the shorted edge of the radiating element and is located within the central surface of the radiating element. Therefore, the feed cable from the RF source has to pass through the interior region (between the radiating element and the ground plane) of the PIFA. Such a prior art feeding scheme of the PIFA will prove to be tedious and cumbersome in the final integration process. An alternative scheme of a PIFA design that circumvents such a tedious feed assembly is therefore desirable. From the structural and fabrication point of view, an avoidance of a feed cable extending through the interior region of the PIFA is preferred. One recourse to accomplish the above task is to terminate the feed point of the PIFA with an external RF connector as explained in the description of a conventional PIFA. In most of the PIFA designs having an external RF connector, the cost of the commercial RF connector is in excess of the cost of the PIFA itself. An innovative design concept of a PIFA circumventing the requirement of an external RF connector for its operation is therefore a significant important feature to realize an enhanced cost-effectiveness of the PIFA technology. Keeping in pace with the rapid miniaturization in the size of the mobile voice and RF data communication devices, the future design of internal antenna should be accomplished without necessitating any change in the overall size of the communication device. The system considerations often warrant placement of the internal antenna at different locations on the device chassis with a very small volume earmarked for it. At times, the ground plane of the internal antenna might be in isolation with the chassis of the radio device resulting in a very small ground plane for the antenna. Under such design restrictions, the internal antenna has to exhibit satisfactory gain and bandwidth performance despite the non-availability of a large ground plane. Therefore, the design concept of an internal antenna such as a PIFA with a very small ground plane which overcomes the existing shortcomings of the PIFA feed structure is highly desirable for wireless applications to facilitate the ease of antenna integration, compactness, and adaptation. 
     The principal objective of this invention is to provide an encapsulated PIFA module which circumvents the requirement of attachment of a separate and an external RF connector to the feed point of the PIFA. 
     A further objective of this invention is to provide a design of a PIFA configuration which is devoid of an external metal RF connector. 
     A further objective of this invention is to provide a PIFA having a very small ground plane so that final PIFA module is compact and miniaturized in size. 
     Still another objective of this invention is to provide a design configuration of the composite assembly of a PIFA, its Radome and a RF connector for feeding the PIFA as an integrated module. 
     Still another objective of this invention is provide a structural configuration of a PIFA which is devoid of a feed assembly which passes through the interior region of the PIFA. 
     Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a composite assembly of a PIFA, its Radome, and a built-in connector which is cost effective to fabricate. 
     Still another objective of this invention is to provide a PIFA module which is easy for final system integration. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The instant invention provides a composite structure of a radiator assembly, a Radome, and an RF connector of a PIFA as an integrated single module. The PIFA of this invention overcomes the need of a separate external RF connector for the PIFA. In the preferred embodiment, the connection of the PIFA to the RF source of the system is through a simple, built-in, or embedded plastic connector which is a part of the Radome of the PIFA. A hollow cylindrical structure formed as an outward extension of the Radome serves as the embedded plastic connector of the PIFA. A metal rod attached to the feed conductor of the PIFA which protrudes into the hollow cylindrical structure of the Radome forms the center pin of the embedded plastic connector of the PIFA. A tab attached to the common ground plane which extends into the hollow cylindrical structure of the Radome provides the ground potential of the embedded plastic connector. The concept of dual radiating elements with a common ground plane and a common feed conductor is also disclosed to achieve the satisfactory performance of the PIFA despite a very small ground plane. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partial exploded perspective view of the antenna of this invention; 
     FIG. 2A is a top view of the antenna of this invention having the top Radome cover removed therefrom; 
     FIG. 2B is a sectional view along line B—B of FIG. 2A; 
     FIG. 2C is a sectional view along line B—B of FIG. 2A with the top Radome cover; 
     FIG. 3A is a top view of the antenna of this invention with the top Radome cover; 
     FIG. 3B is a partial sectional view of FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 4 is a frequency response chart which depicts the characteristics of the VSWR of the single band PIFA of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5A is. a top view of a prior art single band PIFA; and 
     FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along the line  5 — 5  of FIG.  5 A. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention are now explained while referring to the drawings. 
     In the accompanying text describing the single band PIFA module  10  with an embedded (built-in) plastic connector of SMA male type covered under the embodiment of this invention, refer to FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 . Generally speaking, the PIFA  10  comprises a radiator assembly placed inside a Radome. The Radome consists of a top cover and a bottom cover with side walls. A hollow cylindrical plastic structure formed as an extension of the bottom cover of the Radome constitutes the embedded (built-in) connector of this invention. The top cover of the Radome, when placed over the open surface of the bottom cover of the Radome, completely encloses the radiator assembly. 
     The radiator assembly has two identical radiators  11   a  and  11   b  placed on the opposite sides of a common ground plane  12 . A metallic strip  13   a  serves as a short-circuiting element between the first radiating element  11   a  and the common ground plane  12 . The short-circuiting strip  13   a  is connected to the ground plane  12  at  14   a . The short-circuiting strip  13   a  is also connected to the radiating element  11   a  at  15   a . Another metallic strip  13   b  serves as a short-circuiting element between the second radiating element  11   b  and the common ground plane  12 . The short-circuiting strip  13   b  is connected to the ground plane  12  at  14   b . The short-circuiting strip  13   b  is also connected to the radiating element  11   b  at  15   b . A metallic strip  16  serves as a common feed conductor to both the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b . The feed conductor  16  is formed as an integral part of the radiating element  11   a . Below the conjecture point  16   a  of the feed conductor  16  and the radiating element  11   a , there is a small notch  17   a  on the radiating element  11   a  through which the feed conductor  16  is drawn towards the ground plane  12 . The feed conductor  16  passes through a notch  17   c  on the ground plane  12 . The size and the location of the notch  17   c  are such that the feed conductor  16  will not touch the ground plane  12 . The feed conductor  16  is then drawn through a notch  17   b  on the radiating element  11   b . The feed conductor  16  is then attached to the second radiating element  11   b  at  16   b  by solder. The notches  17   a ,  17   b , and  17   c  are aligned along a straight line with a common horizontal axis. 
     A small circular disc  18  is also a part of the feed conductor  16  (FIG.  2 A). The circular disc  18  and the feed conductor  16  have a common overlapping area  19 . There is a small hole  20  at the center of the circular disc  18 . The diameter of the hole  20  is equal to the diameter of the center element of standard RF male SMA connector. The metallic rod  21 , while serving as a PIFA feed contact for the RF source, also forms the center conductor (pin) of the proposed (built-in) embedded plastic connector  23  of this invention. At the upper end  21   a , the diameter of the feed pin  21  is larger than the diameter of the hole  20  thus allowing only the lower end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  to slide through the hole  20  on the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16 . From the top of the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16 , the feed pin  21  is inserted through the hole  20  (FIG.  2 A). The upper end  21   a  of the feed pin  21  makes a flush contact with the disc  18 . The free end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  which is inserted through the hole  20  on the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16  is allowed to pass through vertically down through the hole  33  on the base  27  of the bottom Radome cover  22 . 
     A metallic strip  24  of narrow width runs parallel to the feed pin  21  and is connected to the ground plane  12  at  25 . The open end of the metallic strip  24  is free to pass through the designated hole  34  on the base  27  of the bottom Radome cover  22 . The metallic strip  24 , which effectively is an extension of the ground plane, provides a ground potential to the embedded plastic connector  23 . Therefore, the metallic strip  24  performs the role similar to that of a metallic body of a conventional RF connector in providing the ground potential. 
     The bottom Radome cover  22  serves the multiple functions of holding the radiator assembly (comprising the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b , the ground plane  12 , the shorting strips  13   a  and  13   b , and the feed conductor  16 ) in the desired location and also provides the base  32  for embedded (built-in) plastic connector  23 . The bottom Radome cover  22  is nearly a square in shape with the top surface open. The bottom Radome cover  22  has side walls  26  and a base  27 . The bottom Radome cover  22  has three small dielectric blocks  28 ,  29 , and  30 . The plastic block  28  has a notch  28   a  along its central axis (FIG.  2 C). Likewise, the notch  29   a  is along the central axis of the block  29 . The notch  30   a  runs along the central axis of the block  30 . The radiating element  11   a  is held to the bottom Radome cover  22  through the notch  28   a  (FIG.  2 C). The radiating element  11   b  and the bottom Radome cover  22  are held in the desired position through the notch  29   a . The notch  30   a  holds the ground plane  12  and the bottom Radome cover  22  in the intended position (FIG.  3 B). 
     The embedded (built-in) plastic connector  23  is an outward extension of the bottom Radome cover  22 . The embedded plastic connector  23  is a hollow cylindrical structure with a side wall  31 . The side wall  31  has longitudinal perforations (perforations parallel to the axis of the hollow cylinder). The inner diameter of the hollow cylindrical structure is chosen to allow the easy passage of the mating RF connector into the plastic connector  23 . The height of the side wall  31  is chosen to ensure that the mating RF connector rests on the base  32  of the plastic connector  23 . The hole  33  on the base  27  of the bottom Radome cover  22  is for the insertion of the feed pin  21  into the hollow cylindrical area of the plastic connector  23 . The center of the hole  33  coincides with the center of the hollow cylinder of the plastic connector  23 . Also, the center of the hole  20  on the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16  and the center of the hole  33  lie along a common vertical axis. At the upper end  21   a , the diameter of the feed pin  21  is larger than the diameter of the hole  20  thus allowing only the lower end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  to slide through the hole  20  on the disc  20  of the feed conductor  16 . From the top of the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16 , the feed pin  21  is inserted through the hole  20  (FIG.  2 B). The upper end  21   a  of the feed pin  21  makes a flush contact with surface of the disc  18 . The free end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  which passes through the hole  20  on the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16  is allowed to pass through vertically down through the hole  33  on the base  27  of bottom Radome cover  22 . The free end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  is positioned always to be well within the height of the side wall  31  of the plastic connector  23  and is designed to establish a consistent electrical contact with the center element of the mating connector. Electrically, the feed pin  21  located within the hollow cylindrical structure of the plastic connector  23  performs an identical role of a center pin (element) of a conventional RF SMA male connector. By establishing a consistent electrical contact with the center conductor of the mating RF female connector, the feed pin  21  connects the feed conductor  16  of the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b  of the PIFA to the RF source of the radio device. 
     In a conventional RF SMA male or female connector, the metallic body of the connector offers the ground potential. In the design of embedded plastic connector  23  of this invention, the plastic side wall  31  of the plastic connector  23  replaces the metal body of a conventional RF SMA connector. Therefore, for the functioning of the embedded plastic connector  23  built on the bottom Radome cover  22  of the PIFA  10 , recourse is needed to provide a ground potential. From an RF point of view, the desired ground potential for the embedded plastic connector  23  is offered by the ground tab  24  of the ground plane  12 . The ground tab  24 , which is an attachment to the ground plane  12  of the PIFA at  25 , is inserted vertically down through the hole  34  on the bottom Radome cover  22  (FIG.  2 B). The ground tab  24  is then allowed to maintain a flush contact with the interior surface of the side wall  31  of the plastic connector  23 . The ground tab  24 , after running through the full length of the hollow cylindrical structure of the plastic connector  23 , is bent flush at the protruding edge  35  of the side wall  31  (FIGS.  2 B and  2 C). The ground tab  24  is again bent down retaining the flush contact with the exterior surface of the side wall  31 . When the mating RF female connector is inserted into the hollow cylindrical area of the embedded (built-in) SMA male plastic connector  23 , the ground tab  24  is in firm electrical contact with the body of the RF female connector and hence the ground tab  24  offers the desired ground potential. In essence, the non-feasibility of providing the ground potential in lieu of the non-metallic body of the embedded plastic connector  23  is overcome through an innovative design of the ground tab  24  maintaining a flush contact with the side wall  31  of the plastic connector  23 . 
     The top Radome cover  36  has a flat outer surface  37   a  and an inner surface  37   b  (FIG.  2 C). Attached to the inner surface  37   b  of the top Radome cover  36  are the three dielectric blocks  38 ,  39 , and  40  of rectangular shape. The notch  38   a  is along one of the central axis of the plastic block  38 . Similarly, the notch  39   a  is along one of the central axis of the plastic block  39 . Likewise, the notch  40   a  is along one of the central axis of the plastic block  40 . When the top Radome cover  36  is placed on the open surface of the bottom Radome cover  22  (FIG.  2 C), the radiating element  11   a  is held to the top Radome cover  36  through the notch  38   a , the radiating element  11   b  and the top Radome cover  36  are held in desired position through the notch  40   a , and the notch  39   a  holds the ground plane  12  and the top Radome cover  36  in desired position. The dielectric block  41  of cylindrical shape is also attached to the inner surface  37   b  of the top Radome cover  36  (FIG.  2 C). The center of the dielectric cylindrical block  41  and the center of the hole  20  on the disc  18  of the feed conductor  16  lie along a common vertical axis. The length of the cylindrical block  41  is designed such that when the top Radome cover  36  is placed over the open surface of the bottom Radome cover  22 , the free end of the dielectric block  41  pushes the upper end  21   a  of the feed pin  21  to make a flush contact with the surface of the disc  18  attached to the feed conductor  16  (FIG.  2 C). Through such a design, the dielectric cylindrical block  41  holds the feed pin  21  in the desired position, as shown in FIG.  2 C. 
     The significant steps for assembling the different parts of the composite structure of the PIFA  10  with an embedded plastic connector  23  formed on the bottom Radome cover  22  of the PIFA are as follows. In the first step, the radiator assembly comprising the radiating elements ( 11   a  and  11   b ), the ground plane  12 , the shorting strips ( 13   a  and  13   b ), the common feed conductor  16  (formed as an extension of the radiating element  11   a ) including the disc  18 , and the ground tab  24  are formed as a single unit by the continuous and sequential bending of a metallic sheet of appropriate size and shape. In the second step, the open end of the feed conductor  16  is soldered to the radiating element  11   b  at  16   b . In the third step, with the upper end  21   a  of the feed pin  21  making a flush contact with the surface of the disc  18 , the open end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  is drawn vertically down through the hole  20  on the disc  18  (FIG.  2 B). In the fourth step, the complete radiator assembly including the feed pin  21  is placed inside the bottom Radome cover  22  of the PIFA. The surfaces of the radiating elements ( 11   a  and  11   b ) and the ground plane  12  are held parallel to the side wall  26  of the bottom Radome cover  22  (FIGS.  2 A and  3 A). The notch  28   a  holds the radiating element  11   a  to the bottom Radome cover  22 . Similarly, the notch  29   a  holds the radiating element  11   b  to the bottom Radome cover  22 . Likewise, the ground plane  12  is held to the bottom Radome cover  22  through the notch  30   a  (FIG.  3 B). The open end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  from the radiator assembly is drawn through the hole  33  on the base  27  of the bottom Radome cover  22 . After passing through the base  27  of the bottom Radome cover  22 , the open end  21   b  of the feed pin  21  is then confined to lie within the hollow cylindrical area of the plastic connector  23 . The open end of the ground tab  24  is then drawn through the hole  34  on the bottom Radome cover  22 . The ground tab  24  is then allowed to maintain a flush contact with the interior surface of the side wall  31  of the plastic connector  23 . The ground tab  24 , after passing through the full length of the side wall  31  of the hollow cylindrical structure of the plastic connector  23 , is bent flush at the protruding edge  35  of the side wall  31 . The ground tab  24  is then again bent down retaining the flush contact with the exterior surface of the side wall  31  (FIGS.  2 B and  2 C). In the final step, the top Radome cover  36  is placed over the open surface of the bottom Radome cover  22  (FIG.  2 C). In this step, the radiating element  11   a  is held to the top cover  36  through the notch  38   a . Likewise, the radiating element  11   b  is held to the top cover  36  through the notch  40   a . Similarly, the notch  39   a  holds the ground plane  12  to the top cover  36 . The dielectric block  41  pushes the upper end  21   a  of the feed pin  21  to maintain a firm and consistent flush contact with the disc  18  on the feed conductor  16  (FIG.  2 B). With this step, the assembly of the PIFA module with an embedded (built-in) plastic connector on the Radome is complete. 
     The above description of the composite assembly of a PIFA With an embedded (built-in) plastic connector  23  applies specifically to SMA male type. Without loss of generality, the concept described above for the embedded plastic connector  23  of SMA male type can be extended to the embedded connector of SMA female type also. The only change involved pertains to the feed pin  21 . For the embedded plastic connector of SMA female type, the feed pin  21  must be a hollow metal tube instead of a solid metal rod. The diameter of the hollow metal tube is chosen appropriately to maintain a firm contact with the center element (pin) of the mating SMA male connector. 
     The composite assembly of a PIFA  10  with an embedded (built-in) plastic connector described under the embodiment of this invention functions as a single band PIFA. The resonant frequency of the PIFA  10  is determined by the linear dimensions of the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b , the height of the PIFA radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b  (the distance between the ground plane  12  and the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b ), the dimensions of the Radome covers  22  and  36 , and the dielectric constant of the material of the Radome. The bandwidth of the PIFA  10  is determined by the linear dimensions of the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b , the height of the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b , the width of the short-circuiting strips  13   a  and  13   b , the position of the common feed conductor  16 , and the dielectric loss property of the material of the Radome. To retain the satisfactory pattern performance despite a very small ground plane  12 , two radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b  have been utilized to design a single band PIFA  10 . It is pertinent to point out that the two radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b  are having a common feed conductor  16 . Without loss of generality, the concept of embedded plastic connector of this invention can easily be extended to a PIFA with a single radiating element also. Further, the suggested design of an embedded plastic connector can be extended to the case of multi band PIFA operation also. In addition, the design concept proposed in this invention can be applied to other types of embedded plastic connectors such as TNC (male or female type). 
     Based on the description covered under the embodiment of this invention, a single band PIFA with an embedded plastic SMA male connector on the Radome of the PIFA  10  has been designed and fabricated. The semi perimeter (sum of the length and width) of the radiating elements  11   a  and  11   b  of the PIFA is 14.5 mm. The width of the ground plane is 7.5 mm and the length of the ground plane is 13 mm. The result of the test conducted on the PIFA module  10  is illustrated in FIG.  4 . FIG. 4 depicts the 
     VSWR characteristics of the PIFA  10 . A good bandwidth performance of the PIFA  10  is apparent from the results shown in FIG.  4 . 
     As can be seen from the foregoing discussions, a novel scheme to design a single band PIFA with an embedded plastic connector on the Radome of the PIFA has been proposed and demonstrated. The proposed PIFA design overcomes the need of a separate external RF connector for the PIFA operation. The concept of embedded plastic connector reduces the weight and cost of the PIFA. The suggested design of the PIFA in a modular form has the distinct advantage and the desirable feature of easy and much simplified integration to the device chassis. In the PIFA design of this invention, the feed assembly is confined only to the exterior of the module resulting in enhanced fabrication ease. The proposed scheme also overcomes the tedious feed assembly of the prior art techniques of the PIFA design. The radiating elements, the shorting strips, the feed conductor, and the ground plane of the PIFA  10  are so configured to facilitate the formation of the radiator assembly of a PIFA in one process of continuos and sequential bending of a single sheet of metal resulting in improved manufacturability. The concept of dual radiating elements with a common ground plane and feed conductor has also been invoked in this invention to achieve the satisfactory pattern performance of the PIFA  10  despite a very small ground plane. The encapsulated single band PIFA  10  with an embedded plastic connector of this invention is lightweight, compact, cost-effective, and easy to manufacture. 
     Thus, the novel technique of an integrated composite design of a PIFA and an embedded plastic connector on the Radome surface of the PIFA of this invention has accomplished at least all of its stated objectives.