Abstract:
A multi-position antenna assembly for use in portable wireless communication devices is disclosed. The assembly includes an antenna, a printed circuit board operative to electrically couple the antenna to a host device, a disk joint assembly, coupled to the antenna, operative to rotate the antenna about two axes of rotation, and an assembly housing which at least partially contains the printed circuit board and the disk joint assembly, and is adapted to be removably coupled to the host device. The disk joint assembly includes a joint housing having a projection piece which passes through the joint housing that enables the antenna to be positioned between alternating operating and storage positions within a PC card.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to antennae for use in wireless communication products and, more particularly, to an antenna assembly for use in wireless communication products that is packaged within a personal computer (PC) card. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     PC cards are used in portable electronic devices such as, for example, laptop computers, palm top computers and personal digital assistants (PDA&#39;s) to add additional capabilities to such devices. A PC card which incorporates a radio may perform the dual operation of transmitting/receiving information from remote locations. For the radio to operate properly, an antenna is required to facilitate the transmission and reception of information. 
     In personal digital assistants and other portable electronic devices, the PC card is mounted within a card slot. Often times, this card slot is located on the side of the portable device. When a PC card with an antenna is inserted into the card slot, the antenna will protrude from the frame of the electronic device. To effectively transmit and receive information, the antenna must be placed in an extended position. While extended, the antenna may be struck by an object or a near by person. Striking the antenna may adversely affect the transmission/reception of information. Also, if the antenna is struck with enough force, damage to the antenna will result. 
     When the user is not transmitting or receiving information, the antenna and corresponding PC card are often removed from and stored outside of the portable electronic device. Thus, the user runs a risk of damaging the antenna by the continual insertion and removal of the PC card from the portable electronic device. Also, by constantly having to remove the PC card when not in use, the user runs the increased risk of losing the PC card. 
     Aside from being damaged during use or storage, or being lost, conventional antennas are also only capable of being rotated in one plane, or along a single axis. Thus, with conventional PC cards, the antenna will always protrude from the body of the portable device. In this fashion, damage to the antenna will almost certainly result. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aforementioned and related drawbacks associated with conventional antennae and their corresponding assemblies are substantially reduced or eliminated by the multi-position PC card antenna assembly of the present invention. The multi-position antenna assembly of the present invention comprises an antenna; a printed circuit board operative to electrically couple the antenna to a host device; a disk joint assembly, coupled to the antenna, adapted to rotate the antenna along two axes of rotation; and an assembly housing which at least partially contains the printed circuit board and the disk joint assembly, and is adapted to be removably coupled to the host device. The antenna includes a radiating element and a base portion. An end cap is connected to the radiating element of the antenna. A whip base, having an opening formed therein, is connected to the base portion of the antenna. 
     The disk joint assembly comprises a joint housing having a female connector formed thereon operative to rotatably couple the antenna to the assembly housing through the use of a pivot bolt. The disk joint assembly also includes a projection piece extending through the joint housing for rotatably securing the joint assembly to the assembly housing. By coupling the disk joint assembly to the antenna and the assembly housing in such a fashion, the antenna can be rotated about two axes of rotation. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a compact, portable, full performance antenna for use in conjunction with portable electronic devices. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an antenna having multiple degrees of freedom of movement. 
     Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the antenna may be rotated into a secure storage position. 
     Still another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an antenna having greater flexibility and durability than conventional antennas. 
     A feature of the present invention is that it is economical to manufacture. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The aforementioned and related advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent upon reviewing the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the following drawings, where like numerals represent like elements, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-position antenna assembly according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the antenna assembly according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the printed circuit board used in the antenna assembly according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the antenna and disk joint assembly according to the present invention; 
     FIGS. 5 a - 5   b  are isometric views of the disk joint part employed to secure the antenna to the assembly housing according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a PC card employing the multi position antenna assembly according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The multi-position PC card antenna assembly of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-6. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the antenna assembly  10  includes a printed circuit board  16 , an antenna  21 , a disk joint assembly  22 , and a housing  11  having a bottom portion  12  and a top portion  14 . The bottom portion  12  of the housing has a lengthwise recess  13  formed therein, adapted to at least partially contain the printed circuit board  16 . In an exemplary embodiment, the disk joint assembly  22  is placed within the recess  13  formed along one end of the bottom portion  12  of the assembly housing. The printed circuit board  16  is then placed within the lengthwise recess  13  located along the bottom portion  12  of the assembly housing. Next, the top portion of the housing  14  is placed over the printed circuit board  16 . After the printed circuit board  16  has been sandwiched between the top portion  14  and the bottom portion  12  of the housing, the entire assembly is ultrasonically welded together. After welding, two screws  25 ,  26  are inserted into corresponding openings formed in the bottom portion  12  and top portion  14  of the housing to securely enclose the housing  11 . 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the printed circuit board  16  used in the antenna assembly according to the present invention. The printed circuit board  16  has a notch  19  formed at one end thereof to at least partially contain an RF connector  18 . The RF connector  18  is electrically coupled to the RF circuit of a host device (not shown). Coupled to the opposite end of the printed circuit board  16  is an RF contact  20 . The RF contact  20  electrically couples the antenna  21  to the printed circuit board  16 . The printed circuit board  16  also includes a ground contact  17  which contacts the ground plane of the PC card of the host device (not shown). The printed circuit board  16  has traces formed thereon which provide for electrical interconnection between the components coupled thereto. 
     In operation, when information is being transmitted from the host device, the signal carrying the information is transferred from the RF circuit, through the RF connector  18 , to the antenna  21 . In corresponding fashion, when the host device is receiving transmitted information, the signal carrying such information is transferred from the antenna  21 , through the RF connector  18 , to the host device. 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the antenna  21  and disk joint assembly  22  of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the antenna  21  used in the assembly is a ¼-wavelength monopole antenna comprised of a radiating element  21 ′ made from NiTi wire. The radiating element  21 ′ has a length of about 77 mm. The radiating element  21 ′ has an end portion and a base portion. An end cap  24  is connected to the end portion of the radiating element  21 ′. A base member  30 , having an opening formed therethrough, is connected to the base portion of the radiating element  21 ′. 
     The antenna  21  is coupled via base member  30  to joint housing  23  of the disk joint assembly  22  through the use of a pivot bolt  31  which is passed through the base member  30  and the female connector  52   a  (FIG. 5) of the joint housing  23 . A compression spring  32  is provided over the pivot bolt  31 , within the body of the joint housing  23 , to rotatably connect the antenna  21  to the joint housing  23 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ), base member  30  includes a tab member  33  which extends from the base member  30  and mates with a selected one of a plurality of corresponding grooves  51  formed in the joint housing. The tab member  33  and grooves  51  enable the position of the rotated antenna to be maintained in a selected direction. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ), the antenna  21  can be selectively positioned in one of four directions as defined by the grooves  51  of the joint housing. In this fashion, the antenna  21  may be selectively rotated to positions 90° on a place perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projection piece  50  of the joint housing  23 . 
     As further shown in greater detail in FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ), the joint housing  23  includes a projection piece  50  formed through the housing. The projection piece  50  allows for rotation of the disk joint assembly  22  about a vertical axis of rotation. Formed along a circumferential edge of the joint housing  23  is an outwardly extending connector piece  52  having a female connector  52   a  formed therein, for mating with the pivot bolt  31  (FIG. 4) which is used to couple the antenna  21  to the joint housing  23 . The female connector  52   a  also provides for the antenna  21  being rotated about a horizontal axis of rotation. Grooves  51  are provided at positions along the circumference of the female connector  52 ( a ) to mate with the tab member  33  of the antenna  21  in order to maintain the antenna  21  at corresponding 90° angles. Indents  53 ,  54  are provided on the underside of the joint housing  23  for indexing the rotation of the disk joint assembly  22  relative to the bottom portion  12  of the antenna assembly housing  11 . By connecting the disk joint assembly  22  to the antenna assembly housing  11  as discussed above, the antenna  21  can be translated along two axes of rotation. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a PC card  100  employing the multi-position antenna assembly  10  of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the PC card  100  has a form factor of 93 mm×54 mm×5 mm. As shown in FIG. 6, the antenna assembly  10  is coupled to a first end of the PC card. In operation, the antenna  21  is capable of being rotated about two axes of rotation through the use of the disk joint assembly of the present invention. The first axis of rotation is illustrated with respect to angle a which shows the antenna  21  being rotated along a vertical place from a storage position (Position A) to the operating position (Position B). The antenna  21  is maintained in the operating position by a tab member  33  mating with a corresponding groove  51  formed along the outer circumferential portion of the disk joint assembly  22 . 
     The second axis of rotation is illustrated with respect to angle β which shows the disk joint assembly  22  being rotated along a horizontal place from a first position PI to a second position P 2 . 
     In a corresponding fashion, the disk joint assembly  22  of the present invention can be used to translate the antenna  21  from the operating position (Position B) to a second storage position (Position C) by first rotating the antenna  21  from Position A to Position B along angle α. Next, the disk joint assembly  22  is rotated from position P 1  to position P 2 , along angle β. Then, the antenna  21  is rotated from Position B to Position C (as shown by the dashed lines). Thus, by employing the antenna assembly of the present invention, a ¼-wavelength monopole antenna can be used within the height limitations of, for example, a PCMCIA card. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the antenna  21  may be a telescoping antenna. Thus, when the antenna is in a storage position, it can be compressed so as to be exactly flush against the PC card. Correspondingly, the antenna may be extended to its full length when placed in one of its operating positions. 
     The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment disclosed, and that various changes and modifications to the invention are possible in light of the above teaching. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto.