Patent Description:
Wireless communication environments can use multi-antenna techniques that include multiple antennas at a transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver. The multi-antenna techniques can be grouped into three different categories: diversity, interference suppression, and spatial multiplexing. These three categories are often collectively referred to as Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO) communication even though not all of the multi-antenna techniques that fall within these categories require at least two antennas at both the transmitter and receiver.

Carrier Aggregation (CA) is a feature of a mobile communication standard, such as, Release-<NUM> of the 3GPP LTE-Advanced standard, which allows multiple resource blocks from/to multiple respective serving cells to be logically grouped together (aggregated) and allocated to the same wireless communication device. The aggregated resource blocks are known as component carriers (CCs) in the LTE-Advanced standard. Each of the wireless communication devices may receive/transmit multiple component carriers simultaneously from/to the multiple respective serving cells, thereby effectively increasing the downlink/uplink bandwidth of the wireless communication device(s). The term "component carriers (CCs)" is used to refer to groups of resource blocks (defined in terms or frequency and/or time) of two or more RF carriers that are aggregated (logically grouped) together.

There are various forms of Carrier Aggregation (CA) as defined by Release-<NUM> of the LTE-Advanced standard, including intra-band contiguous (adjacent) CA, intra-band non-contiguous (non-adjacent) CA, and inter-band CA. In intra-band contiguous CA, aggregated component carriers (CCs) are within the same frequency band and adjacent to each other forming a contiguous frequency block. In intra-band non-contiguous CA, aggregated CCs are within the same frequency band but are not adjacent to each other. In inter-band CA, aggregated CCs are in different frequency bands.

Release-<NUM> of the LTE-Advanced standard allows a maximum of five CCs to be allocated to a wireless communication device at any given time. CCs can vary in size from <NUM> to <NUM>, resulting in a maximum bandwidth of <NUM> that can be allocated to the wireless communication device in the downlink/uplink. The allocation of CCs to the wireless communication device is performed by the network and is communicated to the wireless communication device.

<CIT> relates to an antenna isolation using a tuned ground plane notch.

<CIT> relates to a multi-feed antenna including multiple feed elements associated with multiple frequency regions, respectively, and a folded loop element for radiating energy.

<CIT> relates to a loop antenna having a parasitically coupled element, a portable electronic device incorporating an antenna and a method of operation to enable both wide and multiple frequency band response.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the aspects and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the aspects.

The exemplary aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the aspects of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the aspects, including structures, systems, and methods, may be practiced without these specific details. The description and representation herein are the common means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the disclosure.

In the following disclosure, one or more exemplary aspects can be implemented using wireless communications conforming to the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and/or LTE Advanced standards. The LTE and LTE Advanced standards are developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and described in the 3GPP Technical Specification <NUM> standard titled "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures," and the International Mobile Telecomunnications-<NUM> (IMT-<NUM>) and IMT Advanced standards, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

As will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings herein, exemplary aspects are not limited to the LTE and/or LTE Advanced standards, and can be applied to other cellular communication standards, including (but not limited to), Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), and/or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) (IEEE <NUM>), and/or to one or more non-cellular communication standards, including (but not limited to) WLAN (IEEE <NUM>), Bluetooth, Near-field Communication (NFC) (ISO/IEC <NUM>), ZigBee (IEEE <NUM>. <NUM>), and/or Radio-frequency identification (RFID). These various standards and/or protocols are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

<FIG> illustrates an antenna system <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> includes a first radiator <NUM>, a second radiator <NUM>, and an electromagnetic coupler <NUM>. The radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to convert one or more electrical signals into electromagnetic waves, and vice versa. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be configured to connect (e.g., couple) a communication device (e.g., transmitter and/or receiver) to one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include one or more circuits having one or more active and/or passive components that are configured to match the impedance of one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is an inductive coupler that is configured to inductively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> to one or more communication devices (e.g., transmitter, receiver, etc.). The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to being an inductive coupler and can be configured as a capacitive coupler that can capacitively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> can be configured as a transmission antenna system, as a receiving antenna system or as both a transmitting and receiving antenna system. Further, two or more of the antenna systems <NUM> can be implemented within, or used by, a communication device, where one antenna system <NUM> is configured as a transmission antenna system and another antenna system <NUM> is configured as a receiving antenna system. For example, a first antenna system <NUM> can be configured on a first side of the PCB <NUM> as shown in <FIG> and a second antenna system <NUM> can be configured on another side (e.g., a side perpendicular to the first side) of the PCB <NUM>. Further, two (or more) of the antenna systems <NUM> can be implemented within, or used by, a communication device, where the two antenna systems <NUM> are configured as transmission antennas. Similarly, the two antenna systems <NUM> can be configured as receiving antennas.

The antenna system <NUM> can be disposed on, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB) <NUM>. The PCB <NUM> can be formed of, for example, glass reinforced epoxy laminate (e.g., FR-<NUM>) or one or more other materials as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts. The PCB <NUM> can be included in, for example, a communication device that is configured to use the antenna system <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be made of one or more metals, one or more metallic compounds, and/or one or more electrically conductive or semi-conductive materials as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts. The radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include one or more active or passive components (e.g., resistors, inductors, capacitors, etc.) and/or processor circuitry.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to be tuned independently within a predetermined frequency range to one or more resonances. In an exemplary aspect, the frequency range can be, for example, <NUM> to <NUM>, but is not limited to this exemplary range. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can be configured to primarily operate at lower frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a first resonance), while the second radiator <NUM> can be figured to primarily operate at higher frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a second resonance). Although primarily operating at respective subsets of frequencies within the frequency range, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to operate at all frequencies within the frequency range. In operation, the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to implement Carrier Aggregation (CA), including intra-band contiguous (adjacent) CA, intra-band non-contiguous (non-adjacent) CA, and/or inter-band CA.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> has a length L1 that is greater than the length L2 of the second radiator <NUM>. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM>. The width of the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be, for example, <NUM>. The length/width of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be the same or different. Further, the space <NUM> between the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM>. These dimensions should not be limited to these exemplary values, and the first radiator <NUM>, the second radiator <NUM>, and the space <NUM> can have other dimensions as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the PCB <NUM>. For example, first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed in an area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM> in which metallic or other conductive materials have been removed from the PCB <NUM>. In this example, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the area <NUM> and/or one or more surfaces (e.g., top, bottom, etc.) of the PCB <NUM>, and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed on one or more surfaces (e.g., top, bottom, etc.) of the PCB <NUM>. Alternatively, the area <NUM> can represent a portion of the PCB <NUM> that has been removed. In this example, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be configured to extend from an edge of the PCB <NUM> and within the area <NUM> in which a portion of the PCB <NUM> has been removed. The arrangement of the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is described below with reference to <FIG>.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can be arranged to have a space or slit <NUM> formed there between. Further, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be arranged adjacent to the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the space <NUM>. For example, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be adjacent to and spaced from a portion of the first radiator <NUM> and a portion of the second radiator <NUM> whose adjacent edges define the space <NUM>. In this configuration, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is spaced from the planar portion of the first radiator <NUM>, the planar portion of the second radiator <NUM>, and the space <NUM> formed between the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. The position of the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to this configuration and may be positioned at other locations along the width of the PCB <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate a front prospective view and a back prospective view of the antenna system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, respectively. With reference to <FIG>, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is disposed on a front side of the PCB <NUM> in the area <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed on an edge of the area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates a front prospective view of the antenna system <NUM> in which the area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM> has been removed.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> can be electrically connected to the PCB <NUM> via lead 210A extending from a first edge of the first radiator <NUM> and a lead 210B extending from a second edge of the first radiator <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> includes a capacitor 215A electrically connected between the PCB <NUM> and the lead 211A. In one or more exemplary aspects, the lead 210A and/or lead 210B can be connected to the PCB via one or more capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors. Alternatively, the lead 210A and/or lead 210B can be connected to the PCB directly.

<FIG> illustrates a circuit diagram of radiator <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> includes a first radiation portion <NUM> having a first end connected to ground and a second end connected to ground via a capacitor <NUM>. In one or more exemplary aspects, the first end of the first radiation portion <NUM> can be connected to ground via one or more capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors. For example, with reference to <FIG>, the first radiator <NUM> can be connected to ground on the PCB <NUM> via lead 210A and to a capacitor 215A via lead 211A, where the capacitor 215A is further connected to ground on the PCB <NUM>. In one or more exemplary aspects, the first radiator <NUM> can be connected to ground via one or more capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 215A (<NUM> in <FIG>) is tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 215A (<NUM> in <FIG>) can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts.

In an exemplary aspect, the second radiator <NUM> can be electrically connected to the PCB <NUM> via lead 210B extending from a first edge of the second radiator <NUM> and a lead 211B (as shown in <FIG>) extending from a second edge of the second radiator <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the second radiator <NUM> includes a capacitor 215B electrically connected between the PCB <NUM> and the lead 211B.

<FIG> illustrates a circuit diagram of the second radiator <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In an exemplary aspect, the second radiator <NUM> includes a first radiation portion <NUM> having a first end connected to ground and a second end connected to ground via a capacitor <NUM>. For example, with reference to <FIG>, the second radiator <NUM> can be connected to ground on the PCB <NUM> via lead 210B and to a capacitor 215B via lead 211B, where the capacitor 215B is further connected to ground on the PCB <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 215B (<NUM> in <FIG>) is tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 215B (<NUM> in <FIG>) can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitance of capacitor 215B (<NUM> in <FIG>) can be the same or different from the capacitance of capacitor 215A (<NUM> in <FIG>).

With reference to <FIG>, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be electrically connected to the PCB <NUM> via a feed and one or more passive components (e.g., capacitors, inductors, resistors, etc.) represented as <NUM> in <FIG>. For example, with reference to <FIG>, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include two capacitors <NUM> and <NUM>, and a coupling portion <NUM>. The coupling portion <NUM> includes a first end electrically connected to ground and a second end electrically connected to ground via capacitor <NUM> and to feed <NUM> via capacitor <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the first end of the coupling portion <NUM> can be connected to ground via one or more passive components (e.g., capacitors, inductors, resistors, etc.). The capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> is tunable capacitors. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitance of capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> can be the same or different from each another.

With reference to <FIG>, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> represented by <NUM> are adjacent to the capacitor 215A and the capacitor 215B associated with the radiators <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. In this adjacent configuration, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM>, capacitor 215A, and the capacitor 215B can be implemented in a single chip. A single-chip implementation can be used to reduce the cost of the exemplary aspect. The capacitors are not limited to a single-chip implementation and the capacitors can be implemented in two or more chips.

<FIG> illustrates an antenna system <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> includes a first radiator <NUM>, a second radiator <NUM>, and an electromagnetic coupler <NUM>. The radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to convert one or more electrical signals into electromagnetic waves, and vice versa. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be configured to connect (e.g., couple) a communication device (e.g., transmitter and/or receiver) to one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include one or more circuits having one or more active and/or passive components that are configured to match the impedance of one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is a capacitive coupler that is configured to capacitively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> to one or more communication devices (e.g., transmitter, receiver, etc.). The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to being a capacitive coupler and can be configured as an inductive coupler that can inductively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>.

In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> can be configured as a transmission antenna system, as a receiving antenna system or as both a transmitting and receiving antenna system. Further, two or more of the antenna systems <NUM> can be implemented within, or used by, a communication device, where one antenna system <NUM> is configured as a transmission antenna system and another antenna system <NUM> is configured as a receiving antenna system. For example, a first antenna system <NUM> can be configured on a first side of the PCB <NUM> as shown in <FIG> and a second antenna system <NUM> can be configured on another side (e.g., a side perpendicular to the first side) of the PCB <NUM>. In one or more aspects, two (or more) of the antenna systems <NUM> can be implemented within, or used by, a communication device, where the two antenna systems <NUM> are configured as transmission antennas. Similarly, the two antenna systems <NUM> can be configured as receiving antennas.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to be tuned independently within a predetermined frequency range to one or more resonances. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can be configured to primarily operate at lower frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a first resonance), while the second radiator <NUM> can be figured to primarily operate at higher frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a second resonance). Although primarily operating at respective subsets of frequencies within the frequency range, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to operate at all frequencies within the frequency range. In operation, the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to implement Carrier Aggregation (CA), including intra-band contiguous (adjacent) CA, intra-band non-contiguous (non-adjacent) CA, and/or inter-band CA.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> has a length L1 that is greater than the length L2 of the second radiator <NUM>. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM>. The width of the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be, for example, <NUM>. The length/width of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be the same or different. These dimensions should not be limited to these exemplary values, and the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can have other dimensions as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the PCB <NUM>. For example, first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed in an area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM> in which metallic or other conductive materials have been removed from the PCB <NUM>. In this example, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the area <NUM> and/or one or more surfaces (e.g., top, bottom, etc.) of the PCB <NUM>. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM> and be spaced from the each of the radiators <NUM> and <NUM> forming spaces <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The distance between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the radiators <NUM> and <NUM> can be the same or different. The distance can be, for example, <NUM>. These dimensions should not be limited to these exemplary values, and the first radiator <NUM>, the second radiator <NUM>, electromagnetic coupler <NUM>, and/or one or both of the spaces <NUM> and <NUM> formed therebetween can have other dimensions as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.

In an exemplary aspect, the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be arranged such that a space or slit <NUM> is formed between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the first radiator <NUM>, and a space or slit <NUM> is formed between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM>. Further, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed in the same or substantially the same plane as the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed on the edge of the area <NUM> and in between the radiators <NUM> and <NUM> also disposed on the edge of the area <NUM>. In this example, adjacent edges of the first radiator <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> define the space <NUM> and adjacent edges of the second radiator <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> define the space <NUM>.

With continued reference to <FIG> and with reference to <FIG>, the first radiator <NUM> can include a first radiation portion <NUM> that is connected to ground via lead <NUM> and one or more components (e.g., one or more inductors, capacitors, and/or resistors). In an exemplary aspect, the first radiation portion <NUM> is connected to ground via an inductor <NUM> and a capacitor <NUM> connected in series. In this configuration, a first end of the radiation portion <NUM> of the first radiator <NUM> is floating while a second end of the radiation portion <NUM> that is opposite the first end is connected to the lead <NUM> and the one or more components (e.g., inductor <NUM> and a capacitor <NUM> connected in series). The inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> are represented by 430A in <FIG>. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor <NUM> is a tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the inductor <NUM> can have an inductance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM> nH, or another inductance value as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. The inductor <NUM> is not limited to this example inductance and can another inductance value as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. The capacitor <NUM> can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts.

Similarly, the second radiator <NUM> can include a second radiation portion <NUM> that is connected to ground via lead <NUM> and one or more components (e.g., one or more inductors, capacitors, and/or resistors). In an exemplary aspect, the second radiation portion <NUM> is connected to ground via an inductor <NUM> and a capacitor <NUM> connected in series. In this configuration, a first end of the radiation portion <NUM> of the first radiator <NUM> is floating while a second end of the radiation portion <NUM> that is opposite the first end is connected to the lead <NUM> and the one or more components (e.g., inductor <NUM> and a capacitor <NUM> connected in series). The inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> are represented by 430B in <FIG>. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor <NUM> is a tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the inductor <NUM> can have an inductance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, or <NUM> nH. The inductor <NUM> is not limited to this example inductance and can have another inductance value as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. The capacitor <NUM> can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts.

The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include a coupling portion <NUM> that is connected to ground via one or more components (e.g., one or more inductors, capacitors, and/or resistors) and lead <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the coupling portion is connected to ground via an inductor <NUM> and a capacitor <NUM> connected in series. The coupling portion <NUM> can also be connected to a feed <NUM> via the inductor <NUM>. In this example, the feed <NUM>, inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> are represented by <NUM> located at the end of lead <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. In an exemplary, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is a capacitive coupler. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to being a capacitive coupler and can be configured as an inductive coupler. However, the capacitor <NUM> can be a tunable capacitor in one or more of the aspects. The capacitor <NUM> can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. In an exemplary aspect, the inductor <NUM> can have an inductance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, <NUM>-<NUM> nH, or <NUM> nH. The inductor <NUM> is not limited to this example inductance and can another inductance value as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts.

In an exemplary aspect, the inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> (i.e., 430A) and/or the inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> (i.e., 430B) can be located adjacent to the feed <NUM>, inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> represented as <NUM>. In this configuration, the inductor <NUM>, capacitor <NUM>, inductor <NUM>, capacitor <NUM>, feed <NUM>, inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> can be implemented in a single chip. The components can also be implemented on a plurality of chips, where one or more of the chips include two or more of the components. In these examples, the leads connecting the radiation portions <NUM>, <NUM> can be connected to 430A and 430B, respectively, via corresponding wires disposed on the PCB <NUM>. For example, 430A located near <NUM> can have a wire running along the PCB <NUM> to the lead connecting to the radiator <NUM>. A similar configuration can be used for 430B and the second radiator <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an antenna system <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. <FIG> illustrates the antenna system <NUM> having the area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM> removed. In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM>, the second radiator <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be represented by the circuits illustrated in <FIG>, respectively. Because the circuits of <FIG> have been discussed above with respect to <FIG>, further discussion with respect to <FIG> and <FIG> has been omitted for brevity.

In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> includes a first radiator <NUM>, a second radiator <NUM>, and an electromagnetic coupler <NUM>. The radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to convert one or more electrical signals into electromagnetic waves, and vice versa. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be configured to connect (e.g., couple) a communication device (e.g., transmitter and/or receiver) to one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include one or more circuits having one or more active and/or passive components that are configured to match the impedance of one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is a capacitive coupler that is configured to capacitively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> to one or more communication devices (e.g., transmitter, receiver, etc.). The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to being a capacitive coupler and can be configured as an inductive coupler that can inductively couple one or more of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> has a length L1 that is greater than the length L2 of the second radiator <NUM>. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM>. The length/width of the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be, for example, <NUM>. The width of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be the same or different. These dimensions should not be limited to these exemplary values, and the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can have other dimensions as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the PCB <NUM>. For example, first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed in an area <NUM> of the PCB <NUM> in which metallic or other conductive materials have been removed from the PCB <NUM>. In this example, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be disposed along an edge of the area <NUM> and/or one or more surfaces (e.g., top, bottom, etc.) of the PCB <NUM>.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can be arranged to have a space or slit <NUM> formed there between. Further, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be arranged adjacent to the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> and the space <NUM>. For example, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can be adjacent to and spaced from a portion of the first radiator <NUM> and a portion of the second radiator <NUM> whose respective edges define the space <NUM>. In this configuration, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is spaced from the planar portion of the first radiator <NUM> (e.g., radiation portion <NUM>), the planar portion of the second radiator <NUM> (e.g., radiation portion <NUM>), and the space <NUM> formed between the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM>. The position of the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is not limited to this configuration and may be positioned at other locations along the width of the PCB <NUM>.

In an exemplary aspect, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> is spaced from a plane in which the radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM> reside. That is, there is an air gap between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM>. The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can have a length that is equal or substantially equal to the length of the space <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, as illustrated in <FIG>, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can have a length so that the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> extends from the space <NUM> along at least a portion of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> (e.g., along radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM>). In this example, there is an air gap between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM>. The distance between the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> and the radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM> can be the same or different. In an exemplary aspect, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> includes a first portion that is substantially parallel to the top and bottom surfaces of the PCB <NUM> and a second portion that is substantially parallel to the radiation portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively. In this example, the second portion of the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> extends from the space <NUM> along at least a portion of the radiation portions <NUM> and <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the first portion and the second portion of the electromagnetic coupler form an angle of <NUM>° or substantially <NUM>°, but are not limited to this angled configuration.

<FIG> illustrates an antenna system <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. Although example dimensions are shown in <FIG>, the exemplary aspects are not limited to these dimensions.

In an exemplary aspect, the antenna system <NUM> can be configured as a transmission antenna system, as a receiving antenna system or as both a transmitting and receiving antenna system. Further, two or more of the antenna systems <NUM> can be implemented within, or used by, a communication device, where one antenna system <NUM> is configured as a transmission antenna system and another antenna system <NUM> is configured as a receiving antenna system. For example, a first antenna system <NUM> can be configured on a first side of the PCB <NUM> as shown in <FIG> and a second antenna system <NUM> can be configured on another side (e.g., a side perpendicular to the first side) of the PCB <NUM>.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to be tuned independently within a predetermined frequency range to one or more resonances. For example, the first radiator <NUM> can be configured to primarily operate at lower frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a first resonance), while the second radiator <NUM> can be figured to primarily operate at higher frequencies within the frequency range (e.g., at a first resonance). Although primarily operating at respective subsets of frequencies within the frequency range, the first and second radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be configured to operate at all frequencies within the frequency range. For example, each of the radiators <NUM> and <NUM> can be configured to address the lower or the upper band. This allows for addressing of bands where transmit and receive bands are reversed as in, for example, band <NUM> and band <NUM>. In operation, the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can be configured to implement Carrier Aggregation (CA), including intra-band contiguous (adjacent) CA, intra-band non-contiguous (non-adjacent) CA, and/or inter-band CA.

In an exemplary aspect and with reference to <FIG>, the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can have a length of, for example, <NUM>. The height of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> can be, for example, <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> have a bent portion that is arranged substantially parallel to the top surface of the PCB <NUM>. The bent portion and have a width of, for example, <NUM>. A space <NUM> can be formed between the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> that has a length of, for example, <NUM>. The dimensions should not be limited to these exemplary values, and the first radiator <NUM> and/or the second radiator <NUM> can have other dimensions as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts. In an exemplary aspect, the lengths of the first radiator <NUM> and the second radiator <NUM> can have different dimensions from each other such that one of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> is longer than the other.

<FIG> illustrates antenna system <NUM> and a circuit diagram of the radiators <NUM> and <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. To allow for the discussion of the configuration of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM>, the electromagnetic coupler <NUM> has been removed to expose the connections of the radiators <NUM>, <NUM> to the PCB <NUM>. Although example dimensions are shown in <FIG>, the exemplary aspects are not limited to these dimensions.

In an exemplary aspect, the first radiator <NUM> includes a first radiation portion <NUM> that is connected to the PCB <NUM> via leads 707A and 707B. The first radiator <NUM> can include a capacitor 725A is connected between the lead 707A and ground of the PCB <NUM>. The other end of the first radiation portion <NUM> can be connected to ground of the PCB <NUM> via lead 707B. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 725A can be a tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 725A can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts.

In an exemplary aspect, the second radiator <NUM> includes a second radiation portion <NUM> that is connected to the PCB <NUM> via leads 712A and 712B. The second radiator <NUM> can include a capacitor 725B is connected between the lead 712A and ground of the PCB <NUM>. The other end of the second radiation portion <NUM> can be connected to ground of the PCB <NUM> via lead 712B. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 725B can be a tunable capacitor. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor 725B can have a capacitance of, for example, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM>-<NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, <NUM> pF, or one or more other capacitances or tunable capacitance ranges as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. In exemplary aspects, the capacitance of capacitor 725A can be the same or different from the capacitance of capacitor 725B.

<FIG> illustrates antenna system <NUM> and a circuit diagram of electromagnetic coupler <NUM> according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure.

The electromagnetic coupler <NUM> can include a coupling portion <NUM> that is disposed on a portion of the PCB <NUM>, the space <NUM>, a portion of the first radiator <NUM> and a portion of the second radiator <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the coupling portion <NUM> is a planar-shaped device as illustrated in <FIG>.

In an exemplary aspect, the coupling portion <NUM> is connected to a feed <NUM> via one or more active or passive components (e.g., one or more capacitors, inductors, resistors, etc.). For example, the coupling portion <NUM> can be connected to feed <NUM> via a capacitor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> that are connected in parallel. In an exemplary aspect, capacitor <NUM> is a fixed capacitor and the capacitor <NUM> is a tunable capacitor. In exemplary aspects, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> can both be tunable, or one can be fixed while the other is tunable. The coupling portion <NUM> can be further connected to ground via one or more other active or passive components (e.g., one or more capacitors, inductors, resistors, etc.) that are connected between ground and the electrical node between the feed <NUM> and the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> are connected in parallel and between ground and the electrical node between the feed <NUM> and the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM>. In an exemplary aspect, the capacitor <NUM> is a tunable capacitor. The inductor <NUM>, capacitors <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>, and feed <NUM> can be collectively illustrated by <NUM> in <FIG>.

In this configuration, the coupling portion is connected to ground via capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> connected in parallel and inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> connected in parallel and in series with the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM>. The feed <NUM> is connected between ground and the electrical node formed between the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> connected in parallel and inductor <NUM> and capacitor <NUM> connected in parallel.

Claim 1:
An antenna system (<NUM>) of a communication device, comprising:
a first radiating means (<NUM>);
a second radiating means (<NUM>) spaced from the first radiating means (<NUM>); and
an electromagnetic coupling means (<NUM>) disposed adjacent to the first radiating means (<NUM>) and the second radiating means (<NUM>), the first (<NUM>) and the second (<NUM>) radiating means being separated by a space, the electromagnetic coupling means (<NUM>) for coupling the first (<NUM>) and the second (<NUM>) radiating means to a feed (<NUM>) that is connected to the electromagnetic coupling means, wherein the electromagnetic coupling means (<NUM>) comprises one or more active or passive components configured to match an impedance of the first radiating means (<NUM>) or of the second radiating means (<NUM>),
wherein the first radiating means (<NUM>) comprises a first tunable capacitor (215A) and a portion of the first radiating means being coupled to the first tunable capacitor (215A); and
wherein the second radiating means (<NUM>) comprises a second tunable capacitor (215B) and a portion of the second radiating means (<NUM>) being coupled to the second tunable capacitor (215B).