Antenna Arrangement with Direct Test Contacts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and unnecessary use of test connectors in manufacturing portable electronic devices, such as mobile cellular telephones, for testing transmitter and receiver parameters, particularly for adjusting output power levels to meet predetermined standards, necessitates an alternative antenna arrangement that eliminates the need for these connectors.
Innovation Solution
A method and antenna arrangement that includes a matching circuit with separate contacts connected directly to the transmitter/receiver, allowing for parameter sensing without an intervening test connector, and an antenna element that couples with these contacts, optionally providing a ground arm or impedance match through a connector or integral structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a test connector is provided between the transmitter/receiver and antenna element for testing parameters, then parameter testing capability is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the test connector from the permanent antenna arrangement by providing a separate test connector that can be connected to a test point on the antenna element. This allows parameter testing capability to be removed after manufacturing, eliminating the need for a permanent expensive test connector in the final product while maintaining testing capability during production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing testing capability only where needed (at the antenna element test point) rather than through a permanent connector throughout the system. The test connector is temporarily introduced at the specific location required for testing, and then removed, providing localized testing functionality without permanent structural modification.
2Measurement precision
If a test connector is used for sensing transmitter output parameters, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The test connector is extracted as a temporary component used only during manufacturing testing. After testing is complete, the connector is removed and the test point is sealed or covered, returning the antenna arrangement to its simple permanent state while having gained the measurement capability during production.
Solution Approach 2:
The test connector is discarded after serving its purpose during manufacturing testing. The test point may be sealed or covered after use, recovering the simple antenna arrangement structure while having achieved the necessary parameter sensing capability during production.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method comprising: providing a matching circuit, a first contact connected, without an intervening test connector,to a transmitter and/or a receiver, and a second contact, separate from the first contact, connected to the matching circuit; sensing a parameter of the transmitter and/or the receiver by connecting test apparatus to the first contact; and providing an antenna element for coupling with the first contact and the second contact.