Compact Mobile Antenna Design for 8-Band LTE WWAN Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile phone antennas are unable to achieve 8-band operations required by LTE and WWAN technologies due to limited operating bandwidth and physical size constraints, especially when trying to utilize multiple resonant paths for wide-band or multi-band operations.
Innovation Solution
A compact antenna design featuring a radiating metal portion with a width at least one-eighth of its length, a coupling metal portion, and a shorting metal portion with a chip inductor, which collectively provide wide operating bandwidths for both low-frequency and high-frequency bands, enabling 8-band LTE/WWAN operations while maintaining a small size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple resonant paths are utilized to achieve wide-band or multi-band operations, then the operating bandwidth is improved, but the physical size of the antenna becomes too big to fit in a modern mobile phone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a shorting metal portion with a chip inductor inside the radiating metal portion structure. The shorting metal portion is positioned within the boundary of the radiating metal portion, creating a nested configuration that allows the antenna to achieve wide-band operations without increasing overall size. This nesting principle enables multiple resonant paths to be formed within a compact footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a chip inductor with specific inductance value (0.5-2 nH) to modify the electrical characteristics of the antenna. By changing the electrical parameters through the inductor and adjusting the width-to-length ratio of the radiating metal portion to be at least 1:8, the antenna achieves wide operating bandwidth covering 8 bands without requiring larger physical dimensions. This parameter optimization allows compact multi-band operation.
2Volume of moving object
If the antenna is designed to fit in a modern mobile phone with small size, then the device compactness is improved, but the operating bandwidth becomes limited and cannot meet 8-band operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates different functional zones within the antenna structure. The radiating metal portion has specific width and length ratios (width at least 1/8 of length) optimized for radiation, while the shorting metal portion with chip inductor provides localized impedance transformation and resonant control. This local optimization of different regions enables the compact antenna to achieve wide-band 8-band operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The chip inductor acts as an intermediary element that couples the shorting metal portion to the radiating metal portion. This inductor mediates the electromagnetic energy transfer and creates additional resonant paths without requiring large physical space. The coupling gap between the metal portions allows controlled energy coupling, enabling wide-band operation in a compact configuration.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional inverted-F antenna design is used to achieve multi-band operations, then the implementation simplicity is improved, but the operating bandwidth is still very limited and cannot meet 8-band operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a single radiating metal portion structure that can support multiple resonant modes and frequency bands simultaneously. By optimizing the width-to-length ratio and incorporating the shorting metal portion with inductor, this universal structure achieves 8-band operations covering both low-frequency (LTE700/GSM850/900) and high-frequency (GSM1800/1900/UMTS/LTE2300/LTE2500) bands, making the antenna universally applicable for modern multi-band mobile devices.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The antenna achieves wide operating bandwidths for both low-frequency and high-frequency bands, covering 3-band LTE700/GSM850/900 and 5-band GSM1800/1900/UMTS/LTE2300/LTE2500 operations, meeting the requirements for 8-band operations while being small enough to fit in modern mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
A coupling metal portion, which couples electromagnetic energy to the radiating metal portion via a coupling gap
Implementation Method 2
A shorting metal portion, with one end electrically connected to the radiating metal portion and the other end electrically connected to the ground plane, has a chip inductor
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile communication device has a ground plane and an antenna. The antenna is disposed on a dielectric substrate and includes a radiating metal portion, a coupling metal portion, and a shorting metal portion. One edge of the radiating metal portion faces the ground plane and has a distance between the edge and the ground plane. The coupling metal portion is electrically connected to a source via a connecting metal strip. One end of the shorting metal portion is electrically connected to the radiating metal portion, and the other end of the shorting metal portion is electrically connected to the ground plane.