USB-C Wireless Dongle With 3D Antenna for Breakage-Resistant Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless dongles for information handling systems face issues with breakage due to their long footprint, which is prone to torsional forces, especially in low-profile ports, and they often require specific layouts for different peripherals, increasing tooling costs and hindering repair and recycling.
Innovation Solution
A wireless dongle design with a circuit board orthogonal to the port connector axis, featuring a spaced parallel antenna and a pogo pin interface, embedded in flexible material, allowing for easy replacement and adaptation to different peripherals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the antenna is oriented at an upper side of the dongle's circuit board to fit in miniature ports, then the dongle footprint is reduced, but the wireless signal performance becomes unstable with unpredictable connectivity strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the antenna from a planar layout on the circuit board to a three-dimensional folded structure that extends vertically from the board. This dimensional change allows the antenna to maintain its effective radiating length while fitting within the constrained footprint of miniature USB ports, resolving the contradiction between compact size and signal stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna is folded back onto itself in a nested configuration, with portions of the antenna winding around or near the circuit board and connector assembly. This nesting allows the antenna to occupy three-dimensional space efficiently, maintaining signal performance while minimizing the external footprint of the dongle.
2Reliability
If the dongle has a long footprint to include the antenna, then the antenna can be properly oriented, but the dongle becomes prone to breakage when plugged into side ports
Solution Approach 1:
By folding the antenna into the vertical dimension rather than extending it horizontally, the patent eliminates the long lever arm that causes torsional stress during insertion. The antenna maintains its functional orientation through vertical folding rather than horizontal extension, preventing breakage at the connector interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna incorporates flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) technology, allowing the antenna traces to be bent and folded without breaking. This flexibility enables the antenna to achieve its required orientation while accommodating the compact dongle form factor and withstanding insertion forces without fracturing.
3Reliability
If different types of dongles are designed for different peripherals, then the wireless communication is optimized for specific devices, but the tooling costs increase and repair/recycling becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal dongle platform with a standardized connector and circuit board that can support multiple antenna types. Different antennas (for keyboard, mouse, audio, or combined functions) can be interchangeably mounted on the same base unit, allowing optimized wireless communication for different peripherals while maintaining a single tooling infrastructure and enabling easy repair through antenna replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless dongle couples to an information handling system port by inserting into a port along an insertion axis to interface with the information handling system processor. A circuit board couples orthogonal to a Type C USB connector and mounts a radio that communicates wireless signals with a peripheral device. A three dimensional antenna couples to the circuit board in a spaced parallel relationship to communicate wireless signals orthogonal the circuit board along the insertion axis. The antenna is over molded with a flexible material to embed in the flexible material and interfaced with the circuit board by a pogo pin having a spring biased member aligned with a contact pad of the circuit board.