Antenna for Portable Devices - Practical Implementation and Applications (RF271)

SynopsisToday it is not unusual to find a handset incorporating three separate antennas covering six frequency bands. Ideally, antenna engineers should be involved early in the design cycle to decide for example the antenna placement as different applications require different radiation directions - downward for Bluetooth headset vs upward for GPS device.

However, in most cases the antenna engineer is consulted late and is forced to compromise on antenna design to fit allocated space and location within the device. A less-than-ideal antenna implementation will cause the whole project to fail even with well-designed circuitry as antenna is an important component in the signal path.

It is thus the responsibility of all design engineers to understand the constraints of the antenna in a portable device. The direction of the antenna, the mechanical design, the components co-located with the antenna, the choice of material used with the antenna, grounding and even the choice of different branding logos may affect the overall performance of the device.

This course serves to provide a practical guide in understanding these design considerations by addressing key practical engineering issues with regards to the integration of small antennas. The learning is further enhanced through discussions in applications such as walkie-talkie, PDA, WiFi and Bluetooth-based device, Remote Keyless Entry (RKE), mobile phone and GPS device.

Figures below showing the measurement setup in the class.

What You Will Learn

• Antenna working principles
• Types of small antennas and their design considerations
• Case studies of handset antennas
• Practical design and measurement techniques

Who Should AttendThe primary target audience for this course is engineers involved in the design, integration, test development, testing, validation and characterization of antennas for portable devices. This course is also applicable to a broad audience who need to have a strong understanding of antennas in portable devices for example:

• Application engineers
• Technical marketing engineers
• Analog and digital engineers
• System architects
• Wireless device designers
• Wireless communication specialists
• EMC specialists
• RF and radar engineers/technicians
• Mechanical engineers

PrerequisiteEngineers experienced working on antenna. Knowledge on antenna design will not be required although previous exposure to RF and/or basic antenna knowledge will be an advantage.

Course MethodologyThe students are first taught the theory in a classroom setting, with demonstrations to illustrate the design and measurement principles. These concepts are then reinforced through case studies. Students will also get the opportunity to work on real-life antennas through lab exercises

Course Duration2 days, 9am - 5pm

Course StructureIntroduction to antenna theory

• Review of antenna terminology
• Antenna theory and parameters: radiation patterns, beamwidth, antenna efficiency radiation power density, directivity, gain, bandwidth, polarization, effective area, antenna temperature
• Impedance matching: concepts and techniques

• Pattern measurement
• Gain and directivity measurement
• Impedance measurement
• Polarization measurement
• Scale model measurement

• Types of small antennas: Handset antenna, RFID antennas and laptop antennas
• Efficiency vs bandwidth considerations
• Impedance behavior
• Specific absorption rate
• Balanced antennas
• MIMO antennas

• Performance requirements
• Classes of handset antennas
• Antenna position in the handset
• Fields and currents in the handset
• Applications: walkie-talkie, PDA, WiFi and Bluetooth-based device, Remote Keyless Entry (RKE), mobile phone, GPS device

• Defining specifications
• Simulation
• Building the prototype
• Measurement setup
• Design optimization
• “Rules of thumb” and tips