Antec, Incorporated

Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Itron Gmbh

Arris International, Inc.

Jacket Micro Devices, Inc.

Semyon Lapushin

George E White

Vladimir Borisov

Sidharth Dalmia

Philippe Chiummiento

Boris Smychkovich

Alexander Birger

Lawrence Alan Carastro

Sudhir Thumaty

Winston Czakon

A printed circuit board (PCB) antenna includes a main antenna radiator element embedded within substrate material of a multilayered PCB such that the main antenna radiator element is formed on, or within, a different substrate layer than other components of the PCB antenna. The PCB antenna includes a first PCB substrate, and a first conductive pattern formed on the first PCB substrate, where the first conductive pattern comprises an antenna radiator. The PCB antenna includes a second PCB substrate that is affixed to a first side of the first PCB substrate, and includes a second conductive pattern formed on the second PCB substrate, where the second conductive pattern comprises an antenna ground connection, and an antenna feed connection. The antenna ground connection and the antenna feed connect, through substrate material, to a first end of the antenna radiator of the first PCB substrate.

PCB embedded radiator antenna with exposed tuning stub

Embodiments of the present invention may provide for high-performing inductor structures utilizing multi-layer organic stackups. In particular, these high-performing inductor structures may be formed of one or more stitched metal layer building blocks, which are each formed of at least two inductor sections that are vertically or horizontally aligned, and then stitched or connected together. This stitching process significantly reduces the DC/RF losses while reducing the inductance value by a substantially lower factor, thereby significant increasing the Q-factor of the resulting inductor structure. Each stitched metal layer building block may be formed on an organic dielectric layer (e.g., liquid crystalline polymer (LCP)) having a first conductive layer on a first surface and perhaps a second conductive layer on a second surface opposite the first surface. The at least two inductor sections described above may be formed by patterning or circuitizing the first conductive layer and/or the second conductive layer. Additional stitched metal layer building blocks may be stacked with at least one organic laminate layer (e.g., LCP) disposed between each pair of stitched metal layer building blocks. Plated vias may be utilized to connect one stitched metal layer building block with another stitched metal layer building block to form a resulting high-performing inductor structure.

Methods and apparatuses for high-performing multi-layer inductors

Apparatus and methodology are disclosed for providing effective transmission of data to and/or from an electricity meter by providing embedded radio frequency components. An antenna and stripline or microline filter arrangement are provided as embedded components in association with a transmitter or transceiver portion of the electricity meter's metrology circuitry so as to provide control of out of band harmonic radiation and to provide enhanced signal transmission to and/or from the electricity meter, to accomplish automated meter reading communications or similar. The antenna element is configured and mounted such that, once the electricity meter is fully assembled, the meter case itself can be used as part of a radiating element. An overall resulting integrated design can achieve greater economy utilizing printed circuit board approaches with no additional parts, and with less uncontrolled surface radiation because of the otherwise buried or embedded structure.

Embedded antenna and filter apparatus and methodology

An RF choke is understood to be used in the cable television (&ldquo;CATV&rdquo;) systems to separate RF signals from the AC power signal, both of which initially co-exist when transmitted from the headend of the CATV system. The RF choke of the present invention, is modified by separating the predetermined number of turns from the winding adjacent to the &ldquo;hot&rdquo; (RF/AC) side of the RF choke in a CATV circuit. By evenly spreading these turns from each other with the purpose of reducing the series parasitic capacitance between the &ldquo;hot&rdquo; terminal and the rest of the choke. A useful parallel resonance at high frequency range in series with the rest of the choke is created. In addition, such a RF choke being connected (in shunt) to the RF signal path affects its performance to a much lesser degree than prior art chokes. Because of its reduced parasitic parameters, the choke of the present invention can be placed right at (or on) the AC/RF connector (terminal) of the PCB. This eliminates the oversized conductive trace that connected the CATV cable to the RF choke in prior art implementations. Thus, this placement reduces the parasitic parameter interference contributed by the now eliminated PCB conductive trace, which had to be sized to carry the AC signal of up to 25 Amps.

Radio frequency choke with RF performance and implementation network

A method and apparatus for measuring a characteristic of a communication signal modulated with a composite video signal without the need for a synchronizing device. Samples are taken of an intermediate signal derived from the received communication signal that represents the power spectrum of the communication signal at different instants of time. From a priori knowledge of the spectral characteristics of the communication signal modulated with a composite video signal, predetermined features of the communication signal are identified based on the relative values of the samples collected over a period of time equal to an entire frame of the composite video signal. The sample with the maximum value of a plurality of sample values collected for one frame is coincident with the occurrence of a vertical synchronization pulse of the composite video signal, which occurs when no modulation is present, and therefore is representative of the power of the communication signal at the visual carrier frequency. Once the sample with the maximum value sample is identified, the beginning of a frame is known, and therefore the power level of any other portion of the composite video signal can be measured based on the power level of the communication signal at a particular point in time with respect to the point in time that the maximum value sample occurred.

Method and apparatus for measuring characteristics of a communication signal modulated with a composite video signal without synchronizing to the signal

A circuit and method for compensating for variations in voltages in a circuit or device that are caused by temperature changes imposed on the circuit or device. The circuit is a temperature-controlled attenuator that comprises an input and an output. The input is to be coupled to a point in the circuit or device carrying the temperature-dependent voltage. At least one thermistor is coupled between the input and the output by a resistor network. The resistor network comprises a plurality or resistors whose values are selected based upon selected points on the temperature-voltage curve for the circuit and a desired compensated voltage.

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Tucker, GA, United States of America

Semyon Lapushin