MULTI-BAND ANTENNA ASSEMBLY
Antenna assemblies and methods of manufacturing antenna assemblies are provided. In one embodiment, an antenna assembly comprises a printed circuit board having a first surface and a second surface. The antenna assembly also includes a cellular antenna structure having a first section disposed on the first surface of the printed circuit board and a second section disposed on the second surface of the printed circuit board. The antenna assembly further includes a wireless local area antenna structure having a first section disposed on the first surface of the printed circuit board and a second section disposed on the second surface of the printed circuit board.
1 . An antenna assembly comprising:
a printed circuit board having a first surface and a second surface;
a cellular antenna structure having a first section disposed on the first surface of the printed circuit board and a second section disposed on the second surface of the printed circuit board; and
a wireless local area antenna structure having a first section disposed on the first surface of the printed circuit board and a second section disposed on the second surface of the printed circuit board.
2 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) module, wherein the printed circuit board comprises an aperture configured to accommodate the GPS module.
3 . The antenna assembly of claim 2 , wherein two or more of the cellular antenna structure, wireless local area antenna structure, and GPS module are configured to operate simultaneously.
4 . The antenna assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a ground plane formed on the second surface of the printed circuit board, the ground plane configured to provide a ground potential for the GPS module.
5 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cellular antenna structure is configured to operate within a frequency band ranging from 600 MHz to 6 GHz and the wireless local area antenna structure is configured to operate within a frequency band ranging from 2.0 GHz to 5.0 GHz.
6 . The antenna assembly of claim 5 , wherein a bandwidth of the cellular antenna structure is at least 400 MHz and a bandwidth of the wireless local area antenna structure is at least 200 MHz.
7 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cellular antenna structure and wireless local area antenna structure are configured as omni-directional antennas.
8 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cellular antenna structure and wireless local area antenna structure comprise copper traces.
9 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board is configured to be mounted in a water distribution system.
10 . The antenna assembly of claim 9 , wherein the printed circuit board is configured to be mounted in a fire hydrant of the water distribution system.
11 . The antenna assembly of claim 9 , wherein the printed circuit board is configured to be mounted in a valve cover of the water distribution system, the valve cover located below ground level.
12 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board is configured to be mounted on a vehicle.
13 . The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board is substantially circular and has a diameter of less than five inches.
14 . A method of manufacturing an antenna assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
fabricating a printed circuit board with a ground layer, a plurality of microstrip segments, and an aperture, the microstrip segments forming at least a first antenna and a second antenna;
installing a global positioning system (GPS) module in the aperture of the printed circuit board; and
coupling a terminal of the GPS module with the ground layer of the printed circuit board.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of fabricating the printed circuit board comprises forming the plurality of microstrip segments on a top surface and a bottom surface of the printed circuit board.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second antennas includes microstrip segments on both the top surface and bottom surface of the printed circuit board.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first antenna is configured to communicate in a cellular frequency band and the second antenna is configured to communicate in a wireless local area frequency band.
18 . A printed circuit board comprising:
a first antenna structure configured to operate in a radio frequency (RF) band;
a second antenna structure configured to operate in a microwave frequency band, wherein the frequencies of the RF band are different from the frequencies of the microwave frequency band; and
an aperture configured to accommodate a global positioning system (GPS) module.
19 . The printed circuit board of claim 18 , further comprising a ground layer configured to ground the GPS module and minimize interference with the first and second antenna structures.
20 . The printed circuit board of claim 18 , further comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first antenna structure includes a first section disposed on the first surface and a second section disposed on the second surface, and wherein the second antenna structure includes a first section disposed on the first surface and a second section disposed on the second surface.
21 . The printed circuit board of claim 18 , wherein the first antenna structure operates in a cellular frequency band and the second antenna structure operates in a wireless local area frequency band.
22 . The printed circuit board of claim 18 , wherein the printed circuit board is substantially circular and has a diameter less than five inches.