Methods of encapsulating an antenna

1. A method of fabricating an energy storage device for electronic equipment, wherein the energy storage device includes a power supply component, circuitry and a communication component having a transmitter or transceiver and an antenna, the method comprising:

(a) setting desired air frequency (F air _ goal ) and desired core frequency (F core _ goal ) for a coil to be a design frequency (F design );

(b) adjusting coil windings around an air core until its resonant frequency in air (F air _ actual ) equals the desired air frequency;

(c) inserting a ferromagnetic core inside the coil;

(d) identifying a target voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) value by adjusting position of the ferromagnetic core until a minimum (VSWR) is reached, wherein the minimum VSWR corresponds to an actual core frequency (F core _ actual ) of the coil;

(e) determining if the desired core frequency is equal to the actual core frequency and, if not, repeating steps (b)-(d) with a revised desired air frequency given by F air _ goal =F design ×F air _ goal /F air _ actual until the desired core frequency is equal to the actual core frequency;

(f) encapsulating the coil to yield an antenna;

(g) measuring a resonant frequency of the encapsulated coil (F potted );

(h) determining if the resonant frequency of the encapsulated coil is equal to the design frequency and, if not, repeating steps (b)-(f) using a revised core frequency F core _ goal =F design ×F core _ actual /F potted as well as revised air frequency given by F air _ goal =F core _ goal ×F air _ goal /F core _ actual until the potted frequency equals the desired design frequency;

(i) fabricating the antenna using the design parameters that achieved the potted frequency being equal to the design frequency;

(j) encapsulating the processor and the communication component in an epoxy resin via a low temperature and low pressure process; and

(k) integrating the encapsulated circuitry with a power supply component into a unitary energy storage device structure that has an external appearance of a conventional battery.

2. A method of providing an encapsulated, tuned miniature antenna, the method comprising:

(a) setting desired air frequency (F core _ air ) and desired core frequency (F core _ goal ) for a coil to be a design frequency (F design );

(b) adjusting coil windings around an air core until its resonant frequency in air (F air _ actual ) equals the desired air frequency;

(c) inserting a ferromagnetic core inside the coil;

(d) identifying a target voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) value by adjusting position of the ferromagnetic core until a minimum (VSWR) is reached, wherein the minimum VSWR corresponds to an actual core frequency (F core _ actual ) of the coil;

(e) determining if the desired core frequency is equal to the actual core frequency and, if not, repeating steps (b)-(d) with a revised desired air frequency given by F air _ goal =F design ×F air _ goal /F air _ actual until the desired core frequency is equal to the actual core frequency;

(f) encapsulating the coil to yield an antenna;

(g) measuring a resonant frequency of the encapsulated coil (F potted );

(h) determining if the resonant frequency of the encapsulated coil is equal to the design frequency and, if not, repeating steps (b)-(f) using a revised core frequency given by F core _ goal =F design ×F core _ actual /F potted as well as revised air frequency given by F air _ goal =F core _ goal ×F air _ goal /F core _ actual until the potted frequency equals the desired design frequency; and

(i) fabricating the antenna using the design parameters that achieved the potted frequency being equal to the design frequency.