Conductive structural member acting as single-ended NFC antenna

A device comprising:

• a conductive device cover comprising a frame and a ground terminal, the conductive device cover forming a single ended Near-Field Communication (NFC) antenna element;
• a single signal terminal directly coupled to the frame;
• a printed wiring board (PWB) and an inductive coil etched in the PWB, the inductive coil comprising a first end and a second end, the first end directly coupled to the single signal terminal;
• an NFC circuit coupled to the second end, the NFC circuit comprising an integrated circuit and a matching circuit, the NFC circuit being coupled to the signal terminal of the conductive device cover, and configured to supply a communication signal at a frequency of 13.56 megahertz to the signal terminal through the inductive coil;
• a capacitor connected in parallel to the conductive device cover;
• and
• a grounding component operable as a return path for the communication signal via the ground terminal of the conductive device cover.

A method, comprising:

• placing a conductive structure comprising a conductive frame and a ground terminal in a device;
• coupling a single signal terminal directly to the conductive frame;
• coupling a first end of an inductive coil directly to the single signal terminal;
• supplying a communication signal through the inductive coil by coupling a second end of the inductive coil to an NFC circuit, and
• grounding the ground terminal of the conductive frame by adding a return path for the communication signal.