# US 2019/0356038 A1 · Assemblies, systems, and devices for eliminating positional gaps between antennas located on different printed circuit boards

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- Number: US 2019/0356038 A1
- Document ID: US20190356038A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/982,584
- Filed: 2018-05-17
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-17
- Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Applicants: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Inventors: Amnon Jonas; Oded Bialer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190356038A1

## CPC

- H01Q 1/2283: {mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package}
- H01Q 1/38: formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142)}
- H01Q 1/52: Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure (absorbing means H01Q17/00)
- H01Q 21/06: Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
- H01Q 1/3233: {particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems}
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)

## Abstract

Assemblies, systems and devices for reducing a gap between physical antennas on multiple printed circuit boards (PCBs) are provided. The PCB assembly includes: a first PCB adjacent to a second PCB to form a mated arrangement of both PCBs wherein the first and second PCBs at least include: a first and a second set of a physical antennas positioned on the respective first and second PCBs, and at least one virtual element positioned on either PCB corresponding to one of the physical antennas; and a gap which is configured to minimize a distance between the physical antennas of the first PCB and the second PCB in the mated arrangement as well as to maintain a sufficient distance from edges of each PCB to prevent distortions resultant by an insufficient distance of the physical antennas from the edges of each PCB wherein the gap is minimized by positioning a virtual element between each set of physical antennas so the distance of the gap is determined by a lesser distance from the physical antenna to the virtual element and not a greater distance from another physical antenna.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A printed circuit board (PCB) assembly for minimizing a gap between physical antennas on multiple PCBs, the PCB assembly comprising:
a first PCB adjacent to a second PCB to form a mated arrangement of both PCBs wherein the first and second PCBs at least comprise: first and second sets of physical antennas positioned on the respective first and second PCBs, and at least one virtual element positioned on either PCB corresponding to one of the physical antennas wherein the virtual element is a virtual receiver or a virtual transmitter element; and
the gap which is configured to minimize a distance between the physical antennas of the first PCB and the second PCB in the mated arrangement as well as to maintain enough of a distance from edges of an opposing one of the PCBs comprising the first or second PCB in the mated arrangement in order to prevent distortions resulting by a closeness of the physical antennas from the edges of the opposing one of the PCBs wherein the gap is minimized by positioning the at least one virtual element between each set of the first and second sets of physical antennas so the distance of the gap is determined by a lesser distance from the physical antenna in each of the sets to the virtual element and not a greater distance to one of the opposing physical antenna in each of the sets of the physical antennas wherein the virtual element position is located at a distance comprising a constant sum ptx+p1rx of an offset distance of a re-positioned physical antennas wherein ptx is the physical position of a transmitter physical antenna and p1rx is a physical position of a receiver physical antenna.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The PCB assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
an alignment to position the set of physical antennas in line with the virtual element in between both physical antennas of the set so all elements of both physical antennas, and the virtual element form a straight line.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The PCB assembly of claim 2, wherein the first and second PCBs are irregular shaped PCBs that are of a form factor that enables the mated arrangement to fit together.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The PCB assembly of claim 3, wherein the irregular shaped PCBs are non-convex shaped PCBs.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The PCB assembly of claim 1, wherein the virtual element is positioned on either the first PCB or second PCB so the gap between a particular physical antenna and the virtual element is less than the distance of a set of particular physical antennas.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The PCB assembly of claim 5, wherein the virtual element positioned on either PCB is located at an offset from the particular physical antenna of an offset distance approximately equal to the distance of an original position to a re-positioned position of the particular physical antenna.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The PCB assembly of claim 6, wherein the virtual element is positioned at the offset in a position perpendicular to one of the particular physical antennas.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The PCB assembly of claim 7 wherein the virtual element is positioned within a boundary of either PCB.

### Claim 9

(canceled)

### Claim 10

A printed circuit board (PCB) system for reducing a gap between physical antennas on separate PCBs connected together, the PCB system comprising:
a first PCB adjacent to a second PCB to form a mated arrangement of both PCBs wherein the first and second PCBs at least comprise: first and second sets of physical antennas positioned on the respective first and second PCBs, and at least one virtual element positioned on either PCB corresponding to one of the physical antennas wherein the virtual element is a virtual receiver or a virtual transmitter element; and
the gap which is configured to minimize a distance between the physical antennas of the first PCB and the second PCB in the mated arrangement as well as to maintain enough of a distance from edges of an opposing one of the PCBs comprising the first or second PCB in the mated arrangement in order to prevent distortions resulting from a nearest between the physical antennas to the edges of the opposing one of the PCBs wherein the gap is minimized by positioning the at least one virtual element between each set of the first and second sets of physical antennas so the distance of the gap is determined by a lesser distance from the physical antenna in each of the sets to the virtual element and not a greater distance to one of the opposing physical antenna in each of the sets of the physical antennas wherein the virtual element position is located at a distance comprising a constant sum of ptx−p1rx of an offset distance of a re-positioned physical antennas wherein ptx is the physical position of a transmitter physical antenna and p1rx is a physical position of a receiver physical antenna.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, further comprising:
an alignment to position the set of physical antennas in line with the virtual element in between both physical antennas of the set so all elements of both physical antennas, and the virtual element form a straight line.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second PCBs are irregular shaped PCBs that are of a form factor that enables the mated arrangement to fit together.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the irregular shaped PCBs are non-convex shaped PCBs.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual element is positioned on either the first PCB or second PCB so the gap between a particular physical antenna and the virtual element is less than the distance of a set of particular physical antennas.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual element positioned on either PCB is located at an offset from the particular physical antenna of an offset distance approximately equal to the distance of an original position to a re-positioned position of the particular physical antenna.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual element is positioned at the offset in a position perpendicular to one of the particular physical antennas.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 wherein the virtual element is positioned within a boundary of either PCB.

### Claim 18

(canceled)

### Claim 19

An antenna device for reducing a gap between physical antennas on separate printed circuit boards (PCBs) connected together, said antenna device comprising:
a PCB adjacent to another PCB comprising a set of PCBs of a first PCB and a second PCB in a male-female configuration with each one of the PCBs having a physical antenna positioned thereon;
a virtual element is positioned in between the physical antenna on each PCB;
a gap created by the distance between the physical antenna on each one of the PCBs in the set of PCBs wherein the gap is reduced in distance by placing the virtual element closer to the physical antenna of the first PCB so the distance of the gap is measured by the distance of the physical antenna to the virtual element which is less than the distance between each one of the physical antennas on the first and second PCBs thereby reducing the gap distance between the physical antennas by a placement of while preventing distortions of edges of each PCB from physical antennas placed close to the edges; and
an alignment to position the set of physical antennas in line with the virtual element in between both physical antennas of the set so all elements of both physical antennas, and the virtual element form a straight line wherein the first and second PCBs are irregular shaped PCBs that are of a form factor that enables the mated arrangement to fit together wherein the irregular shaped PCBs are non-convex shaped PCBs wherein the virtual element is positioned on either the first PCB or second PCB so the gap between a particular physical antenna and the virtual element is reduced in distance between a set of particular physical antennas wherein the virtual element positioned on either PCB is located at an offset from the particular physical antenna of an offset distance approximately equal to the distance of an original position to a re-positioned position of the particular physical antenna wherein the virtual element is positioned at the offset in a position perpendicular to one of the particular physical antennas wherein the virtual element is positioned within a boundary of either PCB wherein the virtual element position is located at a distance comprising a constant sum ptx+p1rx of an offset distance of the re-positioned physical antennas wherein ptx is the physical position of a transmitter physical antenna and p1rx is a physical position of a receiver physical antenna.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The device of claim 19, further comprising:
the physical antenna positioned on the second PCB at an offset from an original position equal in distance to an offset from the original position of the virtual element placement.