US 11,777,190 B2
Appliance including an antenna using a portion of appliance as a ground plane
Rachael Acker, East Lansing, MI (US); Zachary J. Bruin-Slot, Baroda, MI (US); Wyndham F. Gary, Jr., Whitefish Bay, WI (US); and David W. Mundy, St. Joseph, MI (US)
Assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed by WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed on Dec. 29, 2015, as Appl. No. 14/982,137.
Prior Publication US 2017/0187091 A1, Jun. 29, 2017
Int. Cl. H05B 6/76 (2006.01); H01Q 1/22 (2006.01); H05B 6/64 (2006.01); H01Q 1/38 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 1/22 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/38 (2013.01); H05B 6/6414 (2013.01); H05B 6/6447 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
2. An appliance comprising:
a housing including an internal compartment, wherein at least a portion of the housing comprises an electrically conductive portion;
an antenna for at least one of receiving RF signals and transmitting RF signals from/in a first direction, wherein the antenna comprises an active component and a connection to said electrically conductive portion such that said electrically conductive portion serves as a ground plane of said antenna, wherein the ground plane is positioned behind the active component relative to the first direction;
a coaxial cable having a center pin and a metal sheath surrounding the center pin; and
a conductive plate electrically coupled to said center pin;
wherein said housing further comprises a door frame and a door assembly detachably mounted to said door frame and having a closed position and an open position for allowing user ingress into said internal compartment,
wherein said active component of said antenna is disposed at said door assembly, and
wherein said conductive plate is mounted to said door frame and is spaced apart but proximate to said door assembly when said door assembly is in the closed position such that said conductive plate is capacitively coupled to said active component of said antenna when said door assembly is in the closed position.