| 摘要 |
A thin layer or layers of electrically conductive material applied to the exterior surface of the enclosure exploits the skin effect for antenna implementations. Using an additive manufacturing process of the type wherein layers of material are consolidated without melting the material in bulk, at least the electrical interconnection may be completely embedded within the wall of the enclosure. Indeed, the transmitter, receiver, or transceiver and the electrical interconnection may also be completely embedded within the enclosure or the wall thereof. A pair of antennas may be provided to function as a dipole, for example. Alternatively, a plurality of antennas arranged to facilitate frequency tuning, beam steering, or other parameters. The antenna and enclosure are preferably fabricated from materials having different dielectric constants, including different metals. As examples, the enclosure may be fabricated from aluminum or stainless steel, while the antenna layer(s) may be fabricated from copper, gold, silver or other highly conductive materials. Antennas according to the invention may be used at microwave frequencies, including those used for wireless networking.
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