SLITTED PCB FOR OMNI-DIRECTIONAL LIKE PERFORMANCE OF OFF-CENTER MOUNTED ANTENNAS OF PASSIVE ACCESS SYSTEMS

A radio frequency (RF) circuit is provided and includes an antenna, a printed circuit board and a RF chip. The printed circuit board includes a stack of layers. The stack of layers includes a grounded layer. The grounded layer includes a slit, a dielectric area, a first grounded area and a second grounded area. The dielectric area includes dielectric material and is disposed between the first grounded area and the second grounded area. The antenna is edge mounted to the ground layer adjacent the dielectric area and offset from a centerline of the ground layer. The second grounded area is disposed between the dielectric area and the slit. The RF chip is mounted to the stack of layers and connected to the antenna via a transmission line and configured to transmit and receive RF signals via the antenna.