High dielectric antenna array

• US 10,038,253 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ossia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ossia, Inc.
• Inventors: Zeine, Hatem
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Huedung
• Application Number:
  US15/594,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20170250474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 343753, 343909
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/09 wherein the primary active element is coated with or embedded in a dielectric or magnetic material protective material H01Q1/40, varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of refracting or diffracting devices H01Q3/44
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/22 Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

A system and method for wirelessly transmitting signals via antenna phased array. In order to decrease the distance between individual antennae in the array, the antennae are submersed in a high dielectric material in addition to being arranged at right angles to one another, both features precluding one or more antennae from coupling. Furthermore, wires are covered in high dielectric material in order to refract RF signals around them, allowing antennae towards the center of the array to successfully transmit signals past other layers.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements disposed on multiple layers and arranged in a substantially right-angle configuration relative to each other; and

a dielectric insulator that substantially immerses the plurality of antenna elements and increases wireless power transfer by allowing a subset of the plurality of antenna elements disposed on one or more layers of the multiple layers to transmit signals past other antenna elements disposed on outer layers of the multiple layers.

2. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the dielectric insulator has a permittivity coefficient that is larger than three.

3. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements are coupled by conductive wires coated in a dielectric material of high permittivity.

4. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements include traces within a circuit board, and wherein at least one of the traces is surrounded by a low-permittivity dielectric material.

5. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein dielectric materials of high permittivity are placed in proximity to areas of lower permittivity materials to enhance signal transfer.

6. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements are etched into interstitial layers of a circuit board.

7. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements form one or more quasi-crystalline patterns.

8. A method for transmitting wireless power comprising:

emitting wireless signals from antenna elements,

wherein the antenna elements are disposed on multiple antenna layers and immersed by one or more high permittivity dielectric insulators, and

wherein the antenna elements are arranged at substantially right-angles relative to each other; and

refracting the wireless signals around wires coupling the antenna elements to improve signal transfer by allowing a subset of the array of antenna elements disposed on one or more layers of the multiple layers to transmit signals past other layers of the multiple layers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the antenna elements are immersed by a dielectric insulator having a permittivity coefficient that is larger than three.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the antenna elements are coupled by conductive wires coated in a dielectric material of high permittivity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the antenna elements are comprised of traces within a circuit board, and wherein one or more of the traces are surrounded by a low-permittivity dielectric material.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the dielectric material of high permittivity is proximate to areas of lower permittivity material for enhancing signal transfer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the antenna elements are etched into interstitial layers of a circuit board.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the antenna elements form one or more quasi-crystalline patterns.

15. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

an antenna array comprising multiple antenna layers each having multiple antenna elements disposed thereon, wherein the antenna elements are arranged in a substantially right-angle configuration relative to each other; and

one or more high permittivity dielectric insulators that immerse the multiple antenna elements, wherein the one or more dielectric insulators are configured to increase wireless power transfer by allowing a subset of the plurality of antenna elements disposed on one or more layers of the multiple layers to transmit wireless signals past other antenna elements disposed on outer layers of the multiple layers.

16. The wireless power transmission system of claim 15, wherein the wireless signals comprise RF signals that refract around the other antenna elements disposed on the outer layers of the multiple layers to increase wireless power transfer.

17. The wireless power transmission system of claim 15, wherein the one or more dielectric insulators decrease spacing between each of the multiple antenna elements.

18. The wireless power transmission system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more dielectric insulators has a permittivity coefficient that is larger than three.

19. The wireless power transmission system of claim 15, wherein the antenna elements are coupled by conductive wires coated in a dielectric material of high permittivity, and wherein the dielectric material of high permittivity is in proximity to areas of lower permittivity material for enhancing signal transfer.

20. The wireless power transmission system of claim 15, wherein the antenna elements are comprised of traces within a circuit board, and wherein at least a portion of the traces are surrounded by gaps of air or some other lower-permittivity dielectric material.