Communication device and antenna with integrated light assembly

• US 10,074,890 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barnickel, Donald J, Bennett, Robert, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala, Kafka, Henry, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh
• Application Number:
  US14/873,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20170098884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/10 Pendants, arms, or standards; Fixing lighting devices to pendants, arms, or standards adjustable mounting F21V21/14; construction of posts not peculiar to use with lighting devices E04H12/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/16 for mode selection, e.g. mode suppression or mode promotion; for mode conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/24 constituted by a dielectric or ferromagnetic rod or pipe H01Q13/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0068 Dielectric waveguide fed arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a communication device that includes an antenna array integrated with a light assembly having at least one light that illuminates an area about a light pole. The antenna array includes a plurality of dielectric antennas that are configured to transmit outbound wireless signals and receive inbound wireless signals. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

at least one guided wave cable without an electrical return path having a plurality of dielectric cores configured to communicate first guided waves and second guided waves that are bound to the plurality of dielectric cores; and

an antenna array integrated with a light assembly having at least one light that illuminates an area about a structure that supports the light assembly, the antenna array having a plurality of dielectric antennas that are coupled to the at least one guided wave cable and configured to transmit second wireless signals in response to the second guided waves and further configured to generate the first guided waves from received first wireless signals, wherein the at least one light includes a plurality of light emitters and wherein the antenna array is integrated with the light assembly by interspersing the plurality of dielectric antennas with the plurality of light emitters.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas have a composition devoid of conductive materials.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas have no external surfaces that are conductive and each having a feed point that couples to one of the plurality of dielectric cores.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas include:

a first plurality of antenna elements radially arranged at a corresponding first plurality of angles in a first plane; and

a second plurality of antenna elements, radially arranged at a corresponding second plurality of angles in a second plane that are angularly displaced from the first plurality of angles, wherein the second plane is vertically displaced a first distance from the first plane.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas comprises a high density dielectric material.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the antenna array is stacked above the light.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the light assembly further includes a lens configured to direct light from a plurality of light emitters to the area about the structure that supports the light assembly and further configured to direct the outbound wireless signals to the area about the structure that supports the light assembly and receive the inbound wireless signals from the area about the structure that supports the light assembly.

8. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the structure that supports the light assembly is one of:

a residential street light, a parking lot light pole or a highway light pole.

9. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dielectric cores each have a non-conductive exterior surface.

10. A communication device comprising:

a radio configured to receive first millimeter wave signals and generate second millimeter wave signals; and

an antenna array integrated with a light assembly having at least one light that illuminates an area about a structure that supports the light assembly, the antenna array having a plurality of dielectric antennas that are coupled to the radio, wherein the antenna array is configured to transmit second wireless signals in response to the second millimeter wave signals and further configured to generate the first millimeter wave signals from received first wireless signals, wherein the at least one light includes a plurality of light emitters and wherein the antenna array is integrated with the light assembly by interspersing the plurality of dielectric antennas with the plurality of light emitters.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas have a composition devoid of conductive materials.

12. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas have no external surfaces that are conductive and each having a feed point that couples to the radio.

13. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas include:

a first plurality of antenna elements radially arranged at a corresponding first plurality of angles in a first plane; and

a second plurality of antenna elements, radially arranged at a corresponding second plurality of angles in a second plane that are angularly displaced from the first plurality of angles, wherein the second plane is vertically displaced a first distance from the first plane.

14. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dielectric antennas comprises a high density dielectric material.

15. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the antenna array is stacked above the light.

16. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the light assembly further includes a lens configured to direct light from a plurality of light emitters to the area about the structure that supports the light assembly and further configured to direct the outbound wireless signals to the area about the structure that supports the light assembly and receive the inbound wireless signals from the area about the structure that supports the light assembly.

17. The communication device of claim 10 wherein the structure that supports the light assembly is one of:

a residential street light, a parking lot light pole or a highway light pole.