Antenna isolation systems and methods

• US 10,211,524 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Hozouri, Behzad Tavassoli
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US15/492,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 455509, 4555561, 455557, 4555757, 4555501, 455 73, 4554261, 4554262, 343893, 343702, 343754, 343755
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/523 between antennas of an array
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Systems and methods for enhanced antenna isolation are disclosed. An example antenna isolation system includes a first antenna element of an antenna array configured to transmit or receive wireless transmissions, a second antenna element of the antenna array adjacent to the first antenna element in the antenna array, and a scattering structure disposed substantially between the first and second antenna elements. The scattering structure is configured to reduce electromagnetic coupling between the first and second antenna elements by, at least in part, directing electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element away from the second antenna element.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first antenna element of an antenna array configured to transmit or receive wireless transmissions;

a second antenna element of the antenna array adjacent to the first antenna element in the antenna array; and

a scattering structure comprising a multilayer scattering element including a first conductive metal layer electrically coupled to a second conductive metal layer by at least one filled via, wherein the scattering structure is disposed substantially between the first and second antenna elements, wherein the scattering structure is configured to reduce electromagnetic coupling between the first and second antenna elements by, at least in part, directing electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element away from the second antenna element.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the scattering structure comprises one or more scattering elements configured to reflect the electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element away from the second antenna element.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more scattering elements are further configured to reduce electromagnetic resonance between the first and second antenna elements.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second antenna elements comprise respective first and second planar antenna elements formed from a common substrate; and

the scattering structure is formed from the common substrate.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein:

the common substrate comprises a multilayer substrate;

the first and second planar antenna elements comprise respective first and second multilayer planar antenna elements formed from at least one common conductive metal layer of the multilayer substrate; and

the scattering structure is formed, at least in part, from the at least one conductive metal layer of the multilayer substrate.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the first conductive metal layer of the multilayer scattering element is electrically coupled to the second conductive metal layer of the multilayer scattering element by a plurality of filled vias.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the scattering structure comprises a plurality of scattering elements.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of scattering elements is arranged in one of;

a parallel arrangement, a mirror arrangement, a singular arrangement, or a combination thereof.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first plurality of antenna elements comprising the first antenna element; and

a second plurality of antenna elements comprising the second antenna element, wherein the scattering structure is configured to reduce electromagnetic coupling between the first plurality of antenna elements and the second plurality of antenna elements by, at least in part, directing electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first plurality of antenna elements away from the second plurality of antenna elements.

10. A method for detecting an object, comprising:

designating a plurality of transmitter and receiver channels for a transmitter antenna array and a receiver antenna array of an object sensing system, wherein a scattering structure is disposed substantially between the transmitter antenna array and the receiver antenna array;

scanning the transmitter antenna array and the receiver antenna array through the designated channels to measure channel responses corresponding to each one of the designated channels; and

determining a directional vector to or from an object scanned by at least one of the designated channels based, at least in part, on the measured channel responses.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

forming a measurement matrix comprising entries corresponding to each measured channel response, wherein the designating the plurality of transmitter and receiver channels comprises;

forming a transmitter amplitude weight vector (AWV) matrix comprising one or more transmitter AWVs corresponding to each transmitter channel in the plurality of transmitter and receiver channels, and

forming a receiver AWV matrix comprising one or more receiver AWVs corresponding to each receiver channel in the plurality of transmitter and receiver channels.

12. A wireless communication device, comprising:

an antenna sub-system configured to transmit beamformed wireless transmissions, wherein the antenna sub-system comprises a first antenna element, a second antenna element adjacent to the first antenna element, and a scattering structure comprising a multilayer scattering element including a first conductive metal layer electrically coupled to a second conductive metal layer by at least one filled via, wherein the scattering structure is disposed substantially between the first and second antenna elements, wherein the scattering structure is configured to reduce electromagnetic coupling between the first and second antenna elements by, at least in part, directing electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element away from the second antenna element;

a controller configured to communicate with the antenna sub-system; and

a memory configured to store a plurality of computer readable instructions which when executed by the controller are adapted to cause the system to;

select a plurality of test beam antenna weight vectors (AWVs) configured at least to detect, to localize, or to detect and localize a responder device;

receive one or more channel measurement responses corresponding to the plurality of test beam AWVs;

determine a combined beam AWV directed substantially towards the responder device based, at least in part, on the plurality of test beam AWVs and the corresponding one or more channel measurement responses; and

configure the antenna sub-system to form a wireless communication channel according to the determined combined beam AWV between the wireless networking device and the responder device.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the determining the combined beam AWV comprises:

determining individual weight factors corresponding to each of the plurality of test beam AWVs based, at least in part, on the one or more channel measurement responses; and

determining a vector sum of the plurality of test beam AWVs weighted according to their corresponding individual weight factors.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein:

characteristics of the scattering structure are configured substantially to reflect the electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element away from the second antenna element and to substantially eliminate risk of resonance with the electromagnetic radiation coupled through the first antenna element.