Reconfigurable reconstructive antenna array

• US 10,411,505 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shao, Shuai, Gudan, Ken, Hull, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hiltunen, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US14/584,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20160190869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/364 Creating multiple current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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

Abstract

A reconfigurable array antenna and system for including the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus comprises a feeding network and an array coupled to the feeding network, wherein the array has a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, and the energy is combined by the feeding network in RF.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a feeding network with a movable feeding structure to move a feeding point;

an array coupled to the feeding network, the array having a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, the energy being combined by the feeding network in RF, and further wherein the array is operable to perform beam steering by moving a position of the feeding point on a centerline of the feeding network that is within a centerline of the array, wherein the movable feeding structure is configured to move the feeding point from a first location on the centerline of the feeding network to a second location on the centerline of the feeding network.

2. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array regardless of the number of antenna elements in the array.

3. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the feeding network is a frequency and impedance match to the antenna elements in the array.

4. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein each antenna element attached in the array operates independently of other antenna elements in the array.

5. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising a single rectifier to convert RF to energy for all attached antenna elements in the array.

6. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein overall gain of the array of antenna elements is greater than gain of individual antenna elements in the array.

7. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a ground plane coupling the individual antenna element ground planes on one side of the array together to form a single unified ground plane, such that the center frequency of the array is similar to that of the individual antenna elements; and

a feeding network panel coupling feed points of the individual antenna elements on the array on the opposite side of the ground plane network, to form a single unified feeding location.

8. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein the ground plane comprises an H-shaped ground plane.

9. The antenna apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein two or more of the individual antenna elements are of different types, the different types being at least two antenna types from a group consisting of:

a linear polarized antenna, a circularly polarized antenna, a directional antenna, an omni-directional antenna, an antenna that operates at a different frequency band, and a beam-steered antenna.

10. A sensor node for use in a sensor network, the sensor comprising:

one or more sensors for sensing and logging data;

a transmitter to transmit information wirelessly;

an antenna apparatus comprising

a feeding network with a movable feeding structure to move a feeding point, and

an array coupled to the feeding network, the array having a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, the energy being combined by the feeding network in RF, and further wherein the array is operable to perform beam steering based on a position of the feeding point on a centerline of the feeding network that is within a centerline of the array, wherein the moveable feeding structure is configured to move the feeding point from a first location on the centerline of the feeding network to a second location on the centerline of the feeding network;

an energy harvesting unit coupled to the antenna apparatus and operable to convert incident energy received by the antenna apparatus to direct current (DC); and

a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting unit, the one or more sensors and the transmitter, the microcontroller operable to cause the transmitter to communicate sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested by the energy harvesting and storage unit.

11. The sensor node defined in claim 10 wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array regardless of the number of antenna elements in the array.

12. The sensor node defined in claim 10 wherein the feeding network is a frequency and impedance match to the antenna elements in the array.

13. The sensor node defined in claim 10 wherein each antenna element attached in the array operates independently of other antenna elements in the array.

14. The sensor node defined in claim 10 further comprising a single rectifier to convert RF to energy for all attached antenna elements in the array.

15. The sensor node defined in claim 10 wherein overall gain of the array of antenna elements is greater than gain of individual antenna elements in the array.

16. The sensor node defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a ground plane coupling the individual antenna element ground planes on one side of the array together to form a single unified ground plane, such that the center frequency of the array is similar to that of the individual antenna elements; and

a feeding network panel coupling feed points of the individual antenna elements on the array on the opposite side of the ground plane network, to form a single unified feeding location.

17. The sensor node defined in claim 16 wherein the ground plane comprises an H-shaped ground plane.

18. The sensor node defined in claim 10 wherein two or more of the individual antenna elements of the antenna are of different types, the different types being at least two antenna types from a group consisting of:

a linear polarized antenna, a circularly polarized antenna, a directional antenna, an omni-directional antenna, an antenna that operates at a different frequency band, and a beam-steered antenna.

19. A Wi-Fi communication system comprising:

an access point coupled to provide access to a network;

a sensor node comprising

one or more sensors for sensing and logging data;

a transmitter to transmit information wirelessly;

an antenna apparatus comprising

a feeding network with a movable feeding structure to move a feeding point, and

an array coupled to the feeding network, the array having a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, the energy being combined by the feeding network in RF, and further wherein the array is operable to perform beam steering by moving a position of the feeding point on a centerline of the feeding network that is within a centerline of the array, wherein the moveable feeding structure is configured to move the feeding point from a first location on the centerline of the feeding network to a second location on the centerline of the feeding network;

an energy harvesting unit coupled to the antenna and operable to convert incident energy received by the antenna apparatus to direct current (DC); and

a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting unit, the one or more sensors and the transmitter, the microcontroller operable to cause the transmitter to communicate sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors to the access point while powered by energy previously harvested by the energy harvesting and storage unit.

20. The communication system defined in claim 19 wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array regardless of the number of antenna elements in the array.