Antenna structure with doped antenna body

• US 10,424,838 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2019
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2017
• 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: Henry, Paul Shala, Vannucci, Giovanni, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baltzell, Andrea Lindgren
• Application Number:
  US16/372,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20190229414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 175 Days
• Field of Search: 343872
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/422 comprising two or more layers of dielectric material H01Q1/425 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/06 Waveguide mouths horns H01Q13/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0039 Electrical control

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a communication device includes a dielectric antenna having a body of first dielectric material doped with particles of a second dielectric material. A cable comprising a dielectric core is coupled to a feed point of the dielectric antenna. A transmitter, coupled to the cable, facilitates a transmission of electromagnetic waves, the electromagnetic waves are guided by the dielectric core to the feed point of the dielectric antenna, without requiring an electrical return path.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a dielectric antenna having a body of first dielectric material doped with particles of a second dielectric material;

a cable comprising a dielectric core coupled to a feed point of the dielectric antenna; and

a transmitter, coupled to the cable, the transmitter facilitating a transmission of electromagnetic waves that are guided by the dielectric core to the feed point of the dielectric antenna, without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the transmitter launches the electromagnetic waves on the dielectric core via a linearly polarized hybrid wave mode and the dielectric core converts the linearly polarized hybrid wave mode to a circularly polarized wave mode at the feed point of the dielectric antenna, and wherein the electromagnetic waves generate free-space wireless signals from an aperture of the dielectric antenna in accordance with a circularly polarized antenna beam pattern.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric antenna is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the dielectric antenna and generates a far-field beam pattern that is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric material has a higher relative permittivity than the first dielectric material.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric material comprises one of:

rutile or barium titanate.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a frequency below 6 GHz.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric antenna is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the dielectric antenna.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric antenna is conductorless.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the cable is conductorless.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the cable further comprises an outer jacket and a dielectric foam that supports the dielectric core within the outer jacket.

10. An antenna structure, comprising:

a feed point that facilitates coupling to a dielectric core, wherein the dielectric core supplies electromagnetic waves to the feed point; and

a solid dielectric antenna body coupled to the feed point for receiving the electromagnetic waves, the solid dielectric antenna body having a first dielectric material doped with particles of a second dielectric material;

wherein the dielectric core converts a wave mode of the electromagnetic waves from a linearly polarized hybrid wave mode to a circularly polarized wave mode at the feed point of the solid dielectric antenna body, and wherein the electromagnetic waves generate free-space wireless signals from an aperture of the solid dielectric antenna body in accordance with a circularly polarized antenna beam pattern.

11. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the solid dielectric antenna body is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the solid dielectric antenna body and generates a far-field beam pattern that is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis.

12. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the second dielectric material has a higher relative permittivity than the first dielectric material.

13. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the second dielectric material comprises one of:

rutile or barium titanate.

14. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a frequency below 6 GHz.

15. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the solid dielectric antenna body is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the solid dielectric antenna body.

16. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the solid dielectric antenna body is conductorless.

17. The antenna structure of claim 10, further comprising an outer jacket and a dielectric foam that supports the dielectric core within the outer jacket.

18. The antenna structure of claim 10, wherein the dielectric core is within a conductorless cable.

19. An antenna structure, comprising:

conductorless antenna means for transmitting or receiving free space wireless signals, the conductorless antenna means having a feed point and an aperture and a body of a first dielectric material doped with particles of a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material having a higher relative permittivity than the first dielectric material; and

cable means, having a dielectric core for supplying electromagnetic waves to or from the feed point, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the cable means and propagate without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the electromagnetic waves generate the free space wireless signals from the aperture of the conductorless antenna means in accordance with a circularly polarized antenna beam pattern;

wherein the cable means converts the electromagnetic waves from a linearly polarized hybrid wave mode to a circularly polarized wave mode at the feed point of the conductorless antenna means.

20. The antenna structure of claim 19, wherein the second dielectric material comprises one of:

rutile or barium titanate.