Waveguide antenna element-based beam forming phased array antenna system for millimeter wave communication

• US 10,637,159 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movandi Corporation
• Original Assignee: Movandi Corporation
• Inventors: Yoon, Seunghwan, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Gharavi, Sam, Sridharan, Kartik, Shin, Donghyup, Shirinfar, Farid, Wu, Stephen, Rofougaran, Maryam, Besoli, Alfred Grau, Adas, Enver, Wang, Zhihui
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Binh B
• Application Number:
  US15/904,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20190267721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 343824, 343751, 343767-771, 343893
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/523 between antennas of an array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/20 Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• 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 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46

Abstract

An antenna system, includes a first substrate, a plurality of chips, and a waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array. The waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array has a unitary body that comprises a plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells in a first layout for millimeter wave communication. Each radiating waveguide antenna cell comprises a plurality of pins that are connected with a body of a corresponding radiating waveguide antenna cell that acts as ground for the plurality of pins. A first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array, as the unitary body, in the first layout is mounted on the first substrate. The plurality of chips are electrically connected with the plurality of pins and the ground of each of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells to control beamforming.

Claims

1. An antenna system, comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of chips; and

a waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array having a unitary body that comprises a plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells in a first layout for millimeter wave communication,

wherein each radiating waveguide antenna cell comprises a plurality of pins that are connected with a body of a corresponding radiating waveguide antenna cell that acts as ground for the plurality of pins,

wherein a first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array as the unitary body in the first layout is mounted on the first substrate, and

wherein the plurality of chips are electrically connected with the plurality of pins and the ground of each of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells to control beamforming through a second end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells for the millimeter wave communication.

2. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is one-piece structure of four-by-four waveguide array comprising sixteen radiating waveguide antenna cells in the first layout, wherein the one-piece structure of four-by-four waveguide array corresponds to the unitary body of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array.

3. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is one- piece structure of eight-by-eight waveguide array comprising sixty four radiating waveguide antenna cells in the first layout, wherein the one-piece structure of eight-by-eight waveguide array corresponds to the unitary body of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array.

4. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is one- piece structure of N-by-N waveguide array comprising M number of radiating waveguide antenna cells in the first layout, wherein N is a positive integer and M is N to the power of 2.

5. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array further comprises a plurality of non-radiating dummy waveguide antenna cells in the first layout, wherein the plurality of non-radiating dummy waveguide antenna cells are positioned at edge regions surrounding the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells in the first layout to enable even radiation for the millimeter wave communication through the second end of each of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells irrespective of positioning of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells in the first layout.

6. The antenna system according to claim 5, further comprising a second substrate, wherein the plurality of non-radiating dummy waveguide antenna cells in the first layout are mounted on the second substrate that is different than the first substrate.

7. The antenna system according to claim 1, further comprising a system board having an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface of the system board comprises a plurality of electrically conductive connection points to connect to the ground of each of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array using electrically conductive wiring connections that passes through the first substrate, wherein the first substrate is positioned between the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array and the system board.

8. The antenna system according to claim 7, further comprising a heat sink that is attached to the lower surface of the system board, wherein the heat sink have a comb-like structure in which a plurality of protrusions of the heat sink passes through a plurality of perforations in the system board such that the plurality of chips are in contact to the plurality of protrusions of the heat sink to dissipate heat from the plurality of chips through the heat sink.

9. The antenna system according to claim 7, wherein the first substrate comprises an upper side and a lower side, wherein the first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is mounted on the upper side of the first substrate, and the plurality of chips are positioned between the lower side of the first substrate and the upper surface of the system board.

10. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises an upper side and a lower side, wherein the plurality of chips and the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array are positioned on the upper side of the first substrate.

11. The antenna system according to claim 10, wherein a vertical length between the plurality of chips and the first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is less than a defined threshold to reduce insertion loss between the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array and the plurality of chips, based on the positioning of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array and the plurality of chips on a same side of the first substrate.

12. The antenna system according to claim 10, wherein the unitary body of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array has a metallic electrically conductive surface that acts as a heat sink to dissipate heat from the plurality of chips to atmospheric air through the metallic electrically conductive surface of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array, based on a contact of the plurality of chips with the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array on the upper side of the first substrate.

13. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pins in each radiating waveguide antenna cell are protrude pins that protrude from the first end from a level of the body of the corresponding radiating waveguide antenna cell to establish a firm contact with the first substrate.

14. The antenna system according to claim 1, the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array is a dual-polarized open waveguide array antenna configured to transmit and receive radio frequency waves for the millimeter wave communication in both horizontal and vertical polarizations or as left hand circular polarization (LHCP) or right hand circular polarization (RHCP).

15. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pins in each radiating waveguide antenna cell includes a pair of vertical polarization pins that acts as a first positive terminal and a first negative terminal and a pair of horizontal polarization pins that acts as a second positive terminal and a second negative terminal, wherein the pair of vertical polarization pins and the pair of horizontal polarization pins are utilized for dual-polarization.

16. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of chips comprises a set of receiver (Rx) chips, a set of transmitter (Tx) chips, and a signal mixer chip.

17. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of chips are configured to control propagation and a direction of a radio frequency (RF) beam in millimeter wave frequency through the second end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells for the millimeter wave communication between the antenna system and a millimeter wave-based communication device, wherein the second end is an open end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells for the millimeter wave communication.

18. The antenna system according to claim 17, wherein the propagation of the radio frequency (RF) beam in millimeter wave frequency is controlled based on at least a flow of current in each radiating waveguide antenna cell, wherein the current flows from the ground towards a negative terminal of a first chip of the plurality of chips via at least a first pin of the plurality of pins, and from a positive terminal of the first chip towards the ground via at least a second pin of the plurality of pins in each corresponding radiating waveguide antenna cell of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells.

19. The antenna system according to claim 1, further comprising an interposer beneath the edge regions of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array at the first end in the first layout to shield radiation leakage from the first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array.

20. The antenna system according to claim 1, further comprising a ground (gnd) layer between the first end of the plurality of radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array and the first substrate to avoid or minimize ground loop noise from the ground of each radiating waveguide antenna cell of the plurality of the radiating waveguide antenna cells of the waveguide antenna element based beam forming phased array.