MULTI-BEAM ANTENNA

• US 20050068251A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory, Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rebeiz, Gabriel M., Ebling, James P., Schoenlinner, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,042,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/911.L
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/04 comprising wave-guiding channel or channels bounded by effective conductive surfaces substantially perpendicular to the electric vector of the wave, e.g. parallel-plate waveguide lens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/17 the primary radiating source comprising two or more radiating elements H01Q19/15, H01Q25/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/175 arrayed along the focal line of a cylindrical focusing surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0031 Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays multibeam arrays H01Q25/008
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/007 using two or more primary active elements in the focal region of a focusing device for operation on different wavebands H01Q5/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/008 lens fed multibeam arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/242 Circumferential scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/245 in the focal plane of a focussing device
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/247 by switching different parts of a primary active element
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2658 Phased-array fed focussing structure

Abstract

A multi-beam antenna comprises at least one curved surface, at least one dielectric substrate, and a plurality of end-fire antenna feed elements on the dielectric substrate. The at least one curved surface may be either reflective, refractive or diffractive. Ielectromagnetic waves launched from the antenna feed elements are directed at the at least one curved surface, and are either reflected, refracted or diffracted thereby. n one embodiment, the sub-straFigureste is located within a light assembly, e.g. a vehicle headlight, wherein at least one source of light is operatively associated with the dielectric substrate, and the at least one curved surface comprises the concave optical reflector of the light assembly.

Claims

1. A multi-beam antenna, comprising:

a. at least one curved surface;

b. at least one dielectric substrate; and

c. a plurality of antenna feed elements on said dielectric substrate, wherein at least two of said plurality of antenna feed elements each comprise an end-fire antenna element adapted to launch electromagnetic waves in a direction substantially towards said at least one curved surface, and said direction for at least one said end-fire antenna element is different from said direction for at least another said end-fire antenna element.

2. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is adapted to substantially reflect at least some of said electromagnetic waves.

3. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is metallic.

4. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially circular in a first cross section along an intersection with a reference surface parallel to said dielectric substrate along said plurality of antenna feed elements.

5. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 4, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially parabolic in a second cross section that is substantially normal to said first cross section.

6. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially spherical.

7. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially cylindrical.

8. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface comprises an optical reflector.

9. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 8, wherein said optical reflector comprises a reflector of a light assembly.

10. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 9, wherein said at least one dielectric substrate is located within said light assembly.

11. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 10, wherein said at least one dielectric substrate is adapted to operatively associate with at least one source of light of said light assembly.

12. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 11, wherein said at least one source of light comprises a plurality of sources of light, and at least two of said plurality of sources of light are operatively associated with different sides of said at least one dielectric substrate.

13. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 9, wherein said light assembly comprises a vehicle headlight assembly.

14. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially refractive of at least some of said electromagnetic waves.

15. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is substantially diffractive of at least some of said electromagnetic waves.

16. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is dielectric.

17. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one curved surface is a surface of an electromagnetic lens.

18. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein said direction of at least one said end-fire antenna element is substantially aligned with a radius of curvature of said at least one curved surface.

19. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 18, wherein said direction of at least one said end-fire antenna element is substantially co-incident with saidadius of curvature of said at least one curved surface.

20. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, whereind each said antenna feed element comprises a least one conductor operatively connected to said dielectric substrate.

21. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 19, wherein said dielectric substrate comprises a dielectric of a printed circuit

22. A multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one dielectric substrate is substantially planar.

23. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein said end-fire antenna is selected from a Yagi-Uda antenna, a coplanar horn antenna, a Vivaldi antenna, a tapered dielectric rod, a slot antenna, a dipole antenna, and a helical antenna.

24. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one transmission line on said dielectric substrate, wherein at least one said at least one transmission line is operatively connected to a feed port of one of said plurality of antenna feed elements.

25. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 24, wherein said transmission line is selected from a stripline, a microstrip line, an inverted microstrip line, a slotline, an image line, an insulated image line, a tapped image line, a coplanar stripline, and a coplanar waveguide line.

26. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 1, further comprising a switching network having an input and a plurality of outputs, said input is operatively connected to a corporate antenna feed port, and each output of said plurality of outputs is connected to a different antenna feed element of said plurality of antenna feed elements.

27. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 24, further comprising a switching network having an input and a plurality of outputs, said input is operatively connected to a corporate antenna feed port, and each output of said plurality of outputs is connected to a different antenna feed element of said plurality of antenna feed elements via said at least one transmission line.

28. multi-beam antenna as recited in claim 26, wherein said switching network is operatively connected to said dielectric substrate.