System and method for a minimized antenna apparatus with selectable elements

• US 20060038735A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shtrom, Victor, Kish, William S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,362,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/795
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/26 Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre
• 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: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

A system and method for a wireless link to a remote receiver includes a communication device for generating RF and an antenna apparatus for transmitting the RF. The antenna apparatus comprises a plurality of substantially coplanar modified dipoles. Each modified dipole provides gain with respect to isotropic and a horizontally polarized directional radiation pattern. Further, each modified dipole has one or more loading structures configured to decrease the footprint (i.e., the physical dimension) of the modified dipole and minimize the size of the antenna apparatus. The modified dipoles may be electrically switched to result in various radiation patterns. With multiple of the plurality of modified dipoles active, the antenna apparatus may form an omnidirectional horizontally polarized radiation pattern. One or more directors may be included to concentrate the radiation pattern. The antenna apparatus may be conformally mounted to a housing containing the communication device and the antenna apparatus.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus, comprising:

a substrate having a first side and a second side substantially parallel to the first side;

a plurality of antenna elements on the first side, each antenna element configured to be selectively coupled to a communication device to form a first portion of a modified dipole; and

a ground component on the second side, the ground component configured to form a second portion of the modified dipole,

each modified dipole having one or more loading structures configured to decrease a footprint of the modified dipole and produce a directional radiation pattern with polarization substantially in the plane of the substrate.

2. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antenna elements results in an omnidirectional radiation pattern when two or more of the antenna elements are coupled to the communication device.

3. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ground component configured to form the second portion of the modified dipole is on the same side of the substrate as the first portion of the modified dipole.

4. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna element selector coupled to each antenna element, the antenna element selector configured to selectively couple each antenna element to the communication device.

5. The antenna apparatus of claim 4, wherein the antenna element selector comprises a PIN diode.

6. The antenna apparatus of claim 4, wherein the antenna element selector comprises a single pole single throw RF switch.

7. The antenna apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a visual indicator coupled to the antenna element selector, the visual indicator configured to indicate which of the antenna elements is selected.

8. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein a match with less than 10 dB return loss is maintained when one or more antenna elements are coupled to the communication device.

9. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a substantially rectangular dielectric sheet and each of the modified dipoles is oriented substantially parallel to edges of the substrate.

10. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board.

11. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more directors configured to concentrate the directional radiation pattern.

12. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more antenna elements being coupled to the communication device is more directional than the radiation pattern of a single antenna element.

13. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more antenna elements being coupled to the communication device is less directional than the radiation pattern of a single antenna element.

14. An antenna apparatus comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar modified dipoles, each modified dipole having one or more loading structures configured to decrease a footprint of the modified dipole.

15. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of modified dipoles is configured to produce omnidirectional radiation polarized substantially in the plane of the coplanar modified dipoles.

16. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of modified dipoles comprise radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to a housing containing the antenna apparatus.

17. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of modified dipoles comprise radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to the outside of a substrate housing.

18. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of modified dipoles is configured to be selectively coupled to a communication device.

19. The antenna apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a PIN diode configured to selectively couple each of the plurality of modified dipoles to the communication device.

20. The antenna apparatus of claim 18, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is more directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

21. The antenna apparatus of claim 18, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is less directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

22. The antenna apparatus of claim 18, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is offset in direction from the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

23. The antenna apparatus of claim 18, wherein a match with less than 10 dB return loss is maintained when one or more modified dipoles is coupled to the communication device.

24. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, further comprising one or more directors configured to concentrate the radiation pattern of one or more of the modified dipoles.

25. A system, comprising:

an antenna apparatus configured to receive and transmit a radio frequency signal, the antenna apparatus comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar modified dipoles, each modified dipole having one or more loading structures configured to decrease a footprint of the modified dipole; and

a communication device coupled to the antenna apparatus, the communication device configured to communicate the radio frequency signal.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the antenna apparatus is configured to produce omnidirectional radiation polarized substantially in the plane of the coplanar modified dipoles.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the antenna apparatus comprises radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to a housing containing the system.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the antenna apparatus comprises radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to the outside of a substrate housing.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of modified dipoles is configured to be selectively coupled to the communication device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is more directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is less directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein a match with less than 10 dB return loss is maintained when one or more modified dipoles is coupled to the communication device.

33. A method, comprising:

generating a radio frequency signal in a communication device; and

radiating the radio frequency signal with an antenna apparatus comprising a plurality of modified dipoles, each modified dipole having one or more loading structures configured to decrease a footprint of the modified dipole.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising coupling two or more of the plurality of modified dipoles to the communication device to result in a substantially omnidirectional radiation pattern.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising coupling two or more of the plurality of modified dipoles to the communication device to result in a directional radiation pattern.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising concentrating a radiation pattern of one or more of the modified dipoles with one or more directors.