Zero-Order Energy Smart Antenna and Repeater

• US 20070132653A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida), University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• Inventors: Weller, Thomas, Frolick, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/824
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037

Abstract

The invention is a new device that will improve the radio link quality for low power wireless devices. An example application is for low power, miniaturized wireless sensor nodes that are statically deployed in a slowly varying environment or that have limited mobility. The device is a reconfigurable antenna that is novel in that it operates with very low (zero-order) energy in contrast to existing system that required both significant computational and DC power.

Claims

1. An adaptive antenna apparatus comprising:

an array antenna including N (N being a natural number) antenna elements configured in an electronically-steered network;

a sampling module; and

an adaptive beam control circuit.

2. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising a configuration module adapted to determine optimum signal reception.

3. The antenna of claim 2, further comprising a correction module adapted to correct signal reception responsive to a signal from the configuration module.

4. The antenna of claim 3 wherein correction module samples and corrects signal reception at user defined time interval.

5. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the electronically-steered network comprises reverse-based diodes whereby the sampling module, configuration module and correction module consumes about zero DC energy.

6. The antenna of claim 5 wherein the diode current draw is on the order of nA.

7. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the array antenna is a planar array antenna.

8. A wireless repeater assembly comprising:

a plurality of antenna including N (N being a natural number) antenna elements configured in an electronically steered network for receiving and transmitting wireless data communications;

a sampling module; and

an adaptive beam control circuit.

9. The repeater of claim 8, further comprising a configuration module adapted to determine optimum signal reception.

10. The repeater of claim 9, further comprising a correction module adapted to correct signal reception responsive to a signal from the configuration module.

11. The repeater of claim 10 wherein correction module samples and corrects signal reception at user defined time interval.

12. The repeater of claim 8 wherein the electronically-steered network comprises reverse-based diodes whereby the sampling module, configuration module and correction module consumes about zero DC energy.

13. The repeater of claim 12 wherein the diode current draw is on the order of nA.

14. The repeater of claim 8 wherein the array antenna is a planar array antenna.