MULTI-BAND DIELECTRIC RESONATOR ANTENNA

• US 20080042903A1
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: CHENG, Dajun
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/700MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0485 Dielectric resonator antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

Provided is an antenna comprising a first dielectric resonator antenna operative within a first frequency band, a second dielectric resonator antenna operative within a second frequency band, and a feeding structure electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to receive and transmit signals at the first and second frequency bands through the first and second dielectric resonator antennas.

Claims

1. An antenna, comprising:

a first dielectric resonator antenna operative within a first frequency band;

a second dielectric resonator antenna operative within a second frequency band; and

a feeding structure electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to receive and transmit signals at the first and second frequency bands through the first and second dielectric resonator antennas.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises at least one feeding line electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonators.

3. The antenna of claim 2, wherein the feeding structure further comprises at least one coupling slot to couple the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to the at least one feeding line.

4. The antenna of claim 3, wherein the at least one coupling slot comprises:

a first coupling slot coupled to one of the at least one feeding lines to couple the first dielectric resonator antenna to one of the at least one feeding lines; and

a second coupling slot coupled to one of the at least one feeding lines to couple the first dielectric resonator antenna to one of the at least one feeding lines.

5. The antenna of claim 2, wherein the at least one feeding line comprises a single feeding line to which the first and second dielectric resonator antennas are electrically coupled.

6. The antenna of claim 2, wherein the at least one feeding line comprises a first feeding line to which the first dielectric resonator antenna is electrically coupled and a second feeding line to which the second dielectric resonator antennas is electrically coupled.

7. The antenna of claim 2, wherein a single coupling slot couples the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to the feeding line.

8. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises:

a first feeding structure to couple the first dielectric resonator antenna; and

a second feeding structure to couple the second dielectric resonator antenna, wherein the first and second feeding structures comprise different feeding structure technologies.

9. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises:

a first and second feeding structures to couple to the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, where each of the first and second feeding structures have a horizontal polarization structure coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna to transmit a portion of the signal having a horizontal polarization orientation and a vertical polarization structure coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna to transmit a portion of the signal having a vertical polarization orientation.

10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises:

a first and second feeding structures to couple to the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, where each of the first and second feeding structures have;

a feeding port;

a first and second feeding paths extending from the feeding port, wherein there is a gap between ends of the first and second feeding paths coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna, wherein the first and second feeding paths have a phase difference.

11. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises:

a first and second feeding structures to couple to the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, where each of the first and second feeding structures have;

a first feeding port;

a second feeding port;

a first and second feeding paths extending from the first and second feeding ports, respectively, wherein there is a gap between ends of the first and second feeding paths coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna, wherein the first and second feeding paths have a phase difference.

12. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises a first and second feeding structures to couple to the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, where each of the first and second feeding structures have:

feeding structures to couple to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna; and

a dummy structure structurally identical to the feeding structure but not coupled to a feeding signal.

13. The antenna of claim 12, wherein the feeding and dummy structures comprise a structure that is a member of a set of structures comprising a probe, a slot, and a feeding line.

14. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises:

a first and second feeding structures to couple to the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, where each of the first and second feeding structures have a first coupling structure coupled to the first dielectric resonator antenna for a horizontal polarization orientation and a second coupling structure coupled to the first dielectric resonator antenna for a vertical polarization orientation, wherein the first and second coupling structures each have a feeding structure to couple to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna and a dummy structure identical to the feeding structure but not coupled to a feeding signal.

15. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the feeding structure comprises a shared feeding structure coupled to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas, further comprising:

a shared dummy structure identical to the shared feeding structure coupled to the first and second dielectric antennas and not coupled to a feeding signal.

16. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising:

a third dielectric resonator antenna operative within a third frequency band, wherein the feeding structure is further coupled to the third dielectric resonator antenna to further receive and transmit signals at the third frequency band through the third dielectric resonator antenna.

17. The antenna of claim 16, wherein the first dielectric resonator antenna comprises a disk, wherein the second dielectric resonator antenna comprises a first ring surrounding the first dielectric resonator antenna and wherein the third dielectric resonator antenna comprises a second ring surrounding the first ring.

18. The antenna of claim 16, wherein the antennas have a circular, square, elliptical or polygonal shape.

19. The antenna of claim 16, wherein the feeding structure includes, for each dielectric resonator antenna, a first structure electrically coupled to the associated dielectric resonator antenna and a second structure not electrically coupled to a feeding signal.

20. The antenna of claim 16, wherein the feeding structure includes a first, second and third feeding structures to couple to the first, second and third dielectric resonator antennas respectively, and wherein at least two of the feeding structure structures employ different feeding structure technology.

21. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric resonator surrounds the first dielectric resonator antenna.

22. A communication device, comprising:

an antenna, comprising;

a first dielectric resonator antenna operative within a first frequency band;

a second dielectric resonator antenna operative within a second frequency band;

a feeding structure electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to receive and transmit signals at the first and second frequency bands through the first and second dielectric resonator antennas; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the feeding structure to receive and transmit the signals within the first and second frequency bands.

23. The communication device of claim 22, wherein the antenna further includes a third dielectric resonator antenna operative within a third frequency band, wherein the feeding structure is further coupled to the third dielectric resonator antenna to further receive and transmit signals at the third frequency band through the third dielectric resonator antenna.

24. The communication device of claim 23, wherein the feeding structure comprises a first, second, and third feeding structures coupled to the first, second, and third dielectric resonator antennas, respectively, wherein the transceiver is coupled to the first, second, and third feeding structures.

25. The antenna of claim 22, wherein the second dielectric resonator surrounds the first dielectric resonator antenna.

26. A method, comprising:

operating a first dielectric resonator antenna operative within a first frequency band;

operating a second dielectric resonator antenna operative within a second frequency band; and

transferring signals from and to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas through a feeding structure electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to receive and transmit signals at the first and second frequency bands through the first and second dielectric resonator antennas.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises transferring the signals through at least one feeding line electrically coupled to the first and second dielectric resonators.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises transferring the signals through at least one coupling slot to couple the first and second dielectric resonator antennas to the at least one feeding line.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises:

transferring signals associated with the first dielectric resonator antenna through a first feeding structure; and

transferring signals associated with the first dielectric resonator antenna through a second first feeding structure, wherein the first and second feeding structures comprise different feeding structure technologies.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises transferring the signals for the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas by:

transferring a signal having a horizontal polarization through a first coupling structure coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna; and

transferring a signal having a vertical polarization through a second coupling structure coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises transferring the signals for the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas by:

transferring the signals through multiple paths to at least one feeding port.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein transferring the signals through the feeding structure further comprises transferring the signals for the associated first and second dielectric resonator antennas by:

transferring signals through a first coupling structure coupled to the associated first or second dielectric resonator antenna; and

using a second structure identical to the first structure but not coupled to a feeding signal to improve symmetry of the electromagnetic field distribution associated with the signal and polarization purity.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

operating a third dielectric resonator antenna operative within a third frequency band; and

transferring signals from the third dielectric resonator antennas through the feeding structure electrically coupled to the third dielectric resonator antenna to receive and transmit signals at the third frequency band through the third dielectric resonator antenna.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the second dielectric resonator antenna surrounds the first dielectric resonator antenna.