Minimized Antenna Apparatus with Selectable Elements

• US 20080136725A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• 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 7,511,680 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, wherein the second side of the substrate is substantially parallel to the first side of the substrate;

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

a ground component on the second side of the substrate, the ground component configured to form a second portion of the modified dipole, each modified dipole having one or more loading structures, wherein the one or more loading structures change the resonance of the modified dipole thereby allowing the dimension of the modified dipole to be reduced in comparison to a modified dipole without corresponding loading structures.

2. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein coupling two or more of the plurality of active antenna elements to the radio frequency communication device produces a substantially omnidirectional radiation pattern substantially in the plane of the substrate.

3. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna element selector coupled to each of the plurality of active antenna elements, the antenna element selector configured to selectively couple each of the plurality of active antenna elements to the radio frequency communication device, wherein one or more of the antenna element selectors includes a PIN diode.

4. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna element selector coupled to each of the plurality of active antenna elements, the antenna element selector configured to selectively couple each of the plurality of active antenna elements to the radio frequency communication device, wherein one or more of the antenna element selectors includes a single pole single throw radio frequency switch.

5. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna element selector coupled to each of the plurality of active antenna elements, the antenna element selector configured to selectively couple each of the plurality of active antenna elements to the radio frequency communication device, wherein one or more of the antenna element selectors includes a gallium arsenide field-effect transistor.

6. 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.

7. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more directors configured to concentrate a directional radiation pattern generated by the modified dipole.

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

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

10. An antenna element apparatus comprising:

a plurality of substantially coplanar modified dipoles, each substantially coplanar modified dipole having one or more loading structures, wherein the one or more loading structures change the resonance of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles thereby allowing the dimension of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles to be reduced in comparison to a substantially coplanar modified dipole without corresponding loading structures; and

one or more directors configured to concentrate the radiation pattern of one or more of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles.

11. The antenna apparatus of claim 10, wherein the substantially coplanar modified dipoles are configured to produce a substantially omnidirectional radiation pattern with substantially in the plane of the coplanar modified dipoles.

12. The antenna apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles comprise radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to a housing containing the antenna apparatus.

13. The antenna apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles comprise radio frequency conducting material configured to be conformally mounted to the outside of a substrate housing.

14. The antenna apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles are configured to be selectively coupled to a communication device.

15. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, further comprising one or more PIN diodes for selectively coupling each of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles to the communication device.

16. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is more directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

17. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is less directional than the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.

18. The antenna apparatus of claim 14, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more of the substantially coplanar modified dipoles being coupled to the communication device is offset in direction from the radiation pattern of a single modified dipole.