ANTENNA APPARATUS AND WIRELESS DEVICE

• US 20090027286A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohishi, Takafumi, Oodachi, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/750
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2682 Time delay steered arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an antenna apparatus comprising: a substrate comprising an end portion; antenna elements connected to the end portion through a connecting portion; and a conductive line path provided between adjacent antenna elements, both ends of the conductive line path connected to the end portion. A distance between both ends of the conductive line path is shorter than a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the antenna elements. A path difference between a first path length from an connecting portion of one of the antenna elements to an connecting portion of the other of the antenna elements through both ends of the conductive line path and a second path length from the connecting portion of one of the antenna elements to the connecting portion of the other of the antenna elements through the conductive line path is a half wavelength of the operating frequency.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a substrate comprising an end portion;

a plurality of antenna elements connected to the end portion of the substrate through a connecting portion; and

a conductive line path provided between two adjacent antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements, both ends of the conductive line path connected to the end portion of the substrate;

wherein a distance between both ends of the conductive line path is shorter than a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the plurality of antenna elements, and

wherein a path difference between a first path length defined from the connecting portion of one of the two adjacent antenna elements to the connecting portion of the other of the two adjacent antenna elements through both ends portion of the conductive line path and a second path length defined from the connecting portion of one of the two adjacent antenna elements to the connecting portion of the other of the two adjacent antenna elements through the conductive line path is a half wavelength of the operating frequency.

2. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a cut-off portion, and wherein the conductive line path is arranged at inside of the cutoff portion.

3. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements comprises a linear portion, and wherein the conductive line path is arranged to be substantially orthogonal to the linear portion of the antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements.

4. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive line path includes:

two first conductive lines respective one ends of which are connected to the end portion of the substrate and which are substantially orthogonal to a face of the substrate; and

a second conductive line both ends of which are respectively connected to respective other ends of the first conductive lines and substantially in parallel with the face of the substrate;

wherein an element length of the first conductive line is shorter than a twentieth wavelength and longer than a tenth wavelength.

5. The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, comprising:

a dielectric layer arranged on the substrate, wherein the conductive line path is arranged at a surface of the dielectric layer.

6. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a switching unit configured to switch an electric element length of the conductive line path; and

a controlling unit configured to control the switching unit in accordance with a signal transmitted and received through an antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the controlling unit controls the switching unit to switch an electric element length of the conductive line path so as to make the path difference a half wavelength of a frequency of the signal.

7. The antenna apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the conductive line path includes two of third conductive lines one ends of which are connected to the end portion of the substrate and other ends of which are connected to the switching unit;

and

wherein the switching unit includes a plurality of linear elements respectively having different electric element lengths and a switch for respectively connecting one of both ends of the plurality of linear elements and respective other ends of the two third conductive lines based on a control of the controlling unit.

8. The antenna apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the switching unit connects a plurality of capacity elements respective one ends of which are connected to the substrate and capacitance values of which differ from each other and one of the plurality of capacitance elements and the conductive line path based on a control of the controlling unit.

9. The antenna apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the switching unit includes:

a variable capacitance element one of which is connected to the substrate; and

a switch configured to switch connection/cutting of the variable capacitance element and the conductive line path based on a control of the controlling unit, and

wherein the controlling unit changes the electric element length of the conductive line path by controlling connection/cutting of the switch and a capacitance value of the variable capacitance element.

10. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a substrate comprising an end portion;

an antenna element connected to the end portion of the substrate through a connecting portion;

a circuit portion arranged on the substrate for carrying out a signal processing; and

a conductive line path provided between the antenna element and the circuit portion, both ends of the conductive line path connected to the end portion of the substrate;

wherein a distance between both ends of the conductive line path is shorter than a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the antenna element; and

wherein a first path is defined by a path from one end of the conductive line path connected to the substrate which is further from the antenna element than the other end of the conductive line path connected to the substrate to the connecting portion through the end portion of the substrate,

wherein a second path is defined by a path from the one end of the conductive line path to the connecting portion through the conductive line path, and

wherein a path length difference of the first path and the second path becomes either one of a half wavelength of the operating frequency and a frequency of a signal to which the circuit portion carries out the signal processing.

11. A wireless device comprising:

an antenna apparatus includes;

a substrate comprising an end portion;

a plurality of antenna elements connected to the end portion of the substrate through a connecting portion; and

a conductive line path provided between two adjacent antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements, both ends of the conductive line path connected to the end portion of the substrate;

wherein a distance between both ends of the conductive line path is shorter than a quarter wavelength of an operating frequency of the plurality of antenna elements, and

wherein a path difference between a first path length defined from the connecting portion of one of the two adjacent antenna elements to the connecting portion of the other of the two adjacent antenna elements through both ends of the conductive line path and a second path length defined from the connecting portion of one of the two adjacent antenna elements to the connecting portion of the other of the two adjacent antenna elements through the conductive line path is a half wavelength of the operating frequency.

12. The wireless device according to claim 11, wherein the substrate includes a cut-off portion, and wherein the conductive line path is arranged at inside of the cutoff portion.

13. The wireless device according to claim 11, wherein an antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements comprises a linear portion, and wherein the conductive line path is arranged to be substantially orthogonal to the linear portion of the antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements.

14. The wireless device according to claim 11, wherein the conductive line path includes:

two first conductive lines respective one ends of which are connected to the end portion of the substrate and which are substantially orthogonal to a face of the substrate; and

a second conductive line both ends of which are respectively connected to respective other ends of the first conductive lines and substantially in parallel with the face of the substrate;

wherein an element length of the first conductive line is shorter than a twentieth wavelength and longer than a tenth wavelength.

15. The wireless device according to claim 14, comprising:

a dielectric layer arranged on the substrate, wherein the conductive line path is arranged at a surface of the dielectric layer.

16. The wireless device according to claim 11, comprising:

a switching unit configured to switch an electric element length of the conductive line path; and

a controlling unit configured to control the switching unit in accordance with a signal transmitted and received through an antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the controlling unit controls the switching unit to switch an electric element length of the conductive line path so as to make the path difference a half wavelength of a frequency of the signal.

17. The wireless device according to claim 16, wherein the conductive line path includes two of third conductive lines one ends of which are connected to the end portion of the substrate and other ends of which are connected to the switching unit;

and

wherein the switching unit includes a plurality of linear elements respectively having different electric element lengths and a switch for respectively connecting one of both ends of the plurality of linear elements and respective other ends of the two third conductive lines based on a control of the controlling unit.

18. The wireless device according to claim 16, wherein the switching unit connects a plurality of capacity elements respective one ends of which are connected to the substrate and capacitance values of which differ from each other and one of the plurality of capacitance elements and the conductive line path based on a control of the controlling unit.

19. The wireless device according to claim 16, wherein the switching unit includes:

a variable capacitance element one of which is connected to the substrate; and

a switch configured to switch connection/cutting of the variable capacitance element and the conductive line path based on a control of the controlling unit, and

wherein the controlling unit changes the electric element length of the conductive line path by controlling connection/cutting of the switch and a capacitance value of the variable capacitance element.