SURFACE-MOUNTABLE ANTENNA WITH WAVEGUIDE CONNECTOR FUNCTION, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, ADAPTOR AND ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING THE ANTENNA DEVICE

• US 20110068990A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sub10 Systems Ltd. (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sub10 Systems Ltd. (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Grzyb, Janusz, Goebel, Uhland
• Application Number:
  US12/988,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/772
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/042 Hollow waveguide joints
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/162 absorbing spurious or unwanted modes of propagation
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/00 Coupling devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/024 between hollow waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/082 Transitions between hollow waveguides of different shape, e.g. between a rectangular and a circular waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/107 Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/106 Microstrip slot antennas patch antenna elements H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/18 the slot being backed by, or formed in boundary wall of, a resonant cavity longitudinally slotted cylinder H01Q13/12 ; Open cavity antennas

Abstract

Planar antenna device (100) aimed to be integrated onto a common substrate (30) preferably for millimeter wave applications. The antenna device (100) comprises a reflector frame (10) with at least partially metallised sidewalls (12) and a lateral opening (14) for the feedpoint (24) of a mode conversion element (20). The mode conversion element (20) is mounted on a support structure (13) provided by said reflector frame (10). The feedpoint (24) enables the mode conversion element (20) to be connected to other components. An adaptor with a lower portion designed to be connectable to the upper horizontal opening (11) of the antenna device (100) may be used to accommodate various testing and tuning equipment.

Claims

1. Surface-mountable antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) comprising

a reflector frame (10) having

circumferential sidewalls (12) providing for a lateral definition of an interior section (16),

a lateral opening (14) in one of said sidewalls (12),

an upper horizontal opening (11) serving as electromagnetic aperture,

a lower horizontal opening (17),

a support structure (13;

16.3) being an integral part of said reflector frame (10), and

a radiating element (20) having

a planar, horizontally oriented antenna substrate (21) with a mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2) and with a cantilever-shaped feedpoint (24) protruding from said mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2) in an essentially horizontal direction,

wherein said radiating element (20) is mounted by said support structure (13;

16.3) inside said interior section (16) so that said interior section (16) is divided into a back reflector portion (16.1) and an open portion (16.2),

wherein said feedpoint (24) extends from said interior section (16) through said lateral opening (14) in order to be able to provide for a connection to an active circuit (40), and

wherein said reflector frame (10) comprises metal or is at least partially metallised.

2. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1 comprising

a common substrate (30) with a metal plane (31),

said active circuit (40), and

electrical connections (E1) between said active circuit (40) and said feedpoint (24) wherein said reflector frame (10) carrying said radiating element (20) inside is mounted above said horizontal metal plane (31).

3. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, comprising an electromagnetic interface (EM2) and a mechanical interface (M2) for establishing a connection to an adaptor (50).

4. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 3, wherein said mechanical interface (M2) provides for a plug-in connection to said adaptor (50).

5. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 3, characterized comprising at least one mating element (15) for mechanical engagement with said adaptor (50).

6. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 3, comprising an adaptor (50).

7. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1 being part of a planar circuit-to-waveguide transition.

8. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein at least those sidewalls (12) of said reflector frame (10) which are facing said interior section (16) are metallised.

9. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 2, wherein an electrically conducting connection is provided between said sidewall (12) and said metal plane (31).

10. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein said upper horizontal opening (11) is designed as aperture for the emission of electromagnetic waves emitted by the mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2) of said radiating element (20).

11. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein a portion (16.1) of said interior section (16) between said antenna substrate (21) and said metal plane (31) is designed to serve as back reflector (16.1) for said electromagnetic waves.

12. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 2, wherein said antenna substrate (21) is suspended by said support structure (13;

16.3) at a distance (D) from said metal plane (31).

13. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein said antenna substrate (21) is made of a flexible, dielectric material.

14. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein a high definition liquid crystal polymer flex substrate is used as antenna substrate (21).

15. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1 wherein said lower horizontal opening (17) and said antenna substrate (21) have dimensions which allow said antenna substrate (21) to be inserted into the interior section (16) through said lower horizontal opening (17).

16. The antenna device (100;

100A;

10013) of claim 1, wherein said mode conversion area (23.1) has a rectangular shape and comprises;

an electrically conducting sheet (26) having at least one slot (71), this slot (71) being preferably placed in a centre of the mode conversion area (23.1), the length of the slot (71) being chosen to be equal to approximately half of the wavelength at the centre of the intended frequency band, and

wherein said feedpoint (24) comprises;

a coplanar waveguide (27) which is entering said mode conversion area (23.1) approximately at the centre of one of its broader edges, the coplanar waveguide (27) being established by two parallel slots in a thin electrically conducting sheet (26), resulting in a centre conductor (28) and two ground conductors (29).

17. The antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1, wherein said mode conversion area (23.2) takes the form of a modified E-probe.

18. Communication system (200) comprising an antenna device (100;

100A;

100B), according to claim 1, at least one active circuit (40) and a common substrate (30), said active circuit (40) and said antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) being situated on said common substrate (30) and said active circuit (40) being connected via feedlines (25) of said feedpoint (24) to said mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2).

19. The communication system of claim 18, wherein said feedpoint (24) provides for a flexible transition between said active circuit (40) and said mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2).

20. An adaptor (50) with a lower portion (51) designed to be connectable to the upper horizontal opening (11) of the antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) of claim 1 and an upper portion (52) of said adaptor (50) being designed to accommodate a waveguide (400) of a testing or tuning equipment.

21. The adaptor (50) of claim 20, which further comprises at least one mating element (18) designed to mechanically fit a first mating element (15) of the antenna device (100).

22. The adaptor (50) of claim 20, further comprising an element (18;

54) providing for a mode suppression and impedance transformation when said adaptor (50) is plugged into said antenna device (100).

23. An arrangement (300) comprising

(a) an antenna device (100;

100A;

100B) having

a reflector frame (10) including

circumferential sidewalls (12) providing for a lateral definition of an interior section (16),

a lateral opening (14) in one of said sidewalls (12),

an upper horizontal opening (11) serving as electromagnetic aperture,

a lower horizontal opening (17),

a support structure (13;

16.3) being an integral part of said reflector frame (10), and

a radiating element (20) having

a planar, horizontally oriented antenna substrate (21) with a mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2) and with a cantilever-shaped feedpoint (24) protruding from said mode conversion area (23.1;

23.2) in an essentially horizontal direction,

wherein said radiating element (20) is mounted by said support structure (13;

16.3) inside said interior section (16) so that said interior section (16) is divided into a back reflector portion (16.1) and an open portion (16.2),

wherein said feedpoint (24) extends from said interior section (16) through said lateral opening (14) in order to be able to provide for a connection to an active circuit (40), and

wherein said reflector frame (10) comprises metal or is at least partially metallised and

(b) the adaptor (50) of claim 20, mating elements (15, 18) are provided for establishing a mechanical connection (M2) between said reflector frame (10) and said adaptor (50) and wherein preferably a male/female type mating pair is employed as mating elements (15, 18).

24. The arrangement (300) of claim 23, wherein, when connected, an electrical and a mechanical contact (55) is provided between said reflector frame (10) and said adaptor (50).