CROSS-DIPOLE ANTENNA CONFIGURATIONS
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising a cross-dipole antenna, the cross-dipole antenna comprising:
- a coaxial structure having a center conductor and an outer shield having an outer diameter with corresponding radius R;
a plurality of conductive arms comprising at least a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, wherein the plurality lie generally in a plane and are spaced apart from each other by about 90 degrees, such that a proximal end of each of the plurality of arms is arranged near a center point and wherein each of the plurality of arms extends generally outward at a distal end, wherein;
the first arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end and has a first predetermined effective electrical length;
the second arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end and has a second predetermined effective electrical length different from the first predetermined length;
the third arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end and has a third predetermined effective electrical length, wherein the third predetermined length is equal to the sum of the first predetermined effective electrical length and 0.3 to 1.2 times the radius R, the third arm extending opposite the first arm such that the third arm and the first arm form a first dipole; and
the fourth arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end and has a fourth predetermined effective electrical length, wherein the fourth predetermined effective electrical length is equal to the sum of the second predetermined effective electrical length and 0.15 to 1.5 times the radius R, the fourth arm extending opposite the second arm such that the fourth arm and the second arm form a second dipole;
wherein one or more of the first predetermined effective electrical length, the second effective electrical length, the third effective electrical length, or the fourth effective electrical length is physically shorter than its predetermined effective electrical length.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus has an improved antenna pattern for a cross dipole antenna. Such antennas desirably have an omnidirectional antenna pattern. Conventional cross dipole antennas exhibit nulls in their antenna patterns, which can cause antennas to deviate from a standard or specification. Applicant recognized and confirmed that the connection of a coaxial cable to the antenna arms is a cause of the nulls in the antenna pattern, and has devised techniques disclosed herein to compensate or cancel the effects of the connection. In one embodiment, the arms of the cross dipole antenna that are coupled to a center conductor of the coaxial cable remain of conventional length, but the arms of the cross dipole antenna that are coupled to a shield of the coaxial cable are lengthened by a fraction of the radius of the outer diameter of the coaxial cable.
53 Citations
62 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising a cross-dipole antenna, the cross-dipole antenna comprising:
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a coaxial structure having a center conductor and an outer shield having an outer diameter with corresponding radius R; a plurality of conductive arms comprising at least a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, wherein the plurality lie generally in a plane and are spaced apart from each other by about 90 degrees, such that a proximal end of each of the plurality of arms is arranged near a center point and wherein each of the plurality of arms extends generally outward at a distal end, wherein; the first arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end and has a first predetermined effective electrical length; the second arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end and has a second predetermined effective electrical length different from the first predetermined length; the third arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end and has a third predetermined effective electrical length, wherein the third predetermined length is equal to the sum of the first predetermined effective electrical length and 0.3 to 1.2 times the radius R, the third arm extending opposite the first arm such that the third arm and the first arm form a first dipole; and the fourth arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end and has a fourth predetermined effective electrical length, wherein the fourth predetermined effective electrical length is equal to the sum of the second predetermined effective electrical length and 0.15 to 1.5 times the radius R, the fourth arm extending opposite the second arm such that the fourth arm and the second arm form a second dipole; wherein one or more of the first predetermined effective electrical length, the second effective electrical length, the third effective electrical length, or the fourth effective electrical length is physically shorter than its predetermined effective electrical length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus comprising a cross-dipole antenna, the cross-dipole antenna comprising:
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a coaxial structure having a center conductor and an outer shield; at least a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, wherein the arms lie generally in a plane and are spaced apart from each other by about 90-degrees, wherein a proximal end of each arm is arranged near a center point and wherein each arm extends generally outward at a distal end, wherein; the first arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end; the second arm is electrically coupled to the center conductor at a proximal end; the third arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end, the third arm extending opposite the first arm such that the third arm and the first arm form a first dipole; and the fourth arm is electrically coupled to the outer shield at a proximal end, the fourth arm extending opposite the second arm such that the fourth arm and the second arm form a second dipole; wherein a radius of the outer shield of the coaxial structure is at least one-fiftieth a length of the shortest of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, or the fourth arm, and wherein each of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm have different predetermined effective electrical lengths, as measured from a center of the coaxial structure, to compensate for distortion of the antenna pattern induced by the coaxial structure, wherein one or more of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, or the fourth arm is physically shorter than its predetermined effective electrical length. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An apparatus comprising a cross-dipole antenna, the cross-dipole antenna comprising
a coaxial structure having a center conductor and an outer shield, the outer shield having an outer diameter and a corresponding radius R; -
a first dipole comprising a first pair of arms; and a second dipole comprising a second pair of arms; wherein the arms of at least one pair of the first pair or the second pair have fixed asymmetric effective electrical lengths such that an arm coupled to the outer shield is longer than an arm coupled to the center conductor, as measured from a center of the coaxial structure, by 0.15 to 1.5 times the radius R, wherein at least one arm of the antenna has an effective electrical length shorter than its physical length. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. A method for designing a cross-dipole antenna intended to be used for a signal having a wavelength λ
- , wherein the cross-dipole antenna comprises a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, the method comprising;
generating a simulation model of the cross-dipole antenna, wherein the simulation model includes the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, the fourth arm and a coaxial structure to which the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm are connected; simulating the cross-dipole antenna via computer execution of the simulation model; starting with a length aλ
for the first arm and the third arm, wherein a value for a is about 0.25, wherein the first arm is connected to a center conductor of the coaxial structure and the third arm is connected to a shield of the coaxial structure;starting with a length bλ
for the second arm and the fourth arm, wherein a value for b is about 0.25, wherein the second arm is connected to a center conductor of the coaxial structure and the fourth arm is connected to a shield of the coaxial structure;adjusting the value for a of the shorter arms and adjusting the value for b of the longer arms until a quadrature phase relationship is established among the arms, wherein a final value for a of the shorter arms is less than a final value for b of the longer arms, wherein the quadrature phase relationship is determined via computer execution of the simulation model; increasing a length of the third arm relative to the first arm by a fraction x of a radius R of the coaxial structure; increasing a length of the fourth arm relative to the second arm by the fraction x of the radius R of the coaxial structure; and adjusting arm lengths of one or more of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm in response to simulation results. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
- , wherein the cross-dipole antenna comprises a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, the method comprising;
Specification