RF MODULE AND ANTENNA SYSTEMS

• US 20110175789A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Rayspan Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, Nhan Duc, Gummalla, Ajay, Lee, Cheng Jung
• Granted Patent: US 9,543,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/853
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/20 characterised by the operating wavebands

Abstract

Architectures and implementations of a transceiver system for wireless communications are presented, the system including one or more antennas supporting a single frequency band or multiple frequency bands, a transmit circuit, a receive circuit, and an isolation circuit that is coupled to the one or more antennas and the transmit and receive circuits and provides adequate isolation between the transmit circuit and the receive circuit.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising:

a plurality of antennas including a first antenna supporting a first frequency range, the plurality of antennas supporting a second frequency range;

a first circuit that processes signals in the first frequency range with the first antenna;

a second circuit that processes signals in the second frequency range with at least a portion of the plurality of antennas; and

an isolation circuit that is coupled to the plurality of antennas, the first circuit and the second circuit, the isolation circuit providing electromagnetic isolation between the first circuit and the second circuit.

2. The antenna system as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises at least one antenna having a composite right and left handed (CRLH) structure.

3. The antenna system as in claim 1, wherein the isolation circuit is one of a filter circuit, a diplexer circuit, circulator circuit, and a coupler circuit.

4. The antenna system as in claim 1, wherein the first frequency range includes a first band and a second band, which is higher in frequency than the first band;

the second frequency range includes a third band and a fourth band, which is higher in frequency than the third band;

the first circuit comprises a first power amplifier that processes signals in the first band and a second power amplifier that processes the signals in the third band; and

the second circuit comprises a first low noise amplifier that processes signals in the second band and a second low noise amplifier that processes signals in the fourth band.

5. The antenna system as in claim 4, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises:

a first antenna supporting the first frequency range and at least a portion of the second frequency range; and

a second antenna supporting at least a portion of the second frequency range, wherein the isolation circuit isolates signals in the first frequency range from the second circuit and signals in the second frequency range from the first circuit.

6. An antenna device, comprising:

a radiating element; and

a plurality of feed structures, each capacitively coupled to the radiating element.

7. The antenna device as in claim 6, wherein the radiating element comprises a plurality of cell patches.

8. The antenna device as in claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of cell patches is configured to receive and transmit signals in at least one frequency band.

9. The antenna device as in claim 8, wherein the plurality of cell patches comprises:

a first cell patch configured to receive and transmit signals in a first frequency band; and

a second cell patch configured to receive and transmit signals in second and third frequency bands.

10. The antenna device as in claim 9, further comprising:

a ground electrode formed outside a footprint of the radiating element; and

a plurality of inductive tuned elements, each coupling one of the plurality of cell patches to the ground electrode.

11. The antenna device as in claim 9, wherein the plurality of feed structures comprises:

a first feed line capacitively coupled to the first cell patch enabling a first resonant frequency; and

a second feed line capacitively coupled to the second cell patch enabling a second resonant frequency,

wherein the first feed line is capacitively coupled to the second cell patch enabling a third resonant frequency,

wherein the second resonant, frequency and the third resonant frequency are within the third frequency band.

12. The antenna device as in claim 6, comprising:

a first feed structure;

a second feed structure;

a first radiating element coupled to the first feed structure, wherein capacitive coupling between the first radiating element and the first feed structure enables a first resonant frequency f₁;

a second radiating element coupled to the second feed structure, wherein capacitive coupling between the second radiating element and the second feed structure enables a second resonant frequency f₂;

wherein capacitive coupling between the first feed structure and the second radiating element enables a third resonant frequency f₃, the third resonant frequency and the first resonant frequency within a first frequency band.

13. The antenna device as in claim 6, further comprising a control network coupled to the first and second feed structures.

14. The antenna device as in claim 13, wherein the control network comprises a switch.

15. The antenna device as in claim 14, further comprising a first control network coupled to the first feed structure and a second control network coupled to the second feed structure.

16. The antenna device as in claim 15, wherein the second control network comprises a low pass filter.

17. The antenna device as in claim 16, wherein the second control network varies the impedance presented to the second radiating element to enable transmission or reception of signals within the first frequency band.

18. The antenna device as in claim 17, wherein the second control network presents a high impedance to the second radiating element.

19. The antenna device as in claim 17, wherein the second control network presents an open circuit impedance to the second radiating element.

20. The antenna device as in claim 17, wherein the first control network varies the impedance to the first radiating element.

21. The antenna device as in claim 20, wherein the first radiating element comprises a first cell patch and the second radiating element comprises a second cell patch.

22. The antenna device as in claim 21, wherein the first feed structure is capacitively coupled to a first portion of the second cell patch, and the second feed structure is capacitively coupled to a second portion of the second cell patch.

23. The antenna device as in claim 22, wherein the first cell patch processes signals received at the first resonant frequency.

24. The antenna device as in claim 23, wherein the second cell patch process signals received at the second and third resonant frequencies and processes signals to transmit at the second resonant frequency.

25. The antenna device as in claim 24, wherein the device further comprises a filter to prevent transmission of signals in the first frequency band at the second cell patch.

26. The antenna device as in claim 24, further comprising:

a ground electrode formed outside a footprint of the first and second radiating elements;

a first inductive tuned element coupling the first cell patch to the ground electrode; and

a second inductive tuned element coupling the second cell patch to the ground electrode.

27. The antenna device as in claim 24, wherein the device is a Composite Right-Left Handed (CRLH) based structure.

28. The antenna device as in claim 24, wherein the first and second radiating elements are metal elements printed on a substrate.

29. An antenna system comprising:

a plurality of antennas supporting a first frequency band;

a plurality of feed ports supporting the first frequency band;

an port switching network coupled to the plurality of antennas and the plurality of feed ports so as to select among the plurality of feed ports and the plurality of antennas.

30. A device, comprising:

a resonator configured to communicate multiple frequency bands;

one or more exciters, each electromagnetically coupled to the resonator; and

one or more control circuits connected to the one or more exciters, wherein the one or more control circuits is configured to select a frequency band associated with the one or more exciters, transform an impedance to the frequency band associated with the one or more exciters, or a combination thereof.

31. A device as in claim 30, wherein the resonator has a Composite Right/Left Handed (CRLH) based structure.

32. A device as in claim 31, wherein the resonator comprises an electrically conductive cell patch, at least one of the one or more exciters is capacitively coupled to the resonator, and the device further comprises:

a via line electrically coupling the electrically conductive cell patch to a ground electrode.