APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20120154248A1
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Haque, Samiul, White, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/880
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/01 varying the shape of the antenna or antenna system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0442 with particular tuning means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An apparatus comprising an actuating substrate and an antenna in contact with the actuating substrate, the actuating substrate configured to undergo strain during actuation, wherein the strain in the actuating substrate varies the dimensions of the in-contact antenna and causes a change in the operational characteristics of the antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising an actuating substrate and an antenna in contact with the actuating substrate, the actuating substrate configured to undergo strain during actuation, wherein the strain in the actuating substrate varies the dimensions of the in-contact antenna and causes a change in the operational characteristics of the antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuating substrate is configured for one or more of mechanical, thermal, and piezoelectric actuation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a heating element, the heating element configured to increase the temperature of the actuating substrate and cause physical strain in the actuating substrate via thermal expansion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuating substrate comprises a piezoelectric material, and wherein the piezoelectric material is configured to undergo physical strain when exposed to an applied electric field.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the electric field is generated by an array of interdigitated electrodes configured to induce uniaxial strain in the piezoelectric material.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the electric field is generated by concentric circular electrodes configured to induce radial strain in the piezoelectric material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an interpenetrating matrix of electrically conducting nanostructures, one or more electrically conducting planar structures, or a mesh of electrically conducting material.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuating substrate and/or antenna are optically transparent.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises two or more antennas, at least two of the two or more antennas having different dimensions under the same actuation conditions.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises two or more individually addressable antennas.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the actuating substrate is divided into two or more independently strainable cells, each cell configured to vary the dimensions of a respective individually addressable antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and/or receive one or more of the following:

radio frequency, Wi-Fi™

, Bluetooth™

, infrared, and cellular signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the change in antenna dimensions is configured to cause a change in the operational frequency and/or input impedance of the antenna.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a processor and memory including computer program code, the memory and computer program code configured to, with the processor, set the operational characteristics of the antenna by controlling actuation of the actuating substrate.

15. A device comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the device is one or more of the following:

a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, an electronic device, a portable electronic device, a portable telecommunications device, a cognitive radio device, and a module for any of the aforementioned devices.

17. A method for making an apparatus, the method comprising:

providing an actuating substrate; and

providing an antenna in contact with the actuating substrate, the actuating substrate configured to undergo strain during actuation, wherein the strain in the actuating substrate varies the dimensions of the in-contact antenna and causes a change in the operational characteristics of the antenna.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer program computer code configured to perform the method of claim 17.

18. A method for changing the operational characteristics of an antenna, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising an actuating substrate and an antenna in contact with the actuating substrate, the actuating substrate configured to undergo strain during actuation, wherein the strain in the actuating substrate varies the dimensions of the in-contact antenna and causes a change in the operational characteristics of the antenna; and

actuating the actuating substrate.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code recorded thereon configured to perform the method of claim 18.