PLANAR ARRAY FEED FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20120306698A1
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Original Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Inventors: Warnick, Karl F., Yang, Zhenchao
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/372
• 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 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15192 Resurf arrangement of the internal vias
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/17 the primary radiating source comprising two or more radiating elements H01Q19/15, H01Q25/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/35 using two or more simultaneously fed points
• 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: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for wireless communications. A planar antenna element is disposed on a surface of a substrate. The planar antenna element comprises an electrically conductive material. The substrate comprises a dielectric material. The planar antenna element may be arranged in a planar antenna array as a feed for a reflector antenna or as an aperture array. The planar antenna element may comprise a slot patch antenna element with a slot in the electrically conductive material of the planar antenna element circumscribing the planar antenna element. The slot exposes the dielectric material of the substrate. A ground plane may be disposed on the surface of the substrate. The ground plane comprises an electrically conductive material. The slot may be disposed between the ground plane and the patch antenna element. The substrate may include electronic components for beam steering, upconversion, downconversion, amplification, or other functions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communications, the apparatus comprising:

a planar patch antenna element disposed on a surface of a substrate, the planar patch antenna element comprising an electrically conductive material, the substrate comprising a dielectric material, a receive feed point of the patch antenna element tuned to a first frequency and a transmit feed point of the patch antenna element tuned to a second frequency such that the patch antenna element is configured to transmit and receive at different frequencies;

a slot in the electrically conductive material of the patch antenna element, the slot circumscribing the patch antenna element, the slot exposing the dielectric material of the substrate; and

a ground plane disposed on the surface of the substrate, the ground plane comprising an electrically conductive material, the slot disposed between the ground plane and the patch antenna element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a capacitive coupling between the patch antenna element and at least one of the receive feed point and the transmit feed point, the capacitive coupling providing electrical isolation between the receive feed point and the transmit feed point.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the capacitive coupling comprises an elongate conductor disposed parallel to a side of the patch antenna element.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the slot extends between the elongate conductor and the side of the patch antenna such that the exposed dielectric material of the substrate separates the elongate conductor from the side of the patch antenna element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmit feed point is disposed on an orthogonal side of the patch antenna element to a side of the patch antenna element on which the receive feed point is disposed such that the transmit feed point and the receive feed point excite radiation patterns with orthogonal polarization relative to each other.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional patch antenna elements, the patch antenna elements and the one or more additional patch antenna elements forming a plurality of patch antenna elements arranged in an antenna array.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a feed point input/output (“

I/O”

) port for the plurality of patch antenna elements is offset toward a first subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements and away from a second subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements and feed points corresponding to the feed point I/O port are disposed on one side of the first subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements and are disposed on an opposing side of the second subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements, the feed point I/O port comprising one of a receive feed point output port and a transmit feed point input port.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the offset comprises a one quarter wavelength offset such that a half wavelength path difference exists between the first subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements and the second subset of the plurality of patch antenna elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein feed lines for one of the receive feed point and the transmit feed point for each patch antenna element are disposed toward a perimeter of the plurality of patch antenna elements and feed lines for another of the receive feed point and the transmit feed point for each patch antenna element are disposed toward an interior of the plurality of patch antenna elements, the feed lines disposed on the surface of the substrate.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the antenna array comprises a prime focus feed for a reflector antenna, the antenna array configured to illuminate the reflector antenna from a location at a primary focus of the reflector antenna.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the antenna array comprises an aperture array configured for wireless communications without a reflector antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more feed lines disposed on the surface of the substrate, the one or more feed lines in communication with the patch antenna element, the slot circumscribing the one or more feed lines on the surface of the substrate.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive vias disposed in the ground plane, the plurality of electrically conductive vias extending between the ground plane and an opposite ground plane disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the ground plane, the plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged around a perimeter of the patch antenna element.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the patch antenna element and the slot are selected such that the patch antenna element and the slot have a radiation efficiency of at least ninety percent.

15. A system for wireless communications, the system comprising:

a planar antenna array comprising a prime focus feed for a reflector antenna, the planar antenna array configured to illuminate the reflector antenna from a location at a primary focus of the reflector antenna, the planar antenna array further comprising,

a substrate comprising a dielectric material;

a plurality of planar antenna elements disposed on a surface of the substrate, the plurality of planar antenna elements comprising an electrically conductive material.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising the reflector antenna, wherein the reflector antenna is disposed opposite the plurality of planar antenna elements and the surface of the substrate, the plurality of planar antenna elements producing a radiation pattern matched to a focal length of the reflector antenna divided by a diameter of the reflector antenna.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the reflector antenna and the planar antenna are arranged in one of an axis symmetric reflector geometry and an offset reflector geometry.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the planar antenna array further comprises:

one or more slots in the electrically conductive material of the plurality of planar antenna elements, the one or more slots circumscribing each planar antenna element, the one or more slots exposing the dielectric material of the substrate; and

a ground plane disposed on the surface of the substrate, the ground plane comprising an electrically conductive material, the one or more slots disposed between the ground plane and the plurality of planar antenna elements.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the planar antenna array further comprises one or more feed lines disposed on the surface of the substrate, the one or more feed lines in communication with the planar antenna elements, the one or more slots circumscribing the one or more feed lines on the surface of the substrate.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the planar antenna array further comprises a plurality of electrically conductive vias disposed in the ground plane, the plurality of electrically conductive vias extending between the ground plane and an opposite ground plane disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the ground plane, the plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged around a perimeter of each of the plurality of planar antenna elements.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising one or more routing layers disposed on an opposite side of the substrate from the planar antenna elements, the one or more routing layers conducting electrical signals between the plurality of planar antenna elements and one or more electrical devices.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more electrical devices comprise one or more variable gain amplifiers and one or more phase shifters, the one or more variable gain amplifiers adjusting an amplitude of communications signals for the plurality of planar antenna elements and the one or more phase shifters adjusting a phase of the communications signals for the plurality of planar antenna elements, the one or more variable gain amplifiers and the one or more phase shifters electronically steering a communications beam for the plurality of planar antenna elements.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more electrical devices comprise one or more of a low noise amplifier, a block upconverter, a block downconverter, and a power amplifier.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of planar antenna elements comprise one or more of a slot-type antenna element, a patch-type antenna element, a slot patch antenna element, and a dielectric resonator antenna element.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein dimensions of the plurality of planar antenna elements are selected such that the planar antenna elements have a radiation efficiency of at least ninety percent.

26. A method for forming an antenna for wireless communications, the method comprising:

forming a planar patch antenna element disposed on a surface of a substrate, the planar patch antenna element comprising an electrically conductive material, the substrate comprising a dielectric material, a receive feed point of the patch antenna element tuned to a first frequency and a transmit feed point of the patch antenna element tuned to a second frequency such that the patch antenna element is configured to transmit and receive at different frequencies;

forming a slot in the electrically conductive material of the patch antenna element, the slot circumscribing the patch antenna element, the slot exposing the dielectric material of the substrate; and

forming a ground plane disposed on the surface of the substrate, the ground plane comprising an electrically conductive material, the slot disposed between the ground plane and the patch antenna element.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising forming a capacitive coupling between the patch antenna element and a feed point for the patch antenna element, the feed point comprising one of the receive feed point and the transmit feed point.