THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPOUND LOOP ANTENNA

• US 20150162660A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DockOn AG
• Original Assignee: DockOn AG
• Inventors: Orsi, Ryan James, Foster, Matthew Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,799,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2233 used in consumption-meter devices, e.g. electricity, gas or water meters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/28 Conical, cylindrical, cage, strip, gauze, or like elements having an extended radiating surface; Elements comprising two conical surfaces having collinear axes and adjacent apices and fed by two-conductor transmission lines waveguide horns or mouths H01Q13/00; slot antennas H01Q13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A three-dimensional compound loop antenna is provided, including a ground plane, a pair of horizontal conductive portions substantially horizontal relative to the ground plane, a feed line substantially vertical relative to the ground plane, and a vertical conductive portion coupling the pair of horizontal conductive portions to the ground plane.

Claims

1. An antenna, comprising:

a ground plane (204) situated on a first plane having a first side and a second side;

a substantially vertical feed line (212) coupled to a power source (3) on the first side, the feed line passing through to the second side but electrically isolated from the ground plane (204);

at least a pair of substantially horizontal conductive portions (215) on a second plane different from the first plane and including a first portion (216) and a second portion (220), the first portion having a first end coupled to the feed line (212) and a second end coupled to an end of the second portion (220); and

at least one substantially vertical conductive portion (224) having a first end and a second end, the first end of the vertical conductive portion being coupled to the second end of the of the first portion, the second end of the vertical conductive portion being coupled to the ground plane, wherein the vertical feed line, the first portion and the vertical conductive portion are configured to form a loop generating a H-field, wherein the second portion is configured to emit an E-field, and wherein the H-field and the E-field are substantially orthogonal.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the second portion is coupled with the loop at a substantially 90°

or 270°

electrical length from a feed point of the feed line.

3. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground plane is configured to be confined within a first area and the pair of horizontal conductive portions is configured to be contained within a second area smaller than the first area.

4. The antenna of claim 3, wherein the first area, the second area, or both the first area and the second area is substantially a shape of a circle or oval.

5. The antenna of claim 3, wherein the first area, the second area, or both the first area and the second area is substantially a shape of a polygon.

6. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the pair of horizontal conductive portions are configured to be self-supporting and wherein air forms a dielectric between the pair of horizontal conductive portions and the ground plane.

7. The antenna of claim 6, wherein the pair of horizontal conductive portions are configured to be formed on a dielectric substantially filling an area between the pair of horizontal conductive portions and the ground plane.

8. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the pair of horizontal conductive portions are formed on a substrate.

9. The antenna of claim 8, wherein the substrate is a dielectric.

10. The antenna of claim 8, wherein the substrate is substantially a circular shape, wherein the first portion is configured to extend radially from the first end of the first portion toward the second end of the first portion, wherein the first end of the first portion is located near a center of the circular shape, wherein the second end of the first portion is located close to an edge of the substrate, wherein the second portion is configured to be coupled to the first portion at a point located at a substantially 90°

or 270°

electrical length along the loop from a feed point of the feed line, and wherein the second portion is configured to extend azimuthally along a periphery of the substrate.

11. The antenna of claim 8, wherein the substrate is substantially a circular shape, wherein the first portion is configured to extend radially from the first end of the first portion toward the second end of the first portion, wherein the first end of the first portion is located near a center of the circular shape, wherein the second end of the first portion is located close to an edge of the substrate, wherein the second portion is configured to be coupled to the first portion at a point along the loop where current flowing through the loop is at a reflective minimum, and wherein the second portion is configured to extend azimuthally along a periphery of the substrate.

12. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising a switch coupled between the first end of the first portion and the feed line.

13. The antenna of claim 12, wherein the switch is configured to be controlled by a controller to selectively electrically connect the first portion to the feed line to selectively generate a radiation pattern.

14. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground plane is formed on or within a substrate, further comprising a ground patch formed on the substrate, wherein the ground patch is not physically coupled to the ground plane but is coupled to the second end of the vertical conductive portion and is capacitively coupled to the ground plane.

15. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground plane is configured as an electromagnetic shield for the feed line, the pair of horizontal conductive portions, and the vertical conductive portion.

16. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground plane is configured to reduce detuning effects to the antenna.

17. The antenna of claim 1, wherein there is a first pair of horizontal conductive portions operating with a first vertical conductive portion and a second pair of horizontal conductive portions operating with a second vertical conductive portion, and wherein the first pair of horizontal conductive portions and the first vertical conductive portion are positioned substantially opposite on the second plane from the second pair of horizontal conductive portions and the second vertical conductive portion.

18. The antenna of claim 17, wherein the ground plane is formed on or within a substrate, further comprising a first ground patch and a second ground patch formed on the substrate, wherein the first ground patch and the second ground patch are not physically coupled to the ground plane but are coupled respectively to the second end of the first vertical conductive portion and the second vertically conductive portion and are capacitively coupled to the ground plane.

19. The antenna of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of pairs of horizontal conductive portions each operating with a vertical conductive portion, and wherein the plurality of pairs of horizontal conductive portions and corresponding vertical conductive portion are symmetrically arranged around the second plane.

20. The antenna of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of switches each coupled between the first end of the first portion of the each pair of horizontal conductive portions among the plurality of pairs of the horizontal conductive portions and the feed line, and wherein the plurality of switches are configured to be controlled by a controller to selectively electrically connect the first portion of each pair of horizontal conductive portions to the feed line to selectively generate a radiation pattern.