IMPROVED ANTENNA ARRANGEMENT

• US 20160050715A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Communication Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Communication Systems Limited
• Inventors: Porter, John David, Noakes, Melvyn
• Granted Patent: US 9,578,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/00 Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0056 Conically or cylindrically arrayed
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless node (10) comprises an RF modem (12), an RF switch array (14) connected to the RF modem (12), the RF switch array (14) comprising a layer of circuit board (18) sandwiched between layers of conductive material (20, 22) and a plurality of antennas (16) connected to the circuit board (18) of the RF switch array (14) via waveguides (36) present in the layers of conductive material (20, 22), a first subset of the antennas (16) arranged in a first horizontal plane H1 and a second subset of the antennas (16) arranged below the first horizontal plane H1 in a second horizontal plane H2.

Claims

1. A wireless node comprising:

an RF modem,

an RF switch array connected to the RF modem, the RF switch array comprising a layer of circuit board sandwiched between layers of conductive material and

a plurality of antennas connected to the circuit board of the RF switch array via waveguides present in the layers of conductive material, a first subset of the antennas arranged in a first horizontal plane and a second subset of the antennas arranged below the first horizontal plane in a second horizontal plane.

2. A wireless node according to claim 1, wherein each antenna comprises a horn connected to the RF switch array at a proximal end of the horn and open at a distal end of the horn.

3. A wireless node according to claim 1, wherein each subset of the antennas defines an arc around the RF switch array greater than 180 degrees.

4. A wireless node according to claims 1, wherein the antennas define an arc around the RF switch array less than 270 degrees.

5. A wireless node according to any preceding claim, wherein adjacent antennas in each subset of the antennas are spaced apart from each other.

6. A wireless node according to claim 5, wherein the spacing between two adjacent antennas in a subset of the antennas is filled by an antenna in the other subset of the antennas.

7. A wireless node according to claim 1, wherein half the number of antennas are located in the first horizontal plane and half the number of antennas are located in the second horizontal plane.

8. A method of operating a wireless node comprising an RF modem, an RF switch array connected to the RF modem the RF switch array comprising a layer of circuit board sandwiched between layers of conductive material, and a plurality of antennas connected to the circuit board of the RF switch array via waveguides present in the layers of conductive material, a first subset of the antennas arranged in a first horizontal plane and a second subset of the antennas arranged below the first horizontal plane in a second horizontal plane, the method comprising the steps of generating radio signals at the RF modem, communicating the generated radio signals to the RF switch array, selecting an antenna for transmitting the generated radio signals and transmitting the generated radio signals from the selected antenna.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein each antenna comprises a horn connected to the RF switch array at a proximal end of the horn and open at a distal end of the horn.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein each subset of the antennas defines an arc around the RF switch array greater than 180 degrees.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the antennas define an arc around the RF switch array less than 270 degrees.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein adjacent antennas in each subset of the antennas are spaced apart from each other.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the spacing between two adjacent antennas in a subset of the antennas is filled by an antennas in the other subset of the antennas.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein half the number of antennas are located in the first horizontal plane and half the number of antennas are located in the second horizontal plane.