BUNG-TYPE ANTENNA AND ANTENNAL STRUCTURE AND ANTENNAL ASSEMBLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH

• US 20160156095A1
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institut Mines-Télécom, Telecom Bretagne
• Original Assignee: Institut Mines Telecom/
• Inventors: Coupez, Jean-Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 10,944,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• 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 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/523 between antennas of an array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to an antennal structure adapted to be disposed on an earth plane comprising: a three-dimensional support substrate made of a dielectric material which is partially hollowed out and comprising a peripheral wall which extends between a proximal end and a distal end, said support substrate defining an internal volume; a first conducting pattern inscribed on the peripheral wall of the support substrate, the first conducting pattern comprising a lower end adapted to be connected to an earth plane and an upper end; a second conducting pattern contained in the volume of the substrate, the second pattern being connected electrically to the upper end of the first pattern.

Claims

1. An antenna structure suitable for being placed on a ground plane, comprising:

a three-dimensional carrier substrate made of a partially apertured dielectric material comprising a peripheral wall that extends between a proximal end and a distal end, said carrier substrate defining an internal volume;

a first conductive pattern inscribed on the peripheral wall of the carrier substrate, the first conductive pattern having a lower end suitable for being connected to a ground plane and an upper end; and

a second conductive pattern contained in the volume of the substrate, the second pattern being electrically connected to the upper end of the first pattern.

2. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the carrier substrate is the shape of a cylinder of revolution, a truncated cone, a cube, a right prism having a hexagonal base, a truncated pyramid or a volume with a sinuous profile.

3. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first conductive pattern is a conductive wire or a conductive strip.

4. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first conductive pattern is inscribed on the peripheral wall so as to be wound into a helix around the carrier substrate.

5. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first conductive pattern has a meandering shape, a sinusoidal shape, a shape formed from a combination of rectilinear and sinuous shapes or a shape made up of one or more fractal patterns.

6. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second conductive pattern is configured to at least partially obturate the distal end of the carrier substrate.

7. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second conductive pattern has a transverse profile chosen from the following group:

straight, top-hat, a succession of straight lines, a succession of straight and curved lines, and a succession of curved lines.

8. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second conductive pattern comprises:

a hollow section having a peripheral wall that extends between a lower end and an upper end, said section extending into the internal volume defined by the carrier substrate; and

a flange that extends from the upper end of the section to the distal end of the carrier substrate.

9. The antenna structure as claimed in claim 8 wherein the second conductive pattern also has a bottom completely closing the lower end of the section.

10. An antenna comprising the ground plane and the antenna structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the antenna structure is placed above said ground plane, and the lower end of the first conductive pattern being connected to the ground plane.

11. The antenna as claimed in claim 10, comprising an excitation probe suitable for supplying the antenna structure, the excitation probe being connected, by way of a central conductor of said excitation probe, to the first conductive pattern via a connection point located along the first conductive pattern on the peripheral wall.

12. An antenna array comprising:

a ground plane;

a plurality of identical antenna structures as claimed in claim 1; and

an excitation probe connected, by way of the central conductor of said excitation probe, to the first conductive pattern of only one antenna structure from the plurality of antenna structures, said antenna structure thus excited defining a primary element of the antenna array, the at least one other antenna structure defining at least one passive secondary element that is not supplied directly.

13. The antenna array as claimed in claim 12, comprising two antenna structures placed on the ground plane side-by-side and separated by a distance smaller than a fraction of the operating wavelength λ

of the antenna array, typically smaller than λ

/20.

14. The antenna array as claimed in claim 12, comprising three antenna structures placed triangularly on the ground plane.

15. The antenna array as claimed in claim 14, comprising at least one conductive wall suitable for decreasing the coupling between the antenna structures, the conductive wall forming an electrical screen between the antenna structures.