DIELECTRIC RESONATOR ANTENNA ARRAYS

• US 20160218437A1
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ke Wu
• Inventors: GUNTUPALLI, Ajay Babu, WU, Ke, DJERAFI, Tarek
• Granted Patent: US 10,547,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0485 Dielectric resonator antennas

Abstract

A dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) array having an array feeding network and a parasitic patch array made up of individual antenna elements is provided with a dielectric lens made from a single piece of dielectric material in the form of a generally planar sheet. The sheet may be substantially coextensive with the DRA array so as to cover all of the antenna elements. The single piece of dielectric material has a plurality of dielectric portions defined by a plurality of holes through the sheet. Each dielectric portion may be positioned over one of the antenna elements. Adjacent dielectric portions are connected to each other along connecting edge portions thereof, and a single hole is defined through the sheet between connecting edge portions of a group of mutually adjacent dielectric portions.

Claims

1. A dielectric lens comprising:

a single piece of dielectric material in the form of a generally planar sheet, the sheet being sized to cover a plurality of dielectric resonator antenna elements;

wherein the single piece of dielectric material comprises a plurality of dielectric portions defined by a plurality of holes through the sheet, each dielectric portion being configured to be positioned over one of the plurality of antenna elements,

and wherein adjacent dielectric portions are connected to each other along connecting edge portions thereof, and a single hole is defined through the sheet between connecting edge portions of a group of mutually adjacent dielectric portions.

2. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dielectric portions are arranged in a rectangular array comprising a grid of generally perpendicular rows and columns.

3. The dielectric lens of claim 2 wherein the single hole is defined between each group of four dielectric portions.

4. The dielectric lens of claim 3 wherein each dielectric portion is generally rhombus-shaped.

5. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each dielectric portion is generally square-shaped and each of the single holes is generally square-shaped, with sides of each hole oriented at an angle of about 45 degrees to the rows and columns of the grid.

6. The dielectric lens of claim 5 wherein the sides of each of the single holes has a length in the range of about 0.5-2 mm.

7. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each dielectric portion is generally rhombus-shaped.

8. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each dielectric portion is generally square-shaped.

9. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each dielectric portion is generally rectangle-shaped.

10. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each dielectric portion is generally circle-shaped.

11. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein each hole has a minimum dimension in the range of 0.5-2 mm.

12. The dielectric lens of claim 1 wherein the sheet has a thickness in the range of about 0.5λ

to 0.6λ

, where λ

is a signal wavelength of the DRA array.

13. The dielectric lens of claim 1 where the dielectric material has a dielectric constant in the range of about 2-10.

14. A dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) array comprising:

an array feeding network;

a parasitic patch array comprising a plurality of antenna elements; and

a dielectric lens comprising;

a single piece of dielectric material in the form of a generally planar sheet, the sheet being of a substantially similar size to the DRA array so as to cover all of the plurality of antenna elements;

wherein the single piece of dielectric material comprises a plurality of dielectric portions defined by a plurality of holes through the sheet, each dielectric portion being configured to be positioned over one of the plurality of antenna elements,

and wherein adjacent dielectric portions are connected to each other along connecting edge portions thereof, and a single hole is defined through the sheet between connecting edge portions of a group of mutually adjacent dielectric portions.

15. The DRA array of claim 14 wherein the plurality of antenna elements and the plurality of dielectric portions are arranged in rectangular arrays, each rectangular array comprising a grid of generally perpendicular rows and columns.

16. The DRA array of claim 15 wherein the plurality of antenna elements are arranged in a plurality of 2×

2 sub arrays, and wherein the plurality of dielectric elements are arranged in a plurality of sub groups corresponding to the plurality of 2×

2 sub arrays.

17. The DRA array of claim 16 wherein the plurality of holes comprise a plurality of first holes, a plurality of second holes larger than the first holes, and a plurality of third holes larger than the second holes, wherein each first hole is positioned between four dielectric elements of a single sub group, each second hole is positioned between four dielectric elements from two different sub groups, and each third hole is positioned between four dielectric elements from four different sub groups.

18. A method for producing a dielectric lens for a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) array, the method comprising:

providing a single piece of dielectric material in the form of a generally planar sheet, the sheet being of a substantially similar size to the DRA array so as to cover all of the plurality of antenna elements;

determining locations for a plurality of holes through the sheet based on locations of the plurality of antenna elements; and

forming the plurality of holes through the sheet to define a plurality of dielectric portions, each dielectric portion being configured to be positioned over one of the plurality of antenna elements.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the plurality of holes comprises drilling through the single piece of dielectric material with a laser.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the plurality of holes comprises cutting through the single piece of dielectric material with a water jet.