Wireless Access Point

• US 20160329641A1
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Statezni, Dieter W., Peri, Patanjali Sastry, Lee, Yau-Shing, Zhu, Jiang, Gummalla, Ajay Chandra Venkata
• Granted Patent: US 9,768,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/108 Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface H01Q19/106 takes precedence; strip line H01Q9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00

Abstract

An access point includes an access point body and a circuit board supported by the access point body and optionally configured to provide a residential gateway to a network. The circuit board includes a plurality of multi-dipole antennas connected to the circuit board and arranged around a longitudinal axis defined by the circuit board. The access point also includes a reflector disposed on the circuit board and a directional antenna connected to the circuit board and arranged adjacent to the reflector.

Claims

1. An access point comprising:

an access point body;

a circuit board supported by the access point body and defining a longitudinal axis;

a plurality of multi-dipole antennas connected to the circuit board and arranged around the longitudinal axis of the circuit board;

a reflector disposed on the circuit board and configured to reflect electromagnetic waves; and

a directional antenna connected to the circuit board and arranged adjacent to the reflector.

2. The access point of claim 1, wherein each multi-dipole antenna comprises a first dipole antenna and a second dipole antenna orthogonally polarized from the first dipole antenna, the circuit board comprising a switch configured to select between the first dipole antenna and the second dipole antenna for wireless communications through the respective multi-dipole antenna.

3. The access point of claim 2, wherein the first dipole antenna further comprises:

at least two first dipole antenna conductors oriented along a first dipole antenna phase axis defined by the first dipole antenna; and

a first feed line connector disposed on each first dipole antenna conductor.

4. The access point of claim 3, wherein the second dipole antenna further comprises:

at least two second dipole antenna conductors orientated along a second dipole antenna phase axis oriented orthogonal to the first dipole antenna phase axis; and

a second feed line connector disposed on each second dipole antenna conductor.

5. The access point of claim 4, wherein each multi-dipole antenna is positioned to have the first and second dipole antenna phase axes arranged at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis.

6. The access point of claim 1, wherein the directional antenna is arranged opposite and spaced from the reflector, the reflector shaping a radiation pattern of the antenna to increase a gain of the directional antenna.

7. The access point of claim 1 wherein the directional antenna is a folded dipole antenna.

8. The access point of claim 1, wherein the circuit board is supported by the access point body to have a vertical orientation of the longitudinal axis with respect to a supporting surface, the reflector extending along a majority of the circuit board and arranged to reflect communication signals to/from the directional antenna substantially along a communication axis at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, the plurality of multi-dipole antennas substantially equiangularly arranged around the longitudinal axis of the circuit board collectively forming an omnidirectional antenna.

9. The access point of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna is configured to transmit using Bluetooth standard, Bluetooth low energy standard, and/or IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

10. The access point of claim 1, further comprising a spectral analysis antenna connected to the circuit board.

11. An access point comprising:

an access point body;

a circuit board supported by the access point body and configured to provide a residential gateway;

an antenna connected to the circuit board; and

a heat sink reflector disposed on the circuit board and comprising;

a heat sink configured to conduct heat from the circuit board and dissipate the heat convectively to air; and

a reflector disposed on the heat sink and configured to reflect communication signals to/from the antenna,

12. The access point of claim 11, wherein the heat sink comprises:

a fin base disposed on the circuit board, the fin base defining an elongated shape and a base longitudinal axis; and

fins extending from the fin base substantially perpendicular to the base longitudinal axis, each fin having a proximal end disposed on the base and a distal end away from the base;

wherein the reflector is disposed on the distal end of at least one fin.

13. The access point of claim 12, wherein the fins extend from the fin base along a common axis.

16. The access point of claim 11, wherein the reflector defines a reflector longitudinal axis and an extrudable cross-sectional shape along the reflector longitudinal axis.

17. The access point of claim 16, wherein the extrudable cross-sectional shape comprises is substantially U-Shaped, substantially V-Shaped, or substantially C-Shaped.

18. The access point of claim 11, wherein the heat sink reflector defines a longitudinal axis and an extrudable cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal axis.

14. The access point of claim 112, wherein the reflector comprises:

a reflector base disposed on the at least one fin; and

first and second signal reflectors extending from the reflector base away from each other.

15. The access point of claim 14, wherein the reflector base, the first signal reflector, and the second signal reflector each have a substantially flat surface, the substantially flat surfaces of the first and second signal reflectors each being at an angle with respect to the substantially flat surface of the reflector base.

19. A heat sink reflector comprising:

a fin base defining a longitudinal axis and having first and second opposite surfaces extending along the longitudinal axis;

fins extending from the first surface of the fin base substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, each fin having a proximal end attached to the fin base and a distal end away from the fin base; and

a reflector disposed on the distal end of at least one fin, the reflector defining a non-linear cross-sectional profile along the longitudinal axis.

20. The heat sink reflector of claim 19, wherein the fins extend from the fin base along a common axis.

21. The heat sink reflector of claim 20, wherein the reflector is unattached and spaced from at least one fin.

22. The heat sink reflector of claim 20, wherein the reflector comprises:

a reflector base disposed on the at least one fin; and

first and second signal reflectors extending from the reflector base away from each other.

23. The heat sink reflector of claim 22, wherein the reflector base, the first signal reflector, and the second signal reflector each have a substantially flat surface, the substantially flat surfaces of the first and second signal reflectors each being at an angle with respect to the substantially flat surface of the reflector base.

24. The heat sink reflector of claim 19, wherein the reflector defines a reflector longitudinal axis and an extrudable cross-sectional shape along the reflector longitudinal axis.

25. The heat sink, reflector of claim. 24, wherein the extrudable cross-sectional shape comprises is substantially U-Shaped, substantially V-Shaped, or substantially C-Shaped.

26. The heat sink reflector of claim 19, wherein the fin base, the fins, and the reflector collectively define an extrudable cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal axis.

27. The heat sink reflector of claim 19, wherein the reflector is configured to reflect electromagnetic energy along a transmission axis defined at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fin base.

28. A multi-dipole antenna system comprising:

a first dipole antenna comprising;

at least two first dipole antenna conductors oriented along a first dipole antenna phase axis defined by the first dipole antenna; and

a first feed line connector disposed on each first dipole antenna conductor; and

a second dipole antenna orthogonally polarized from the first dipole antenna, the second dipole antenna comprising;

at least two second dipole antenna conductors orientated along a second dipole antenna phase axis oriented orthogonal to the first dipole antenna phase axis; and

a second feed line connector disposed on each second dipole antenna conductor.

29. The multi-dipole antenna system of claim 28, wherein each multi-dipole antenna is positioned to have the first and second dipole antenna phase axes arranged at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to a common longitudinal axis.

30. The multi-dipole antenna system of claim 28, further comprising a switch configured to select between the first dipole antenna and the second dipole antenna.