PATCH ANTENNA

• US 20170025760A1
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: City University of Hong Kong
• Original Assignee: City University of Hong Kong
• Inventors: LUK, Kwai-Man, LI, Yujian
• Granted Patent: US 9,960,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0457 electromagnetically coupled to the feed line

Abstract

A patch antenna is presented herein. The patch antenna can include a substrate layer, a dielectric layer and a conductive layer. The substrate layer can include a hollow thermoplastic structure. The dielectric layer can be attached to a surface of the substrate layer. Furthermore, the dielectric layer can include a thermoplastic structure filled with a fluid. The conductive layer can be associated with another surface of the substrate layer.

Claims

1. A patch antenna, comprising:

a substrate layer that comprises a hollow thermoplastic structure;

a dielectric layer that is attached to a surface of the substrate layer and comprises a thermoplastic structure filled with a fluid; and

a conductive layer that is associated with another surface of the substrate layer.

2. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic structure is smaller than the hollow thermoplastic structure.

3. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is excited by a feeding probe mounted to the conductive layer.

4. The patch antenna of claim 3, wherein a communication connector is mounted to the feeding probe.

5. The patch antenna of claim 3, wherein the feeding probe is L-shaped.

6. The patch antenna of claim 3, wherein the feeding probe is T-shaped.

7. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a coupling aperture.

8. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is excited by another substrate layer that comprises a microstrip transmission line.

9. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is excited by a probe inserted into the dielectric layer.

10. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the substrate layer is square-shaped and the dielectric layer is a different shape.

11. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises water, methanol, alcohol or glycerin.

12. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the hollow thermoplastic structure and the thermoplastic structure are transparent.

13. The patch antenna of claim 1, wherein the substrate layer and the conductive layer are mounted to a set of solar cells.

14. A device, comprising:

an antenna that comprises a fluid layer, a metallic layer attached to a feeding probe, and a substrate layer between the fluid layer and the metallic layer; and

a set of solar cells attached to the metallic layer and the substrate layer.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the substrate layer comprises a larger surface area than the fluid layer.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the fluid layer and the substrate layer comprise a transparent thermoplastic structure.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the fluid layer comprises a different shape than the substrate layer.

18. An antenna system, comprising:

a first thermoplastic structure that comprises a fluid;

a second thermoplastic structure that is hollow and supports the first thermoplastic structure via a first surface; and

a conductive ground plane attached to a second surface of the second thermoplastic structure.

19. The antenna system of claim 18, wherein a portion of the first surface is attached to the first thermoplastic structure.

20. The antenna system of claim 18, further comprising a feeding probe attached to the conductive ground plane.