Tunable microstrip antenna and method for tuning the same
First Claim
1. A tunable microstrip antenna for receiving or transmitting a signal, comprising:
- a dielectric member having a first side and a second side;
a reference member comprising conductive material on the second side of the dielectric member and coupled to a source of a reference potential;
a radiating member comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member; and
a plurality of tuning members comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member and adjacent the radiating member, the plurality of tuning members being one of normally connected electrically to the radiating member and normally disconnected electrically from the radiating member and arranged so that by one of electrically connecting and disconnecting a first tuning member of said plurality of tuning members from the radiating member, the first effective dimension of the radiating member is adjusted.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A broad band tunable microstrip antenna is realized. A substrate layer with a high dielectric constant is placed between a radiating element and a ground plane layer. The electrically conductive radiating element is fabricated on the substrate layer such that a main patch surrounded by a number of individual tuning patches connected to the main patch and to each other are provided. During the tuning process, the effective length and effective width can be selectively adjusted by disconnecting individual tuning patches. In addition to broadening the bandwidth of the microstrip antenna, the optimal feed point can be selected. In other embodiments, the individual tuning patches are initially disconnected from each other and the main patch. During the tuning process, the individual tuning patches are selectively connected or soldered to the main patch. Furthermore, tuning can also be accomplished by connecting or disconnecting individual tuning patches to obtain the desired dimensions of the radiating element. An array of tunable microstrip antennas is also realized. With appropriate coupling to a transmitter/receiver via a feed point, the tunable microstrip antenna, or an array of tunable microstrip antennas, can be used for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals, particularly in wireless computer network applications.
92 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A tunable microstrip antenna for receiving or transmitting a signal, comprising:
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a dielectric member having a first side and a second side; a reference member comprising conductive material on the second side of the dielectric member and coupled to a source of a reference potential; a radiating member comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member; and a plurality of tuning members comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member and adjacent the radiating member, the plurality of tuning members being one of normally connected electrically to the radiating member and normally disconnected electrically from the radiating member and arranged so that by one of electrically connecting and disconnecting a first tuning member of said plurality of tuning members from the radiating member, the first effective dimension of the radiating member is adjusted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A tunable microstrip antenna for receiving or transmitting a signal, comprising:
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a dielectric member having a first side and a second side; a reference member comprising conductive material on the second side of the dielectric member and coupled to a source of a reference potential; a radiating member comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member, the radiating member being substantially rectangular with chamfered comers when viewed from above; and a plurality of tuning members comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member and adjacent the radiating member, the plurality of tuning members being one of normally connected electrically to the radiating member and normally disconnected electrically from the radiating member and arranged so that by one of electrically connecting and disconnecting a first tuning member of said plurality of tuning members from the radiating member, the first effective dimension of the radiating member is adjusted.
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15. A tunable microstrip antenna for receiving or transmitting a signal, comprising:
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a dielectric member having a first side and a second side; a reference member comprising conductive material on the second side of the dielectric member and coupled to a source of a reference potential; a radiating member comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member, the radiating member having a first effective dimension corresponding to a first radiating bandwidth and a second effective dimension corresponding to a second radiating bandwidth different than but overlapping with the first radiating bandwidth; and a set of tuning members comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member and adjacent the radiating member, the tuning members in said set being one of normally connected electrically to the radiating member and normally disconnected electrically from the radiating member and arranged so that by one of electrically connecting and disconnecting tuning members of said set of tuning members from the radiating member, the radiating member is tuned, and wherein the radiating member has a first side generally orthogonal to the first effective dimension, and a second side generally orthogonal to the second effective dimension, and said set of tuning members comprise a first plurality of tuning members arranged along the first side of the radiating member; and a second plurality of tuning members arranged along the second side of the radiating member. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A tunable microstrip antenna for receiving or transmitting a signal, comprising:
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a dielectric member having a first side and a second side; a reference member comprising conductive material on the second side of the dielectric member and coupled to a source of a reference potential; a radiating member comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member, the radiating member being substantially rectangular with chamfered corners when viewed from above; and a plurality of tuning members comprising conductive material on the first side of the dielectric member and adjacent the radiating member, the plurality of tuning members being one of normally connected electrically to the radiating member and normally disconnected electrically from the radiating member and arranged so that by one of electrically connecting and disconnecting the plurality of tuning members from the radiating member, the radiating member is tuned, and wherein the radiating member has a first side generally orthogonal to a first effective dimension, and said plurality of tuning members comprise a first plurality of tuning members arranged along the first side of the radiating member; and a second plurality of tuning members arranged along the second side of the radiating member.
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22. An array of tunable microstrip antennas with an array bandwidth, comprising:
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a substrate layer; a plurality of tuning members coupled to the substrate layer, the plurality of tuning members having a plurality of corresponding element bandwidths, where each tuning member has a first dimension and a second dimension where at least one of the first dimension and the second dimension is adjustable to tune the element bandwidth, and wherein at least two of the plurality of tuning members are tuned such that their respective corresponding element bandwidths are adjacent to each other along a frequency spectrum to form the array bandwidth; and a reference layer coupled to the substrate layer. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification