High Q loaded antenna

• US 6,104,355 A
• Filed: 11/04/1999
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wilson Antenna, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wilson Antenna, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clinger, James
• Application Number:
  US09/434,432
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 343/715, 343/872, 343/895, 343/749, 343/860, 343/750, 343/873, 343/713
• US Class Current: 343/749
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/32 Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/32 Vertical arrangement of element H01Q9/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/36 with top loading

Abstract

An antenna with loading coil is described, which has an especially high Q for longer range communication. The inside of the coil is left empty of solid material while a frame that surrounds the coil is of dielectric material. The wire that forms the coil is constructed so upper and lower wire portions that extend radially inwardly from the ends of the coil, extend at inclines much greater than the wind angle of the coil, and hold metallic coupling slugs away from the opposite ends of the coil. Strips of silicone extend between adjacent coil turns and are mounted on the coil, to minimize vibrations while using a minimum of dielectric material close to the coil. By combining these improvements into a practical commercial coil, applicant has raised the coil Q by 29.5% from the Q of his previous antenna which had the highest Q of citizen band antennas on the market.

Claims

1. An antenna comprising:

an electrically conductive wire with a coil portion that is wound into a coil that includes at least three turns and that has a primarily vertical axis and upper and lower coil ends, said wire including upper and lower wire portions extending from said ends of said coil portion;

a frame of rigid dielectric material that surrounds said coil and that is spaced from said coil, said frame having upper and lower ends;

a conductive radiator device connected to said upper wire portion and mounted on said frame upper end and extending upwardly therefrom, and a base that includes a lower conductor connected to said lower wire potion and mounted on said frame lower end and extending at least partially downward therefrom;

the inside of said coil being substantially devoid of solid material, and said frame being constructed substantially only of dielectric material at locations radially outward of said coil;

said frame being a load-carrying member, with the weight of said conductive radiator device transmitted to said base primarily through said frame.

2. The antenna described in claim 1 wherein:

said lower conductor comprises a base rod that extends vertically downwardly from said frame;

said frame has conical upper and lower walls.

3. A high Q antenna comprising:

an electrically conductive wire, with a coil portion of said wire wound into a helical coil, and with said wire having upper and lower wire end portions extending from said coil, said antenna also including upper and lower conductors connected to said upper and lower wire and portions with said upper conductor having a vertical length that is a plurality of times greater than the vertical length of said coil, and with said coil and said upper wire portion each forming part of a radiator for radiating radio waves;

a base that includes said lower wire portion, said base supporting the weight of said upper conductor;

a load-carrying rigid dielectric frame which supports said upper conductor and which is supported on said base, and which lies around said coil and is spaced from said coil;

the volume within said coil is substantially devoid of solid material, and said dielectric frame is substantially devoid of electrically conductive material around said coil.

4. An antenna which includes an electrically conductive wire, with a coil portion of said wire wound into a helical coil having an axis, and with said wire having upper and lower wire end portions extending from said coil, said antenna also including upper and lower conductors connected to said upper and lower wire end portions, and upper and lower electrically conductive couplings each lying along said axis and coupling one of said wire end portions to a corresponding one of said upper and lower conductors, the improvement wherein:

the volume within said coil portion is substantially devoid of solid material;

each of said couplings occupies an area greater than the cross section of wire of said coil, but each of said couplings occupies an area, as viewed along said helix axis, which is no more than about 10% of the area within the adjacent end of said coil as viewed along said helix axis;

a solely dielectric rigid load-bearing frame that surrounds said coil portion and is spaced from it, and which is mechanically coupled to said upper conductor and which supports the weight of said upper conductor.

5. An antenna comprising:

an electrically conductive wire with a coil portion of said wire wound into a coil that includes at least three turns and an axis;

a plurality of strips of dielectric material spaced apart about said coil axis, with each strip joined to a plurality of said turns of said coil to brace each turn on an adjacent turn, and with each strip bonded to turns of said coil;

each of said strips is formed of a settable material that is applied in an unset deformable state to said coil and allowed to set to harden thereon.

6. An antenna comprising:

an electrically conductive wire with a coil portion of said wire wound into a coil that has an axis in a longitudinal direction of the coil, and includes at least three turns;

a plurality of strips of dielectric material spaced apart about said axis, with each strip joined to a plurality of said turns of said coil to brace each turn on an adjacent turn, and with each strip fixed to turns of said coil;

a frame of dielectric material surrounding said coil and spaced radially outward of said coil and of said strips, to avoid contact between said frame and said coil and between said frame and said strips.