Antenna device and radio communication apparatus

• US 7,372,426 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fukuda, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karacsony, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/283,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/850, 343/845, 343/702, 343/876
• US Class Current: 343/850
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

An antenna device includes an antenna main body having at least three electricity feeding points and a feeder circuit for feeding an electrical signal to the antenna main body. The feeder circuit feeds electrical signals different in at least one of amplitude and phase to the electricity feeding points. The device enables to control the directivity with the use of a single antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna device, comprising:

an antenna main body having at least three electricity feeding points; and

a feeder circuit for feeding an electrical signal to the antenna main body,

wherein the feeder circuit includes a strip line for connecting each feeding point, the strip line having a first path and a second path, wherein the second path has a phase delay; and

a switch which switches between the first path and the second path of said strip line, and wherein the feeder circuit feeds electrical signals different in at least one of amplitude and phase to the electricity feeding points, and

wherein the antenna main body includes an antenna layer, a dielectric layer, a ground layer, a cylindrical conductor for electrically connecting a center part of the antenna layer to a center part of the ground layer, and conductors connected to the antenna layer at the electricity feeding points.

2. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the electricity feeding points are arranged on a circumference of an identical circle on the antenna main body.

3. An antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the electricity feeding points are arranged at regular intervals.

4. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna main body is formed in a disc shape.

5. An antenna device according to claim 4, wherein the electricity feeding points are arranged on a circumference of a circle having the same center as the disc-shaped antenna main body.

6. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the feeder circuit includes at least one of an amplifier, an attenuator, and a phase switching device.

7. An antenna device according to claim 6, wherein the phase switching device switches one of an amplitude and a phase of an electrical signal according to one of a reception sensitivity, a signal quality, and an error rate thereof.

8. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the feeder circuit performs beam steering in a horizontal surface plane of the antenna device.

9. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the conductors connected to the antenna layer at the electricity feeding points are not connected to the ground layer.