Multilevel antennae

• US 7,528,782 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fractus SA
• Original Assignee: Fractus SA
• Inventors: Baliarda, Carles Puente, Castany, Jordi Soler, Borau, Carmen Borja, Pros, Jaume Anguera
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Tho G
• Application Number:
  US11/780,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700.MS, 343/829, 343/846
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/10 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/20 characterised by the operating wavebands
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/357 using a single feed point
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/40 Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/50 Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/04 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/28 Conical, cylindrical, cage, strip, gauze, or like elements having an extended radiating surface; Elements comprising two conical surfaces having collinear axes and adjacent apices and fed by two-conductor transmission lines waveguide horns or mouths H01Q13/00; slot antennas H01Q13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/40 Element having extended radiating surface

Abstract

Antennae in which the corresponding radiative element contains at least one multilevel structure formed by a set of similar geometric elements (polygons or polyhedrons) electromagnetically coupled and grouped such that in the structure of the antenna can be identified each of the basic component elements. The design as such that it provides two important advantages: the antenna may operate simultaneously in several frequencies, and/or its size can be substantially reduced. Thus, a multiband radioelectric behavior is achieved, that is, a similar behavior for different frequency bands.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a wireless communications device having an internal antenna system located within the wireless communications device, wherein said internal antenna system includes a passive antenna set comprising;

at least one antenna element, wherein said at least one antenna element comprises a structure including at least two levels of detail, a first level of detail for an overall structure defined by a plurality of generally identifiable geometric elements and a second level of detail defined by a subset of the plurality of geometric elements forming said overall structure;

wherein at least one of either a perimeter of contact or an area of overlap between said geometric elements is only a fraction of a total perimeter or a total area of the geometric elements, respectively, for a majority of said geometric elements such that it is possible to generally identify the majority of said plurality of geometric elements within said structure;

a feeding point to said antenna element;

a ground plane;

wherein said feeding point and a point on the ground plane define an input/output port for said passive antenna set and said passive antenna set provides a similar impedance level and radiation pattern at two or more frequency bands such that the passive antenna set is capable of both transmitting and receiving wireless signals on selected channels, the selected channels selectable from a plurality of channels throughout an entire frequency range within each of said two or more frequency bands.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein said plurality of geometric elements are cylinders.

5. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the internal antenna system further includes a matching network connected to said input/output port.

6. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 further including at least one dielectric spacer for separating the at least one antenna element from the ground plane, wherein at least a portion of said dielectric spacer overlaps a dielectric substrate layer placed over the ground plane.

7. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the internal antenna system provides at least three frequency bands having similar impedance levels and radiation patterns and further wherein the internal antenna system is capable of at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals on selected channels, the selected channels selectable from a plurality of channels throughout an entire frequency range within each of said at least three frequency bands.

8. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the internal antenna system provides at least four frequency bands having similar impedance levels and radiation patterns and further wherein the internal antenna system is capable of at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals on selected channels, the selected channels selectable from a plurality of channels throughout an entire frequency range within each of said at least four frequency bands.

9. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said at least one antenna element is physically smaller in area than a conventional multiband antenna system formed by a plurality of combined single band rectangular antennas equal in number to a number of frequency bands of said conventional multiband antenna.

10. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said at least one antenna element resonates at a lower frequency than a rectangular antenna defined by a smallest rectangle that encompasses the entire at least one antenna element.

11. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said internal antenna system is a patch antenna.

12. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said internal antenna system is a monopole antenna.

13. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one GSM service.

14. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one GSM service in a 1710-1880 MHz frequency range.

15. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least at three frequency bands and operates at one GSM service in the 1710-1880 MHz frequency range.

16. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one cellular service in a 1850-1990 MHz frequency range.

17. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one cellular service in a 1710-1880 MHz frequency range.

18. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one cellular service in a 2110-2155 MHz frequency range.

19. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said apparatus provides at least one cellular service in a 1710-1755 and in a 2110-2155 MHz frequency range.

20. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is at least four.

21. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is five or more.

22. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is eight or more.

23. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is nine or more.

24. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is ten or more.

25. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is eleven or more.

26. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is twelve or more.

27. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is thirteen or more.

28. An apparatus, as set forth in claims 1 or 3, wherein a number of the plurality of geometric elements is fourteen or more.

2. An apparatus including a wireless communications device having an internal antenna system located within the wireless communications device, wherein said internal antenna system includes a passive antenna set comprising;

at least one antenna element, wherein said at least one antenna element comprises a structure including a generally identifiable non-convex geometric element, wherein said non-convex geometric element comprises a plurality of convex geometric elements defining a first level of detail, wherein said non-convex geometric element shapes the electric currents on the at least one antenna element associated with a lowest frequency band, while at least a subset of said plurality of convex geometric elements shapes the electric currents on the at least one antenna element associated with at least one of the higher frequency bands;

a feeding point to said antenna element;

a ground plane;

wherein said feeding point and a point on the ground plane define an input/output port for said passive antenna set and said passive antenna set provides a similar impedance level and radiation pattern at two or more frequency bands such that the passive antenna set is capable of both transmitting and receiving wireless signals on selected channels, the selected channels selectable from a plurality of channels throughout an entire frequency range within said two or more frequency bands.

29. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said generally identifiable convex geometric elements are cylinders.

3. An apparatus including a wireless communications device having an internal antenna system located within the wireless communications device, wherein said internal antenna system includes a passive antenna set comprising;

at least one conductive radiating antenna element;

a feeding point to said at least one conductive antenna element;

a ground plane;

wherein said feeding point and a point on the ground plane define an input/output port for said passive antenna set;

wherein the at least one conductive radiating antenna element includes at least one structure comprising a plurality of electromagnetically coupled geometric elements grouped into at least a first portion and a second portion in which the second portion is located within the first portion, said first and second portions defining empty spaces in an overall structure of the at least one conductive radiating antenna element to provide at least two current paths through said antenna element, such that the passive antenna set is capable of both transmitting and receiving wireless signals on selected channels, the selected channels selectable from a plurality of channels throughout an entire frequency range within each of two or more frequency bands; and

wherein at least one of a perimeter of contact or an area of overlap between each of said geometric elements is only a fraction of a total perimeter or a total area of each of said geometric elements, respectively, for a majority of said plurality of geographic elements such that said internal antenna system is physically smaller in area than a multiband antenna obtained by grouping a plurality of substantially isolated single band antenna elements.