Antenna apparatus

• US 7,847,737 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/169,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20090015499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/841, 343/846, 343/909
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/008 said selective devices having Sievenpipers' mushroom elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40

Abstract

An antenna apparatus includes a patch antenna unit in which a radiation conductor and a ground conductor plate are arranged so as to face each other with an insulating material disposed therebetween, a power-feed point is provided at a position slightly offset from the center of the radiation conductor, and a high-frequency electric field is supplied between the radiation conductor and the ground conductor plate; a surface-wave propagation suppression area in which a surface-wave propagation suppression mechanism for suppressing surface-wave propagation is mounted in an outer surrounding area in the offset direction of the power-feed point in which an electric-field intensity is generally maximum within the end portion of the radiation conductor plate; and an insulating area in which an electric-field intensity between the radiation conductor plate and the ground conductor plate is relatively low and the surface-wave propagation suppression mechanism is not arranged.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a patch antenna unit in which a radiation conductor and a ground conductor plate are arranged so as to face each other with an insulating material disposed therebetween, a power-feed point is provided at a position slightly offset from the center of the radiation conductor, and a high-frequency electric field is supplied between the radiation conductor and the ground conductor plate;

a first surface-wave propagation suppression area in which a surface-wave propagation suppression mechanism for suppressing surface-wave propagation is mounted in a first outer surrounding area of the ground conductor plate in the offset direction of the power-feed point;

a second surface-wave propagation suppression area in which a second wave propagation suppression mechanism for suppressing surface-wave propagation is mounted in a second outer surrounding area of the ground conductor plate in a direction opposite the offset direction of the power-feed point; and

an insulating area in which an electric-field intensity between the radiation conductor plate and the ground conductor plate is relatively low and the surface-wave propagation suppression mechanism is not arranged.

2. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in each of the surface-wave propagation suppression areas, a plurality of thumbtack-type artificial magnetic conductor elements, in each of which a plate-shaped conductor is supported by a post-shaped conductor, are arranged.

3. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in each of the surface-wave propagation suppression areas, an artificial magnetic conductor element, in which texture is applied to a plate-shaped conductor, is arranged.