Variable dielectric constant-based antenna and array
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An antenna comprising:
- a back panel having a conductive layer provided on a surface thereof;
a top panel;
a plurality of radiating element provided over the top panel;
a plurality of conductive lines, each coupled to a respective one of the radiating elements;
a variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between the back panel and the top panel and provided at least under at least a section of at least one of the conductive lines;
at least one electrode coupled to the variable dielectric constant material and configured to be coupled to a potential so as to change the dielectric constant of the variable dielectric constant material and thereby introduce a propagation delay in radiation wave energy traveling on the at least one of the conductive lines.
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Abstract
An antenna and antenna array are provided. A radiating elements and corresponding feed lines are provided over a variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between two panels. The sandwich may be in the form of an LCD. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the conductive line can be varied to control the phase of the radiating element. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the radiating element can be varied to control the resonance frequency of the radiating element. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the conductive line can be varied to also control the polarization of the radiating element.
31 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An antenna comprising:
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a back panel having a conductive layer provided on a surface thereof; a top panel; a plurality of radiating element provided over the top panel; a plurality of conductive lines, each coupled to a respective one of the radiating elements; a variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between the back panel and the top panel and provided at least under at least a section of at least one of the conductive lines; at least one electrode coupled to the variable dielectric constant material and configured to be coupled to a potential so as to change the dielectric constant of the variable dielectric constant material and thereby introduce a propagation delay in radiation wave energy traveling on the at least one of the conductive lines. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A circularly-polarizing antenna comprising:
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a back panel having a conductive layer provided on a surface thereof; a top panel; a radiating patch element provided over the top panel; a first conductive line coupled to one side of the radiating elements; a second conductive line coupled to an orthogonal side of the radiating elements; a feed coupled to the first and second conductive lines at a single point; a first section of variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between the back panel and the top panel and provided under at least a section of the first conductive line; and
,a first electrode configured to couple a potential to the first section of variable dielectric constant material so as to change the dielectric constant of the variable dielectric constant material and thereby introduce a propagation delay in radiation wave energy traveling on the first conductive line and cause the antenna to radiate one of a right-hand or left-hand circularly polarized wave. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A scanning antenna array, comprising:
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a back panel having a conductive layer provided on a surface thereof; a top panel; a plurality of zones of variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between the back panel and the top panel, each zone comprising a plurality of pixels; a plurality of microstrip patch radiating elements provided over the top panel; a plurality of conductive line provided over the top panel and each coupled to a respective one of the plurality of radiating elements, each of the conductive lines traversing over at least one of the zones; and
,a plurality of electrodes, each configured to couple a potential bias to one of the pixels so as to change the dielectric constant of the pixel and thereby introduce a propagation delay in radiation wave energy traveling on the conductive line over the pixel. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In an antenna comprising:
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a back panel having a conductive layer provided on a surface thereof; a top panel; a plurality of pixels of variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between the back panel and the top panel; a plurality of microstrip patch radiating elements provided over the top panel; a plurality of conductive line provided over the top panel and each coupled to a respective one of the plurality of radiating elements, each of the conductive lines traversing over a respective group of pixels; the method for scanning the antenna comprising; applying bias potential to selected group of pixels so as to change the dielectric constant of the pixel and thereby introduce a propagation delay in radiation wave energy traveling on the conductive line over the pixel. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification