Antenna device and signal receiving method

• US 8,035,571 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Takayoshi, Nishio, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, JAE K
• Application Number:
  US12/222,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 343/767, 343/792.5, 343/753, 343/793, 343/745, 343/705, 343/859, 343/810, 343/850, 343/843, 343/708, 343/756, 342/373, 257/728, 324/326, 333/126, 333/318, 333/24.R, 340/572.7
• US Class Current: 343/843
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/293 one unit or more being an array of identical aerial elements adaptive arrays H01Q3/2605
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/126 having multiple inputs, e.g. auxiliary antenna for receiving interfering signal aerials in general H01Q

Abstract

An example antenna device includes a conductive ground plane and first and second antenna elements connected to the conductive ground plane through first and second feeding points, respectively. Directivities of the first and second antenna elements are arranged to be approximately perpendicular to each other. A phase adjusting circuit is configured to provide a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees between first and second received signals by the first and second antenna elements, respectively and a combining circuit is configured to combine the first and second received signals having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees therebetween to obtain a combined signal. A radio unit is configured to process the combined signal.

Claims

1. An antenna device, comprising:

a conductive ground plane;

first and second antenna elements connected to the conductive ground plane through first and second feeding points, respectively, directivities of the first and second antenna elements being arranged to be approximately perpendicular to each other;

a phase adjusting circuit configured to provide a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees between first and second signals received by the first and second antenna elements, respectively;

a combining circuit configured to combine the first and second received signals having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees therebetween to obtain a combined signal; and

a radio unit configured to process the combined signal,

wherein

a distance between the first and second feeding points is equal to or smaller than a quarter of an operating wavelength,

each of the first and second antenna elements comprises a first partial element parallel to the conductive ground plane, and a second partial element approximately perpendicular to the conductive ground plane,

each second partial element having a first end connected to a first end of a corresponding one of the first partial elements,

each second partial element having a second end connected to a corresponding one of the first and second feeding points, and

each first partial element is angled so that respective open ends thereof are adjacent to each other.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second feeding points are provided on adjacent edge sides of the conductive ground plane.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second antenna elements have a length of approximately a quarter of an operating wavelength.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second antenna elements have a length of approximately a half of an operating wavelength.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second antenna elements are arranged along adjacent edge sides of the conductive ground plane, respectively.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each first partial element is angled to form first and second element parts substantially perpendicular to each other.

6. A signal receiving method, comprising:

receiving first and second signals by first and second antenna elements connected to a conductive ground plane through first and second feeding points, respectively, wherein directivities of the first and second antenna elements are arranged to be approximately perpendicular to each other, a distance between the first and second feeding points is equal to or smaller than a quarter of an operating wavelength, each of the first and second antenna elements comprises a first partial element parallel to the conductive ground plane and a second partial element approximately perpendicular to the conductive ground plane, and the first partial elements of the first and second antenna elements are respectively angled such that open ends of the first partial elements of the first and second antenna elements are adjacent to each other;

creating a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees between first and second received signals;

combining the first and second received signals having the phase difference of approximately 180 degrees therebetween to obtain a combined signal; and

processing the combined signal.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein each first partial element is angled to form first and second element parts substantially perpendicular to each other.