Printed compound loop antenna

• US 8,462,061 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DockOn AG
• Original Assignee: DockOn AG
• Inventors: Brown, Forrest James
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Jacob Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, GRAHAM P
• Application Number:
  US12/878,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 343/867
• US Class Current: 343/725
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/40 Element having extended radiating surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

The present invention relates to printed or single-sided compound field antennas. The single-sided compound loop antennas have coplanar electric field radiators and magnetic loops with electric fields orthogonal to magnetic fields that achieve performance benefits in higher bandwidth (lower Q), greater radiation intensity/power/gain, and greater efficiency.

Claims

1. A single-layer antenna, comprising:

a loop formed by a first electrical trace including a first end connected to a feed at a drive point and a second end connected to a ground with a gap formed between the first end and the second end so as to create a potential difference in voltage between the first end and the second end, the first electrical trace being located on a plane and configured to generate an H-field at a frequency when a current flows through the first electrical trace from the first end to the second end; and

an electric field radiator formed by a second electrical trace located on the plane, the second electrical trace being coupled to the first electrical trace at a single coupling area that is not located at the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive a current flowing in a first direction through the first coupling area and to reflect the current in a second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the electric field radiator to emit an E-field at the frequency orthogonal to the H-field and to increase efficiency of the antenna at the frequency, wherein the single-layer antenna is a compound field antenna.

2. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, further comprising a third electrical trace coupling the second electrical trace to the first electrical trace at the first coupling area.

3. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 2, wherein the first coupling area is at an electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point.

4. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 2, wherein the first coupling area is at a reflective minimum point.

5. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 2, wherein the third electrical trace is configured to electrically lengthen the electric field radiator.

6. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is directly coupled to the first electrical trace and the first coupling area is at an electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point.

7. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is directly coupled to the first electrical trace and the first coupling area is at a reflective minimum point.

8. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is shaped to set an electrical length for the electric field radiator that enables the electric field radiator to generate a resonance at a center frequency of operation of the single-layer antenna.

9. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the H-field radiates in an omnidirectional pattern.

10. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the first electrical trace has a shape selected from the group consisting of a substantially circular shape, a substantially ellipsoid shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially polygonal shape.

11. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 10, wherein the substantially rectangular shape and the substantially polygonal shape of the first electrical trace has one or more corners cut at an angle.

12. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the the first electrical traces includes a plurality of sections continuously connected, wherein at least one segment from the plurality of segments is formed by a first segment having a first width, a middle segment having a middle width, and a second segment having a second width, wherein a first end of the first segment is connected to and adjacent to a first end of the middle segment, wherein a second end of the middle segment is connected and adjacent to a first end of the second segment, and wherein the first width and the second width are different from the middle width.

13. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one segment from the first segment, the middle segment, and the second segment is tapered.

14. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is shaped to set an electrical length for the electric field radiator, further comprising a second electric field radiator formed by a third trace located on the plane, the third electrical trace being coupled to the first electrical trace as a second coupling area that is not located at the first coupling area, the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive the current flowing in the first direction through the second coupling area and to reflect the current in the second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the second electric field radiator to emit a second E-field orthogonal to the H-field, and the third electrical trace being shaped to set a second electrical length for the second electric field radiator.

15. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, further comprising one or more additional electric field radiators formed by one or more electrical traces located on the plane, the one or more electrical traces being coupled to the first electrical trace at one or more additional coupling areas not located at the first coupling area, the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive the current flowing in the first direction through the one or more additional coupling areas and to reflect the current in the second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the one or more additional electric field radiators to emit one or more additional E-fields orthogonal to the H-field.

16. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 15, further comprising one or more additional electrical traces coupling the one or more electrical traces to the first electrical trace at the one or more additional coupling areas.

17. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 16, wherein each electrical trace among the one or more additional electrical traces is configured to couple one of the electrical traces among the one or more electrical traces to the first electrical trace at one coupling area among the one or more additional coupling areas that is an electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point.

18. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 16, wherein each electrical trace among the one or more additional electrical traces is configured to couple one of the electrical traces among the one or more electrical traces to the first electrical trace at one coupling area among the one or more additional coupling areas that is a reflective minimum point.

19. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one electrical trace among the one or more electrical traces is directly coupled to the first electrical trace at one coupling area among the one or more additional coupling areas that is an electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point.

20. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one electrical trace among the one or more electrical traces is directly coupled to the first electrical trace at one coupling area among the one or more additional coupling areas that is a reflective minimum point.

27. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is located inside an area bounded by the first electrical trace.

28. The single-layer antenna as recited in claim 1, wherein the second electrical trace is located outside an area bounded by the first electrical trace.

21. A single-layer antenna, comprising:

a loop formed by a first electrical trace including a first end connected to a feed at a drive point and a second end connected to a ground with a gap formed between the first end and the second end so as to create a potential difference in voltage between the first end and the second end, the first electrical trace being located on a plane and configured to generate an H-field at a frequency when closed-form surface currents flow through the first electrical trace from the first end to the second end; and

an electric field radiator formed by a second electrical trace located on the plane, the second electrical trace being coupled to the first electrical trace at a reflective minimum point that is not located at the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive the closed-form surface currents in a first direction through the reflective minimum point and to reflect the closed-form surface currents in a second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the electric field radiator to emit an E-field at the frequency orthogonal to the H-field and to increase efficiency of the antenna at the frequency, wherein the single-layer antenna is a compound field antenna.

22. A wideband single-layer antenna, comprising:

a loop formed by a first electrical trace including a first end connected to a feed at a drive point and a second end connected to a ground with a gap formed between the first end and the second end so as to create a potential difference in voltage between the first end and the second end, the first electrical trace being located on a plane and configured to generate an H-field at a first frequency when a current flows through the first electrical trace from the first end to the second end;

a first electric field radiator formed by a second electrical trace located on the plane, the second electrical trace being coupled to the first electrical trace at a first coupling area that is not located at the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive a current in a first direction through the first coupling area and to reflect the current in a second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the first electric field radiator to emit an E-field at the first frequency orthogonal to the H-field and to increase efficiency of the antenna at the first frequency; and

a second electric field radiator formed by a third electrical trace located on the plane, the third electrical trace being coupled to the first electrical trace at a second coupling area that is not the first coupling area, the first end or the second end and positioned relative to the first electrical trace so as to receive the current in the first direction through the second coupling area and to reflect the current in the second direction opposite the first direction into the first electrical trace causing the second electric field radiator to emit a second E-field at a second frequency orthogonal to the H-field and to increase efficiency of the antenna at the second frequency, wherein the wideband single-layer antenna is a compound field antenna.

23. The wideband single-layer antenna as recited in claim 22, further comprising a fourth electrical trace configured to couple the second electrical trace to the first electrical trace at the first coupling area that is at an electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point.

24. The wideband single-layer antenna as recited in claim 22, further comprising a fourth electrical trace configured to couple the second electrical trace to the first electrical trace at the first coupling area that is at a first reflective minimum point.

25. The wideband single-layer antenna as recited in claim 22, wherein the second electrical trace is directly coupled to the first electrical trace at the first coupling area that is a first electrical degree location approximately 90 degrees or approximately 270 degrees from the drive point of the magnetic loop.

26. The wideband single-layer antenna as recited in claim 22, wherein the second electrical trace is directly coupled to the first electrical trace at the first coupling area that is a first reflective minimum point.