Array antenna and method for manufacutring array antenna

• US 8,638,272 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tanabe, Kosuke, Ooshima, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US13/144,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20110279345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 343/754, 343/853
• US Class Current: 343/853
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An array antenna includes: a plurality of first antenna elements arrayed at specified element intervals on a plane of a board; a plurality of second antenna elements arrayed at the element intervals in parallel to an array direction of the first antenna elements on the plane; a first power supply circuit for supplying electric power to the respective first antenna elements by a line branched at a first branch point on the plane; and a second power supply circuit for supplying electric power to the respective second antenna elements by a line branched at a second branch point shifted by a specified distance in the array direction with respect to the first branch point on the plane.

Claims

1. An array antenna comprising:

a plurality of first antenna elements arrayed at specified element intervals on a plane of a board;

a plurality of second antenna elements arrayed at the element intervals and that are parallel to an array direction of the first antenna elements on the plane;

a first power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective first antenna elements by a line branched at a first branch point on the plane; and

a second power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective second antenna elements by a line branched at a second branch point shifted by a specified distance in the array direction with respect to the first branch point on the plane,

wherein said first antenna elements and said second antenna elements are shifted based on the specified distance in said array direction.

2. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein a row of the first antenna elements and a row of the second antenna elements are arranged alternately in a direction vertical to the array direction in the plane, and

wherein the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are arranged alternately.

3. The array antenna according to claim 2, wherein the specified distance is nearly equal to the element interval.

4. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein positions of the first antenna elements coincide with positions of the second antenna elements in the array direction.

5. An array antenna comprising:

a plurality of first antenna elements arrayed at specified element intervals on a plane of a board;

a plurality of second antenna elements arrayed at the element intervals and that are parallel to an array direction of the first antenna elements on the plane;

a first power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective first antenna elements by a line branched at a first branch point on the plane;

a second power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective second antenna elements by a line branched at a second branch point shifted by a specified distance in the array direction with respect to the first branch point on the plane;

a plurality of third antenna elements arrayed in parallel to the array direction on the plane; and

a third power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective third antenna elements by a line branched at a third branch point shifted by two times the specified distance in the array direction with respect to the first branch point on the plane.

6. A method of manufacturing an array antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

arraying a plurality of first antenna elements at specified element intervals on a plane of a board;

arraying a plurality of second antenna elements at the element intervals and that are parallel to an array direction of the first antenna elements on the plane;

providing a first power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective first antenna elements by a line branched at a first branch point on the plane; and

providing a second power supply circuit that supplies electric power to the respective second antenna elements by a line branched at a second branch point shifted by a specified distance in the array direction with respect to the first branch point on the plane,

wherein said first antenna elements and said second antenna elements are formed to be shifted based on the specified distance in said array direction.