Smart antenna

• US 8,922,447 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Secretary Of State For Business Innovation & Skills
• Original Assignee: The Secretary Of State For Business Innovation & Skills
• Inventors: Loh, Tian Hong, Liu, Haitao, Gao, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/144,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20120098701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 343/833, 343/816, 343/834, 343/702, 343/893, 343/745, 343/846
• US Class Current: 343/833
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/32 the primary active element being end-fed and elongated
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/446 the radiating element being at the centre of one or more rings of auxiliary elements

Abstract

A smart antenna assembly includes a driving monopole element and an array of parasitic monopole elements arranged in an annular array around the driving monopole element, wherein the parasitic monopole elements are of bent or curved configuration, bending or curving towards the driving monopole element. Preferably, each parasitic monopole element has a portion thereof which is parallel or substantially parallel to the driving monopole element. The assembly provides a compact steerable antenna assembly.

Claims

1. An antenna assembly including a driving monopole element and an array of parasitic monopole elements arranged in an annular array around the driving monopole element, wherein the parasitic monopole elements are of bent or curved configuration;

wherein the driving monopole element has a height of substantially ⅛

th or less than an ⅛

th of the tuned wavelength and the parasitic elements a length of substantially ¼

of the tuned wavelength but bent or curved so as to have a maximum height equivalent to that of the driving monopole element.

2. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the parasitic monopole elements are bent or curved towards the driving monopole element.

3. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein each parasitic monopole element has a portion thereof which is parallel or substantially parallel to the driving monopole element.

4. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the driving monopole element is provided with a disk at its extremity.

5. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein there are provided six parasitic monopole elements.

6. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the parasitic monopole elements are spaced from one another by a regular angular spacing.

7. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, including a ground sleeve upon which the monopole elements are provided.

11. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein a dielectric top plate may be positioned in contact with the extremities of the driving and parasitic monopole elements.

12. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly provides a compact electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antenna.

13. An antenna assembly according to claim 12, wherein the antenna covers a frequency band from 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz.

14. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly provides a double antenna structure in which top and bottom monopole sets can act to provide different antenna functions.

15. An antenna assembly according to claim 14, wherein a first monopole structure is operable to steer a beam in the direction of a communications base station while a second monopole structure is operable to steer a second beam in the direction of another user.

16. A method of operating an antenna assembly according to claim 1, including the steps of providing adaptive beam steering of the antenna in order to estimate a direction of a desired signal and form a main lobe towards the desired signal and automatically form null at direction of interference.

17. A communications system including an antenna assembly according to claim 1.

8. An antenna assembly including a driving monopole element and an array of parasitic monopole elements arranged in an annular array around the driving monopole element, wherein the parasitic monopole elements are of bent or curved configuration, and wherein the driving monopole element has a height of substantially ⅛

th or less than an ⅛

th of the tuned wavelength and the parasitic elements a length of substantially ¼

of the tuned wavelength but bent or curved so as to have a maximum height equivalent to that of the driving monopole element; and

a ground sleeve upon which the monopole elements are provided, wherein the ground sleeve includes first and second ground plates at either ends thereof of the sleeve, each ground plate including a respective set of driving and parasitic monopole elements.

9. An antenna assembly according to claim 8, wherein the first and second ground plates including the respective set of driving and parasitic monopole elements provide two antenna elements, wherein the two antenna elements are able to generate analogous beams.

10. An antenna assembly according to claim 8, wherein the ground sleeve has a depth of substantially ¼

of a wavelength and a radius of substantially 3/16ths of the wavelength to which the assembly is tuned.