Switchable antennas for wireless applications

• US 9,543,648 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commsky Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Commsky Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Po-shin, Li, Xin, Wang, Daniel, Shen, Jun, Zhao, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Graham
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUNOZ, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US14/270,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/108 Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface H01Q19/106 takes precedence; strip line H01Q9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching

Abstract

Techniques of designing an antenna array with antenna units controlled electronically are described. Through controlling the combination of the reflectors in each of the antenna units, a desired antenna pattern is formed, adapting to the environment, and providing reliable and efficient links between two transceivers. According to one aspect of the present invention, a switch (e.g., a diode) is used to couple two reflectors. The diode is controlled to be on or off so that the reflectors are conductively integrated or separated.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprises:

a substrate;

at least two antenna units each of the antenna units including two antennas, each of the two antennas including one radiator and one reflector, wherein two reflectors in each of the antenna units are coupled via a switch; and

a switch control unit provided to control the switch electronically in each of the two antenna units, wherein the switch is turned on or off to connect or disconnect the two reflectors in each of the two antenna units so as to change a radiation pattern of the antenna system;

wherein each of the two reflectors is bent on one end and extended towards a gap between the two antenna units to isolate respective radiations from the two antenna units.

2. The antenna system as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna units are equally driven by a power source.

3. The antenna system as recited in claim 2, wherein the antenna units are equally spaced from the power source.

4. The antenna system as recited in claim 1, wherein the substrate is a printed circuit board (PCB), the antenna units are structured using copper straps on the PCB.

5. The antenna system as recited in claim 4, wherein the antenna units are powered by the power source via respective copper straps on the PCB.

6. The antenna system as recited in claim 5, wherein the switch is a diode soldered across the two reflectors, the two reflectors are conductively connected when the diode is turned on and the two reflectors are physically disconnected when the diode is turned off.

7. The antenna system as recited in claim 4, wherein the two antennas are disposed on both sides of the PCB.

8. An antenna system comprises:

a printed circuit board (PCB);

four diodes;

four antenna units, equally spaced from a center and disposed on four sides of the center, each of the antenna units including two antennas including one radiator and one reflector, wherein two reflectors in each of the antenna units are coupled via one of the four diodes, the antennas in each of the antenna units are structured with copper straps on the PCB,

wherein each of the diodes is electrically controlled to be one or off to connect or disconnect the two reflectors so as to change a radiation pattern of the antenna system, and

wherein the antenna units are equally driven by a power source disposed at the center.

9. The antenna system as recited in claim 8, further comprising a switch control unit to control the diodes.

10. The antenna system as recited in claim 9, wherein the switch control unit is designed to receive a feedback signal and to control the diodes according to the feedback signal.

11. The antenna system as recited in claim 8, wherein the antenna units are powered by the power source via respective copper straps on the PCB.

12. The antenna system as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the diodes is soldered across two of the reflectors.

13. The antenna system as recited in claim 8, wherein the two antennas are disposed on both sides of the PCB.

14. The antenna system as recited in claim 13, wherein each of the two reflectors bent on one end and extended to a corner formed by two neighboring antenna units to isolate respective radiations from the two neighboring antenna units.