Wireless antenna array system architecture and methods to achieve 3D beam coverage

• US 9,595,767 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Choudhury, Debabani, Roberts, Richard D., Karacaoglu, Ulun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US14/754,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• 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 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/067 using endfire radiating aerial units transverse to the plane of the array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• 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 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 25/04 Multimode antennas corrugated horns H01Q13/0208
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0682 using phase diversity (e.g. phase sweeping)

Abstract

Embodiments of wireless antenna array systems to achieve three-dimensional beam coverage are described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communications assembly, comprising:

a first mm-wave antenna on a substantially planar first substrate, wherein the first mm-wave antenna includes planar-phased array antenna elements;

a second mm-wave antenna on a substantially planar second substrate, wherein the second mmwave antenna includes a sectorized endfire antenna array; and

an integrated RF circuit that is coupled to the first and second mm-wave antennas to control a phase array coverage and a sectorized array coverage of the planar-phased array antenna elements and the sectorized endfire antenna array, respectively, and wherein the integrated RF circuit comprises a transceiver configured to process mmwave signals.

2. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the first mm-wave antenna comprises a broadside mm-wave antenna and wherein the second mm-wave antenna comprises an endfire mm-wave antenna.

3. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second substrates lie in respective first and second planes, wherein the first plane is substantially parallel to the second plane;

wherein the first mm-wave antenna is configured to provide antenna coverage in directions substantially normal to the first plane, and wherein the second mm-wave antenna is configured to provide antenna coverage in directions substantially parallel to the second plane.

4. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of the planar-phased array antenna elements comprises a planar patch antenna.

5. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the second mm-wave antenna comprises a Yagi antenna.

6. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of the sectorized endfire antenna array comprises a slot antenna.

7. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the second mm-wave antenna comprises a Vivaldi antenna.

8. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of the sectorized endfire antenna array comprises a dipole antenna.

9. The mm-wave communications assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the substantially planar first and second substrates comprise Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic antenna grade core material.

10. An apparatus for about 57-66 GHz band wireless communication, comprising:

a planar antenna on a substantially planar first substrate, the planar antenna includes planar-phased array antenna element;

an endfire antenna on a substantially planar second substrate, the endfire antenna includes a sectorized endfire antenna array;

an integrated radio-frequency (RF) circuit that is flip-chip mounted to the substantially planar second substrate, the integrated RF circuit is configured to control a phase array coverage and a sectorized array coverage of the planar-phased array antenna elements and the sectorized endfire antenna array, respectively; and

an interconnect that couples the planar antenna to the integrated RF circuit to carry a millimeter wave (mm-wave) signal between the planar antenna and the integrated RF circuit.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein each of the planar-phased array antenna elements comprises a planar patch antenna.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the planar antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a patch antenna, slot antenna, spiral antenna, monopole antenna, and a dipole antenna.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the endfire antenna comprises an antenna selected from the group consisting of:

a Yagi antenna, a slot antenna, a Vivaldi antenna, and a dipole antenna.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the endfire antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a quasi-Yagi-Uda antenna, slot antenna, Vivaldi antenna, dipole antenna, and low-profile-horn antenna.

15. A wireless communications assembly, comprising:

a plurality of planar antennas configured to operate in a communications band at about 57-66 GHz, the plurality of planar antennas comprises planar-phased array antenna elements;

a plurality of endfire antennas configured to operate in the communications band at about 57-66 GHz, the plurality of endfire antennas comprise a sectorized endfire antenna array; and

an integrated RF circuit connected to the plurality of planar antennas through a number of vias and to the plurality of endfire antenna through a number of feed lines, wherein the integrated RF circuit is configured to control a phase array coverage and a sectorized array coverage of the planar-phased array antenna elements and the sectorized endfire antenna array, respectively.

16. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 15 wherein the plurality of planar antennas are together configured to at least receive or transmit signals at about 57-66 GHz in directions substantially normal to a common plane.

17. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 16 wherein the plurality of endfire antennas are together configured to at least receive or transmit signals at about 57-66 GHz in directions substantially parallel to the common plane.

18. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of endfire antennas is configured to at least receive or transmit signals at about 57-66 GHz in a unique direction that is substantially parallel to the common plane to provide antenna coverage for the wireless communications assembly in at least an approximate semi-circle that extends out from the wireless communications assembly.

19. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of endfire antennas is configured to at least receive or transmit signals at about 57-66 GHz in a unique direction that is substantially parallel to the common plane to provide antenna coverage for the wireless communications assembly in substantially all directions that are coplanar with the common plane.

20. A wireless communications assembly, comprising:

a plurality of planar antennas configured to operate in a communications band at approximately 60 GHz, the plurality of planar antennas comprises planar-phased array antenna elements;

a plurality of endfire antennas configured to operate in the communications band at approximately 60 GHz, the plurality of endfire antennas comprise a sectorized endfire antenna array; and

an integrated RF circuit connected to the plurality of planar antennas, wherein the integrated RF circuit is configured to control a phase array coverage and a sectorized array coverage of the planar-phased array antenna elements and the sectorized endfire antenna array, respectively.

21. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of planar antennas comprises a planar patch antenna.

22. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of planar antennas is selected from the group consisting of:

a patch antenna, slot antenna, spiral antenna, monopole antenna, and a dipole antenna.

23. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of endfire antennas comprises an antenna selected from the group consisting of:

a Yagi antenna, a slot antenna, a Vivaldi antenna, and a dipole antenna.

24. The wireless communications assembly defined in claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of endfire antennas is selected from the group consisting of:

a quasi-Yagi-Uda antenna, slot antenna, Vivaldi antenna, dipole antenna, and low-profile-horn antenna.