Array antenna

• US 9,698,487 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Sudo, Kaoru, Nakajima, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Howard
• Application Number:
  US14/700,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20150236425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/005 providing two patterns of opposite direction; back to back antennas H01Q25/004 takes precedence
• 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: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

In a multilayer substrate, eight front-side antenna portions and eight back-side antenna portions are disposed. Front-side radiation elements in the front-side antenna portions and back-side radiation elements in the back-side antenna portions are arranged in a staggered pattern when being vertically projected onto an back side of the multilayer substrate. The front-side radiation elements are disposed on a front side of the multilayer substrate, and a front-side ground layer is formed near the back side of the multilayer substrate. On the other hand, the back-side radiation elements are disposed on the back side of the multilayer substrate, and a back-side ground layer is formed near the front side of the multilayer substrate. The front-side radiation element and the back-side radiation element are disposed so as not to overlap each other when being vertically projected onto the back side of the multilayer substrate.

Claims

1. An array antenna comprising:

a multilayer substrate; and

a plurality of antennas disposed on the substrate,

wherein one of an adjacent two of the plurality of antennas comprises a front-side antenna portion that comprises a front-side radiation element on or near a front side of the substrate,

wherein the other one of the adjacent two of the plurality of antennas comprises a back-side antenna portion that comprises the back-side radiation element on or near a back side of the substrate,

wherein the front-side radiation element in the front-side antenna portion and the back-side radiation element in the back-side antenna portion are arranged so as not to overlap each other when being vertically projected onto the back side of the substrate,

wherein a front-side ground layer facing the front-side radiation element in the front-side antenna portion is provided on, or closer to the back side of the substrate than the front side of the substrate, and

wherein a back-side ground layer facing the back-side radiation element in the back-side antenna portion is provided on, or closer to the front side of the substrate than the back side of the substrate.

2. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein a conductor connection portion that electrically connects the front-side ground layer and the back-side ground layer is disposed in the multilayer substrate and the conductor connection portion surrounds the front-side radiation element and the back-side radiation element.

3. The array antenna according to claim 1,

wherein the front-side antenna portion includes a front-side passive element laminated on a front side of the front-side radiation element via an insulating layer, and

wherein the back-side antenna portion includes a back-side passive element laminated on a back side of the back-side radiation element via an insulating layer.

4. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein, when the front-side radiation element in the front-side antenna portion that is one of the adjacent two of the plurality of antennas and the back-side radiation element in the back-side antenna portion that is the other one of the adjacent two of the plurality of antennas are vertically projected onto the back side of the substrate, a gap between the front-side radiation element and the back-side radiation element is set to a predetermined value based on frequencies to be radiated.

5. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein, when the front-side radiation elements in the front-side antenna portions each of which is one of the adjacent two of the plurality of antennas and the back-side radiation elements in the back-side antenna portions each of which is the other one of the adjacent two of the plurality of antennas are vertically projected onto the back side of the substrate, the front-side radiation elements are arranged in a staggered pattern and the back-side radiation elements are arranged in a staggered pattern.