Ceiling assembly with integrated repeater antenna
First Claim
1. A t-bar mounted active antenna ceiling assembly comprising:
- at least one t-bar support beam;
a ground plane structure comprising a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer, wherein each ground plane tile comprises an electromagnetically reflective layer; and
a t-bar mounted active antenna tile having a same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles, the t-bar mounted active antenna tile comprising;
a first dielectric layer;
an antenna layer comprising a number of antennas configured to receive and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna layer disposed on the first dielectric layer; and
a ground plane layer disposed above the antenna layer and in electrical communication with the ground plane structure, wherein a ratio between a number of ground plane tiles and a number of t-bar mounted active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1;
wherein the t-bar mounted active antenna tile is mounted on the at least one t-bar support beam.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An active antenna may be installed within a ceiling assembly of a building to improve the range of a wireless and/or cellular network. Further, a ground plane may be installed throughout the ceiling to reduce the occurrence of multipath interference of radio frequency (RF) signals. In addition, one or more active and/or passive antennas may also be installed in the ceiling to further extend the range of the wireless and/or cellular network within the building. Each of the antennas may be designed to facilitate (RF) signal gain for a collection or range of frequencies. In some instances, the installation of active and/or passive antennas may increase the range of a communications network, while the installation of a ground plane throughout the ceiling may reduce the occurrence on multipath interference resulting in improved wireless and/or cellular network performance including increased bandwidth and range.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A t-bar mounted active antenna ceiling assembly comprising:
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at least one t-bar support beam; a ground plane structure comprising a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer, wherein each ground plane tile comprises an electromagnetically reflective layer; and a t-bar mounted active antenna tile having a same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles, the t-bar mounted active antenna tile comprising; a first dielectric layer; an antenna layer comprising a number of antennas configured to receive and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna layer disposed on the first dielectric layer; and a ground plane layer disposed above the antenna layer and in electrical communication with the ground plane structure, wherein a ratio between a number of ground plane tiles and a number of t-bar mounted active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1; wherein the t-bar mounted active antenna tile is mounted on the at least one t-bar support beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of installing a wireless communication system in a building, the method comprising:
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installing a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer in a ceiling of a building, the ground plane tiles installed beneath a set of structures between the ceiling and a floor above the ceiling, wherein the ground plane tiles are configured to be electromagnetically reflective; joining the plurality of ground plane tiles together in a lateral plane using a conductive joining element to create a ground plane; installing a t-bar mounted active antenna tile in the ceiling, wherein the t-bar mounted active antenna tile has the same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles and wherein a ground plane layer of the t-bar mounted active antenna tile is positioned within the lateral plane of the plurality of ground plane tiles; and joining the ground plane layer of the t-bar mounted active antenna tile to at least one of the plurality of ground plane tiles thereby including the ground plane layer of the active antenna layer as part of the ground plane, wherein a ratio between the number of ground plane tiles and the number of t-bar mounted active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification