Reflecting dielectric antenna system and methods for use therewith

• US 10,601,138 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2019
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Britz, David M., Johnson, Shikik, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Dieu Hien T
• Application Number:
  US16/372,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20190229423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/24 constituted by a dielectric or ferromagnetic rod or pipe H01Q13/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/19 comprising one main concave reflecting surface associated with an auxiliary reflecting surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/247 by switching different parts of a primary active element
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0485 Dielectric resonator antennas

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method includes receiving a first wireless signal via a feed point on an antenna body, wherein the antenna body includes a dielectric core having a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface that are spatially aligned in a reflecting telescope configuration; reflecting the first wireless signal via the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface to an aperture of the antenna body; and radiating the first wireless signal from the aperture.

Claims

1. An antenna system, comprising:

an antenna body including a dielectric core, the dielectric core having a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface; and

a transmitting element configured to generate a wireless signal in response to a radio frequency (RF) signal;

wherein the antenna body is configured to radiate the wireless signal through an aperture in response to receiving the wireless signal via an opening in the first reflective surface, wherein the wireless signal traverses the dielectric core and is reflected by the second reflective surface through the dielectric core to the first reflective surface and is reflected by the first reflective surface through the dielectric core to the aperture;

wherein the transmitting element includes an antenna array configured to generate the wireless signal at a selected one of a plurality of transmitting element beam orientations including at least one off-axis orientation that is not coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the antenna body; and

wherein the generation of the wireless signal at the at least one off-axis orientation produces an off-axis antenna beam orientation of the wireless signal radiated via the aperture.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the aperture corresponds to a non-reflective surface of the dielectric core.

3. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are spatially aligned in a reflecting telescope configuration.

4. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the dielectric core comprises a plastic.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface comprise a metallic coating on the dielectric core.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the transmitting element includes an antenna.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface includes a Cassegrain section extended by an off-axis pointing grazing incident section, and wherein the wireless signal generated at the at least one off-axis orientation traverses the dielectric core and is reflected by the second reflective surface through the dielectric core to the off-axis pointing grazing incident section of the first reflective surface to produce the off-axis antenna beam orientation of the wireless signal radiated via the aperture.

8. The antenna system of claim 7, wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas.

9. The antenna system of claim 8, wherein electromagnetic waves that are guided by differing ones of the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas generate the wireless signal in differing ones of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

10. The antenna system of claim 9, further comprising:

a core selector switch configured to operate in accordance with a control signal to couple the electromagnetic waves from a source to a selected one of the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas, wherein the selected one of the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas has the selected one of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

11. The antenna system of claim 10, further comprising:

a controller configured to determine the selected one of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations and generates the control signal in response thereto.

12. The antenna system of claim 9, further comprising a frequency selective launcher that operates in accordance with a frequency of the electromagnetic waves to launch the electromagnetic waves from a selected one of the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas, wherein the selected one of the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas has the selected one of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

13. The antenna system of claim 12, further comprising:

a controller configured to determine the selected one of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations and wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic waves is controlled in response to the selected one of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving a first signal via a feed point on an antenna body, wherein the first signal is generated at a selected one of a plurality of transmitting element beam orientations including at least one off-axis orientation that is not coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the antenna body, wherein the antenna body includes a dielectric core, the dielectric core having a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface that are spatially aligned in a reflecting telescope configuration;

reflecting the first signal via the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface to an aperture of the antenna body; and

radiating the first signal from the aperture, wherein the generation of the first signal at the at least one off-axis orientation produces an off-axis antenna beam orientation of the first signal radiated via the aperture.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second signal via the aperture;

reflecting the second signal via the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface to the feed point; and

radiating the second signal via the feed point to a receiving element.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first reflective surface includes a Cassegrain section extended by an off-axis pointing grazing incident section, and wherein the first signal generated at the at least one off-axis orientation traverses the dielectric core and is reflected by the second reflective surface through the dielectric core to the off-axis pointing grazing incident section of the first reflective surface to produce the off-axis antenna beam orientation of the first signal radiated via the aperture.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

coupling electromagnetic waves from a source to a selected one of a plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas to generate the first signal, wherein the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas each has differing ones of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating electromagnetic waves on a selected one of a plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas to generate the first signal, wherein the plurality of conductorless dielectric core antennas each has differing ones of the plurality of transmitting element beam orientations.

19. An antenna structure, comprising:

means for reflecting a signal to an aperture of a dielectric antenna body, wherein the signal is generated at a selected one of a plurality of transmitting element beam orientations including at least one off-axis orientation that is not coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the dielectric antenna body, and wherein the means for reflecting is in accordance with a reflecting telescope configuration; and

means for radiating the signal via the aperture, wherein the generation of the signal at the at least one off-axis orientation produces an off-axis antenna beam orientation of the signal radiated via the aperture.

20. The antenna structure of claim 19, wherein the means for reflecting includes a first reflective surface and a second reflective surface and the first reflective surface includes a Cassegrain section extended by an off-axis pointing grazing incident section, and wherein the signal generated at the at least one off-axis orientation is reflected by the second reflective surface to the off-axis pointing grazing incident section of the first reflective surface to produce the off-axis antenna beam orientation of the signal radiated via the aperture.