Multiband omnidirectional planar antenna apparatus with selectable elements

• US 20060192720A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shtrom, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/795
• 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 19/28 using a secondary device in the form of two or more substantially straight conductive elements log- periodic antennas H01Q11/10; constituting a reflecting surface H01Q19/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/26 Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/00 Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0442 with particular tuning means
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00

Abstract

A system and method for a wireless link to a remote receiver includes a multiband communication device for generating RF and a multiband planar antenna apparatus for transmitting the RF. The multiband planar antenna apparatus includes selectable antenna elements, each of which has gain and a directional radiation pattern. Switching different antenna elements results in a configurable radiation pattern. One or more directors and/or one or more reflectors may be included to constrict the directional radiation pattern. A multiband coupling network selectively couples the multiband communication device and the multiband planar antenna apparatus.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a first layer and a second layer;

an antenna element on the first layer, the antenna element including a first dipole component configured to radiate at a first radio frequency and a second dipole component configured to radiate at a second radio frequency; and

a ground component on the second layer, the ground component including a corresponding portion of the first dipole component and a corresponding portion of the second dipole component.

2. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 including a plurality of the antenna elements, the antenna apparatus including an antenna element selector coupled to the plurality of antenna elements, the antenna element selector configured to selectively couple the antenna elements to a communication device for generating the first radio frequency and the second radio frequency.

3. The antenna apparatus of claim 2 wherein the antenna element selector comprises a PIN diode network.

4. The antenna apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of antenna elements is configured to radiate in an omnidirectional radiation pattern when two or more of the antenna elements are coupled to the communication device.

5. The antenna apparatus of claim 2, wherein the antenna element selector is configured to simultaneously couple a first group of the plurality of antenna elements to the first radio frequency and a second group of the plurality of antenna elements to the second radio frequency.

6. The antenna apparatus of claim 2, wherein a combined radiation pattern resulting from two or more antenna elements being coupled to the communication device is more directional than the radiation pattern of a single antenna element.

7. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first radio frequency is in a range of 2.4 to 2.4835 GHz and the second radio frequency is in a range of 4.9 to 5.825 GHz.

8. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ground component includes a reflector configured to concentrate the directional radiation pattern of the first dipole.

9. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ground component includes a reflector configured to broaden a frequency response of the first dipole.

10. The antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first dipole and the second dipole comprise a dual resonant structure.

11. The antenna apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first dipole component and the corresponding portion of the first dipole component of the ground component comprise an arrow-shaped bent dipole.

12. A method, comprising:

generating low band RF;

generating high band RF;

coupling the low band RF to a first group of a plurality of planar antenna elements; and

coupling the high band RF to a second group of the plurality of planar antenna elements.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first group includes one or more antenna elements included in the second group of antenna elements.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first group includes none of the antenna elements included in the second group of antenna elements.

15. The method of claim 12, the first group of antenna elements are configured to radiate at a different orientation with respect to the second group of antenna elements.

16. The method of claim 12, the first group of antenna elements are configured to radiate at about the same orientation with respect to the second group of antenna elements.

17. A system, comprising:

a communication device for generating low band RF or high band RF;

a first means for generating a first directional radiation pattern for the low band RF;

a second means for generating a second directional radiation pattern for the high band RF; and

a selecting means for receiving the low band RF or high band RF from the communication device and selectively coupling the first means or the second means to the communication device.

18. The antenna apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for concentrating or expanding the directional radiation pattern of the first means.

19. The antenna apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first directional radiation pattern and the second directional radiation pattern are oriented substantially in the same direction.

20. The antenna apparatus of claim 17, wherein the selecting means includes means for simultaneously coupling the low band RF to the first means and the high band RF to the second means.

21. A multiband coupling network, comprising:

a feed port configured to receive low band RF or high band RF;

a first filter configured to pass the low band RF and shift the low band RF by a predetermined delay; and

a second filter in parallel with the first filter, the second filter configured to pass the high band RF and shift the high band RF by the predetermined delay.

22. The multiband coupling network of claim 21, wherein the predetermined delay comprises ¼

-wavelength or odd multiples thereof.

23. The multiband coupling network of claim 21, further comprising an RF switch network configured to selectively couple the feed port to the first filter or the second filter.

24. The multiband coupling network of claim 21, further comprising a first PIN diode network configured to selectively couple the feed port to the first filter and a second PIN diode network configured to selectively couple the feed port to the second filter.

25. The multiband coupling network of claim 24, wherein the first PIN diode network and the second PIN diode network are configured to be enabled simultaneously.

26. The multiband coupling network of claim 23, wherein the RF switch network is configured to couple the feed port to the first filter or the second filter by shunting a low bias voltage at the output of the first filter or the second filter.

27. A multiband coupling network, comprising:

a feed port configured to receive low band RF or high band RF;

a first switch coupled to the feed port;

a second switch coupled to the feed port;

a first set of coupled lines coupled to the first switch and configured to pass the low band RF; and

a second set of coupled lines coupled to the second switch and configured to pass the high band RF.

28. The multiband coupling network of claim 27, wherein the first switch and the first set of coupled lines comprise ¼

-wavelength of delay for the low band RF.

29. The multiband coupling network of claim 27, wherein the first switch and the first set of coupled lines comprise ¼

-wavelength of delay for the low band RF, and the second switch and the second set of coupled lines comprise ¼

-wavelength of delay for the high band RF.

30. The multiband coupling network of claim 27, wherein the first set of coupled lines comprises meandered traces.