SURFACE SCATTERING ANTENNAS WITH LUMPED ELEMENTS

• US 20180159245A1
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Published: 06/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: CHEN, Pai-Yen, DRISCOLL, Tom, EBADI, Siamak, HUNT, John Desmond, LANDY, Nathan Ingle, MACHADO, Melroy, MCCANDLESS, Jay Howard, PERQUE, JR., Milton, SMITH, David R., URZHUMOV, Yaroslav A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,727,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 7/082 Microstripline resonators H01P7/088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/20 Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/005 Slotted waveguides arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/443 varying the phase velocity along a leaky transmission line frequency scanning H01Q3/22; non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line aerials H01Q13/20
• 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 9/0442 with particular tuning means

Abstract

Surface scattering antennas with lumped elements provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure. In some approaches, the surface scattering antenna is a multi-layer printed circuit board assembly, and the lumped elements are surface-mount components placed on an upper surface of the printed circuit board assembly. In some approaches, the scattering elements are adjusted by adjusting bias voltages for the lumped elements. In some approaches, the lumped elements include diodes or transistors.

Claims

1. A multi-layer assembly, comprising:

a waveguide;

a plurality of antenna elements coupled to the waveguide; and

a plurality of surface-mount components positioned on an upper surface of the multi-layer assembly and configured to adjust radiation characteristics of the antenna elements.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is a substrate-integrated waveguide.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is a stripline waveguide.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surface-mount components includes a plurality of flip-chip components.

5. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the substrate-integrated waveguide includes a dielectric substrate defining an interior of the waveguide, a first conducting surface above the substrate defining a ceiling of the waveguide, a second conducting surface below the substrate defining a floor of the waveguide, and one or more colonnades of vias between the first conducting surface and the second conducting surface defining the walls of the waveguide.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the dielectric substrate is a first printed circuit board laminate, the first conducting surface is a portion of a first metal cladding on an upper side of the first printed circuit board laminate, and the second conducting surface is a portion of second metal cladding on a lower side of the first printed circuit board laminate.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the plurality of antenna elements is a plurality of unit cells each containing one or more patches of a third metal cladding on an upper side of a second printed circuit board laminate, and the second printed circuit board laminate is adhered to the upper side of the first printed circuit board laminate.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the first metal cladding includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells, an aperture positioned under the one or more patches of the third metal cladding.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein a lower side of the second printed circuit board laminate has a fourth metal cladding that includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells, an aperture coinciding with the aperture in the first metal cladding.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the plurality of surface-mount components includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells:

a first two-terminal surface-mount component having a first contact that connects to a patch selected from the one or more patches and a second contact that connects to the fourth metal cladding by a via through the second printed circuit board laminate.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the first two-terminal surface-mount component is a diode.

12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the plurality of surface-mount components further includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells:

a second two-terminal surface-mount component having a first contact that connects to the patch selected from the one or more patches and a second contact that connects to a bias voltage line defined as a portion of the third metal cladding.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the second two-terminal surface-mount component is an RF or microwave choke.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the assembly further includes:

a third printed circuit board laminate adhered to the lower side of the first metal printed circuit board laminate; and

for each of the plurality of unit cells, a through via that connects the bias voltage line to a fifth metal cladding on a lower side of the third printed circuit board.

15. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the plurality of surface-mount components includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells:

a three-terminal surface-mount component having a first contact that connects to a patch selected from the one or more patches, a second contact that connects to the fourth metal cladding by a via through the second printed circuit board laminate, and a third contact that connects to a bias voltage line defined as a portion of the third metal cladding.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the plurality of surface-mount components further includes, for each of the plurality of unit cells:

a two-terminal surface-mount component having a first contact that connects to the patch selected from the one or more patches and a second contact that connects to a bias voltage line defined as a portion of the third metal cladding.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the second two-terminal surface-mount component is an RF or microwave choke.

18. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the assembly further includes:

a third printed circuit board laminate adhered to the lower side of the first metal printed circuit board laminate; and

for each of the plurality of unit cells, a through via that connects the bias voltage line to a fifth metal cladding on a lower side of the third printed circuit board.

19-31. -31. (canceled)

32. An antenna, comprising:

a waveguide;

a plurality of adjustable tank circuits coupled to the waveguide; and

a respective plurality of radiators coupled to the adjustable tank circuits.

33. The antenna of claim 32, wherein each adjustable tank circuit in the plurality of adjustable tank circuits includes an inductor and an adjustable capacitor.

39. The antenna of claim 32, wherein each adjustable tank circuit in the plurality of adjustable tank circuits includes a capacitor and an adjustable inductor.

41. The antenna of claim 32, wherein each adjustable tank circuit in the plurality of adjustable tank circuits includes an inductor, a capacitor, and an adjustable resistor.

46. The antenna of claim 32, wherein the plurality of adjustable tank circuits composes a respective plurality of packaged integrated circuits.

47. The antenna of claim 46, wherein the plurality of packaged integrated circuits includes the respectively plurality of radiators.

48. The antenna of claim 32, wherein the antenna elements have inter-element spacings substantially less than a free-space wavelength corresponding to an operating frequency of the antenna.

34-38. -38. (canceled)

40. (canceled)

42-45. -45. (canceled)

49-142. -142. (canceled)