Patent Application
20230223697
The present disclosure relates to coplanar antenna structure disposed within a transparent assembly, and more particularly to coplanar antenna structure having a wide slot.
Modern vehicles employ various and many types of antennas to receive and transmit signals for different communications systems, such as terrestrial radio (AM/FM), cellular telephone, satellite radio, dedicated short range communications (DSRC), Wi-Fi, GPS, etc. The antennas used for these systems are often mounted to a roof of the vehicle so as to provide maximum reception and/or transmission capability. These antennas can be integrated into a vehicle windshield because glass provides a good dielectric substrate for an antenna.
An antenna is disclosed. The antenna can include a coplanar antenna structure. The coplanar antenna structure can include a substrate and a radiating portion that is configured to emit and/or receive electromagnetic radiation and is disposed over the substrate. The radiating portion defines a slot having a width to length ratio of at least approximately 0.4. The antenna also includes a scattering element disposed over the substrate and at least partially surrounds the radiating portion.
In other features, a width of the slot comprises at least approximately eight millimeters.
In other features, the slot has a length of at least approximately twenty millimeters.
In other features, an area of the slot comprises at least approximately one hundred and sixty millimeters.
In other features, the scattering element comprises a semi-circular ring structure.
In other features, the semi-circular ring structure comprises a non-segmented structure.
In other features, the antenna includes a feed line disposed over the substrate and connects the radiating portion to a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure.
In other features, the antenna includes a laminated structure that includes the coplanar antenna structure.
In other features, the laminated structure comprises a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate bonded together via a binding material.
In other features, the binding material comprises Polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
A system is disclosed. The system can include a laminated structure and an antenna disposed within the laminated structure. The antenna can include a coplanar antenna structure, and the coplanar antenna structure can include a substrate and a radiating portion that is configured to emit and/or receive electromagnetic radiation and is disposed over the substrate. The radiating portion defines a slot having a width to length ratio of at least approximately 0.4. The coplanar antenna structure also includes a scattering element disposed over the substrate and at least partially surrounds the radiating portion.
In other features, a width of the slot comprises at least approximately eight millimeters.
In other features, the slot has a length of at least approximately twenty millimeters.
In other features, an area of the slot comprises at least approximately one hundred and sixty millimeters.
In other features, the scattering element comprises a semi-circular ring structure.
In other features, the semi-circular ring structure comprises a non-segmented structure.
In other features, the coplanar antenna structure includes a feed line disposed over the substrate and connects the radiating portion to a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure.
In other features, the coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure is disposed over an external surface of the laminated structure.
In other features, the laminated structure comprises a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate bonded together via a binding material.
In other features, the binding material comprises Polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “side,” “front,” “back,” “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., are used descriptively for the figures, and do not represent limitations on the scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the teachings may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components and/or various processing steps.
The coplanar antenna structure 100 is disposed on a substrate 105. For example, the coplanar antenna structure 100 can be fabricated on a flexible substrate 105, such as a printed circuit board comprised of Kapton or Mylar laminate. The coplanar antenna structure 100 also includes a feed line 110, e.g., transmission line, disposed between ground portions 115, 120. One end 125 of the feed line 110 is electrically connected to a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure 130, and the other end 135 of the feed line 110 is connected to a radiating portion 140 that defines a wide slot, or wide aperture, as discussed in greater detail below. It is understood that the end 125 and/or coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure 130 is separated from the coplanar antenna structure 100 by a transparent substrate (see
The CPW feed structure 130 is configured to enable radio-frequency (RF) excitation of the coplanar antenna structure 100. For example, the CPW feed structure 130 can receive a signal and provides the signal to the feed line 110 through electromagnetic coupling, which then provides the signal to the radiating portion 140 for transmission.
The coplanar antenna structure 100 also include a scattering element 145 that at least partially surrounds the radiating portion 140. As shown, the scattering element 145 can comprise a semi-circular ring structure to serve to scatter and/or disturb surface waves propagating through a transparent structure. In an example implementation, the semi-circular ring structure comprises a continuous, i.e., non-segmented, structure. As discussed in greater detail herein, the coplanar antenna structure 100 is disposed within the transparent structure.
Within vehicle wireless communication environments, antennas typically require a wide field-of-view for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. For example, V2X communications include one or more communication networks in which vehicles and roadside devices are the communicating nodes that provide one another with information, such as safety warnings and traffic information. V2X communications allow vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure, and/or pedestrians, using wireless communications technologies such as, but not limited to, cellular, Bluetooth®, IEEE 802.11, dedicated short range communications (DSRC), ultra-wideband (UWB), and/or wide area networks (WAN).
As discussed above, the radiating portion 140 defines a wide slot to enhance radiation of electric fields in one or more desired directions. For example, to improve azimuth beamwidth, the coplanar antenna structure 100 can radiate additional electric fields to sides of the coplanar antenna structure 100 in addition to the forward direction.
As described above, the radiating portion 140 may formed in a generally U-shaped structure that defines a slot 143, e.g., an aperture, therein. In an example implementation, the slot 143 can have a width 150, e.g., slot width, of at least approximately eight millimeters (8 mm) and a length 160 of at least approximately twenty millimeters (20 mm). The slot 143 may comprise an area of at least approximately one hundred and sixty millimeters (160 mm). In some implementations, the width to length ratio of the slot 143 comprises approximately 0.4. An overall length 155 of the radiating portion 140 can be at least approximately thirty millimeters (30 mm). In some implementations, the slot dimensions correspond to a length 160 of approximately 1.04 λg and a width 150 of approximately 0.42 λg, where λg represents a wavelength parameter within a dielectric medium at 5.9 GHz. In this context, the term “approximately” is known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the term “approximately” may be read to mean plus or minus 10%.
In one implementation, a scattering element distance 165 between the scattering element 145 and the radiating portion 140 comprises at least approximately nine and a half millimeters (9.5 mm) and an exterior distance 170 comprises at least approximately five millimeters (5 mm). The scattering element distance 165 can represent a distance as measured between an exterior front edge of the radiating portion 140 and a mid-inner surface edge of the scattering element 145 as shown in
The exterior distance 170 can represent a distance as measured from an exterior side edge of the radiating portion 140 and an exterior side edge of the ground portions 115, 120. In another implementation, the semi-circular ring distance comprises at least approximately eighteen and a half millimeters (18.5 mm) and the exterior distance 170 comprises approximately zero millimeters (0 mm). However, it is understood that other distances 165, 170 may be used according to the implementation of the coplanar antenna structure 100.
Referring to
In an example implementation, the transparent substrates 205, 210 are glass substrates. However, in other implementations, the transparent substrates 205, 210 may be manufactured from some other transparent material.
As shown in
All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their plain and ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
