The present disclosure relates generally to communications systems, and specifically to a printed board antenna system.
All RF wireless communications systems use antennas to radiate RF energy to transmit wireless signals or to capture radiated radio frequency (RF) energy to receive wireless signals. Antennas can be implemented in a variety of forms to transmit and/or receive wireless signals. Some antennas are arranged in an array called a phased-array antenna to provide directional control to transmitted wireless signals or to determine a direction from which a wireless signal was transmitted. A phased-array antenna typically implements electronically scanning the array of antennas, such that the array of antennas creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions, without moving the antennas. For example, the RIP current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas with a predetermined phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase the radiation in a desired direction, while cancelling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.
One example includes an antenna system. The antenna system includes a plurality of printed boards arranged in layers and including a first printed board and a second printed board. The first printed board includes a resonator and the second printed board includes a shield. The antenna system also includes at least one conductive via that extends through each of the plurality of printed boards and is coupled to a transceiver. The at least one conductive via can cooperate with the resonator to at least one of transmit a wireless signal from the transceiver via the antenna system or receive the wireless signal at the transceiver via the antenna system.
Another example includes an antenna system. The antenna system includes a plurality of printed boards arranged in layers and including a first printed board and a second printed board. The first printed board includes a resonator and the second printed board includes a shield. The antenna system also includes at least one conductive via that extends through each of the plurality of printed boards and is coupled to a transceiver. Each of the at least one conductive via can be configured as an inner conductor and the resonator can be configured as an outer conductor to form a coaxial resonator with respect to a wireless signal that is transmitted from the transceiver via the antenna system and/or received at the transceiver via the antenna system. Each of the at least one conductive via includes a first end that is exposed from the first printed board and a second end that is coupled to the transceiver. The first end and the second end can be axially offset from each other between the first end and the second end.
Another example includes a phased-array communication system. The phased-array communication system includes a transceiver configured to at least one of transmit and receive a wireless communication signal. The phased-array communication system also includes an antenna. The antenna includes a plurality of printed boards arranged in layers and including a first printed board and a second printed board. The first printed board includes a plurality of conductive parallel resonator plates. The second printed board includes a shield. The antenna also includes a plurality of conductive vias that each extend through each of the plurality of printed boards and are coupled to the transceiver. Each of the plurality of conductive vias can cooperate with the plurality of conductive parallel resonator plates to at least one of transmit a wireless signal from the transceiver via the antenna system or receive the wireless signal at the transceiver via the antenna in a phased-array.
The present disclosure relates generally to communications systems, and specifically to a printed board antenna system. The printed board antenna system can be implemented in a wireless communications system that includes a transceiver to transmit and/or receive wireless communications signals. As described herein, the term “printed board” describes any of a variety of types of printed boards that can be patterned with conductive materials and insulating materials in layers and/or axial extensions, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) or a printed wiring board (PWB). The printed board antenna system includes a plurality of printed boards that are arranged in layers, and are thus stacked with respect to each other.
As an example, the layers of printed boards can include three layers. A first of the three printed boards can include a plurality of conductive resonator plates arranged in parallel layers. The conductive resonator plates can be arranged on an outermost of the printed boards. A second printed board can include a shield that can be grounded to provide shielding for the radiated wireless signal. The printed boards can also include a third printed board that is coupled to the transceiver, and can also include a shield (e.g., that can also be grounded). The antenna system can further include at least one conductive via that extends through each of the printed boards. The conductive via(s) can form an inner conductor, and the conductive resonator plates can form an outer conductor, such that each of the conductive via(s) and the conductive resonator plates can form coaxial resonators for the antenna system with respect to the wireless signals. Additionally, each of the conductive via(s) includes a first end that is exposed from the first printed board, and thus terminates as a resonator end, and a second end that is coupled to the transceiver, with the first and the second ends being axially offset from each other between the first and second ends. As a result, radiation and/or particles do not have a direct line of sight to the sensitive electronics of the transceiver between the inner and outer conductors of the coaxial resonator, which thus mitigates radiation damage to the sensitive electronics of the transceiver.
The transceiver 12 is communicatively coupled to an antenna system 16 that is configured to radiate the transmitted and/or received wireless communications signals 14. The antenna system 16 includes a plurality of printed boards 18 that are arranged in layers, and are thus stacked with respect to each other. As an example, the printed boards 18 can include a first printed board arranged as an outermost of the printed boards 18 that includes a resonator. The resonator can be arranged as any of a plurality of different types of resonator structures, such as a “bow-tie” resonator structure, a resonator structure that is additively manufactured (e.g., three-dimensionally printed) onto the substrate of the first printed board, a plurality of conductive resonator plates arranged in parallel layers, or a variety of other types of resonator structures. The conductive resonator plates can form an outer conductor relative to a conductive via to form a coaxial resonator 20. As an example, the conductive via can extend through each of the printed boards 18, with a first end that is exposed at the first of the printed boards 18 and a second end that is communicatively coupled to the transceiver 12. The printed boards 18 can also include at least one additional printed board layer that includes a shield, such as a conductive shield shorted to ground. Therefore, the printed boards 18 can provide suitable components to form an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving the wireless communications signals 14 to be transmitted from or received at the transceiver 12.
The printed board antenna system 50 includes a first printed board 52, a second printed board 54, and a third printed board 56 that are arranged in layers with respect to each other. Each of the printed boards 52, 54, and 56 extend in respective X-Z planes along a Y-axis, as provided by a Cartesian coordinate system 58. The first printed board 52 includes a plurality of conductive plates 60 that are arranged in parallel planar layers with respect to each other. As an example, the conductive plates 60 can be formed from any of a variety of conductive materials that are suitable for use as an antenna resonator, such as copper, aluminum, or other conductive materials. Thus, each of the conductive plates 60 likewise extend in respective X-Z planes along the Y-axis. The conductive plates 60 can be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the Y-axis based on desired parameters of the printed board antenna system 50. While the first printed board 52 demonstrates the resonator being configured as the conductive plates 60 arranged in parallel layers, it is to be understood that the first printed board 52 can be configured as having any of a variety of other types of resonator structures, such as a “bow-tie” resonator, an additively manufactured resonator structure, or any of a variety of other types of resonator structures.
The first printed board 52 also includes a first conductive axial extension 62 that is a portion of a conductive via that extends through the first printed board 52, and thus through an aperture of each of the conductive plates 60. As an example, the conductive plates 60 can each have a hole through which the first conductive axial extension 62 extends, such that the first conductive axial extension 62 is surrounded by a given one of the conductive plates 60 in a given X-Z plane. Therefore, the conductive plates 60 can correspond to an outer conductor or a coaxial resonator (e.g., the coaxial resonator 20 in the example of
The second printed board 54 includes a first shield 66. The first shield 66 can be configured as a relatively thick or multiple thin planar layers within the second printed board 54, such as extending in a respective X-Z plane. As an example, the first shield 66 can be a conductive shield, such as formed of copper, and can be arranged as a portion of the second printed board 54, such as being arranged between dielectric material layers, demonstrated in the example of
The second printed board 54 also includes a second conductive axial extension 74 that is a portion of the conductive via that extends through the second printed board 54, and thus through an aperture of the first shield 66. As an example, the first shield 66 can have a hole through which the second conductive axial extension 74 extends, such that the second conductive axial extension 74 is surrounded by the first shield 66 in the X-Z plane, and separated from the first shield 66 by an insulating material 76. In the example of
The third printed board 56 includes a second shield 82. The second shield 82 can be configured as a relatively thick or multiple thin planar layers within the third printed board 56, such as extending in a respective X-Z plane. As an example, the second shield 82 can be a conductive shield, such as formed of copper, and can be arranged as a portion of the third printed board 56, such as being arranged between dielectric material layers, demonstrated in the example of
The third printed board 56 also includes a third conductive axial extension 90 that is a portion of the conductive via that extends through the third printed board 56, and thus through an aperture of the second shield 82. As an example, the second shield 82 can have a hole through which the third conductive axial extension 90 extends, such that the third conductive axial extension 90 is surrounded by the second shield 82 in the X-Z plane, and separated from the second shield 82 by an insulating material 92. In the example of
The first, second, and third conductive axial extensions 62, 74, and 90, along with the respective conductive adhesive bonds 78 and 94 and the conductive offset portion 80, therefore collectively form the conductive via through the printed board antenna system 50 that corresponds to the inner conductor of the coaxial resonator. The first conductive axial extension 62 thus includes a first end of the conductive via that is exposed to atmosphere, and thus forms an end of the antenna, and the third conductive axial extension 90 includes a second end of the conductive via that can be coupled to the transceiver 12, such as via a conductive bond (e.g., solder, etc.) to conduct the wireless communication signal between the printed board antenna system 50 and the transceiver 12.
Based on the conductive offset portion 80, the first end and the second end of the conductive via are axially offset from each other between the first and second ends. In other words, the first and second conductive axial extensions 62 and 74 extend along a first axis, and the third conductive axial extension 90 extends along a second axis that is offset from and parallel with the first axis. As a result, radiation and/or particles associated with received wireless communication signal(s) 14 do not have a direct line of sight to the sensitive electronics of the transceiver 12 in/along the space between the inner conductor (i.e., the conductive via) and the outer conductor (e.g., the conductive plates 60) of the coaxial resonator, which thus mitigates damage to the sensitive electronics of the transceiver 12. As a result of the axial offset of the conductive via, the electronics associated with the transceiver 12 can be located closer to the coaxial resonator that is formed by the conductive via (including the first, second, and third conductive axial extensions 62, 74, and 90; the respective conductive adhesive bonds 78 and 94; and the conductive offset portion 80) as the inner conductor and the conductive plates 60 as the outer conductor.
In addition, the printed board antenna system 50 can be fabricated in a small form-factor, such as for installation on a spacecraft (e.g., a satellite). The shields 66 and 84 can provide suitable radiation shielding to protect the associated electronics (e.g., transceiver), and the small form-factor can be sufficiently compact and lightweight to include on the spacecraft (e.g., at an aperture) while maintaining robust protection from acceleration-induced stresses (e.g., at launch). Additionally, the compact design for the printed board antenna system 50 resulting from the proximal location of the electronics of the transceiver 12 to the coaxial resonator can provide for a more optimal electronic performance of the printed board antenna system 50. Moreover, the design of the printed board antenna system 50 can provide protection for the sensitive electronics of the transceiver 12 without providing a larger, heavy, and expensive aluminum shield around the transceiver 12. Therefore, the printed board antenna system 50 can exhibit a reduction in size, weight, and cost, and can also exhibit greater performance and power efficiency, relative to other antenna systems.
The printed board antenna system 50 in the example of
The phased-array antenna system 100 includes an overhead view of a first printed board (e.g., the first printed board 52), in which respective ends of a plurality of conductive vias 104 are exposed to atmosphere. The exposed ends of the conductive vias 104 can each correspond to the exposed end of the first conductive axial extension 74 in the example of
In the example of
What have been described above are example embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the example embodiments, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the example embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the example embodiments are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. 15-C-3133. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
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