Embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail below with the aid of the drawings, in which, in detail:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic axial cross-sectional view through a conventional commercial patch antenna according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of the patch antenna known according to the prior art according to FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic transverse or lateral view of a tunable patch antenna according to the invention;
FIG. 4 shows a schematic plan view of the embodiment according to FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a patch antenna according to the invention with an embodiment differing from FIG. 4 for the patch element seated at the top;
FIG. 6 shows a lateral or cross-sectional view of the patch antenna according to the invention corresponding to FIG. 3 reproducing a carrying device used for the upper patch element;
FIG. 6
a shows a modified embodiment from FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment modified again of an antenna according to the invention with a hole-shaped recess in an electrical structure located above the patch antenna;
FIG. 8 shows an embodiment modified again with a plurality of electrical structures separated from one another in a lateral cross-sectional view;
FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the embodiment according to FIG. 8; and
FIG. 10 shows a plan view comparable to the embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9, but with a modification.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic lateral view and FIG. 2 a schematic plan view of the basic structure of a conventional commercial patch radiator A (patch antenna), which is extended with the aid of FIG. 3 et seq. into a tunable patch antenna.
The patch antenna shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a plurality of surfaces and layers arranged along an axis Z one above the other, which will be dealt with below.
It can be seen from the schematic cross-sectional view according to FIG. 1 that the patch antenna A has an electrically conductive ground surface 3 on its so-called lower or mounting side 1. Arranged on the ground surface 3 or with a lateral offset with respect thereto is a dielectric carrier 5, which generally has an outer contour 5′ in plan view, which corresponds to the outer contour 3′ of the ground surface 3. This dielectric carrier 5 may, however, also have larger or smaller dimensions and/or be provided with an outer contour 5′ differing from the outer contour 3′ of the ground surface 3. In general, the outer contour 3′ of the ground surface may be n-polygonal and/or even be provided with curved portions or be curved in design, although this is not usual.
The dielectric carrier 5 has an adequate height or thickness, which generally corresponds to a multiple of the thickness of the ground surface 3. In contrast to the ground surface 3, which virtually consists only of a two-dimensional surface, the dielectric carrier 5 is designed as a three-dimensional body with adequate height and thickness.
Configured on the upper side 5a opposing the lower side 5b (which comes to rest adjacent to the ground surface 3) is an electrically conductive effective face 7, which can again also be taken to mean a virtually two-dimensional surface. This effective surface 7 is fed and excited electrically via a feed line 9, which preferably extends in the transverse direction, in particular vertically to the effective surface 7 from below through the dielectric carrier 5 in a corresponding bore or a corresponding channel 5c.
From a connection point 11, which is generally located at the bottom, to which a coaxial cable, not shown in more detail, can be connected, the internal conductor of the coaxial cable, not shown, is then electrically/galvanically connected to the feed line 9 and therefore to the effective surface 7. The external conductor of the coaxial cable, not shown, is then electrically/galvanically connected to the ground surface 3 located at the bottom.
In the embodiment according to FIG. 1 et seq., a patch antenna is described, which has a dielectric 5 and a square shape in plan view. This shape or the corresponding contour or outline 5′ may, however, differ from the square shape and in general have an n-polygonal shape. Although unusual, curved outer limitations may even be provided.
The effective surface 7 seated on the dielectric 5 may have the same contour or outline 7′ as the dielectric 5 located therebelow. In the embodiment shown, the basic shape is also square and adapted to the outline 5′ of the dielectric 5, but has flattened areas 7″ at two opposing ends, which are virtually formed by omitting an isosceles rectangular triangle. In general, the outline 7′ may thus be an n-polygonal outline or contour or even be provided with a curved outer limitation 7′.
The ground surface 3 mentioned, as also the effective surface 7 are partially designated a “two-dimensional” surface, as their thickness is so small that they can virtually not be designated “volume bodies”. The thickness of the ground surface and the effective surface 3, 7 is generally below 1 mm, i.e. generally below 0.5 mm, in particular below 0.25 mm, 0.20 mm, 0.10 mm.
Arranged above the patch antenna A thus formed, which, for example, may consist of a conventional commercial patch antenna A, preferably of a so-called ceramic patch antenna (in which in other words, the dielectric carrier layer 5 consists of a ceramic material), is, in a patch antenna which can be tuned, according to the invention, according to FIGS. 3 and 4 with a lateral or height offset with respect to the upper effective surface 7, additionally a patch-like conductive structure 13 (FIG. 3).
The tunable patch antenna described in this way is, for example, positioned on a chassis B indicated in FIG. 3 merely as a line, which may, for example, be the base chassis for a motor vehicle antenna, in which the antenna according to the invention may optionally be installed next to further antennas for other services. The tunable patch antenna according to the invention may, for example, be used, in particular, as an antenna for the geostationary positioning and/or for the reception of satellite or terrestrial signals, for example of the so-called SDARS service. Limitations to the use even for other services are not provided, however.
The patch-like conductive structure 13 may, for example, consist of an electrically conductive metal body, in other words, for example, a metal sheet with corresponding longitudinal and/or transverse extension or, in general, of an electrically conductive layer, which is configured on a correspondingly dimensioned substrate (for example in the form of an electric body or a dielectric board similar to a printed-circuit board).
As emerges from the plan view, according to FIG. 4, this patch element 13 may, however, also have an outline 13′ differing from a rectangular or square structure. As is known, in fact, by machining off edge regions, for example corner regions 13a which can be seen in FIG. 4, a certain adaptation of the patch antenna can be carried out.
In the embodiment shown, the patch-like conductive structure 13 has a longitudinal extension and a transverse extension, which, on the one hand, is greater than the longitudinal and transverse extension of the effective surface 7 and/or, on the other hand, is greater than the longitudinal and transverse extension of the dielectric carrier 5 and/or the ground surface 3 located therebelow.
In general, the patch-like conductive structure 13 may also completely or partially have convex or concave and/or other curved outlines or an n-polygonal outline or mixtures of the two, as is shown only schematically for a differing embodiment according to FIG. 5 in plan view, the patch element 13 in this case having an irregular outer contour or an irregular outline 13′.
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the patch-like conductive structure 13 is arranged at a spacing 17 above the effective surface 7. This spacing may be selected in further areas. In this case, the spacing 17 should, if possible, be no smaller than 0.5 mm, preferably more than 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm or equal to or more than 1 mm. Values around 1.5 mm, in other words in general between 1 mm to 2 mm or 1 mm to 3 mm, 4 mm or up to 5 mm are completely adequate.
On the other hand, it is also to be seen that the spacing 17 of the patch-like conductive structure 13 is preferably smaller than the height or thickness 15 of the dielectric carrier 5. The spacing 17 of the topmost conductive structure 13 preferably has a measurement which corresponds to less than 90%, in particular less than 80%, 70%, 60%, 50% or even less than 40% and optionally 30% or less than 20% of the height or thickness 15 of the carrier element 5.
As can be seen from FIGS. 3 to 5, in the embodiment selected using a plate-shaped electrically conductive structure 13, which is arranged with its plane preferably parallel to the chassis B or to the ground surface 3 and/or to the effective surface 7 on the side of the effective surface 7 opposing the ground surface 3, the electrically conductive structure 13 is held by means of support feet 213. In the embodiment shown, arranged in this case, in plan view lying offset in the peripheral direction, is in each case, a support foot 213 per longitudinal side 13a, which, in the embodiment shown, extends transversely to the ground surface or base surface of the chassis B, even perpendicularly to the embodiment shown. In this case, according to the embodiment shown, it is assumed that the ground surface 3 of the patch antenna A is galvanically or capacitively connected to a chassis ground surface B.
The support feet 213 thus preferably consist of an electrically conductive material. In particular if the patch-like electrically conductive structure 13 is produced from a metal sheet by cutting and/or stamping, corresponding support feet can also be configured at the outer periphery, which then extend by means of canting transversely to the surface of the patch-like conductive structure 13 and can then be electrically contacted and mechanically anchored with their free end 213a on the ground surface 3, B.
As the conductive structure 13 is larger in dimension in the longitudinal and transverse direction in the embodiment shown than the longitudinal and transverse direction of the patch antenna located therebelow, the feet can thus run perpendicularly to the ground surface 3 or chassis ground surface B past the patch antenna A with a lateral offset 313 thereto.
However, less or more feet may also be used or the feet may be connected or set at another point of the conductive structure 13.
It is shown, for this purpose, in FIG. 5 that, in this embodiment, only two obliquely opposing support feet 213 are used.
Instead of the electrically fully conductive support feet 213, plastics material bodies may also be used, for example, however, for the support feet 213, which are possibly provided with an electrically conductive upper or lower side or surface in general, namely by applying an electrically conductive outer layer. A substrate or a dielectric body can therefore be provided in parallel above the effective surface 7 and is supplemented, for example, with corresponding support feet or is provided in one piece by the producer, in other words this structure consists of a non-conductive material and is then covered with a correspondingly conductive layer or metal layer.
It is shown with the aid of FIG. 6 that, for example, the support feet covered with an electrically conductive layer or equipped with a separate parallel wire or other lines, or which are conductive per se, can be connected with the interposition of electric components 125 to an electrically conductive ground or base surface, in particular in the form of a chassis B.
In the embodiment shown according to FIG. 6 varactor diodes 125′ are provided for this purpose. The electrically conductive support feet are guided without production of the electrically galvanic contact in this embodiment by corresponding bores through the ground surface 3 or in the chassis B, connected electrically galvanically at their free end to the electric components 125 mentioned, for example in the form of varactor diodes 125′, for example on the connection side 125a, whereas the second connection side 125b is then connected to the ground surface 3 or B.
This provides the possibility of changing or adjusting the capacitance in a current-controlled manner, so the patch antenna thus formed can be tuned with respect to its frequency. Quite generally, the property of the antenna can be influenced thereby.
Basically, for example, the ground surface or the chassis B could not consist, for example, of an electrically conductive material, but for example of a printed-circuit board (dielectric). This could, for example, be partially metallized on the lower side or, as will be dealt with below, on the upper side, in other words on the side carrying the antenna and optionally equipped with additional components, in particular SMD components, for example in the form of the varactor diode 125, 125′. For this purpose, the electrically conductive foot 213 (or an electrically conductive track or generally a line configured on the foot 213), in FIG. 6a, is connected on the radiator upper side of the base preferably configured in the form of a printed-circuit board B to an electric component 125, in particular an SMD component 125 on the connection side 125a, the other connection side 125b of which being connected via a through-plating 125c to the ground surface 303 configured on the lower side of the printed-circuit board B, electrically, preferably electrically/galvanically.
Likewise—as shown with the aid of FIG. 6—these components 125 could obviously just as well be provided or fitted on the lower side of the printed-circuit board. The support feet 213 could also be galvanically contacted here, for example on the upper side of the printed-circuit board, electrically/galvanically, for example by soldering to an electrically conductive intermediate face, and connected by means of through-platings 125c to the components 125 provided on the lower side of the printed-circuit board.
Moreover, it is shown with the aid of FIG. 6a that, for example, below the patch 3, in other words on the upper side of the chassis configured for example as a printed-circuit board B, a metallized layer 403 (for example a copper coating) may be provided. This layer could be electrically/galvanically connected with through-platings (not drawn in FIG. 6a) to the lower ground surface 303 (in other words on the lower side of the printed-circuit board B) to thus improve the capacitive coupling of the patch 3 to ground. Likewise, this metallized layer 403 in FIG. 6a could also go to the left and right to beyond the SMD components 125 (obviously without being electrically/galvanically connected to the connection side 125a).
With the aid of FIG. 7, it is shown in a schematic plan view that the patch-like conductive structure 13 described, for example, with the aid of FIG. 5, can be connected to a recess or a hole 29. This recess or this hole 29 is preferably provided in the region in which the feed line 9 is connected to the effective surface 7 generally by soldering, for at this point, a soldering elevation 31 projecting over the surface of the effective surface 7 is generally configured (as can be seen with the aid of FIG. 8 for a further modified embodiment). Even if only a very small spacing 17 is provided between the conductive structure 13 and the adjacent effective surface 7, it is ensured thereby that no electrical contacting between a soldering elevation 31 and the conductive structure 13 is provided with the generally conventional commercial patch antenna located therebelow, this soldering elevation 31 generally being configured in the upper end of the feed line 9 at the effective surface 7.
A further embodiment will be described below with the aid of FIGS. 8 and 9, FIG. 8 showing a schematic lateral view along the section line VIII-VIII in FIG. 9 and FIG. 9 showing a schematic plan view of the modified embodiment.
This embodiment differs from the preceding embodiments in that a uniform common electrically conductive structure 13 is not configured, but a plurality of electrically conductive structures 13, which have a flat design. In the embodiment shown, the patch-like electrically conductive structural elements 113 are arranged in a common plane parallel to the adjacent effective surface 7 and parallel to the ground surface 3 and/or parallel to the chassis surface B. However, they can optionally be at different height levels. These structural elements do not inevitably have to be located parallel to one another or to the effective surface and ground surface, but optionally also enclose at least small angles of inclination with respect to one another.
Each electrically conductive structural element 13, 113 of this type is carried by means of a support foot 113 associated with it, held and preferably electrically connected, if no separate electric line is provided as a connection line to the ground surface (optionally with interposition of the mentioned electric components).
In this embodiment, the support feet 213 are also arranged laterally at a spacing 313 with respect to the patch antenna A, the electrically conductive structural elements 113, in a plan view of the upper effective surface 7, covering this at least partially. The structural elements 113 may have a longitudinal extension in this case, which is significantly shorter than the relevant side lengths of the effective surface 7, so these structural elements formed in this manner only cover the effective surface 7 with a comparatively small surface portion.
In the embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9, a support foot 213 is configured on the peripheral edge 113′ of the electrically conductive structure 13, 113 and is, for example, mechanically and/or electrically connected to the electrically conductive structure 13, 113.
As the embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9 shows, each structural element 13, 113 which is electrically conductive or covered with an electrically conductive layer, has a length, which is preferably between 5 and 95%, in particular 10% and 90% and can adopt any intermediate value therein. A preferred length range corresponds to about 10% to 60%, in particular 20% to 50% of the corresponding length of the patch antenna A and/or the effective surface 7 located at the top. In the embodiment according to FIG. 9, it can be seen here, for example, that the longitudinal extension, in each case measured in the parallel direction of the relevant longitudinal extension of the patch element with regard to the structural element 113 located at the top and bottom in FIG. 9, is greater than the longitudinal extension of the patch element located to the left and right in FIG. 9. A desired fine tuning can also be carried out by this.
The respective transverse extension of the structural elements 13, 113 in FIGS. 8 and 9 in the covering direction to the patch antenna A is in the same order of magnitude as preferably between 10% to 90% and 20% to 60%, for example about 30% to 50% or 30% to 40%. Thus, the proportion of the surface of the structural element 113, which in the plan view according to FIG. 9 covers the patch antenna A with its dielectric should preferably be at least more than 20%, in particular more than 30% or 40% or 50% of the surface of the structural element 113. The proportion of the surface of the structural element in plan view according to FIG. 9, which covers the upper effective surface, should at least be more than 5%, in particular more than 10%, 20% or preferably 30% of the surface of the corresponding patch element 113 according to the plan view of FIG. 9.
The embodiment according to FIG. 10 basically corresponds to that according to FIG. 9. The only difference is that the conductive structures 13, 113 shown in FIG. 9 are not configured as mechanically independent electrically conductive structures, but as electrically conductive surfaces on an electrically non-conductive substrate, in particular in the form of a dielectric board, for example in the form of a so-called printed-circuit board. This dielectric carrier material or this dielectric substrate is provided with the reference numeral 413. This substrate 413 is also again supported mechanically by four feet, namely by a foot 213 on each side, wherein the electric connection of the electric structural element 13, 113 on the printed-circuit board-shaped substrate 413 can be electrically connected in the same manner to the ground potential, as is explained with the aid of FIG. 9 and the preceding examples.
Patent Application
20080042915
