Antenna device, transceiver device, communication system, actuator device, and method of operating an antenna device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antenna device (1) for a transceiver device (17), the antenna device having a transmitting antenna group with a first transmitting antenna (2), a second transmitting antenna (3) and a first balun (22), and also having a receiving antenna group with a first receiving antenna (4), a second receiving antenna (5) and a second balun (23), wherein the first transmitting antenna (2) and the second transmitting antenna (3) are both connected to the symmetric connection (As) of the first balun (22), and the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) are both connected to the symmetric connection (As) of the second balun (23). An asymmetric connection (A A ) of the first balun (22) can be connected to the transmission signal path (S) of the transceiver device (17), and an asymmetric connection (A A ) of the second balun (23) can be connected to the receiving signal path (E) of the transceiver device (17) independent of the transmission signal path (S). The first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) have relative spatial positions with respect to each other such that crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group is reduced at least by differential interconnection of their respective antennas (2, 3, 4, 5).

Description

[0001] This invention claims the priority of European Patent Application No. 21180140.2, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an antenna device for a transceiver device, in particular for a high-frequency transceiver device, preferably an antenna device used in a full-duplex communication channel, the antenna device having a transmitting antenna group and a receiving antenna group, the transmitting antenna group having a first transmitting antenna and a second transmitting antenna, and the receiving antenna group having a first receiving antenna and a second receiving antenna.

[0003] The present invention also relates to a transceiver device having an antenna device, a transmitting unit, and a receiving unit.

[0004] The present invention also relates to a communication system having a first transceiver device and a second transceiver device for providing wireless signal transmission.

[0005] The present invention also relates to an actuator device, in particular an industrial robot system, the actuator device having a first actuator element, a second actuator element, and a communication system having a first transceiver device and a second transceiver device.

[0006] Finally, the present invention also relates to a method for operating an antenna device of a transceiver device, in particular a high-frequency transceiver device. Background Art

[0007] An antenna device composed of one or more antennas is used for non-contact or wireless energy transfer and / or data transfer. For the simultaneous transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves (referred to as full-duplex operation), that is, for the use of an antenna device that simultaneously provides signal transmission and reception at the same frequency within a communication channel (in-band full-duplex), high electromagnetic attenuation or isolation between the transmitter and the receiver within the same transceiver is necessary to avoid crosstalk or interference between the transmitter and the receiver.

[0008] In addition, in radar applications, when a radar transmitter emits radar signals, the radar receiver usually needs to be ready to receive. Since radar signals are usually transmitted and received at the same frequency, high electromagnetic attenuation or isolation is required between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radar system.

[0009] There have been different technical approaches to providing sufficient electromagnetic isolation between a transmitter and a receiver within an in-band full-duplex communication channel. One possibility involves transmissions utilizing different polarizations (polarization multiplexing / diplexing), where, in each case with different directions of rotation, two communication partners (hereinafter also referred to as "transceiver devices") emit electromagnetic waves, for example, using circular polarization. According to another technique, the electromagnetic waves emitted from two communication partners are emitted in a special radiation pattern so as to avoid interference between transmitter and receiver characteristics as much as possible. As proposed in the publication entitled "Circularly Polarized PIFA Array For Simultaneous Transmit And Receive Applications" A. Kee, M. Elmansouri, D. S. Filipovic, 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, pp. 2303 - 2304, a metal shield between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of a common antenna device can be proposed as another example.

[0010] However, the isolation behavior of known antenna devices is sometimes still insufficient or can only be achieved by very complex antenna and circuit arrangements, resulting in a large amount of manufacturing work and costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] According to the known prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device that is improved compared to the prior art and preferably has substantial isolation characteristics between a transmitter and a receiver within the same transceiver, preferably with low complexity.

[0012] Finally, an object of the present invention also provides a transceiver device, an improved communication system, and an actuator device, the antenna devices of which are improved compared to the prior art and preferably have substantial isolation characteristics between a transmitter and a receiver within the same transceiver, preferably with low complexity.

[0013] An object of the present invention also provides a method of operating an antenna device of a transceiver device, which is improved compared to the prior art and is preferably applicable to in-band full-duplex transmission.

[0014] This object is achieved by an antenna device having the features described in claim 1. Regarding the transceiver device, this object is achieved by the features of claim 20, regarding the communication system, by claim 22, and regarding the actuator device, by claim 26. Regarding the method of operating the antenna device, this object is achieved by the features of claim 27.

[0015] The dependent claims and the following features relate to advantageous embodiments and variants of the present invention.

[0016] An antenna device is provided, particularly an antenna device for use in a full-duplex communication channel. The antenna device is advantageously suitable for use in a transceiver device, particularly a high-frequency transceiver device, as explained below.

[0017] According to the present invention, the antenna device has a transmitting antenna group, which has a first transmitting antenna and a second transmitting antenna. The first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "transmitting antennas") are preferably planar transmitting antennas; however, in appropriate cases, other antenna designs can also be provided, particularly directional antennas.

[0018] In the above and below, a "planar" antenna is understood to be an antenna having a substantially flat and preferably uniform shape, particularly an antenna having two main regions that preferably extend parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other, i.e., for example, in the form of a disk, coating, or sheet. In particular, the planar antenna can be a patch antenna or a slot antenna, as described below.

[0019] According to the present invention, the antenna device also has a receiving antenna group, which has a first receiving antenna and a second receiving antenna. The first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "receiving antennas") are preferably planar receiving antennas; however, in appropriate cases, other antenna designs can also be provided, particularly directional antennas.

[0020] Hereinafter, the transmitting antennas and the receiving antennas are sometimes also mentioned, but without an (optional) specification such as "planar", and in addition, the term "antenna" is sometimes used generically.

[0021] The aforementioned antenna groups (the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group) are respective antenna arrays, particularly phased arrays. Thus, the transmitting antenna group can be described as a transmitting antenna array, and the receiving antenna group can be described as a receiving antenna array.

[0022] According to the present invention, the transmitting antenna has a first balun (also called a balance unit), wherein both the first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna are connected to the symmetric connection (differential connection) of the first balun or are connected to the symmetric connection. The receiving antenna group also has a second balun, wherein both the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna are connected to the symmetric connection of the second balun or are connected to the symmetric connection. The asymmetric connection (single-ended connection) of the first balun can be connected to the transmit signal path of the transceiver device, and the asymmetric connection of the second balun can be connected to the receive signal path of the transceiver device independent of the transmit signal path.

[0023] In other words, a symmetric connection refers to a connection for symmetric signal transmission, while an asymmetric connection refers to a connection for asymmetric signal transmission.

[0024] Therefore, the transmitting antennas are advantageously differentially interconnected and are capable of transmitting a transmitted signal fed through a transmission signal path and having a first carrier frequency band. The receiving antennas are similarly differentially interconnected and are capable of forwarding a received signal having a second carrier frequency band through a reception signal path.

[0025] According to the invention, the provided antennas have spatial positions relative to one another such that crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group is reduced at least by the differential connection of their respective antennas. In this regard, various possibilities are listed below by way of example, and these possibilities can also be implemented in combination.

[0026] According to the invention, an antenna device is proposed which suppresses crosstalk between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna as much as possible despite their spatial proximity. Specifically, this can be achieved by arranging two co-transmitting transmitting antennas relative to the receiving antenna such that the crosstalk levels of the two transmitting antennas into the receiving antenna are equally high but have opposite signs. The crosstalk with opposite signs can be achieved by exciting the two transmitting antennas with a phase shift of 180°, and for this purpose the above-mentioned balun or balun-transformer can be used.

[0027] It can be provided that the same level of crosstalk from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna is achieved by arranging the two transmitting antennas at equal geometric distances from the receiving antenna. The antennas can preferably be designed such that equally large effective areas or effective edges of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are further positioned relative to one another accordingly. Some possibilities will be further explained below.

[0028] In a development of the invention, it can be provided that the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are arranged around a common center point.

[0029] The common center point of the antennas is sometimes also referred to below as the "center of rotation", but this does not mean that the antennas actually rotate around the center of rotation or the center point or are rotatable (although this is optionally quite possible in the advantageous uses of the invention described below).

[0030] It can be provided that two transmitting antennas and two receiving antennas are oriented in such a way that their antenna main lobes point in the same direction, preferably parallel. Specifically, it can be provided that the phase center of the transmitting antenna group coincides with the phase center of the receiving antenna group and preferably also coincides with the common center point.

[0031] The directional effect of an antenna is described according to its antenna gain. Depending on the elevation angle and azimuth angle, this is usually represented in a radiation pattern in spherical coordinates. In the radiation pattern, the alternation of the maximum and minimum values of the antenna gain produces "antenna lobes", and the antenna lobe that includes the global maximum of the antenna gain is called the "main lobe of the antenna".

[0032] In the case where the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are designed as planar antennas, it can be provided that the antennas are arranged such that the respective main regions of the antennas are parallel to a common base region around a common center of rotation or a common center point.

[0033] The antenna can be located on the base region and / or can be connected to the base region. The antenna can also be remote from the base region, or can be incorporated into an electrical component having a base region, such as a printed circuit board. For example, the base layer can be the ground region of a multilayer printed circuit board (GND plane) or the top layer of a multilayer printed circuit board.

[0034] The two transmitting antennas are preferably arranged at the same height or the same distance from the base region, and / or the two receiving antennas are arranged at the same height or the same distance from the base region. All the transmitting antennas (transmitting antennas and receiving antennas) are particularly preferably arranged at the same height or the same distance from the base region.

[0035] The common center of rotation or the common center point is preferably designed as the center point of the imaginary connecting line between the two center points or the geometric centers of the two transmitting antennas. Therefore, the center of rotation is preferably located at the center between the two transmitting antennas.

[0036] It can be provided that the transmitting antenna and / or the receiving antenna are arranged to rotate 180° relative to each other around the center of rotation or the common center point. The rotation of the antenna can particularly involve the geometry of the antenna itself (for example, the relative alignment of other axes or symmetry axes of the main region of the planar antenna, which will also be mentioned below) and / or the routing of the feed point or the feeder leading to the respective antenna.

[0037] In a development of the present invention, it can be provided that each receiving antenna has the same center-to-center distance to the two transmitting antennas.

[0038] The "center" or "center point" of the antenna, for example, based on the determined center-to-center distance, should be understood here to particularly refer to the geometric center of the respective antenna.

[0039] If the two transmitting antennas are excited in antiphase, the antenna device is advantageously particularly applicable.

[0040] The inventors have recognized that by the differential excitation of pairs of transmitting antennas, efficient isolation characteristics can be achieved between the transmitter and the receiver or between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the same transceiver.

[0041] By utilizing the crosstalk where the transmitted signal enters the receiving antenna with a phase shift of 180°, the proposed device of the transmitting antenna can compensate for the electromagnetic wave that generates the transmitting antenna crosstalk.

[0042] The proposed invention can achieve reliable data transmission in full-duplex operation, even when there are offsets between communication partners. In particular, two communication partners can be provided:

[0043] - having a rotational offset relative to each other, i.e., rotating around a common axis of rotation such that the transmitting antenna of one communication partner is not aligned in a straight line with the receiving antenna of the other communication partner; and / or

[0044] - having a translational offset relative to each other, i.e., moving further apart or closer to each other starting from a target distance between the two center points of the respective antenna devices; and / or

[0045] - having an axial offset relative to each other, i.e., an offset between the respective central axes extending through the center points of the antenna devices such that the central axes of the antenna devices are deviated from coaxial alignment; and / or

[0046] - having a radial offset relative to each other, i.e., tilting from a parallel alignment of the antenna devices.

[0047] The corresponding offsets can be caused by tolerances or can be explicitly provided on an application-related basis.

[0048] Specifically, it is also possible to provide that the offset occurs only during data transmission or is deliberately introduced, for example, by a targeted rotation of the communication partner.

[0049] At the same time, the proposed antenna device has a low complexity, thus enabling a technically simple and economical implementation. Therefore, the present invention achieves a cost-optimized design of a full-duplex communication antenna device or a radar antenna device, for example, using standard printed circuit board technology. The proposed antenna device can be simply integrated into any electronic component.

[0050] In a particularly preferred development of the present invention, the two transmitting antennas are based on the same basic geometry. In particular, it is possible to provide that planar transmitting antennas are based on the same basic shape of their main regions. The two transmitting antennas preferably have the same design, especially with respect to the geometry, material, and / or position of the feeding points in the main region.

[0051] However, the two transmitting antennas can also basically have different designs, but preferably at least have a similar design, especially when technically feasible. By having the same or at least substantially the same design of the transmitting antennas, the attenuation related to the receiving antenna can be further improved.

[0052] The two receiving antennas are also preferably but not necessarily based on the same basic geometry, in particular the same basic shape as the transmitting antenna (likewise preferably with respect to the main area of the planar antenna). The receiving antennas preferably have the same or at least substantially the same design, particularly preferably the same or at least substantially the same design as the transmitting antenna, especially with respect to the geometry, material, and / or the position of the feeding point in the respective main area of the antenna.

[0053] The present invention can be essentially applied to transmit any electromagnetic wave having any wavelength or frequency. However, the present invention is particularly advantageously applicable to transmit electromagnetic waves in the frequency range between 40 GHz and 80 GHz, preferably between 50 GHz and 70 GHz, and particularly preferably between 55 GHz and 65 GHz. The high carrier frequency can generate a very high data rate in short-range signal transmission, making the proposed antenna device particularly advantageously applicable to non-contact electrical connectors to replace traditional plug-in connections. This advantageous application of the present invention will be discussed in more detail below.

[0054] The transmission at the corresponding high frequency further provides the advantage that the free-space attenuation increases with the increase in frequency (the free-space attenuation increases proportionally to the square of the carrier frequency). Therefore, the signal escaping into its environment from the proposed antenna device decays relatively quickly. In addition, the interference signals occurring within the bandwidth arrive at the antenna device with a very small amplitude. Therefore, according to the present invention, the characteristic that the signal quickly loses power density at high frequencies is advantageously utilized.

[0055] The transmission bandwidth can be, for example, from 3 GHz to 20 GHz, particularly approximately 10 GHz.

[0056] It can be provided that the first transmitting antenna is arranged in the near field of the second transmitting antenna, preferably at a maximum distance of half of the free-space wavelength of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted from the second transmitting antenna. In this way, the formation of antenna side lobes can be avoided.

[0057] In an advantageous development of the present invention, it can be provided that the receiving antennas and the transmitting antennas are arranged relative to each other such that the center-to-center distance between each transmitting antenna and each receiving antenna is less than half of the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted.

[0058] The first receiving antenna (and optionally the second receiving antenna) is arranged to rotate 90° around a common center of rotation or a common central point with respect to the transmitting antenna.

[0059] It is possible to provide that the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are alternatively arranged to rotate around a common center of rotation or a common center point, where each antenna rotates 90° relative to its upstream antenna. All antennas along the circumference preferably rotate in the same direction of rotation.

[0060] The center points of all antennas are preferably arranged on a common, imaginary circumference, the center point of which coincides with the center of rotation or the common center point of the antennas. Thus, the antenna center points can preferably have the same radial distance to the common center point.

[0061] In an advantageous design of the invention, it is possible to provide that the antennas, in particular also the planar antennas specified below, are co-polarized. Co-polarization is understood to mean, for example, that all antennas are right circularly polarized, left circularly polarized, linearly vertically polarized or linearly horizontally polarized.

[0062] Regarding the proposed antenna device, the inventors have surprisingly recognized that co-polarization can be advantageous compared to conventional cross-polarization. Cross-polarization is usually selected to reduce crosstalk from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna. However, if the receiving antenna is relatively close to the transmitting antenna (e.g., if the distance is less than or equal to half of the free-space wavelength), the receiving antenna is in the near field of the transmitting antenna. In the near field, the electromagnetic wave is not yet transverse electromagnetic, so circular polarization cannot yet be formed in the near field. In this regard, cross-polarization does not lead to an improvement in antenna isolation. However, co-polarization can improve the isolation from the reflected components. In the case of a simple reflection, for example on a conductive surface, the direction of rotation of the circularly polarized electromagnetic wave changes. If the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are co-polarized relative to each other, the individual reflected components reaching the receiving antenna (e.g., due to an individual reflection on the opposite communication partner) are cross-polarized relative to the receiving antenna, with the result that the unwanted reception of the reflected components is greatly reduced, and the receiving antenna is thus more effectively isolated from the transmitting antenna with respect to the propagation path with a single or an odd number of reflection points.

[0063] In particular, in the case of a contactless data plug or a contactless vector, the suppression of the reception of such reflected components can be relevant. This type of contactless connector can include two transceiver devices required herein, which are in close proximity to each other, and the distance is, for example, less than 10 cm (or even less than 5 cm). Due to the short distance and the lateral extension (relatively large with respect to this distance) of the printed circuit board on which the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are mounted, the reflected components can, for example, have a high amplitude in the case of a contactless connector, thus facilitating the suppression of the unwanted reception of the reflected components.

[0064] It is possible to provide that the transmitting antenna and / or the receiving antenna are designed as directional antennas, the main radiation directions of which are aligned in the same spatial direction, preferably parallel. In a development of the invention, it is possible to provide that, in particular, the antennas are designed as planar antennas, the main regions of which are aligned parallel to the above-mentioned substrate region, preferably parallel to the side regions of the printed circuit board to which they are electrically and mechanically connected.

[0065] In an advantageous development, it is possible to provide that the main region of the planar antenna has an elongated geometry, preferably a rectangular or oval geometry.

[0066] It is also possible to provide a triangular geometry (even an equilateral triangle, i.e., a non-elongated triangle). In addition, it is possible to provide an asymmetric geometry that is combined in a targeted manner, such as chamfers, grooves or slots, where this type of asymmetry can also be provided without an elongated basic geometry.

[0067] In a development of the invention, it is possible to provide that each planar antenna has exactly one feed point.

[0068] The antenna can preferably be circularly polarized, especially if the antenna is designed as a planar antenna, and very particularly if the planar antennas each have exactly one feed point. The geometry of the antenna and any asymmetry incorporated into the geometry can be designed accordingly.

[0069] Due to circular polarization (which means that the vectors of the electric and magnetic field strengths of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted rotate continuously), it is possible to achieve independence of the signal transmission strength from the rotational angle of the communication partners (e.g., two transceiver devices) at a distance where the non-contact electrical connectors are less than 10 cm apart from each other, for example.

[0070] According to a development of the invention, it is possible to provide that each planar antenna is designed such that its main region has a finite, non-zero number of axes of symmetry, preferably exactly two axes of symmetry or exactly three axes of symmetry.

[0071] In particular, it is possible to provide that the antenna has a geometry other than circular.

[0072] According to a development of the invention, it is possible to provide that, in each case, the planar antenna forms an orientation angle between the main axes of symmetry, which is the longest axis of symmetry among the axes of symmetry of the respective planar antenna (particularly an axis of symmetry aligned in the longitudinal direction of the main region or diagonally across the main region) and the straight line extending between the geometric center of the respective planar antenna and the common center point of the antennas, where the planar antennas are aligned relative to each other such that the orientation angles of all the planar antennas are at least substantially the same, preferably the same.

[0073] The directional angles of all antennas can be, for example, from 40° to 50°, preferably from 43° to 47°, particularly preferably substantially 45°, or precisely 45°.

[0074] It should be mentioned at this point that if the orientation is not exactly 45° (obtuse angle, i.e., greater than 90°, acute angle, i.e., less than 90°), then two different angles are basically formed between the main symmetry axis of the corresponding antenna and the above-defined straight line. In this case, the same selection criterion must always be used to determine the "directional angle" of all antennas, i.e., for example, in the case of all antennas, the directional angle is the angle enclosed in the clockwise direction (or counterclockwise direction) starting from the straight line between the straight line and the main symmetry axis. The starting point (i.e., for example, the straight line or the main symmetry axis) and the direction of rotation (i.e., for example, the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction) should be chosen to be the same for all antennas in order to define their corresponding directional angles. Therefore, for all antennas, this directional angle is preferably the same or at least substantially the same. The "clockwise direction" should be understood in relation to the common center point of the antennas.

[0075] It can be provided that the main symmetry axes of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna extend orthogonally to each other. The individual antennas are preferably arranged such that the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are positioned relative to each other with their short sides and long sides.

[0076] In the design of the present invention, it can be provided that the antennas have corresponding eccentric offset feeding points, where the corresponding eccentric offset (distance to the center point and / or position on the main area) is the same for all antennas.

[0077] Impedance matching can be achieved by the eccentric offset feeding points. The feeding points are preferably selected such that the input impedance is 50 ohms.

[0078] The feeding points of the corresponding antennas can preferably be arranged on the main symmetry axis of the antennas. However, it can basically be provided that the feeding points are arranged anywhere on the main area of the corresponding antennas, particularly the position of the feeding points on a straight line that extends on the main area and passes through the center point or center of the main area and forms a 45° angle with respect to the main symmetry axis.

[0079] In a development of the present invention, it can be provided that the corresponding feeder lines are capacitively coupled to each planar antenna. Thus, electromagnetic waves can be injected into the transmitting antenna from the corresponding feeder line in near-field coupling (preferably mainly capacitive), and can be extracted from the receiving antenna in near-field coupling (preferably mainly capacitive). In particular, the feeder lines can be incorporated within electrical components forming a substrate area, particularly within a printed circuit board.

[0080] In order to form an optimal circular polarization for each individual transmitting antenna and / or receiving antenna, the feeder assigned to the corresponding antenna can be arranged at an angle of substantially 45° with respect to the main symmetry axis of the main region of the corresponding antenna and can be capacitively coupled to the corresponding antenna.

[0081] The preferred main capacitive feeding and feeding out of electromagnetic waves based on electromagnetic near-field coupling is particularly advantageous for predefining the feeding points in a particularly flexible manner.

[0082] However, the injection and extraction can basically also be carried out in different ways.

[0083] For example, it is possible to provide for injecting electromagnetic waves from a feeder (such as a microstrip line of a printed circuit board) that directly enters the antenna (especially its main region). Thus, it is possible to provide a direct current feeding and feeding out to the corresponding antenna in the same plane.

[0084] It is also possible to provide for injecting electromagnetic waves from a through-connection (via hole) that directly enters the antenna (especially its main region), and the antenna is directly or indirectly connected to a feeder extending at different heights. However, compared with the coupling through the through-connection, the advantage of the above-mentioned capacitive coupling is that the need for such a through-connection can be precisely eliminated. Generally, the etching process in printed circuit board manufacturing is more precise than the positioning of through-connections. Therefore, the positioning tolerance problem of through-connections can be avoided through capacitive coupling. In the case of an offset related to the manufacturing of through-connections, the rotational symmetry of the antenna device may be disrupted, although this may be crucial for determining that the crosstalk level from the first transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna corresponds to the crosstalk level from the second transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna. If the problem of through-connections is thus eliminated, the rotational symmetry of the antenna device can be more effectively ensured. This can ultimately improve the isolation between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

[0085] In addition, it is possible to provide for injecting electromagnetic waves through at least one intermediate antenna, which is arranged parallel to the main region and the feeder and is located in the plane between the main region and the feeder. Thus, it is possible to provide a stacked arrangement with one or more intermediate antennas, for example, a stacked arrangement of multiple intermediate antennas designed as patch antennas and / or slot antennas in a common printed circuit board. By stacking the antenna device, the transmission bandwidth can optionally be further increased.

[0086] Basically, any antenna structure capable of generating or receiving circularly polarized electromagnetic waves can be used. However, linear polarization is also basically possible, especially if no reciprocal rotation of the communication partner is assumed.

[0087] The feeder can be widened in the direction of the feeding point to achieve impedance matching.

[0088] In order to achieve a more favorable radiation pattern, in particular a directional radiation of electromagnetic waves along the main radiation direction, it is possible to provide, on one side of the antenna remote from the desired main radiation direction, i.e., "below" the antenna, a metallic or conductive reference electrode structure or a ground plane. The ground plane can be formed, for example, as the metallized underside of a printed circuit board, on the upper side of which the main area of the antenna is formed.

[0089] In an advantageous development of the invention, it is possible to provide that the antenna is designed as a patch antenna or a slot antenna.

[0090] The antenna is preferably designed as a patch antenna. In particular, the patch antenna can be designed as a metallized area on or in a printed circuit board. In contrast, the slot antenna can be designed in a complementary manner as a corresponding recess in the metallized area of the printed circuit board.

[0091] The use of a patch antenna or a slot antenna is merely an advantageous possibility for implementing the antenna device according to the invention. For example, the use of a horn antenna is also possible.

[0092] The patch antenna or the slot antenna is preferably manufactured by a printed circuit board manufacturing process in an additive / subtractive technology. However, individual antennas can also be manufactured separately, for example by deep drawing or stamping and bending processes.

[0093] In a development of the invention, it is possible to provide that the corresponding main area of the antenna has an elliptical geometry. It is similarly possible to provide a rectangular geometry (with different side lengths or a square), for example precisely with a pair of chamfers opposite each other on the diagonals, in particular a square geometry.

[0094] Basically, other geometries can also be provided, such as a triangular geometry, a circular geometry (in particular with a punched or recessed peripheral area, such as a square in the punched-out peripheral area) or other geometries.

[0095] However, the elliptical geometry is preferred because a particularly favorable radiation pattern can be achieved thereby. In particular, preferably fully circularly polarized electromagnetic waves can be radiated through the elliptical geometry, and the ideal axial ratio is 1.0. A particular advantage of the elliptical geometry is that, on the one hand, the area requirement is small compared to other geometries, and the possibility of generating circular polarization with only a single feed point. The linear polarization components can be avoided as much as possible through the elliptical geometry, and thus the elliptical geometry can also achieve the most energy-efficient antenna device.

[0096] In the case of a patch antenna, the metallized area can have the corresponding geometry (elliptical, rectangular, etc.). In the case of a slot antenna, the corresponding recess in the metallized area can have the aforementioned geometry.

[0097] In development, it is also possible to provide that the antenna device has a shielding device which is arranged around the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

[0098] The shielding device preferably forms a shielding housing which surrounds the antenna in a substantially tubular form extending orthogonally to the substrate area. The shielding device can in particular be formed by separate through-connectors extending through electrical components (such as printed circuit boards) forming the substrate area, preferably in a uniform arrangement, particularly preferably in two or more rows, very particularly preferably at the same distance from each other.

[0099] The shielding device is preferably arranged symmetrically and equally with respect to all antennas.

[0100] Since the antenna device has the aforementioned shielding device, the antenna device can be shielded from the environment, and in addition, electromagnetic isolation can be additionally increased. The quasi-coaxial structure of the feed-in and feed-out paths can preferably be achieved by the shielding device.

[0101] The antenna device is preferably arranged on an electrical printed circuit board. The substrate material of the printed circuit board can be, for example, a composite material FR-4 (a composite material consisting of glass fibers in epoxy resin) in order to provide a particularly economical antenna device. Alternatively, the substrate material can also be formed as a composite material of ceramic particles (Teflon) and glass fibers in epoxy resin to minimize dielectric losses.

[0102] Depending on the application, it may happen that the transmission channel established between two transceiver devices is affected by distortion caused by the reflection of the electromagnetic waves of the transmitted data signal. All objects that the electromagnetic waves encounter during their transmission will reflect. Due to the reflection, the useful signal is transmitted from one transceiver device to another not only on the direct path of the line-of-sight component but also through multiple propagation paths formed by the reflected components of the transmission. This is called multipath propagation or a multipath channel. Due to multipath propagation, the line-of-sight component interferes with the reflected components on the receiving antenna of the opposite transceiver device, so that the received signal may be distorted in terms of quantity and phase. Therefore, it is more difficult for the receiver to detect the received signal error-free. In addition to the distortion, multipath propagation also causes the problem of destructive interference on the receiver because the line-of-sight component is canceled by the reflected component shifted by 180° relative to it, so a large amount of power is lost.

[0103] In particular, if the transceiver devices are positioned relatively close to each other (e.g., at a distance less than 10 cm), such as in the case of the following non-contact electrical connectors, reflections may occur in the substrate region of the electrical components (e.g., printed circuit boards) to which the antennas are connected, because components of this type sometimes constitute good reflectors. Therefore, in the transmission from the first transceiver device to the second transceiver device, the signal can reach the second transceiver device through the line-of-sight component, and the signal is reflected in the direction of the first transceiver device in the second transceiver device. Returning to the first transceiver device again, the signal can be reflected again in the first transceiver device and can be bounced back to the receiving antenna of the second transceiver device, where it finally interferes with the line-of-sight component in the second transceiver device.

[0104] Optionally, it is possible to minimize the influence of multipath propagation as much as possible to improve the signal transmission quality. In this regard, signal processing components of the transceiver device, especially digital signal processing components, can be provided for equalization or pre-emphasis.

[0105] However, in an advantageous development of the present invention, in particular, an antenna device can be provided with an attenuation device arranged around the antenna. The attenuation device preferably surrounds the antenna in the radial direction, for example, in a symmetric arrangement around the antenna.

[0106] Obviously, the channel distortion can be advantageously reduced by the attenuation device without necessarily using the above-mentioned signal processing components. Therefore, a large amount of energy that would otherwise be required to be provided to the digital signal processing components can be additionally saved in signal transmission. In the case of non-contact data plugs or non-contact connectors, energy efficiency may be particularly advantageous first because non-contact data plugs or non-contact connectors compete with contact data plugs, which are usually passive and thus usually have no energy requirements. Energy efficiency can also greatly simplify the heat dissipation of non-contact connectors, thus simplifying their integration with the data transmission system.

[0107] Preferably, a high-frequency attenuation material (also called an RF absorber) is used. Such an attenuation material is usually used in the form of an absorption sheet and is preferably mounted on at least one communication partner, preferably on both communication partners, especially around their antennas. The attenuation device can ensure that little or no radiation is reflected on the surface of the electrical component or printed circuit board.

[0108] The attenuation device can have at least one first attenuation unit with an access opening, and the antenna is arranged together within the access opening. The central axis of the access opening can preferably extend along the main radiation direction of the antenna device and / or through the common center point of the antenna.

[0109] The attenuation device or attenuation unit preferably does not extend between the antennas of the antenna device. Preferably, no attenuation material is provided between the antennas.

[0110] The attenuation device is preferably arranged in the substrate region, in particular in the side region of a printed circuit board, on which side region the antennas are also formed. The attenuation device or its components (such as attenuation units) can be, for example, firmly bonded, in particular glued, to the substrate region, where, additionally or alternatively, a force fit and / or form fit connection can also be provided.

[0111] The attenuation device can also be axially remote from the substrate region or can be at least partially embedded in the substrate region, that is, formed, for example, within the printed circuit board.

[0112] It should be mentioned at this point that the definition according to which the attenuation device is arranged around the antenna is preferably understood to mean a top view on the substrate region or the antenna, such that the attenuation device radially or in an annular form surrounds the antenna. The attenuation device also does not necessarily cover the antenna in the axial direction or transversely.

[0113] In a development, it can be provided that the attenuation device has a second attenuation unit with an access opening, inside which access opening the antenna is arranged together. In particular, it can be provided that the first attenuation unit and the second attenuation unit are arranged concentrically.

[0114] The first attenuation unit and the second attenuation unit preferably differ from each other geometrically and / or in their respective material composition / structural composition.

[0115] The attenuation device or components of the attenuation device, such as the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit, can also have a substantially flat geometry, preferably in the form of a plate, in particular in the form of an absorber sheet. However, basically any design can be provided, such as a pyramidal arrangement or design of the attenuation device or its components.

[0116] It can be provided that the access opening of the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit has a circular or square design. However, basically any polygon or other geometry can be provided for the access opening. A circular access opening is generally preferred because possible disturbing effects on optional circular polarization can be reduced by rotational symmetry.

[0117] It can be provided that the periphery of the access opening of the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit, and the extension of the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit along the central axis are designed such that the main lobe of one of the antennas is not covered by the attenuation device in the main radiation direction (in the top view of the antenna or the substrate region / printed circuit board).

[0118] The access opening of the antenna is preferably designed to be as small as possible without intersecting the main lobe of the antenna. The small opening in the attenuation material provides the advantage of effectively suppressing reflections on the printed circuit board where the antenna is preferably arranged.

[0119] In a development of the invention, it can be provided that the lateral extension of the access opening of the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit (e.g., the radius of a circular access opening or the diagonal of a square access opening) is at most 2.0 free-space wavelengths of the electromagnetic wave to be emitted by the antenna device.

[0120] In an advantageous development, it can be provided that the first attenuation unit is arranged inside the access opening of the second attenuation unit.

[0121] The first attenuation unit can preferably be substantially custom-mounted, particularly preferably custom-mounted inside the second attenuation device. Thus, preferably, a zero air gap or other gap is left between the two attenuation units.

[0122] In this way, essentially any number of attenuation units arranged inside one another can be provided, i.e., for example, a third attenuation unit, where the second attenuation unit is arranged together with the first attenuation unit, and so on.

[0123] In a development of the invention, it can be provided that the second attenuation unit has a greater extension along the central axis than the first attenuation unit. Thus, the second attenuation unit is preferably higher than the first attenuation unit. This is particularly advantageous if the first attenuation unit is arranged inside the second attenuation unit, since an overall structure can thereby be provided which gives the antenna lobes of the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group sufficient space to expand in the main radiation direction, while the antenna lobes do not intersect one of the attenuation units in a top view, where the attenuation unit is simultaneously able to provide good coverage and thus attenuation.

[0124] It can be provided that the first attenuation unit and / or the second attenuation unit has a loss-based absorber (also referred to as a "broadband absorber") and / or a resonance-based absorber (also referred to as a "narrowband absorber").

[0125] In the case of a loss-based material, the reflection attenuation can be achieved by dielectric and / or magnetic losses within the attenuation material. This type of attenuation material is, for example, foam plastic (e.g., made of polyurethane) or an elastomer (e.g., silicone resin or nitrile polymer), and these attenuation materials can be provided with lossy materials such as carbon powder or ferrite powder.

[0126] Thus, the loss-based absorber can have a dielectric carrier material, particularly a dielectric carrier material made of foam plastic or an elastomer, in which particulate, electrically conductive foreign material, particularly carbon powder or ferrite powder, is provided.

[0127] Loss-based absorbers can optionally form a layered or continuous impedance gradient extending in the axial direction. The impedance gradient can be set by a multi-layer structure or by changing the dielectric and / or magnetic properties of the material as a function of the depth of the material, which continuously reduces the characteristic impedance of free space (about 377 ohms). Due to this impedance matching, electromagnetic waves impinging on the material are not reflected at the air-to-absorber interface. Instead, it is guided into the absorber and gradually attenuates as it penetrates due to the dielectric or magnetic losses of the absorber.

[0128] Basically, the pyramid-shaped RF absorbers that can also be provided are also based on the concept of a gradually changing field characteristic impedance.

[0129] Resonance-based absorbers can have a dielectric carrier material, in particular a dielectric carrier material made of foam or elastomer, on the side thereof remote from the main radiation direction of the antenna, a conductive reflection region, in particular a metal coating or metal foil, can be formed.

[0130] In the case of resonance-based attenuation materials (which can similarly be based on, for example, silicone, nitrile or polyurethane), a second reflection component can be generated on the metallized region arranged below the attenuation material, which second reflection component is phase-shifted by 180° with respect to the first reflection component occurring at the air-to-attenuation material interface. Then, the first reflection component and the second reflection component can cancel each other out.

[0131] In a particularly advantageous development of the invention, it can be provided that the second attenuation unit has a loss-based absorber and the first attenuation unit has a resonance-based absorber. This combination is advantageous if the first attenuation unit is arranged inside the second attenuation unit and, in particular, if the second attenuation unit has a greater axial extension than the first attenuation unit. In particular, using carrier frequencies greater than 20 GHz, in particular greater than 50 GHz carrier frequencies, very thin resonance-based attenuation materials can be realized. The resulting small axial extension of the first attenuation unit realized with the resonance-based attenuation material can in turn have a favorable effect on the optional circular polarization of the antenna, since the first attenuation unit minimally affects the radiation field of the antenna.

[0132] For example, a thin attenuation material or a thin first attenuation unit (e.g., having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2 mm) has little impact on antenna characteristics (such as antenna gain and antenna polarization) due to its thin design and can be arranged in the immediate vicinity of the first ring around the antenna. For example, this can be achieved by a resonance-based attenuation material or a broadband attenuation material based on a thin elastomer. The resonance-based attenuation material offers the advantages of being more economical and thinner. The broadband material not only has a larger absorption bandwidth but also offers the advantage of being able to effectively absorb non-orthogonally incident electromagnetic radiation. The second attenuation material or the second attenuation unit is thicker (e.g., >2 mm) and economical and also effectively absorbs non-orthogonally incident electromagnetic radiation. For example, in the case of a broadband foam absorber, it can be arranged in the second ring around the antenna.

[0133] It can be provided that the diameter or side length of the attenuation device is at least 3 free-space wavelengths of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the antenna device and at most 6 free-space wavelengths.

[0134] The present invention also relates to a transceiver device having an antenna device as described above and below, a transmit signal path, and a receive signal path, wherein the asymmetric connection of the first balun is connected to the transmit signal path, and the asymmetric connection of the second balun is connected to the receive signal path. The transmit signal path has a transmit unit, and the receive signal path has a receive unit, which can be components of a common circuit device. The transmit unit is connected to two transmit antennas through the first balun so as to radiate electromagnetic waves through the differential excitation of the two transmit antennas. The receive unit is connected to a receive antenna through the second balun so as to receive electromagnetic waves through the receive antenna.

[0135] Therefore, the single-ended connection of the first balun (i.e., the connection for asymmetric signal transmission) is preferably connected to the HF output of the transmit unit or the transmitter, and the differential connections of the first balun (i.e., the connections for symmetric signal transmission) are both connected to the transmit antennas. The single-ended connection of the second balun is preferably further connected to the HF input of the receive unit or the receiver, and the differential connections of the second balun are both connected to the receive antennas.

[0136] A transceiver device with an antenna device can be advantageously provided, which is suitable for simultaneously transmitting data bidirectionally (full duplex) in the same frequency band (in-band full duplex) and is independent of the reciprocating rotation or alignment of communication partners relative to each other. For example, during transmission, rotation of two communication partners around a common center point of the antenna is possible, especially if the two communication partners are arranged concentrically with each other such that the rotation axes of the common center point of the antenna and the corresponding other communication partner coincide to form a common center of rotational symmetry. Each communication partner includes a transceiver device as described above and below.

[0137] Data can be transmitted by the proposed transceiver device, which is independent of the orientation or alignment of two communication partners or the first and second transceiver devices, while having a simple technical design of the antenna device. The present invention can be advantageously implemented using conventional printed circuit board technology. However, other manufacturing technologies are basically possible, such as using waveguides.

[0138] The balun or balance unit can preferably be designed as a 180° hybrid coupler (also known as a rat-race coupler or ring coupler). However, alternatively, different structures can be provided, especially the Marchand balun. However, other implementations are also possible. For example, a 90° hybrid coupler can be provided, at the second output port of which the second output port is phase-shifted 90° relative to the first output port, and a line with an electrical length of 90° (i.e., 1 / 4 of the free-space wavelength of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted) is connected. A Wilkinson divider can also be provided, at the first output of which a first antenna feeder is connected, and the electrical length of the first antenna feeder is 180° longer than that of the second antenna feeder connected to the second output of the Wilkinson divider. A magic tee can also be provided.

[0139] In a particularly advantageous development of the present invention, a transmitting unit and a receiving unit can be provided and designed to be capable of in-band full-duplex communication. In different designs of the present disclosure, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be components of a radar system.

[0140] The transmitting unit is preferably designed to transmit a transmission signal having a first carrier frequency band, wherein the receiving unit is designed to receive a received signal having a second carrier frequency band, wherein the first carrier frequency band and the second carrier frequency band at least partially spectrally overlap with each other, preferably completely spectrally overlap, and wherein the receiving unit is designed to receive the received signal while the transmitting unit transmits the transmission signal.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present invention, a receiving unit may be designed to perform non-coherent demodulation. The receiving unit may preferably have an envelope detector that performs non-coherent demodulation.

[0142] In particular, if the goal is to achieve a high data rate in signal transmission, coherent transmission methods are generally preferred. However, the inventors have recognized that due to significantly reduced power consumption, non-coherent demodulation methods may be more suitable for this. To maintain a high data rate simultaneously, the in-band full-duplex transmission proposed above can be used, and due to the high attenuation characteristics of the antenna device according to the present invention, this in-band full-duplex transmission can be advantageously used. The high attenuation characteristics can be achieved by a first attenuation unit and optionally an additional second attenuation unit.

[0143] In an embodiment of the present invention, a transmitting unit may also be provided with a free-running voltage-controlled oscillator to generate a carrier frequency for signal transmission.

[0144] The use of a free-running oscillator can enable a simple and energy-saving design of the transceiver device. In particular, a complex phase-locked loop that requires installation space and power can be dispensed with. The receiving signal path of the transceiver device can accordingly pass through without an oscillator, which again saves power and installation space, especially if the receiving signal path performs non-coherent demodulation and has a corresponding envelope detector.

[0145] Only two-stage double-sideband amplitude modulation can be provided to further simplify the transceiver device. In particular, complex modulation methods such as quadrature amplitude modulation can be dispensed with.

[0146] The maximum transmission power of the transmitting unit may preferably be less than 30 dBm, preferably less than 27 dBm, particularly preferably less than 20 dBm, very particularly preferably less than 10 dBm, and further preferably less than 2 dBm.

[0147] The transmission power can be set, for example, by setting the operating point of the final amplifier of the transmission signal path of the transmitted signal.

[0148] The transmitting unit of the transceiver device may include a first signal processing component (more precisely, a transmission signal processing component). The transmission signal processing component may include an upconverter that converts the transmitted baseband signal to the carrier frequency range. The local oscillator signal for the upconverter may be provided by the oscillator circuit of the transmission signal processing component. The transmission signal processing component may also include a final amplifier for the transmitted signal connected to the high-frequency output (abbreviated as HF output) of the transmission signal processing component. The transmission signal processing component may optionally include a transmission filter, such as a bandpass filter, which is connected between the output of the final amplifier for the transmitted signal and the HF output of the transmission signal processing component.

[0149] The receiving unit may include a second signal processing component (more precisely, a received signal processing component). The received signal processing component may include a receiving filter at its high-frequency input (abbreviated as HF input), and the receiving filter may be implemented as a band-pass filter. The received signal processing component may also include a low-noise preamplifier, which may be connected to the high-frequency input of the received signal processing component. For example, the low-noise preamplifier is connected to the output of the receiving filter. The received signal processing component may also include a down-converter, which may convert the received signal from the carrier frequency range to the baseband or intermediate frequency. The down-converter may be implemented as, for example, an envelope detector, or a local oscillator signal may be provided by an optional local oscillator circuit of the received signal processing component.

[0150] In an exemplary embodiment, neither the transmitting signal processing component nor the received signal processing component includes a device for digital signal processing, particularly not a device for radio channel estimation, digital pre-emphasis for the transmitted signal, or equalization for the received signal. This can result in power savings for the transceiver device.

[0151] Specifically, a carrier frequency of 10 GHz or higher for data transmission may be provided, preferably a carrier frequency of 30 GHz or higher, and particularly preferably a carrier frequency of 60 GHz or higher. The voltage-controlled oscillator of the transmitting unit may preferably be designed to generate a carrier oscillation at the above carrier frequency.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment of the non-contact electrical connector, the first and second transceiver devices are arranged opposite each other, the distance between them is less than 10 cm, and a carrier frequency greater than 50 GHz is provided, and the maximum transmit power is preferably less than 0 dBm. The first and second transceiver devices are preferably connected by in-band full-duplex communication.

[0153] The size of the antenna is generally scaled in proportion to the operating wavelength used. The above specific advantage is that relatively high carrier frequencies can also be found in the small wavelengths of electromagnetic waves, as well as the associated high data rates of signal transmission, so that the antennas and structures involved can be designed to be correspondingly small, such that the present invention can be advantageously applied to implement non-contact connectors with small space requirements, as described below.

[0154] In particular, if a correspondingly high carrier frequency is selected, the data rate of signal transmission is greater than 0.2 Gbit / s, preferably greater than 0.5 Gbit / s, and particularly preferably greater than 1.0 Gbit / s.

[0155] The invention also relates to a communication system which, in each case according to the description above and below, has a first transceiver device and a second transceiver device for providing wireless signal transmission between the respective circuit devices of the transceiver devices, in particular for providing an in-band full-duplex communication channel between the transceiver devices.

[0156] A compact and energy-efficient in-band full-duplex communication system can advantageously be equipped with mutually isolated transmit and receive antennas of the respective communication partners, and the system is capable of achieving very fast data transmission by means of mechanical rotation over a very short distance within a limited installation space.

[0157] The communication system according to the invention can be particularly advantageously used for wireless transmission between electrical devices which are movably arranged relative to one another, preferably as an alternative to sliding contacts. The proposed communication system can be advantageous if two communication partners, namely the first transceiver device and the second transceiver device, have a variable or unknown angle of rotation relative to one another during operation such that the transmit antenna and the receive antenna are not always aligned with one another in a defined manner.

[0158] The communication system according to the invention is particularly suitable for use with electric motors or rotary machines or linear actuators. Possible fields of application relate to energy technology (such as wind turbines and generators) and vehicle technology (in particular electric motors, generators, adjustable devices such as seats, rearview mirrors and even car doors). The invention is also particularly advantageously applicable in the field of robotics, medical technology or general industry in the area of articulated joints, in particular if a sealing system is provided.

[0159] In an advantageous development, it can be provided that the two transceiver devices are arranged at a maximum distance of 10 cm from one another for wireless signal transmission, preferably at a maximum distance of 5 cm from one another, particularly preferably at a maximum distance of 2 cm from one another, very particularly preferably at a maximum distance of 1 cm from one another, and even further preferably at a maximum distance of 0.5 cm from one another, for example at a distance of 1.0 mm to 3.0 cm from one another.

[0160] The distance between the transceiver devices can be defined as the shortest distance between the common center points of the transmit antenna groups of the first transceiver device and the receive antenna groups of the second transceiver device.

[0161] Therefore, it is recommended to use an antenna for relatively short-distance transmission. This is contrary to the known methods of this technology, in which systems based on cross-coupling between adjacent conductors (e.g., by using waveguides) are typically used for short transmission distances. Instead, an antenna is a waveform converter that converts a line-conducted electromagnetic wave into a free-space wave and vice versa. Therefore, they are generally not suitable for very short-distance non-contact data transmission. However, these disadvantages can be overcome by the proposed antenna device, and as a result, an economical and small system with low power consumption and high electromagnetic compatibility can be achieved. Due to the inherent attenuation characteristics of the antenna device and the possibility of in-band full-duplex operation, a high data rate can be further achieved in signal transmission.

[0162] The present invention is basically particularly advantageously applicable to near-field or wireless transmission at short distances. However, the present invention can generally also be applicable to far-field transmission or transmission at distances longer than the above-specified distances. Therefore, the distance between two transceiver devices can be basically arbitrary, for example, even greater than 10 cm, such as 20 cm to 100 cm or more.

[0163] In an advantageous development of the present invention, it is possible to provide that two transceiver devices rotate relative to each other about a common axis of rotation.

[0164] The central point of the corresponding antenna device or the common central point of the antennas of the corresponding antenna device is therefore preferably arranged coaxially with each other and coincides with the common axis of rotation.

[0165] It can also be provided that two transceiver devices can move translationally relative to each other, for example, move translationally along a pipeline, especially move translationally along the main radiation direction of the antenna or in the opposite direction.

[0166] In an advantageous development, it can be provided that the communication system has a non-contact electrical connector and a non-contact electrical mating connector, wherein the first transceiver device is arranged in the non-contact electrical connector, and the second transceiver device is arranged in the non-contact electrical mating connector, and the non-contact electrical mating connector can be mechanically connected to the connector.

[0167] Therefore, it is possible to provide a non-contact (especially related to electrical contact) connector or a wireless connector, that is, a connector with a radio interface. The corresponding transceiver device can optionally be accommodated in the connector or the mating connector in a sealed manner.

[0168] The connector and the mating connector can preferably be designed to be completely non-contact, that is, mechanically and electrically non-contact, so the connector and the mating connector do not contact each other. Therefore, the connector and the mating connector can be designed to be electrically separated and / or mechanically separated from each other.

[0169] Unlike traditional contact connectors, electrical and optionally mechanical non-contact connectors offer the advantage of less wear because no insertion procedure is required, which over time causes mechanical wear of the conductor contacts. Another advantage of non-contact data plugs or connectors is that during operation, the connector and the mating connector can move relative to each other (as long as this is provided for in the application). Thus, the use of sliding contacts that are particularly subject to wear, or cables that move with the sliding contacts and are thus exposed to mechanical stress, can be avoided.

[0170] The connector and the mating connector can be locked to each other. The connector can have at least one first locking device, and the mating connector can have a second locking device corresponding to the first locking device. The locking device can be designed as, for example, a latch, a hook, a spring clip, a locking groove, a concave groove, or other locking devices. A locking bar or other fixing means for closing the plug connection can also be provided. The locking is preferably designed such that the connector and the mating connector can still move relative to each other with at least one degree of freedom (optionally within defined limits) even after locking, for example, translate in the insertion direction or along the main radiation direction of the antenna, or rotate about the axis of rotation mentioned above.

[0171] The connector is preferably rotatable and / or movable relative to the mating connector at least in certain regions (especially in the connected state).

[0172] The invention also relates to an actuator device, in particular an industrial robot system, which has a first actuator element, a second actuator element, and a communication system as described above and below, wherein a first transceiver device is arranged on the first actuator element and a second transceiver device is arranged on the second actuator element to enable wireless signal transmission between the two actuator elements.

[0173] It can be advantageously provided for the actuator device with non-contact two-way data transmission (full duplex) in the same or at least overlapping frequency bands (in-band full duplex), especially for multi-axis industrial robot systems, where the communication can be achieved independently of the reciprocating rotation of the communication partner.

[0174] Finally, the invention also relates to a method for operating an antenna device of a transceiver device, in particular a high-frequency transceiver device, which has at least the following method steps:

[0175] - Providing a transmitting antenna group consisting of a first transmitting antenna and a second transmitting antenna, both the first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna being connected to the symmetric connection of a first balun;

[0176] - Provide a receiving antenna group composed of a first receiving antenna and a second receiving antenna, where both the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna are connected to the symmetric connection of a second balun;

[0177] - Operate a transmitting antenna group through the transmitting signal path of the transceiver device, where the transmitting signal path is connected to a first balun through the asymmetric connection of the first balun;

[0178] - Operate the receiving antenna group through the receiving signal path of the transceiver device, where the receiving signal path is independent of the transmitting signal path and is connected to a second balun through the asymmetric connection of the second balun; wherein

[0179] The first transmitting antenna, the second transmitting antenna, the first receiving antenna, and the second receiving antenna are arranged in spatial positions relative to each other such that crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group is reduced at least through the differential connection of their respective antennas.

[0180] The differential operation of the transmitting and receiving antennas provides the following advantages: Compared with the adjustment of a single antenna, the adjustment of the asymmetric connection of the balun is significantly improved. The improved adjustment in turn leads to a more uniform frequency response of the transmission channel between communication partners and thus less channel distortion. Less channel distortion ultimately results in reduced inter-symbol interference and thus enables a higher data rate.

[0181] The features already described in connection with one of the subject matters of the present invention (i.e., including antenna devices, transceiver devices, communication systems, actuator devices, or methods) are also advantageously applicable to other subject matters of the present invention. The advantages mentioned in connection with one of the subject matters of the present invention can be similarly understood as also relating to other subject matters of the present invention.

[0182] Furthermore, it should be noted that terms such as "comprising", "having", or "with" do not exclude any other features or steps. In addition, singular terms representing steps or features such as "a / an" or "the" do not exclude multiple features or steps, and vice versa.

[0183] However, in a pure embodiment of the present invention, it can also be provided that the features introduced in the present invention with the terms "comprising", "having", or "with" are exhaustively listed. Therefore, a list of one or more features according to the present invention can be considered to be exhaustive, for example, in each case for each claim considered. The present invention may include only the features specified in claim 1, for example.

[0184] It should be noted that expressions such as "first" or "second" are mainly used based on the distinguishability of corresponding device features or method features, and do not necessarily intend to indicate that these features are interdependent or related to each other.

[0185] It should be further emphasized that the values and parameters described herein also include deviations or fluctuations of ±10% or less, preferably ±5% or less, more preferably ±1% or less, and very particularly preferably ±0.1% or less of the respectively specified values or parameters, unless these deviations are excluded in the actual implementation of the present invention. The ranges represented by the initial and final values also include all those values and fractions included in the respectively specified ranges, particularly the initial and final values and the corresponding average values.

[0186] Separate inventions will also be described below within the framework of the overall inventive concept. The applicant expressly reserves the right to separately claim the following subject matter.

[0187] This separate invention relates to an attenuation device for an antenna device, wherein the attenuation device is arranged around one or more antennas of the antenna device, preferably on a substrate area (such as a side area of a printed circuit board) to which the antenna is connected. The attenuation device has at least one first attenuation unit, which has an access opening, and the antenna can be arranged together within the access opening, wherein the central axis of the access opening extends along the main radiation direction of the antenna device and / or through the common center point of the antenna.

[0188] This separate invention also relates to an antenna device having one or more antennas, preferably a substrate area, and the above-described attenuation device.

[0189] The features of the following patent claims, particularly claims 14 to 19, and the features and advantages related to the antenna device, attenuation device, and other subject matters described in this specification should be understood as advantageous embodiments and variants of the separate invention. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0190] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0191] In each case, the drawings show preferred exemplary embodiments, in which the various features of the present invention are presented in combination with each other. The features of the exemplary embodiments are also implemented separately from other features of the same exemplary embodiment, and can therefore be easily combined by those skilled in the art with the features of other exemplary embodiments to form further suitable combinations and sub-combinations.

[0192] In the drawings, elements having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0193] In the schematic diagrams:

[0194] Figure 1 Shows a top view of an antenna device with an elliptical patch antenna according to the present invention;

[0195] Figure 2 Shows an example of another patch antenna used in the antenna device according to the present invention, the other patch antenna having a square geometry and two chamfers opposite each other on the diagonal;

[0196] Figure 3 Shows an example of another patch antenna used in the antenna device according to the present invention, the other patch antenna having a square geometry and a groove in the shape of a central slit;

[0197] Figure 4 Shows an example of another patch antenna used in the antenna device according to the present invention, the other patch antenna having a circular geometry and two peripheral regions stamped or recessed into a square;

[0198] Figure 5 Shows an example of another patch antenna used in an antenna device according to the present invention having a triangular geometry;

[0199] Figure 6 Shows an example of another patch antenna used in the antenna device according to the present invention, the other patch antenna having a rectangular, elongated geometry;

[0200] Figure 7 Shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to the present invention, the antenna device having near-field coupling or capacitive coupling;

[0201] Figure 8 Shows Figure 7 a top view of the antenna device in

[0202] Figure 9 Shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to the present invention, the antenna device having direct coupling through a through-connector;

[0203] Figure 10 Shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to the present invention, the antenna device having direct coupling through a microstrip line;

[0204] Figure 11 Shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to the present invention, the antenna device having coupling through an intermediate antenna designed as a slot antenna;

[0205] Figure 12 Shows a top view of an antenna device according to the present invention, the antenna device having a circumferential shielding device composed of through-connectors;

[0206] Figure 13 shows a transceiver device according to the present invention;

[0207] Figure 14 shows a communication system according to the present invention, the communication system having an electrical connector and an electrical mating connector;

[0208] Figure 15 shows another communication system according to the present invention, the another communication system having communication partners arranged to rotate relative to each other;

[0209] Figure 16 shows simulation results of transmission characteristics and isolation characteristics of a communication system according to the present invention;

[0210] Figure 17 shows an actuator device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0211] Figure 18 shows another communication system according to the present invention having two communication partners, the another communication system having a corresponding attenuation device according to a first variant;

[0212] Figure 19 shows a perspective view of another transceiver device according to the present invention, the another transceiver device having an attenuation device according to a second variant; and

[0213] Figure 20 shows in another communication system according to the present invention Figure 19 the two transceiver devices shown. Detailed Description

[0214] Figure 1 Schematically shows an antenna device 1 used in a full-duplex communication channel according to the present invention. The antenna device 1 has a transmitting antenna group formed by a first planar transmitting antenna 2 and a second planar transmitting antenna 3, and a first planar receiving antenna 4 and a second planar receiving antenna 5 of the same design, and the second planar receiving antenna 5 forms a receiving antenna group with the first receiving antenna 4.

[0215] In an exemplary embodiment, all the transmitting antennas 2, 3 may have the same design. The receiving antennas 4, 5 may also preferably have the same design as the transmitting antennas 2, 3, that is, in particular, the geometries, materials and feeding points of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 may all be the same.

[0216] The transmitting antennas 2, 3 and the receiving antennas 4, 5 are arranged such that their respective main regions 6 are parallel to a common base region 7 around a common central point or around a common center of rotation Z. The base region 7 is preferably formed on an electrical component having the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5. In particular, the base region 7 can be an external metallized region, such as the top or bottom layer of an electrical printed circuit board 8. The center of rotation Z is preferably formed at the center between the two transmitting antennas 2, 3 and, in an exemplary embodiment, also at the center between the two receiving antennas 4, 5, but this should not be construed as limiting. In an exemplary embodiment, all the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are arranged such that their center points M are on a common, imaginary circumference K, the center of which coincides with the center of rotation Z.

[0217] The transmitting antennas 2, 3 are arranged to rotate 180° relative to each other around the center of rotation Z. The receiving antennas 4, 5 also rotate 180° relative to each other accordingly, wherein the receiving antennas 4, 5 are further arranged to rotate 90° relative to the transmitting antennas 2, 3 adjacent along the circumference K. The antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 all rotate around the center of rotation Z in the same direction, clockwise in an exemplary embodiment, and it can be clearly identified in Figure 1 particular, based on the positions of the feeding points 9 of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0218] In other exemplary embodiments, based on the similarly rotating feeders of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5, such as in capacitive coupling feeders, the rotation of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 can also be identified, see Figure 8 .

[0219] The first receiving antenna 4 has the same center-to-center distance D to the two transmitting antennas 2, 3. In an exemplary embodiment, the second receiving antenna 5 also has the same center-to-center distance D to the two transmitting antennas 2, 3, wherein the center-to-center distance D of the second receiving antenna 5 is the same as the center-to-center distance D of the first receiving antenna 4. The overall result of this is Figure 1 the geometric arrangement shown.

[0220] The center-to-center distance D between the receiving antennas 4, 5 and the transmitting antennas 2, 3 adjacent along the circumference K is preferably less than half of the wavelength λ of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted, wherein the distance between the two transmitting antennas 2, 3 and the distance between the two receiving antennas 4, 5 precisely correspond to half of the wavelength λ of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted, or are similarly less than half of the wavelength λ.

[0221] The receiving antennas 4, 5 and the transmitting antennas 2, 3 are also preferably arranged relative to each other in such a way that their respective main symmetry axes H form a direction angle α of substantially or preferably exactly 45°. As shown in the figure, the main symmetry axes H of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 adjacent along the circumference K are orthogonally aligned with each other. However, the actual direction angle α is not necessarily important, but for all antennas, the direction angle is the same.

[0222] Due to the same direction angle α on all antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 and / or due to the arrangement of the center points M of all antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 on the common imaginary circumference K, the crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group can be reduced at least by the differential connection of their respective antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0223] The antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 have respective eccentric offset feed points 9, where the respective eccentric offset d is the same for all antennas 2, 3, 4, 5. The feed point 9 is preferably located on the main symmetry axis H, but this is not absolutely necessary. The feed point 9 is usually matched to an input impedance of 50 ohms; it should be noted here that, correspondingly, multiple possible feed points 9 can also be present on the main area 6 of the respective antennas 2, 3, 4, 5, and thus the feed point 9 indicated in the exemplary embodiment is only to be understood as an example. Basically, it is even possible to provide the simultaneous use of multiple feed points 9, but a single feed point for each antenna 2, 3, 4, 5 is usually sufficient.

[0224] If the transmitting antennas 2, 3 of the transmitting antenna group are excited by signals with a phase shift of 180°, particularly but not necessarily, if the received electromagnetic waves are also differentially evaluated by the receiving antennas 4, 5 of the receiving antenna group, the shown antenna device 1 can achieve a very effective isolation between the transmitter and the receiver. However, the antenna device 1 can be designed with technically simple means, for example using simple printed circuit board technology.

[0225] The antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are preferably designed as patch antennas, as shown in most exemplary embodiments. The patch antennas can in particular be designed as conductive areas or metallized areas on or in the printed circuit board 8. Alternatively, supplementary means can also be provided, according to which the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are designed as slot antennas and have corresponding grooves 10 in the metallized area (for example in the metallized area of the printed circuit board 8) (cf. for example Figure 3 and Figure 11 ).

[0226] The respective main areas 6 of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 particularly preferably have an elliptical geometry, as shown in Figure 1 and One some of the following figures. Thus, in Figure 1In the antenna device 1 shown, a particularly pure circular polarization of electromagnetic waves can be generated, for example, clockwise circular polarization (alternatively, counterclockwise circular polarization can also be generated in each case of the devices of antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 with a corresponding rotation of 90°). However, alternatively, other geometries of antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 can also be provided, some of which are shown by way of example in Figures 2 to 6 as follows.

[0227] As Figure 2 shown, a square geometry can be provided, for example, precisely having a pair of punched or recessed corners that are opposite each other on the diagonal. In this case, the feed point 9 is preferably not located on the main symmetry axis H, but on a straight line that is rotated 45° relative to the main symmetry axis H and extends through the center point M of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0228] Figure 3 Another alternative antenna 2, 3, 4, 5 is shown, which has a slot-shaped groove 10 arranged diagonally at the center of the conductive main region 6. The feed point 9 is again preferably arranged on a straight line that is aligned at 45° relative to the main symmetry axis H and extends through the center point M of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0229] Figure 4 Another alternative antenna geometry is shown. The antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are designed as circular and precisely have a pair of square, punched or recessed parts that are opposite each other on the diagonal. The feed point 9 is again arranged on a straight line that is inclined 45° relative to the main symmetry axis H and extends through the center point M.

[0230] Antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 having a triangular geometry are shown in Figure 5 as another example, where the feed point 9 is eccentrically offset on the main symmetry axis H.

[0231] Figure 6 Finally, a longitudinal rectangular cross-section of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 is shown, where the feed point 9 is again arranged on the symmetric main axis H.

[0232] As previously mentioned, additional feed points 9 can also be provided, for example, in Figure 2 along a straight line mirror-imaged on the center point of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5, or in Figure 3 , 4 , 6, with up to four feed points 9 in each case.

[0233] Each of the above antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 can also be complementarily designed as a corresponding slot antenna.

[0234] Different variants of injecting electromagnetic waves into the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 and extracting electromagnetic waves from the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are possible. Preferred injection and extraction techniques are as Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown. As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 7 , electromagnetic waves are preferably capacitively injected mainly into the transmitting antennas 2, 3 from the corresponding feeder 11, and capacitively extracted mainly from the receiving antennas 4, 5. Therefore, the feeding point 9 is only Figure 8 a hypothetical point in. In the case of capacitive injection, the rotation of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 can be basically easily identified by the angle of the input feeder 11. Ultimately, the angle of the input feeder 11 basically affects the polarization of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5. For example, for the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 shown in Figure 8 , since the feeder makes an angle of 45° with the main axis H, this results in right circular polarization. If the main area 6 of the antenna rotates 90° around an imaginary axis perpendicular to the main area 6 and passing through the center point of the main area, this will result in left circular polarization of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0235] For favorable impedance matching, the feeder 11 can undergo continuous widening in the direction of the center point M of the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 (see Figure 8 ).

[0236] A stacked arrangement for injecting into and extracting from the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 through one or more intermediate antennas 12 can further increase the bandwidth of the device. The main area 6 of the intermediate antenna 12 is preferably enlarged compared to the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5. In the case of providing multiple intermediate antennas 12, their main areas 6 expand with the distance from the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0237] To obtain a directional radiation pattern, a final ground plane 13 can be provided at the rear side of the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5, as clearly visible in Figure 7 . This can be, for example, a metal coating and / or a metal housing on the printed circuit board 8.

[0238] As an alternative to near-field coupling, direct excitation can also be provided, for example, through the through-connector 14 of the printed circuit board 8 (as shown in Figure 9 ), or by feeding the microstrip line of the corresponding antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 (see Figure 10 ). In addition, as shown in Figure 11 , injection through an intermediate antenna 12 designed as a slot antenna can also be provided.

[0239] To increase the isolation characteristics and shielding of the antenna device 1 and, where appropriate, further optimize the radiation pattern, a shielding device 15 can be provided, as shown in Figure 12as shown in the example in

[0240] The shielding device 15 can be arranged around the transmitting antennas 2, 3 and the receiving antennas 4, 5, and can surround the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 in a substantially tubular form. The shielding device 15 can preferably form a shielding shell 16 extending perpendicular to the substrate region 7 (represented by a dashed line in Figure 12 ). The shielding device 15 can be formed of, for example, a metal plate, or as Figure 12 shown, formed by individual through-connections 14 extending through the printed circuit board 8, and are preferably arranged regularly, and very particularly preferably arranged in at least two rows.

[0241] The advantage of combining the shielding device 15 with the antenna device 1 is to shield the conductor structure from the radiation fields of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 arranged around the antenna device 1. In particular, asymmetrically arranged conductor structures can affect the radiation fields of the transmitting antennas 2, 3 and the receiving antennas 4, 5 differently, and thus can cause uneven crosstalk between the transmitting antennas 2, 3 and the receiving antennas 4, 5. As a result, the crosstalk from the two transmitting antennas 2, 3 to the receiving antenna can no longer be canceled or can only be partially canceled, which can reduce the antenna isolation.

[0242] Figure 13 The transceiver device 17 according to the present invention is shown by way of example. The transceiver device 17 has the antenna device 1 and the circuit device 18 described above, and the circuit device 18 has a transmitting unit (TX) 19 and a receiving unit (RX) 20.

[0243] The transmitting unit 19 is connected to the two transmitting antennas 2, 3 to radiate electromagnetic waves by differential excitation of the two transmitting antennas 2, 3. To this end, the transmitting unit 19 has a first signal processing component 21 in the transmission signal path S, and the transmitting antenna group has a first balun or a first balancing unit 22 to excite the transmitting antennas 2, 3 with electrical signals having a phase shift of 180°. The first balancing unit 22 is preferably designed as a 180° hybrid coupler. Both the first transmitting antenna 2 and the second transmitting antenna 3 are connected to the symmetric connection A of the first balun 22 S . The transmitting unit 19 or the signal processing component 21 of the transmitting unit 19 is connected to the asymmetric connection A of the first balun 22 A .

[0244] For differential reception with two receiving antennas 4, 5, the receiving unit 20 is connected to the two receiving antennas 4, 5 via the second balun of the receiving antenna group or via the second balancing unit 23 (preferably also a 180° hybrid coupler) in order to receive electromagnetic waves and forward them to the second signal processing component 24 in the received signal path E. Both the first receiving antenna 3 and the second receiving antenna 4 are connected to the symmetric connection A of the second balun 23. S The receiving unit 20 or the signal processing component 24 of the receiving unit 20 is connected to the asymmetric connection A of the second balun 23. A .

[0245] Independence between the transmit signal path S and the receive signal path E within the same transceiver device 17 means that, for example, the transceiver device 17 can be used to route different (i.e., uncorrelated) signals. The transmit signal path S can route a transmit signal that can be transmitted via the transmit antennas 2, 3 and wirelessly transmitted to a second transceiver device 17. The receive signal path E can route a receive signal transmitted from the second transceiver device 17 and received via the receive antennas 4, 5.

[0246] Furthermore, as also Figure 13 shown, the transmit signal path S and the receive signal path E can be electrically isolated from each other.

[0247] A wireless communication system 25 can be formed by two transceiver devices 17 of this type. A communication system 25 of this type can include a first communication partner and a second communication partner, where the first communication partner can include a first transceiver device 17 and the second communication partner can include a second transceiver device 17 of the type disclosed herein. The communication system 25 according to the invention is particularly advantageously suitable for short-range wireless signal transmission, for example short-range wireless signal transmission up to a maximum of 5 m, and usually even shorter distances, for example up to a maximum of 10 cm. With the antenna device 1 proposed according to the invention, wireless communication is possible even in the near field, at least if the center point Z of the antenna device 1 lies on a common axis of rotation aligned perpendicular to the printed circuit board 7, and the wireless communication can be largely independent of, preferably completely independent of, the alignment of the two transceiver devices 17 relative to each other. In this way, the signal transmission can be particularly independent of the rotation of the antenna devices 1 relative to each other.

[0248] Advantageous applications are in particular as an alternative, for example, for robotics with sliding contacts in the field of articulated joints, or for applications where a communication connection is established under particularly adverse environmental conditions and is therefore hermetically shielded.

[0249] Figure 14Communication system 25 is shown by way of example, which has an electrical connector 26 in which a first transceiver device 17 is arranged, and the communication system 25 has an electrical mating connector 27 that can be mechanically connected to the connector 26, and a second transceiver device 17 is arranged in the electrical mating connector 27.

[0250] The connector 26 can be connected to, for example, the device housing 28. The mating connector 27 can be, for example, a cable connector into which a cable 29 with a single wire 30 is introduced. The connector 26 and the mating connector 27 can have locking means for interlocking in the connected state. Figure 14 An interlocking plug-in connection composed of the connector 26 and the mating connector 27 is shown by way of example, and this interlocking plug-in connection enables the partners to rotate relative to each other. Thus, a non-contact or wireless plug-in connection independent of the rotation direction can be advantageously provided for transmitting electrical signals between the cable 29 or the wire 30 of the cable 29 and the electrical conductor 32 inside the device housing 28. The connector 26 and the mating connector 27 can preferably be designed to be completely non-contact, that is, electrically and mechanically non-contact.

[0251] However, any further applications are basically possible, such as applications in energy technology or vehicle technology.

[0252] To illustrate again the specific advantages of the present invention in the transmission of communication partners arranged to rotate relative to each other, in Figure 15 another communication system 25 is shown by way of example in a simplified representation. In Figure 15 the antenna devices 1 are arranged coaxially with each other but rotatably arranged around a rotating center, and advantageous signal transmission can still be carried out through the proposed antenna devices 1. The inclination of the antenna devices 1 relative to each other and the eccentric offset of the corresponding rotation center can also be compensated.

[0253] Figure 16 The simulation results of the communication system 25 according to the present invention are shown to illustrate the advantageous transmission characteristics and isolation characteristics of the antenna device 1 according to the present invention. The antenna devices 1 as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 7 and Figure 8 have been simulated, which have a transmission bandwidth of 10 GHz, and the distance between the two transceiver devices 17 or the antenna devices 1 is 12 mm. The individual curves of the two arrays of the curves represent the simulation results of the different rotation angles / orientations of the two communication partners relative to each other. On the one hand, the high isolation characteristics between the transmitter and the receiver of the same transceiver are recognizable (isolation within the proposed frequency band > 50 dB, see curve y 1the lower array), on the other hand, the high independence of the transmission characteristics with respect to the alignment or orientation of the two communication partners relative to each other is evident (see curve y 2 the upper array).

[0254] As previously mentioned, it is also highly advantageous to use the proposed antenna device 1 in components that can be moved relative to each other during actuation, in order to enable wireless signal transmission at short distances with high data rates and high electromagnetic compatibility. For illustrative purposes, Figure 17 the actuator device 33 is shown. An industrial robot system consisting of two independent multi-axis industrial robots 34 is shown by way of example, but this is only intended as an example. The actuator device 33 has a first actuator element 35, a second actuator element 36, and a communication system 25, wherein the first transceiver device 17 can be arranged on the first actuator element 35 and the second transceiver device 17 can be arranged on the second actuator element 36 in order to enable wireless signal transmission between the two actuator elements 35, 36. In Figure 17 the exemplary embodiment shown, the actuator elements 35, 36 are both end effectors of the industrial robot 34, but they can basically be any movable or immovable element of a general actuator device 33. For example, the two actuator elements 35, 36 can also be part of the same device, i.e., for example, part of the same industrial robot 34, for example in order to enable signal transmission along the respective axes of the industrial robot 34, such as wirelessly bridging articulated joints and without using sliding contacts, etc.

[0255] As previously mentioned, during signal transmission between communication partners, electromagnetic wave reflection can occur, which can lead to unwanted multipath propagation. In particular, if the communication partners are located in close proximity to each other, such as in Figure 14 , Figure 15 and Figure 17 the exemplary embodiment shown, reflection can occur on the printed circuit board 8 to which the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 are connected. As shown by the dashed arrows in Figure 18 , in addition to transmission through the line-of-sight component, the signal can also be reflected back and forth between the communication partners, and thus can be transmitted through one or more reflected components, which will ultimately result in interference between the desired line-of-sight component and the unwanted reflected components. In order to minimize this multipath propagation as much as possible, but without using complex signal processing components, such as digital signal processing, based on Figures 18 to 20 and the explanations below (in particular, but not exclusively, for the above-mentioned antenna device 1), a favorable attenuation device 37 for the antenna device is proposed.

[0256] Figure 18A communication system 25 composed of first and second transceiver devices 17 is shown. Each transceiver device 17 has a printed circuit board 8, on which a corresponding antenna device 1 is arranged. An attenuation device 37 with a first attenuation unit 38 (an absorber sheet in the exemplary embodiment) is arranged around the antenna device 1. The first attenuation unit 38 has an access opening 39, and the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 of the antenna device 1 are arranged together in the access opening 39. The central axis M of the access opening 39 D extends along the main radiation direction of the antenna device 1 or the antenna main lobe 40 (see Figure 20 ), and further extends through the common center point or the center of rotation Z of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0257] It can be provided that the lateral extension of the access opening 39 of the first attenuation unit 38 is less than 2.0 free-space wavelengths of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted, so that the access opening 39 is as narrow as possible, but the antenna main lobe 40 of the antennas 2, 3, 4, 5 is not covered in the top view. The access opening 39 can basically have any geometric shape, such as (preferably) circular or square, as shown by the exemplary embodiment in Figures 18 to 20 .

[0258] With the proposed attenuation device 37, multipath propagation can be advantageously eliminated or at least significantly reduced. Figure 18 The reflection shown by the dashed line in

[0259] may no longer occur, or may still occur in a substantially reduced form. Figure 19 and Figure 20 The attenuation device 37 can be extended by a further attenuation unit for further optimization. The principle is explained with reference to

[0260] . For example, it can be provided that the attenuation device 37 has a second attenuation unit 41, which also has an access opening 39, and the antenna device 1 is arranged within the access opening 39. The first attenuation unit 38 and the second attenuation unit 41 are arranged concentrically, and preferably (but not necessarily) are different from each other geometrically and / or in their respective material compositions. For example, the second attenuation unit 41 preferably has a loss-based absorber, and the first attenuation unit 38 preferably has a resonance-based absorber. Suitable material compositions are as described above.

[0261] Reference will now be made to Figure 20 to very generally explain how the transceiver device 17 of the communication system 25 can be aligned to minimize transmission losses. The main lobes 40 of the transmitting antennas 2, 3 of the first communication partner and the main lobes 40 of the receiving antennas 4, 5 of the second communication partner (and vice versa) are preferably aligned along the central axis M of the attenuation device D with each other, or are aligned in such a way that the respective common center points or centers of rotation Z of the antenna devices 1 of the two communication partners extend through a common axis of rotation or central axis. The main lobe 40 of the patch antenna, for example, points vertically away from the patch antenna, while the minimum of the antenna gain occurs in the opposite direction, i.e., into the printed circuit board 8. Therefore, it is advantageous to align the printed circuit boards 8 of the two communication partners parallel to each other or at least substantially parallel to each other such that the patch antennas face each other, as shown in the figure. Figure 20 The transceiver device 17 of the exemplary embodiment shown can be arranged, for example, on the respective actuator elements 35, 36 of an actuator device 33, which actuator elements 35, 36 can perform a rotational movement relative to each other.

[0262] Within the main lobe 40 having a certain width (e.g., an elevation angle of approximately -20° to +20°), a parallel translational offset is possible (referred to above as the "axial offset" of the communication partners, i.e., the offset between the respective central axes of the communication partners extending through the center point Z of the antenna device 1). The communication partners can also move perpendicular to each other or away from each other (referred to above as "translational offset"). Tilting of the communication partners is also possible (referred to above as "radial offset").

[0263] However, specifically, a complete rotation of the communication partners relative to each other about an imaginary axis perpendicular to the printed circuit board 8 ( Figure 20 the central axis M in D ) can be achieved ("rotational offset"). For example, in robotics, this can be utilized if a robot joint or actuator elements 35, 36 are intended to rotate 360° and data is intended to be transmitted from one side of the robot joint to the other side in a non-contact and thus wear-free manner. In order to be able to rotate, the transmitting antennas 2, 3 of the first communication partner and the receiving antennas 4, 5 of the second communication partner are preferably circularly polarized and co-polarized. However, in order to be able to rotate, it is also conceivable (while accepting polarization losses) that only the transmitting antennas 2, 3 or only the receiving antennas 4, 5 are circularly polarized, while the corresponding other antennas are only linearly polarized.

[0264] In the exemplary embodiment described with reference to Figure 20 the second attenuation unit 41 is considered optional.

[0265] The distance between the first and second transceiver devices 17 can be defined as parallel to the central axis M D The shortest distance between the antenna device 1 of the first transceiver device 17 and the antenna device 1 of the second transceiver device 17. The distance between the first and second transceiver devices 17 can be defined, for example, based on (on the Figure 20 left side) the common center point Z of the antenna device 1 of the first transceiver device 17 and (on the Figure 20 right side) the common center point Z of the antenna device 1 of the second transceiver device 17.

[0266] Figure 20 The illustrated communication system 25 can be a non-contact data plug or an electrical connector, where the distance between the first and second transceiver devices 17 is less than 10 cm or even less than 5 cm. The non-contact connector can use a carrier frequency greater than 50 GHz (e.g., approximately 60 GHz) for data transmission, which can result in small antenna sizes and thus can facilitate good integrability of the non-contact connector. A carrier frequency greater than 50 GHz can further enable high data rates. The non-contact connector can use in-band full-duplex communication and, due to the well-isolated transmit antennas 2, 3 and receive antennas 4, 5 within the same transceiver device, can also achieve high data rates. The transmit unit 19 of the transceiver device 17 can optionally have a freewheeling voltage-controlled oscillator to generate the carrier frequency for signal transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the receive unit 20 of the transceiver device 17 can be designed to perform non-coherent demodulation. For this purpose, the receive unit 20 can have an envelope detector. Due to the freewheeling voltage-controlled oscillator and / or the envelope detector, the power consumption of the non-contact connector can be reduced, which can in turn simplify the integration of the connector into, for example, industrial systems. The reduced power consumption can also greatly alleviate the requirements for heat dissipation of the non-contact connector, thereby eliminating the need for a heat sink. To further or alternatively save energy, the non-contact connector described herein can optionally provide digital signal processing, particularly digital channel estimation, digital signal pre-emphasis or digital signal equalization. Due to the attenuation device 37, good radio channel characteristics can be established, for example, where signal transmission mainly occurs only through the line-of-sight component between the first and second transceiver devices 17 and the multipath components are substantially attenuated. This can eliminate the need for the above digital signal processing and thus enable power savings and simplified heat dissipation. For example, the DC power consumption of both the first and second transceiver devices 17 can be less than 200 mW.

Claims

1. An antenna device (1) for a transceiver device (17), the antenna device (1) having a transmitting antenna group and a receiving antenna group, the transmitting antenna group having a first transmitting antenna (2), a second transmitting antenna (3), and a first balun (22), and the receiving antenna group having a first receiving antenna (4), a second receiving antenna (5), and a second balun (23). Wherein, The first transmitting antenna (2) and the second transmitting antenna (3) are both connected to the symmetric connection (A S ) of the first balun (22), and the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) are both connected to the symmetric connection (A S ) of the second balun (23), wherein the asymmetric connection (A A ) of the first balun (22) can be connected to the transmission signal path (S) of the transceiver device (17), and the asymmetric connection (A A ) of the second balun (23) can be connected to the reception signal path (E) of the transceiver device (17) independent of the transmission signal path (S), wherein the first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) have relative spatial positions with respect to each other such that crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group is reduced at least by differential connection of their respective antennas (2, 3, 4, 5); and wherein each of the receiving antennas (4, 5) has the same center-to-center distance (D) to the two transmitting antennas (2, 3).

2. The antenna device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, each of the transmitting antennas (2, 3) and each of the receiving antennas (4, 5) are arranged around a common center point (Z).

3. The antenna device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that, with respect to the common center point (Z), each of the transmitting antennas (2, 3) of the transmitting antenna group is arranged to be rotated 180° relative to each other, and / or with respect to the common center point (Z), each of the receiving antennas (4, 5) of the receiving antenna group is arranged to be rotated 180° relative to each other; wherein, the first receiving antenna (4) is arranged to be rotated 90° relative to each of the transmitting antennas (2, 3) with respect to the common center point (Z).

4. The antenna device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that, each of the receiving antennas (4, 5) of the receiving antenna group is spaced from each of the transmitting antennas (2, 3) of the transmitting antenna group by less than half of the free space wavelength (λ) of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted.

5. The antenna device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that, the first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4), and the second receiving antenna (5) are designed as planar antennas, and the main regions (6) of the planar antennas are parallel to a common substrate region (7).

6. The antenna device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that, the first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4), and the second receiving antenna (5) are designed as planar antennas, and the main regions (6) of the planar antennas are parallel to the side regions of an electrical printed circuit board (8), and the main regions (6) are electrically and mechanically connected to the side regions.

7. The antenna device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, the main regions (6) of the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) have an elongated geometry.

8. The antenna device (1) according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that, each of the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) is designed such that the main region (6) of the planar antenna has a finite, non-zero number of axes of symmetry.

9. The antenna device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) forms an orientation angle (α) between the main symmetry axis (H) and a straight line, where the main symmetry axis (H) includes the longest symmetry axis of the corresponding planar antenna (2, 3, 4, 5), and the straight line extends between the geometric center of the corresponding planar antenna (2, 3, 4, 5) and the common center point (Z) of the planar antenna (2, 3, 4, 5). Among them, the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) are aligned relative to each other such that the orientation angles (α) of all the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) are at least substantially the same.

10. The antenna device (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that Attenuation device (37), the attenuation device (37) being arranged around the first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5), the attenuation device (37) having at least one first attenuation unit (38), the first attenuation unit (38) having an access opening (39), the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) being jointly arranged within the access opening (39), wherein a central axis (M D ) of the access opening (39) extends along a main radiation direction of the antenna device (1) and / or through a common center point (Z) of the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5).

11. The antenna device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that The attenuation device (37) has a second attenuation unit (41), the second attenuation unit (41) has an access opening (39), and the planar antennas (2, 3, 4, 5) are jointly arranged in the access opening (39). Among them, the first attenuation unit (38) and the second attenuation unit (41) are arranged concentrically, and the first attenuation unit (38) and the second attenuation unit (41) are different from each other geometrically and / or in terms of their respective material compositions.

12. A transceiver device (17) having an antenna device (1), the transmit signal path (S), and the receive signal path (E) as described in one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The asymmetric connection (A A ) of the first balun (22) is connected to the transmit signal path (S), and the asymmetric connection (A A ) of the second balun (23) is connected to the receive signal path (E), wherein the transmit signal path (S) has a transmit unit (19), and the receive signal path (E) has a receive unit (20).

13. A communication system (25) having two transceiver devices (17) as described in claim 12, including a first transceiver device (17) and a second transceiver device (17), for providing wireless signal transmission between the two transceiver devices (17).

14. The communication system (25) according to claim 13, characterized in that The two transceiver devices (17) are rotatable relative to each other about a common rotation axis, where the common center points (Z) of the corresponding antenna devices (1) are coaxially arranged with each other and coincide with the common rotation axis.

15. An actuator device (33) having a first actuator element (35), a second actuator element (36), and a communication system (25) as described in claim 14, wherein, The first transceiver device (17) is arranged on the first actuator element (35), and the second transceiver device (17) is arranged on the second actuator element (36) to enable wireless signal transmission between the two actuator elements (35, 36).

16. A method for operating the antenna device (1) of a transceiver device (17), the method having at least the following method steps: a) Provide a transmitting antenna group composed of a first transmitting antenna (2) and a second transmitting antenna (3), where both the first transmitting antenna (2) and the second transmitting antenna (3) are connected to the symmetric connection (A of a first balun (22) S ) b) Provide a receiving antenna group composed of a first receiving antenna (4) and a second receiving antenna (5), both the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) being connected to the symmetric connection (A S ) of the second balun (23); c) Operating the transmitting antenna set via the transmission signal path (S) of the transceiver device (17), the transmission signal path (S) being connected to the first balun (22) through the asymmetric connection (A A ) of the first balun (22); d) operating the receiving antenna set via a receiving signal path (E) of the transceiver device (17), the receiving signal path (E) being independent of the transmitting signal path (S) and being connected to the second balun (23) via an asymmetric connection (A A ) to the second balun (23); wherein, The first transmitting antenna (2), the second transmitting antenna (3), the first receiving antenna (4) and the second receiving antenna (5) are arranged in spatial positions relative to each other such that crosstalk between the transmitting antenna group and the receiving antenna group is reduced at least by differential connection of their respective antennas (2, 3, 4, 5); wherein each of the receiving antennas (4, 5) has the same center-to-center distance (D) to the two transmitting antennas (2, 3).

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