Radiator, antenna and device

Abstract

A radiator (14) has a plurality of radiation lines (18), where each radiation line (18) includes a shield conductor (26) and an exposed conductor (28). The shield conductor (26) and the exposed conductor (28) of each radiation line (18) extend parallel to each other, and the exposed conductor (28) surrounds the shield conductor (26). The radiation lines (18) are arranged parallel to each other. The shielding conductor (26) and the exposed conductor (28) of the same radiation line (18) are electrically insulated from each other at least between the first end (30) and the second end (32) of the radiation line (18). The shielded conductor (26) of one of the radiation lines (18) is electrically connected by a bridge (20) to the exposed conductor (28) of at least one of the other radiation lines (18). Furthermore, an antenna (12) and a device (10) are shown.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a radiator, an antenna and a device. Background Art

[0002] Wirelessly connected electrical devices tend to be miniaturized, so that the demand for miniaturized antennas is also increasing. Antennas and radiators must become smaller and more cost-effective. Small antennas are needed in various use cases. For example, in applications with very miniaturized devices, such as in the field of sensors implanted in the human or animal body (e.g. subcutaneous sensors), small antennas are needed even if the frequency of the RF is not very high, for example due to the need for skin penetration. When the size of the antenna is much smaller than the wavelength of the RF signal, the antenna is classified as an electrical short.

[0003] It is well known to use a small loop to realize an electrically short-circuited antenna. In order to improve the performance of a small loop antenna, a ferrite core is usually used. In such an antenna, the length of the ferrite core is much greater than its diameter, and the length of the coil of the antenna is much shorter than the ferrite core. Although such antennas can be much smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation they are supposed to receive and transmit, such electrically short-circuited antennas are suitable for electromagnetic radiation whose propagation direction is perpendicular to the axis of the loop antenna and the ferrite core.

[0004] The effectiveness of ferrite core antennas is often explained by the theory that magnetic flux is concentrated by the ferrite core.

[0005] Because they require a mechanically fragile ferrite core, these small loop antennas cannot be efficiently manufactured, let alone integrated with the micro- and nano-fabrication techniques used to build integrated circuits. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to provide an electrically short circuit antenna that can be manufactured very cost-effectively.

[0007] To this end, a radiator including a plurality of radiating lines is provided, wherein each radiating line includes a shielded conductor and an exposed conductor. The shielded conductor and the exposed conductor of each radiating line extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the radiating line, and the exposed conductor surrounds the shielded conductor in the circumferential direction of the radiating line. The radiating lines are arranged parallel to each other relative to their longitudinal directions and have a first end and a second end in the longitudinal direction. The shielded conductor and the exposed conductor of the same radiating line are electrically insulated from each other at least between the first end and the second end. The shielded conductor of one of the radiating lines is electrically connected to the exposed conductor of at least one of the other radiating lines through a bridge.

[0008] The inventors have recognized that the above-mentioned theory that the magnetic flux is concentrated by the ferrite core does not explain why the above-mentioned additional requirements are necessary. The inventors have also recognized that the described shielding effect can also be obtained without a ferrite core, because the necessary shielding of the shielded conductor can also be achieved by the conductive material used for the RF signal. Therefore, an electrically short-circuited antenna without a ferrite core is proposed. In addition, it has been recognized that such shielding can even be provided by conductors that should receive and emit electromagnetic radiation (called exposed conductors). In addition, by providing multiple groups of radiating lines including shielded conductors and exposed conductors adjacent to each other, if the radiating lines are appropriately connected by a bridge at at least one of their ends, the necessary size for deflecting the current induced by the electromagnetic radiation is achieved.

[0009] In particular, the radiator comprises a radiation direction, wherein the radiation lines are arranged perpendicular to the radiation direction such that the electromagnetic radiation effectively induces a current in the exposed conductor.

[0010] In one embodiment, the radiating line is provided as a cable having an inner conductor and an outer conductor, wherein the inner conductor forms the shielding conductor and the outer conductor forms the exposed conductor, thereby allowing a very cost-effective provision of the radiating line.

[0011] In another embodiment, the radiator comprises at least one or more of the following: a dielectric insulating material and a non-dielectric insulating material, and at least one conductive material applied to the insulating material, wherein at least part of the at least one conductive material forms the shielding conductor and the exposed conductor. In this way, the radiating line can be manufactured by micro-machining and nano-machining techniques.

[0012] For very compact designs, the at least one insulating material may include two parallel insulating layers, wherein the at least one conductive material is applied between the insulating layers to form the shielding conductor, and wherein the at least one conductive material is applied on each side of the insulating layers opposite to the shielding conductor to form portions of the exposed conductor.

[0013] For example, the insulating layers are different insulating layers of a multi-layer printed circuit board, so that the radiator can be manufactured using mature and cost-effective manufacturing techniques.

[0014] In one aspect of the invention, the radiating lines have a length in the longitudinal direction and the radiating lines are electrically short-circuited and / or the radiating lines have the same or different lengths and / or the length or the different lengths are less than 1 / 10, in particular less than 1 / 100, of the wavelength of the carrier frequency for which the radiator is designed. Thus, a very small form factor of the radiator is achieved.

[0015] In order to provide a multifunctional antenna, the radiator may be designed for a carrier frequency of at least 20 kHz and / or at most 2 GHz and / or wherein the carrier frequency lies completely or partially within the industrial, scientific and medical band (ISM band).

[0016] To further reduce the magnitude of the reverse current, the bridge may electrically connect the shielded conductor of the one of the radiating lines to the exposed conductor of at least one of the radiating lines that is a neighbor or a next neighbor of the one of the radiating lines.

[0017] For example, the bridge is provided at the first end and / or the second end of the radiating line, thereby allowing various arrangements of the radiating lines.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the bridge connecting the radiating lines is located at the first end, in particular, only at the first end, and wherein the shielded conductor of each radiating line is electrically connected to the exposed conductor of the same radiating line at the second end through a short-circuit contact, in particular galvanically connected. In this way, the amount of bridging between the radiating lines can be minimized.

[0019] For example, the exposed conductor of a first one of the radiating lines and the shielded conductor of a last one of the radiating lines each provide a connection for feeding and / or receiving to and from the radiator, resulting in a simple wiring of the radiator.

[0020] In another embodiment, in order to connect one of the radiating lines with another of the radiating lines, especially an adjacent radiating line, two bridges are both arranged at the first end or both arranged at the second end, thereby electrically connecting the shielded conductor to the exposed conductor of the other radiating line and electrically connecting the exposed conductor to the shielded conductor of the other radiating line, respectively. In this way, the first radiating line is the starting point and the end point of the circuit of the radiator.

[0021] The bridges may be located at the first end and the second end in an alternating manner.

[0022] For example, the exposed conductor and the shielded conductor of a first one of the radiating lines provide connections for feeding and / or receiving to and from the radiator, thereby allowing connections to be in close proximity.

[0023] For a simple termination, the exposed conductor and the shield conductor of the last of the radiating lines are electrically connected, in particular galvanically connected, via a short-circuit contact. The short-circuit contact may be at the end opposite to the bridge.

[0024] For the above purpose, an antenna is provided, which includes at least one radiator as described above.

[0025] Features and advantages discussed with respect to radiators also apply to antennas, and vice versa.

[0026] In order to provide a dual-polarized antenna, the antenna may include at least two radiators as described above, wherein the longitudinal directions of the radiating lines of the at least two radiators are oriented at an angle, in particular wherein the longitudinal directions of the two radiators extend perpendicular to each other and / or in parallel planes.

[0027] In one aspect, a tuning capacitor is connected to a connection provided by the radiator, the connection being designed for feeding a signal to and / or receiving a signal from the radiating line.

[0028] Furthermore, for the above purposes, a device is provided, in particular a bio-embedded device, a smart device, an electromagnetic field probe, a wearable or Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising an antenna as described above, in particular, the device is a blood glucose monitoring device, a hearing aid, a passport, an ID badge, a subcutaneous identification chip for animals or humans, a subcutaneous diagnostic device, a swallowable diagnostic device or an electromagnetic field measurement device.

[0029] Features and advantages discussed with respect to the radiator and / or antenna also apply to the device and vice versa. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 shows a device according to an embodiment of the invention having an antenna according to an embodiment of the invention having a radiator according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0032] Figure 2 The enlarged view schematically shows Figure 1 Antennas;

[0033] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 A first end and a second end of two adjacent radiating lines of the antenna;

[0034] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of an antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6A partial cross-sectional view showing a radiation line of a radiator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 schematically shows an antenna according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 8 Shows Figure 7 a first end and a second end of two adjacent radiating lines among the radiating lines of the antenna;

[0039] Fig. 9 schematically illustrates an antenna according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention; and

[0040] Fig.10 An antenna according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The principle of the present invention lies in part in a new interpretation of how a ferrite core works in a ferrite core small loop antenna.

[0042] Assuming that the incident electromagnetic wave is vertically polarized, the loop can be divided into two sections, one on the front side relative to the electromagnetic wave and the other on the back side. The electromagnetic wave induces currents on the front side and the back side, and the two currents are guided to the same spatial direction, that is, the direction of the electric field.

[0043] From an electrical point of view, due to the closed loop design of the antenna, the current is directed in the opposite direction. Therefore, the current induced on the back side can be regarded as the reverse current of the current induced on the front side. However, since the ferrite core is inserted into the loop, the back side of the loop is magnetically shielded by the ferrite core. Therefore, the current induced on the back side is much smaller than the current induced on the front side, so that this arrangement can be used to receive (and transmit) electromagnetic waves.

[0044] It has been recognized that for RF signals, magnetic shielding can be achieved by either magnetic shielding or electrical shielding, which leads to new antenna structures for electrically shorted antennas.

[0045] An electrically small antenna or electrically short antenna is an antenna that is much shorter than the wavelength of the signal it is intended to transmit or receive.

[0046] Figure 1 Two devices 10 according to the invention are schematically shown, both devices 10 having an antenna 12 according to the invention having a radiator 14 according to the invention.

[0047] One of the devices 10 is a smart device, such as a smart phone, a tablet, etc. It may also be a wearable device.

[0048] Another device in the device 10 is a bio-embedded device, an electric field probe, a wearable device, or an Internet of Things device (IoT device). The device 10 can be, for example, a blood glucose monitoring device, a hearing aid, a passport and ID badge, a subcutaneous identification chip for animals or humans, a subcutaneous diagnostic device, a swallowable diagnostic device, or an electromagnetic field measurement device.

[0049] Figure 2 The antenna 12 is schematically shown in an enlarged view.

[0050] Antenna 12 includes a radiator 14 and a tuning capacitor 16 .

[0051] The tuning capacitor 16 may be considered as a tuning component having a purely imaginary impedance for tuning the radiator 14 .

[0052] The antenna 12 is connected via a tuning capacitor 16 to an amplifier, receiver or transceiver (not shown).

[0053] The radiator 14 is a radiator for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation 14. For example, the radiator 14 may be considered as an RF transceiver radiator.

[0054] The radiator 14 has a radiation direction R, in which the radiator 14 emits electromagnetic radiation or from which the radiator 14 can receive electromagnetic radiation.

[0055] Furthermore, the radiator 14 has a carrier frequency, which is the frequency at which the radiator 14 is designed to receive and transmit electromagnetic radiation. The carrier frequency is at least 20 kHz and / or at most 2 GHz. The carrier frequency can be completely within the industrial, scientific and medical frequency band (ISM band) or only partially within the ISM band.

[0056] The radiator 14 comprises a plurality of radiating lines 18 , a plurality of bridges 20 , a plurality of short-circuit contacts 22 and two connections 24 .

[0057] The connection 24 is designed for feeding signals to the radiating line 18 and for receiving signals from the radiating line 18. The connection 24 is electrically connected to the tuning capacitor 16.

[0058] The radiating line 18 has a longitudinal direction L and a transverse direction T perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L.

[0059] The radiation direction R is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and the transverse direction T.

[0060] If two things are described as being perpendicular or parallel, within the present disclosure, if not otherwise stated, this also includes the case where the two things are "approximately perpendicular" or "approximately parallel", respectively. Likewise, if two things are described as being approximately perpendicular or parallel, this does not exclude the two things from being completely perpendicular or parallel. Furthermore, it is assumed that a skilled person will know how to interpret "approximately perpendicular" or "approximately parallel" and know how far two things are from being completely perpendicular or parallel while still achieving the same or sufficiently identical technical effect.

[0061] The radiating lines 18 are arranged parallel to each other with respect to the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, the radiating lines (18) are arranged on an imaginary axis of the longitudinal direction L, the imaginary axes do not coincide, ie the radiating lines are arranged side by side in a plane perpendicular to the imaginary axis.

[0062] The radiating lines 18 have a length dx in the longitudinal direction L. In the first embodiment, all radiating lines 18 have the same length dx.

[0063] The length dx is smaller than 1 / 10, in particular smaller than 1 / 100, of the wavelength of the carrier frequency. Therefore, the radiation line 18 is electrically short-circuited.

[0064] In the transverse direction T, the radiating lines 18 are arranged on a straight line. Thus, the radiating lines 18 lie in a plane. In another example, the radiating lines may be arranged on a non-planar surface, such as a convex or concave surface.

[0065] Each radiating line 18 has a shielded conductor 26 and an exposed conductor 28 .

[0066] The shielded conductor 26 and the exposed conductor 28 extend in a longitudinal direction L between a first end 30 and a second end 32 of the radiator 14 .

[0067] In particular, the shielded conductor 26 and / or the exposed conductor 28 completely extend from the first end to the second end 32 in the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, the shielded conductor 26 and the exposed conductor 28 have a length dx in the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, the shielded conductor 26 and the exposed conductor 28 are also electrically shorted.

[0068] In a circumferential direction C around the longitudinal direction L, the exposed conductor 28 surrounds the shield conductor 26 .

[0069] In the illustrated embodiment, the exposed conductor 28 completely surrounds the shield conductor 26 in the circumferential direction C. It is also conceivable that the exposed conductor 28 does not completely surround the shield conductor 26 in the circumferential direction, but almost completely surrounds the shield conductor 26, such as more than 90%, in particular more than 95%, of the circumference of the shield conductor 26.

[0070] Shielded conductor 26 and exposed conductor 28 are electrically isolated from each other between first end 30 and second end 32 .

[0071] Embodiments of the radiator do not include a ferrite core.

[0072] In the first embodiment, each radiating wire 18 is formed by a section of cable having an inner conductor as the shielded conductor 26 and an outer conductor as the exposed conductor 28. However, although the radiating wires 18 may be similar to coaxial cables, it will be noted that the radiating wires 18 are designed so that they do not support the propagation of electromagnetic waves having a wavelength at or close to the carrier frequency along the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, they are not waveguides for electromagnetic waves having a frequency at or close to the carrier frequency.

[0073] exist Figure 2 and 3 In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the bridge 20 is located at the first end 30 of the radiating line 18 .

[0074] The number of bridges 20 at the first end 30 corresponds to the number of radial lines minus 1. Therefore, in the first embodiment, eight bridges 20 are provided at the first end 30. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the bridges 20 are located only at the first end 30.

[0075] Each bridge 20 is electrically connected to the shield conductor 26 of one of the radiating lines 18 and to the exposed conductor 28 of the radiating line 18 that is a neighbor of the radiating line 18 to which the shield conductor 26 is connected to the bridge 20 .

[0076] Within the present disclosure, “neighbor” is understood to mean that two radiating lines 18 are neighbors if there is no intermediate radiating line 18 between them. Likewise, if only one other radiating line 18 is located between two radiating lines 18, the two radiating lines 18 are the “next neighbor”.

[0077] from Figure 3 As can be best seen in FIG. 2 , the bridge 20 connects the shielded conductor 26 of the radiating line 18 to the exposed conductor 28 of the neighboring radiating line 18 to the right.

[0078] Thus, each radiating line 18 has a bridge 20 connected to its exposed conductor 28 and another bridge 20 connected to its shielded conductor 26 , both bridges 20 being at the first end 30 .

[0079] The exception is the first radiating line 18 (at Figure 2 ), that is, the first of the radiation lines 18 in terms of the arrangement of the radiation lines 18 in the transverse direction T; and the last radiation line 18 (on the left side of Figure 2 ), i.e., the last radial line of the radial lines 18 in terms of the arrangement of the radial lines 18 in the transverse direction T.

[0080] The first radiating line 18 has only its shield conductor 26 connected to the bridge 20. The exposed conductor 28 of the first radiating line 18 is not connected to the bridge 20, but provides one of the connections 24 of the radiator 14 at the first end 30.

[0081] Likewise, the last radiating line 18 has only its exposed conductor 28 connected to the bridge 20. The shield conductor 26 is not connected to the bridge 20, but rather provides another of the connections 24 of the radiator 14 at the first end 30.

[0082] The short-circuit contacts 22 are located at the second ends 32 of the radiating wires 18. For each radiating wire 18, one short-circuit contact 22 is provided, wherein each short-circuit contact 22 electrically connects the shield conductor 26 with the exposed conductor 28 of the associated radiating wire 18.

[0083] By means of the arrangement and connection between the shielded conductors 26, the exposed conductors 28, the bridge 20 and the short-circuit contact 22, the radiator 14 includes a single circuit in which the exposed conductors 28 and the shielded conductors 26 of the radiating line 18 are arranged in an alternating manner. In addition, the shielded conductors 26 are shielded from the electromagnetic radiation incident on the radiator 14 so that only the corresponding exposed conductors 28 are exposed to the electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, the electromagnetic radiation incident on the radiator 14 induces current only in the exposed conductors 28.

[0084] Considering that electromagnetic radiation travels perpendicular to Figure 2 The propagation direction p of the drawing plane is away from the viewer, and the radiated electric field E and magnetic field H will be in the longitudinal direction L and the transverse direction T respectively. Therefore, the electromagnetic radiation will induce in each exposed conductor 28 relative to Figure 2 Upward current I. It is noteworthy that the direction of the current induced in each exposed conductor 28 by the electromagnetic radiation is the same (upward).

[0085] Once created, the induced current may then flow downwardly in the shield conductor 26 due to the shorting contact 22. Because the shield conductor 26 is shielded from the electromagnetic radiation, the magnitude of the current flowing in the shield conductor 26 is not reduced by the incident electromagnetic radiation.

[0086] Then, the current reaches the first end 30 again, flows to the exposed conductor 28 of the adjacent radiating line 18 through another bridge 20. Then, the current flows upward in the exposed conductor 28 again, and the magnitude of the current even increases because the electromagnetic radiation incident on the radiator 14 also induces a current in the exposed conductor 28 of the adjacent radiating line 18 in the same direction.

[0087] In other words, the current induced in any radiating line 18 is enhanced in each subsequent downstream radiating line 18 so that a measurably strong signal corresponding to the signal of the incident electromagnetic radiation is generated in the last radiating line 18 at the latest. Figure 2 Therefore, the shield conductor 26 is used to sense the current in the opposite direction (in the Figure 2 The invention provides for transmitting current from the second end 32 to the first end 30) without being exposed to incident electromagnetic radiation which would reduce the current by inducing reverse current.

[0088] Because the length of the radiating line 18 is electrically shorted, phase differences along the radiating line 18 have no adverse effects.

[0089] Thus, a completely new type of radiator, and therefore a completely new type of antenna, is provided, which is very small and efficient to manufacture.

[0090] Figures 4 to 10 Further embodiments of the invention are shown which correspond substantially to the first embodiment described above. Therefore, only the differences are discussed in the following and identical and functionally identical components are marked with the same reference symbols.

[0091] Figure 4 A second embodiment of an antenna 12 having a second embodiment of a radiator 14 is shown.

[0092] In this embodiment, not all of the radiating lines 18 are arranged in a single row (ie in a straight line), but rather in two rows.

[0093] Both rows have the same number of radiating lines 18 , and the radiating lines 18 face each other with their second ends 32 .

[0094] The first ends 30 of the radiating lines 18 of each row are in a straight line so that the entire radiator 14 has a rectangular outer contour.

[0095] from Figure 4 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the length dx of the radiating lines 18 in each row is different. Thus, a gap 33 or empty space is provided in the middle of the radiator 14. In this space, other components of the device 10, such as a microchip, can be arranged. Thus, the antenna 12 of the radiator 14 can be arranged very efficiently, since it can be adapted around almost every contour of the other components of the device 10.

[0096] Figure 5 A third embodiment of the antenna 12 is shown. In this third embodiment, the antenna 12 has two radiators 14, both of which are designed as described above. Figure 2 and 3 Explained.

[0097] The radiation lines 18 of the two radiators 14 are aligned in two different planes parallel to each other. Therefore, the radiation directions R of the two radiators 14 are the same.

[0098] Furthermore, the longitudinal directions L1 , L2 of the two radiators 14 are oriented at an angle greater than 0° to one another (if viewed perpendicularly to the plane). In the exemplary embodiment shown, the longitudinal directions L1 , L2 are perpendicular to one another.

[0099] The two radiators 14 overlap so that the radiating lines 18 form a grid and / or so that the antenna 12 has a square outer contour.

[0100] By means of the arrangement of this third embodiment, a dual polarized antenna 12 is provided, since each of the radiators 14 receives or emits electromagnetic radiation having a different polarization but in the same direction of propagation p.

[0101] Figure 6 A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown, ie, radial line 18 in partial cross-section.

[0102] In the fourth embodiment, the radiator 14 has a layered structure and is manufactured using, for example, micro-machining or nano-machining technology.

[0103] The radiating line 18 shown includes two parallel insulating layers 34 of insulating material. The insulating layers 34 can be dielectric insulating materials or non-dielectric insulating materials. The insulating layers 34 can be made of the same material or different materials. It is also possible that one of the insulating materials is a dielectric insulating material and the other insulating material is a non-dielectric insulating material.

[0104] Conductive material is applied to the insulating layer 34 to form conductors 36 , 38 . The conductors 36 , 38 at least partially form the shielded conductor 26 and the exposed conductor 28 of the radiating line 18 .

[0105] For example, the insulating layer 34 may be a different insulating layer of a multi-layer printed circuit board, and the applied conductors 36, 38 may be a conductive material applied to one of the insulating layers.

[0106] Between the insulating layers 34, an applied conductor 36 is provided by applying a conductive material to one side of one of the insulating layers 34. The applied conductor 36 forms the shielding conductor 26.

[0107] On each side of the insulating layer 34 facing away from the applied conductor 36 (ie on the outside), a further conductor 38 is applied. The further conductors 38 are galvanically connected to one another through the insulating layer 34, for example by means of through-holes (not shown).

[0108] Two further applied conductors 38 (together with the current-passing connections) surround the applied conductor 36 (ie the shielding conductor 26 ) and thus form an exposed conductor 28 .

[0109] The illustrated configuration may be repeated transversely of the illustrated radiating line 18, thereby forming a radiator 14 as described above.

[0110] The bridge 20 and the shorting contact 22 may also be formed of a conductive material applied to one or both of the insulating layers 34 , optionally further formed with the aid of vias.

[0111] In this way, a radiator 14 is provided that can be manufactured integrally with the electronics of the device 10, thereby greatly reducing the cost of the antenna 12 and the device 10.

[0112] Figure 7 and 8 A third embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 7 and 8 The view corresponds to Figure 2 and 3 The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the manner in which adjacent radiating lines 18 are connected to each other.

[0113] In the fifth embodiment, only one short-circuit contact 22 is provided, i.e., at the last radiating line 18. At the other radiating lines 18, other bridges 20 are provided at the second end 32. As with the number of bridges 20 at the first end 30, the number of bridges 20 at the second end 32 is the number of radiating lines minus 1. In the embodiment shown, eight bridges 20 are provided at the second end 32.

[0114] However, the arrangement of the bridge 20 at the second end 32 and the first end 30 is different from the first embodiment.

[0115] from Figure 8 As best seen in FIG. 1 , in the fifth embodiment, two bridges 20 extend together from the same end 30, 32 of one of the radiating lines 18 to the same side of the adjacent radiating line 18. One of the two bridges 20 electrically connects the shielded conductor 26 of the radiating line 18 to the exposed conductor 28 of the adjacent radiating line 18, while the other of the two bridges 20 connects the exposed conductor 28 of the radiating line 18 to the shielded conductor 26 of the same adjacent radiating line 18.

[0116] An adjacent radiating line 18 is in turn electrically connected to its next adjacent radiating line 18 by two other bridges 20 located only at opposite ends 32 , 30 .

[0117] For example, from Figure 7Starting with the first radiating line 18 (left side) in FIG. 1 , the first radiating line 18 provides two connections 24 to the tuning capacitor 16. More specifically, each of the shielded conductor 26 and the exposed conductor 28 at the first end 30 of the first radiating line 18 forms one of the connections 24.

[0118] At the second end 32 ( Figure 8 Two bridges 20 are provided, one bridge 20 is connected to the shield conductor 26, and the other bridge 20 is connected to the exposed conductor 28. Then, the two bridges 20 extend to the adjacent radiation line 18 ( Figure 8 The second ends 32 of the middle radiating line 42 in the first radiating line 18 are connected to the exposed conductor 28 and the shielded conductor 26, respectively. Therefore, the shielded conductor 26 of the first radiating line 18 is connected to the exposed conductor 28 of the second radiating line 18, and the exposed conductor 28 of the first radiating line 18 is connected to the shielded conductor 26 of the second radiating line 18.

[0119] The second radiating line 18 is then connected to its next neighbor ( Figure 8 The right radial line 44).

[0120] Likewise, one of the bridges 20 connects the shielded conductor 26 of the second radiating line 18 to the exposed conductor 28 of the third radiating line 18 , and a second of the bridges 20 connects the exposed conductor 28 of the second radiating line 18 to the shielded conductor 26 of the third radiating line 18 .

[0121] Thus, connections between adjacent radiating lines 18 are provided only at the first ends 30 or only at the second ends 32 , wherein the first ends 30 or the second ends 32 are used in an alternating manner.

[0122] The last radiating line 18 includes an end 30, 32 that is not connected to an adjacent radiating line 18. At this end, the shorting contact 22 electrically connects the shield conductor 26 to the exposed conductor 28 of the last radiating line 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the shorting contact 22 is located at the second end 32. However, if an even number of radiating lines 18 are used, the shorting contact is located at the first end 30.

[0123] Furthermore, this manner of connecting adjacent radiating lines 18 via the bridge 20 results in an ideal situation in which the current I induced by the electromagnetic radiation incident on the exposed conductor 28 is always in the same direction as the current from the radiating line 18 further upstream.

[0124] Fig. 9 A sixth embodiment of the present invention is shown, and its view corresponds to Figure 7 of the view.

[0125] The sixth embodiment corresponds substantially to the fifth embodiment. In particular, the connection between the radiating lines 18 is provided by two bridges 20 located only at the first end 30 or only at the second end 32 .

[0126] However, the radiating wires 18 are not electrically connected to their neighbors, but only to their next neighbors.

[0127] The exceptions are the last radial line 18 and the penultimate radial line, which are direct neighbors and are connected to each other only at the second end 32 by two bridges 20 in the embodiment shown.

[0128] The second radiating line 18 then corresponds to the last radiating line 18 of the fifth embodiment. It is therefore provided with a short-circuit contact 22 and is only connected to a next neighbor.

[0129] The arrangement of the sixth embodiment can be regarded as a modification of the fifth embodiment. The sixth embodiment can be obtained from the fifth embodiment by folding the row of radiating lines 18 after the fourth radiating line 18.

[0130] Fig.10 A seventh embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig.10 The view corresponds to Fig. 9 , wherein the seventh embodiment is based on the first embodiment in the same manner as the sixth embodiment is based on the fifth embodiment.

[0131] In the seventh embodiment, the radiating wires 18 are connected to each other as described for the first embodiment, ie the radiating wires 18 have the short-circuit contact 22 at the second end 32 and the bridge at the first end 30 .

[0132] However, as in the sixth embodiment, the radiating lines 18 are not connected to their immediate neighbors via the bridge 20, but are connected to the next neighbor.

[0133] This arrangement of the seventh embodiment has the advantage over the first embodiment that the connection 24 is provided by the first radiating line 18 and the second radiating line 18. Therefore, the connection 24 is close together, thereby reducing the amount of wiring to reach the tuning capacitor 16.

[0134] Likewise, the seventh embodiment can be obtained by using the first embodiment and folding the row of radiating lines 18 after the fifth radiating line 18 .

Claims

1. A radiator (14), comprising a plurality of radiating lines (18), wherein: Each radiating line (18) includes a shielded conductor (26) and an exposed conductor (28), wherein the shielded conductor (26) and the exposed conductor (28) of each radiation line (18) extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction (L) of the radiation line (18), and the exposed conductor (28) surrounds the shielded conductor (26) in the circumferential direction (C) of the radiation line (18); wherein the radiating lines (18) are arranged parallel to each other with respect to their longitudinal direction (L) and have a first end (30) and a second end (32) in the longitudinal direction (L), wherein the shielded conductor (26) and the exposed conductor (28) of the same radiating line (18) are electrically insulated from each other at least between the first end (30) and the second end (32); and The shielded conductor (26) of one of the radiating lines (18) is electrically connected to the exposed conductor (28) of at least one of the other radiating lines (18) through a bridge (20).

2. The radiator (14) according to claim 1, wherein: The radiator (14) comprises a radiation direction (R), wherein the radiation lines (18) are arranged perpendicular to the radiation direction (R).

3. The radiator (14) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The radiating line (18) is provided as a cable having an inner conductor and an outer conductor, wherein the inner conductor forms the shielding conductor (26) and the outer conductor forms the exposed conductor (28).

4. A radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein: The radiator (14) comprises: - at least one or more of the following: a dielectric insulating material and a non-dielectric insulating material, and - at least one electrically conductive material applied to the insulating material, wherein at least part of the at least one electrically conductive material forms the shielding conductor (26) and the exposed conductor (28).

5. The radiator (14) according to claim 4, wherein: The at least one insulating material comprises two parallel insulating layers (34), wherein the at least one conductive material is applied between the insulating layers (34) to form the shielding conductor (26), and wherein the at least one conductive material is applied on each side of the insulating layers (34) opposite the shielding conductor (26) to form a portion of the exposed conductor (28).

6. The radiator (14) according to claim 5, wherein: The insulating layer (34) is a different insulating layer of a multi-layer printed circuit board.

7. A radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein: The radiating line (18) has a length (dx) in the longitudinal direction (L), and the radiating line (18): - electrical short circuit, and / or - wherein the radiation lines (18) have the same or different lengths, and / or - wherein the length (dx) or the different length is less than 1 / 10, in particular less than 1 / 100, of the wavelength of a carrier frequency for which the radiator (14) is designed.

8. A radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein: The radiator (14) is designed for a carrier frequency of at least 20 kHz and / or at most 2 GHz, and / or wherein the carrier frequency lies completely or partially within the industrial, scientific and medical frequency band.

9. The radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein: The bridge (20) electrically connects the shielded conductor (26) of the one of the radiating lines (18) to the exposed conductor (28) of at least one of the radiating lines (18) that is a neighbor or a next neighbor of the one of the radiating lines (18).

10. The radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein The bridge (20) is disposed at the first end (30) and / or the second end (32) of the radiating line (18).

11. The radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein The bridge (20) connecting the radiating lines (18) is located at the first end (30), in particular, only at the first end (30), and wherein the shielding conductor (26) of each radiating line (18) is electrically connected, in particular galvanically connected, at the second end (32) via a short-circuit contact (22) to the exposed conductor (28) of the same radiating line (18).

12. The radiator (14) according to claim 11, wherein: The exposed conductor (28) of a first one of the radiating lines (18) and the shielded conductor (26) of a last one of the radiating lines (18) each provide a connection for feeding to and / or receiving from the radiator (14).

13. The radiator (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: In order to connect one of the radiating lines (18) with another radiating line (18), in particular an adjacent radiating line, two bridge members (20) are both arranged at the first end (30) or both arranged at the second end (32), thereby electrically connecting the shielded conductor (26) to the exposed conductor (28) of the other radiating line (18) and electrically connecting the exposed conductor (28) to the shielded conductor (26) of the other radiating line (18), respectively.

14. The radiator (14) according to claim 13, wherein: - the exposed conductor (28) and the shielded conductor (26) of a first one of the radiating lines (18) provide a connection (24) for feeding to and / or receiving from the radiator (14); and / or The exposed conductor (28) and the shielding conductor (26) of the last of the radiating lines (18) are electrically connected, in particular galvanically connected, via a short-circuit contact (22).

15. The radiator (14) according to any preceding claim, wherein The radial lines (18) are arranged on virtual axes in the longitudinal direction, and the virtual axes do not coincide.

16. An antenna (12) comprising at least one radiator (14) according to any preceding claim.

17. The antenna (12) of claim 16, wherein: The antenna (12) comprises at least two radiators (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the longitudinal directions (L1, L2) of the radiation lines (18) of the at least two radiators (14) are oriented at an angle, in particular wherein the longitudinal directions (L1, L2) of the two radiators (14) extend perpendicular to each other and / or in parallel planes.

18. The antenna (12) according to claim 16 or 17 as appended to claim 11, wherein A tuning capacitor (16) is connected to a connection provided by the radiator (14), the connection being designed for feeding a signal to the radiating line (18) and / or receiving a signal from the radiating line (18).

19. A device (10), in particular a bio-embedded device, a smart device, an electromagnetic field probe, a wearable or IoT device, comprising an antenna (12) according to any one of claims 16 to 18, in particular, the device (10) is a blood glucose monitoring device, a hearing aid, a passport, an ID badge, a subcutaneous identification chip for animals or humans, a subcutaneous diagnostic device, a swallowable diagnostic device or an electromagnetic field measurement device.

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