Isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for an antenna subsystem are described. An antenna subsystem may include multiple printed wiring boards and multiple antenna substrates mounted on multiple sides of the printed wiring boards. The antenna substrates may include one or more planar-oriented elements that emit or receive in a planar orientation and one or more edge-oriented elements that emit or receive in an edge orientation. The various antenna elements may be connected to one or more analog-to-digital converters that may convert signals received at the antenna elements to obtain digital component receive signals that may be processed by one or more signal processors according to a set of beam weights to obtain a signal of a radio frequency beam that may have a field of view greater than (180) degrees.

Description

ISOTROPIC ANTENNA WITH MULTIPLE PLANAR ELEMENTSCROSS REFERENCES

[0001] The present Application for Patent claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 694,583 by Franson, entitled “ISOTROPIC ANTENNA USING MULTIPLE PLANAR ANTENNAS,” filed September 13, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 694,591 by Franson, entitled “CIRCULARLY POLARIZED ISOTROPIC ANTENNA WITH TRIANGULAR EDGE LATTICE,” filed September 13, 2024, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof, and both of which are expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following relates generally to communications, including isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements.

[0003] Communications devices may communicate with one another using wired connections, wireless (e.g., radio frequency (RF)) connections, or both. Wireless communications between devices may be performed using a wireless spectrum that has been designated for a service provider, wireless technology, or both. In some examples, the amount of information that can be communicated via a wireless communications network is based on an amount of wireless spectrum designated to the service provider, and an amount of frequency reuse within the region in which service is provided. Satellite communications may use beamforming via antenna arrays to establish beams. However, processing and power constraints may limit throughput using beamforming.SUMMARY

[0004] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements.

[0005] The subject matter described herein involves an isotropic antenna that includes various planar antenna elements used to obtain the isotropic pattern. Such an antenna may include multiple printed wiring boards and multiple antenna substrates mounted on multiple sides of the printed wiring boards. The substrates may include one or more planar-oriented elements that emit or receive in a planar orientation and one or more edge-oriented elements that emit or receive in an edge orientation. The variousAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)antenna elements may be connected to one or more analog-to-digital converters that may convert signals received at the antenna elements to obtain digital component receive signals that may be processed by one or more signal processors according to a set of beam weights to obtain a signal of a radio frequency beam that may have a field of view greater than 180 degrees.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 shows an example of a satellite communication system that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with aspects described herein.

[0007] FIG. 2 shows an example of an isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0008] FIG. 3 shows an example of an isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0009] FIG. 4 shows an example of an isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0010] FIG. 5 shows an example of a digital beamforming scheme that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0011] FIG. 6 shows an example of a waveguide scheme that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] In some communication systems, signals may be communicated by an antenna in various directions in three dimensional space. Further, in some situations, it may not be known from which direction a signal is to be communicated. Individual antenna elements are directional to at least some extent and may not communicate signals equally well in all directions. Some approaches to antennas employ omnidirectional patterns or illuminations (e.g., similar to a torus shape) in which communication may be performed relatively strongly in 360 degrees substantially within a plane. A dipole antenna may provide such a communication pattern or illumination in three dimensional space. However, such patterns or illuminationsAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)include inherent limitations or weaknesses in that communications may be weaker or not possible outside of a toroidal region corresponding to such a plane.

[0013] The subject matter herein may provide for an antenna that provides an isotropic communication pattern or illumination or a communication pattern or illumination that is substantially isotropic. Such an antenna may employ a substantially planar construction and multiple individual planar antenna elements, both of which contribute to ease of fabrication and ease of deployment. Such an antenna may include a substantially planar support structure or member with multiple printed wiring boards (PWBs) on multiple sides of the support structure. The PWBs may be coupled with multiple antenna substrates that may each include one or more planar-oriented elements that emit or receive in a planar orientation and one or more edge-oriented elements that emit or receive in an edge orientation. The various antenna elements may be connected to one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that may convert signals received at the antenna elements to obtain digital component receive signals that may be processed by one or more signal processors according to a set of beam weights to obtain a signal of a radio frequency beam that may have a field of view greater than 180 degrees. Additionally, or alternatively, the various antenna elements may be connected to one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that may convert digital signals from the processor to analog signals that are fed to the antenna elements for transmission. In some examples, amplifiers may be employed to amplify one or more signals received at the elements. In some examples, mixers may be employed to downconvert received signals or upconvert transmit signals. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more diplexers may be employed to separate signals to be transmitted from received signals. In some examples, the antenna elements (be they surface-emitting, edge-emitting, or both) may be microstrip antennas or substrate integrated waveguide antennas, and the antenna elements (be they surface-emitting, edge-emitting, or both) may be circularly- polarized antennas. In some examples, other antenna substrates may be employed that are oriented orthogonally to one or more other antenna substrates and antenna elements thereof may have illuminations that are substantially orthogonal to illuminations of the one or more other antenna substrates. In some examples, one or more combination serializer / deserializers may be employed to serialize or deserialize digital component signals (e.g., digital component receive signals, digital component transmit signals, or both).Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

[0014] The antenna or portions thereof described herein may provide several advantages. By providing improved coverage in three dimensions (e.g., through the isotropic pattern or illumination), the antenna may provide for increased communications quality and adaptability, as communications may be performed in any direction. By providing the isotropic pattern in conjunction with digital beamforming techniques described herein, communications may be performed with less or no knowledge of where another device may be located (for both transmission and reception), resulting in improved adaptability and applicability across wide scenarios, as well as reduced power consumption, as (e.g., after initial detection of a signal) some antenna elements corresponding to directions in which a signal is not being communicated may not be activated (e.g., monitored or used for transmission). By providing a relatively planar structure and avoiding larger, bulkier structures, the antenna may be deployable in multiple scenarios or with multiple devices. Further, the fabrication and of the device may be simplified.

[0015] Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of satellite communication systems. Aspects of the disclosure are then described with reference to a wireless communications system and radio architectures. Aspects of the disclosure are then described with reference to various example antennas, a digital beamforming scheme, and a waveguide scheme. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, block diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to isotropic antenna with multiple planar elements.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an example of a satellite communication system 100 that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with aspects described herein. Satellite communication system 100 may include a ground system 135, terminals 120, and satellite system 101. The ground system 135 may include a network of access nodes 140 that are configured to communicate with the satellite system 101 via feeder links 132. The access nodes 140 may be coupled with access node transceivers 145 that are configured to process signals received from and to be transmitted through corresponding access node(s) 140. The access node transceivers 145 may also be configured to interface with a network 125 (e.g., the Internet) — e.g., via a network device 130 (e.g., a network operations center, satellite and gateway terminal command centers, or other central processing centers or devices) that may provide an interface for communicating with the network 125.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

[0017] Terminals 120 may include various devices configured to communicate signals with the satellite system 101 via terminal links 122. Terminals 120 may include fixed terminals (e.g., ground-based stationary terminals), mobile terminals mounted on or integrated with mobile platforms (e.g., boats, aircraft, ground-based vehicles, and the like) or portable platforms (e.g., laptops, tablets, handsets, and the like). A terminal 120 may communicate data and information with an access node 140 via the satellite system 101. The data and information may be communicated with a destination device such as a network device 130, or some other device or distributed server associated with a network 125.

[0018] Terminals 120 may include an antenna assembly 124 which may also include various hardware for mounting an antenna. An antenna assembly 124 may also include circuits and / or processors for converting (e.g., performing frequency conversion, modulating / demodulating, multiplexing / demultiplexing, filtering, forwarding, etc.) between radio frequency (RF) satellite communication signals, and satellite terminal communications signals transmitted between the antenna and a satellite terminal receiver. For mobile terminals, the antenna assembly may be mounted on the outside of the mobile or portable platform (e.g., outside of the fuselage of an aircraft), and may protrude from the mobile or portable platform, or may be integrated into a housing of the mobile or portable platform. The terminal 120 may include a transceiver, which may be mounted on the inside or outside of a mobile or portable platform and may include circuits and / or processors for performing various RF signal operations (e.g., receiving, performing frequency conversion, modulating / demodulating, multiplexing / demultiplexing, etc.).

[0019] The satellite system 101 may include a single satellite 105, or a network of satellites 105 that are deployed in space orbits (e.g., low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), geosynchronous orbit, geostationary orbit (GEO), etc.). Satellites 105 may include an antenna assembly 104 that may be equipped with one or multiple antennas (e.g., one or more antenna arrays). In some examples, the one or more satellites 105 equipped with multiple antennas may each include one or more antenna panels that include an array of evenly distributed antennas (which may also be referred to as antenna elements). The ground system 135 may also contain access nodes 140 with multiple antenna array elements.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

[0020] The satellite system 101 may use the one or more satellites 105 to support beamforming techniques within the coverage area 155 of the satellite system to increase a utilization of resources used for communications. Beamforming, including using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques, may be used to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers over the same frequency resources. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by a transmitting device (e.g., satellite 105, terminal 120) via a set of antennas in accordance with a set of weighting coefficients. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by a receiving device (e.g., satellite 105, terminal 120) via a set of antennas in accordance with a set of weighting coefficients. Each of the multiple signals may be associated with a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords).

[0021] In some examples, some or all of the antenna elements on the satellite and / or the ground system may be arranged as an array of constituent receive and / or transmit feed elements that cooperate to enable various examples of on-board beamforming (OBBF), ground-based beamforming (GBBF), end-to-end beamforming, or other types of beamforming. In the GBBF implementation, there may be multiple transmit or receive antennas on the ground system access node(s).

[0022] To determine weighting coefficients to apply to the set of antennas such that N spatial layers are formed, an (M x N) MIMO matrix may be formed, where M may represent the quantity of antennas of the set of antennas. In some examples, M may be equal to N. The MIMO matrix may be determined based on a channel matrix and used to isolate the different spatial layers of the channel. In some examples, the weighting coefficients are selected to emphasize signals transmitted using the different spatial layers while reducing interference of signals transmitted in the other spatial layers. Accordingly, processing signals received at each antenna of the set of antennas (e.g., a signal received at the set of antennas) using the MIMO matrix may result in multiple signals being output, where each of the multiple signals may correspond to one of the spatial layers. In some examples, the weighting coefficients used for MIMO communications may be referred to as beam coefficients or beamforming coefficients, and the multiple spatial layers may be referred to as beams or spot beams.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

[0023] The elements of the MIMO matrix used to form the spatial layers of the channel may be determined based on channel sounding probes communicated between a satellite system 101 and one or more devices. Channel sounding probes include reference signals transmitted periodically between a satellite system and a device (e.g., a terminal 120) coupled with the satellite system 101. For example, a channel sounding probe may be periodically transmitted from a terminal 120 to the satellite system 101, or from the satellite system 101 to a terminal 120, or both, and may include a sequence that is known to the transmitter and receiver (e.g., based on a terminal identifier or other parameters known to the transmitter and receiver). The receiving device (e.g., the terminal or the satellite system) may use the received channel sounding probe to evaluate the connection by correlating a received channel sounding probe to the expected signal for the channel sounding probe (e.g., to determine a signal strength, an interference, etc.) and make decisions based thereon. Due to the periodicity of the signal, the receiving device may know when the signal should be received.

[0024] Beamforming techniques may be used to shape or steer a communication beam 150 along a spatial path between a satellite system 101 and a location within the coverage area 155. A communication beam 150 may be formed by determining weighting coefficients for antenna elements of an antenna array that result in the signals transmitted from or received at the antenna elements being combined such that signals propagating in a particular orientation with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. Thus, beamforming may be used to transmit signals having energy that is focused in a direction of a communication beam 150 and to receive signals that arrive in a direction of the communication beam 150 with increased signal power (relative to the absence of beamforming). The weighting coefficients may be used to apply amplitude offsets, phase offsets, true time delay (TTD), or combinations thereof to signals carried via the antennas. The beamforming may account for various signal propagation effects of atmospheric conditions 156 such as clouds, rain, or snow, and objects 158 such as trees, buildings, or vehicles.

[0025] In some examples, the weighting coefficients applied to the antennas may be used to form multiple communication beams 150, each associated with a different direction, where the multiple communication beams 150 may be used to communicate multiple signals having the same frequency at the same time to different user terminals.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)This may be referred to as multi-beam processing, and may support multiuser MIMO. The weighting coefficients used for beamforming may be referred to as beam coefficients, and the multiple signals may be referred to as beam signals. The resulting communication beams 150 may be referred to herein as beamformed spot beams, spot beams, or beams.

[0026] The amplitude and phase of each weighting coefficient may be calculated given the antenna array and reflector geometry, antenna location, and the desired beam locations. However, due to inaccuracies (e.g., in the satellite location, array orientation, geometry, atmospheric conditions 156, object 158, etc.), such an approach may not be practical. Instead, the weighting coefficients may be calculated by continuously measuring the MIMO propagation channel characteristics (e.g., pairwise channels from each system antenna element to each terminal antenna element) and adjusting the weighting coefficients based on the changing channel characteristics. The measured MIMO channel characteristics may include pairwise gain and phase response and noise level and may be referred to as MIMO channel state information (CSI). Once the MIMO CSI is available, the weighting coefficients may be derived by solving a set of equations or applying a set of adaptation formulas. Various beamformer calculation and adaptation techniques may be used, including minimum mean square (MMSE) beamformer, zero forcing beamformer, singular value decomposition (SVD), MIMO sphere decoder, and others.

[0027] The beamformed communication beams 150 may be associated with a set of resources of the satellite system 101. The set of resources may include frequency resources, time resources, and polarization resources. Beamformed communication beams 150 may overlap spatially without interfering if they are associated with different resources. For example, a given frequency range for the satellite system 101 may be divided into frequency resources or channels, and a given amount of time may be divided into different recurring time slots, where a frequency resource may be used to carry a beam signal (e.g., a modulated signal carried in a beamformed spot beam) on one of the recurring time slots. Each frequency channel may carry a single modulated signal, while in other cases each frequency channel may be further divided to carry multiple modulated signals which may be multiplexed in time (e.g., time division multiple access (TDMA)) or frequency (frequency division multiple access (FDMA)). Information (e.g., data, control information) may be modulated onto the modulatedAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)signals using a variety of single-carrier or multi-carrier modulation techniques (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), linearly pre-coded OFDM (LP-OFDM)).

[0028] In addition to being multiplexed in time or frequency, different polarizations may be used to define the resources for assignment to beams. For example, a set of resources may include a first sub-set of resources associated with a first polarization and a second sub-set of resources associated with a second, orthogonal, polarization. The first and second polarizations may be any orthogonal polarizations, and may be linearly polarized or circularly polarized (e.g., a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP), a lefthand circular polarization (LHCP)).

[0029] Any of the devices or elements of the satellite communication system 100 may employ an isotropic antenna for communications with one or more other devices or elements of the satellite communication system 100. For example, a device may include one or more antennas, and one or more such antennas may include multiple printed wiring boards and multiple antenna substrates mounted on multiple sides of the printed wiring boards. The substrates may include one or more planar-oriented elements capable of transmitting or receiving in a planar orientation and one or more edge- oriented elements capable of transmitting or receiving in an edge orientation. In some examples, the various antenna elements may be connected to one or more analog-to- digital converters that may convert signals received at the antenna elements to obtain digital component receive signals that may be processed by one or more signal processors according to a set of beam weights to obtain a signal of a radio frequency beam that may have a field of view greater than 180 degrees or in a substantially isotropic pattern or illumination.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows an example of an isotropic antenna 200 with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0031] In accordance with the subject matter described herein, a device, such as the device 220, may employ an antenna 225 that may support an isotropic pattern 230. The isotropic pattern 230 may be a pattern or illumination for communication (e.g., transmission, reception, or both) that may provide additional coverage or quality for communications (e.g., as compared to an omni-directional or toroidal pattern or illumination). The device 220 represents any communication device, as the antenna 225Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)may be applied for use with any communication device, including terrestrial, airborne, or space-based deployments. For example, the antenna 225 may be employed on a space vehicle, an aircraft, a car or truck, a train, or any other vehicle. Further, the antenna 225 may be employed with any device, including a satellite, a computer, a mobile phone, a radio, or other communications device.

[0032] The antenna 225 and the isotropic pattern 230 may be useful in situations in which it is not known from which direction a communication may be received or in which direction a communication is to be transmitted. In other approaches, if another device is located in a direction that is not covered or does not correspond with the toroidal or omni-directional pattern or illumination, communications quality may be reduced or communications may not be possible. However, the antenna 225 may be relatively agnostic as to where another device may be located, and due to the isotropic pattern or illumination and the digital beamforming techniques described herein, the antenna 225 may communicate in an effective manner in any direction.

[0033] For example, with other approaches, if it is not known where a signal may originate from, simple switching (e.g., time duplexing) between antenna elements in attempts to monitor in multiple directions may not be effective, as a signal may be present in a direction at a given time during which a device may be monitoring in another direction, and the signal may not be detected by a device. In contrast, the antenna 225 may receive energy or signals from any or all directions simultaneously or in an overlapping manner. Further, through digital analysis or digital beamforming, the device 220 may determine which directions or antenna elements (or combinations of directions or antenna elements) to monitor to continue receiving the signaling and further define communication parameters for improved communications.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows an example of an isotrpic antenna 300 with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The antenna 300 may include various structures, including the mounting structure 320, the PWB 322, the substrates 324, a surface element 326, an edge element 328, or any combination thereof may be employed. Further, multiple instances of such portions of the antenna 300 may be employed.

[0035] The antenna 300 may employ a mounting structure 320 that may form a surface or support for mounting one or more additional elements, such as the PWBsAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)322. The PWBs 322 may include one or more insulating (e.g., dielectric) materials and may further provide a structure for electrical or other connections to be made. For example, the PWBs 322 may include one or more conductive pathways created through various techniques (e.g., etching, printing, plating, or others) to provide connections between components of the antenna 300. The antenna 300 may include multiple PWBs 322, and the multiple PWBs 322 may be disposed on multiple sides or faces of the mounting structure 320. For clarity, only two PWBs 322 are depicted, but the subject matter described herein contemplates any quantity of PWBs disposed on any quantity of faces or surfaces of the mounting structure 320.

[0036] One or more substrates 324 may be disposed on the one or more PWBs 322. The substrates 324 may provide a structure upon which one or more antenna elements (e.g., the surface elements 326, the edge elements 328, or both) may be disposed. In some examples, a substrate 324 may support one or more antenna elements (e.g., which may be referred to collectively as a module), and multiple substrates 324 may be employed on a face or side of the PWB 322 to provide a set or subset of antenna elements. Multiple modules including a substrate 324 with one or more antenna elements may be disposed on the PWB 322. The substrates 324 may provide conductive pathways for signals to be passed between the PWB 322 and the surface elements 326, the edge elements 328, or both. The substrate 324 (and any other substrate described herein) may be a fused silica substrate, which may be a low loss substrate that may function well at high frequencies (e.g., on the order of GHz). The PWB 322 may be configured for lower frequency operations. For example, signals from the antenna elements may be downconverted and may pass through conductive paths in the PWB 322 after being downconverted. Additionally, or alternatively, low frequency signals may be upconverted and pass through conductive paths in the substrate 324. In at least this way, upconverted or high frequency signals may be manipulated in an effective manner using the substrate 324, and downconverted or low frequency signals may be manipulated in an effective manner using the PWB 322.

[0037] The antenna elements (e.g., the surface elements 326, the edge elements 328, or both) of the antenna 300 may be planar antenna elements that are constructed in a substantially planar fashion (e.g., one or more metal traces printed, etched, or otherwise produced in a substrate of the antenna element). The antenna elements (e.g., the surface elements 326, the edge elements 328, or both) may form arrays of antenna elementsAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)which may be used to provide the isotropic or spherical pattern or illumination for improved communications, while not involving more complicated or bulky antenna element configurations.

[0038] The surface elements 326 may be surface-emitting or surface-receiving, in that they receive or transmit in a direction corresponding to a face of the surface elements 326 (e.g., as opposed to an edge) that may be substantially perpendicular to a face of the PWB 322, the substrates 324, the mounting structure 320, or the antenna 300 as a whole. Additionally, or alternatively, the surface elements 326 may correspond to a direction that is closer to a direction normal to a face of the antenna 300 than a direction normal to an end of the antenna 300.

[0039] The edge elements 328 may be edge-emitting or edge-receiving, in that they receive or transmit in a direction corresponding to an edge of the surface elements 326 (e.g., as opposed to a face) that may be substantially parallel to a face of the PWB 322, the substrates 324, the mounting structure 320, or the antenna 300 as a whole. Additionally, or alternatively, the edge elements 328 may correspond to a direction that is closer to a direction normal to an edge of the antenna 300 than a direction normal to a face of the antenna 300.

[0040] For example, in the top view, the surface elements 326 emit or receive in a direction substantially perpendicular to a top face 312 of the antenna 300. Similarly, in the bottom view, the surface elements 326 emit or receive in a direction substantially perpendicular to a bottom face 314 of the antenna 300. Further, the edge elements 328 emit or receive in a direction substantially parallel to the top face 312 or bottom face 314 of the antenna 300, and angles of the directions relative to the long axis 310 of the antenna 300 may vary. Such directionality is also shown in the top view and in the bottom view. For example, in the top view, the edge elements 328 are oriented in first directions relative to the long axis 310 and orientations of the edge elements 328 of the bottom view may be rotated, reoriented, or repositioned in one or more directions that may partially or completely differ from the first directions. In some examples, all edge elements 328 of one face (e.g., top face 312) of the antenna 300 may be rotated relative to edge elements 328 of another face (e.g., bottom face 314) of the antenna 300. In other examples, some edge elements 328 of one face of the antenna 300 may be rotated relative to edge elements 328 of another face of the antenna 300. Further even on aAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)same substrate 324, some edge elements 328 may be rotated or repositioned relative to one or more other edge elements 328 (e.g., relative to any edge elements of any portion of the antenna 300) and other edge elements 328 may not be rotated or repositioned.

[0041] It should be noted that the side view, top view, and the bottom view are example views and any configuration of the various portions of the antenna 300 are possible and contemplated by the subject matter described herein. Further, the side view, the top view, and the bottom view are not necessarily views of the same exact instance of the antenna 300, and merely show examples of various arrangements of the antenna 300.

[0042] Further, it should be noted that in some cases surface elements 326 may be located on different substrates 324 than edge elements 328, while in other cases some substrates 324 may include both surface elements 326 and edge elements 328. Surface elements 326 and edge elements 328 may include conductive elements 344 on first surfaces 332 and second surfaces 334 of the substrates 324. In addition, the first surfaces 332 of antenna substrates 324 with surface elements 326 may be coplanar with the first surfaces 332 of antenna substrates 324 with edge elements 328.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows an example of an isotropic antenna 400 with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0044] The antenna 400 may include various modules, including the surface modules 436 and the edge modules 438. The surface modules 436 may include one or more surface elements 426 on a substrate 424 and the edge modules 438 may include one or more edge elements 428 on a substrate 424. Thus, a first subset of antenna substrates 424 may include surface elements 426 and a second subset of the antenna substrates 424 may include edge elements 428, where the first and second subsets are disjoint subsets. In some examples, combination modules may be employed that may include one or more surface elements 426 and one or more edge elements 428 on a substrate 424 (e.g., the first and second subsets may be intersecting subsets). For clarity, the surface modules 436 and the edge modules 438are shown here.

[0045] The antenna 400 may include one or more PWBs 422, which may be attached to a mounting structure (e.g., mounting structure 320). The one or more PWBs may have multiple edges, such as edge 442, edge 444, and edge 446 as shown in FIG. 4. Substrates 424 may be located along edges 442, 444, and 446, such that a first substrateAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)424 that includes edge elements 428 is disposed at the first edge 442 such that illumination directivity of the edge elements 428 is orthogonal to the first edge 442. Similarly, a second substrate 424 that includes edge elements 428 may be disposed at the second edge 444 such that illumination directivity of the edge elements 428 is orthogonal to the second edge 444, a third substrate 424 that includes edge elements 428 may be disposed at the third edge 446 such that illumination directivity of the edge elements 428 is orthogonal to the third edge 446. Such orientations may provide illumination coverage of greater than 270 degrees along an arc in an X-Z plane, where the X-axis 452 and the Y-axis 454 are perpendicular to a long axis 410, when the long axis 410 is oriented parallel to the Z-axis 456, and a top surface of the PWB 422 is oriented parallel to the X-Y plane. Although not shown, a bottom PWB 422 may include similar components, mirrored in the X-Z plane.

[0046] The antenna 400 may further include one or more synthesizers 432, one or more ADCs 434, one or more other elements, or any combination thereof, which may be located on PWB 422. For example, the antenna 400 may further include one or more DACs, amplifiers, mixers, splitters, filters, diplexers, or other elements. For example, DACs may be used to convert digital signals from a processing element (e.g., the one or more DSPs 430) to analog signals that are fed to the antenna elements for transmission. In some examples, one or more amplifiers may be employed to amplify one or more signals received at the elements. In some examples, one or more mixers may be employed to downconvert signals received at the antenna elements. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more mixers may be employed to upconvert signals to be transmitted by the antenna elements. Filters or diplexers may be used to separate signals to be transmitted from received signals, where different frequency ranges are used for transmission and reception.

[0047] In some examples, the antenna elements (whether they are one or more surface elements 426, one or more edge elements 428, or both) may be microstrip antennas, patch antennas, or substrate integrated waveguide antennas, and the antenna elements (whether they are one or more surface elements 426, one or more edge elements 428, or both) may be circularly-polarized antennas. In some examples, other antenna substrates may be employed that are oriented orthogonally to one or more other antenna substrates and antenna elements thereof may have illuminations that are substantially orthogonal to illuminations of the one or more other antenna substrates. InAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)some examples, one or more combination serializer / deserializers may be employed to serialize or deserialize digital component signals (e.g., digital component receive signals, digital component transmit signals, or both).

[0048] The antenna elements (e.g., the surface elements 426, the edge elements 428, or both) may be arranged in arrays. An array may include one or more edge modules 438, one or more surface modules 436, one or more combination modules, or any combination thereof. Individually a module or an array may correspond to one or more regions of three dimensional space around the antenna 400. A device employing the antenna 400 may detect energy coming from a direction corresponding to one or more modules or arrays and may determine a direction from which the signal is originating. Through processing operations (e.g., digital beamforming described herein), the device may focus reception in the direction from which the signal is originating using multiple modules or arrays to improve reception of the signal (e.g., by using a narrower or more direct beam). However, the modules or arrays that may not correspond with the direction from which the signal is originating may not be employed for such beamforming or other processing operations, thereby reducing processing overhead and power consumption.

[0049] The antenna 400 may further include one or more DSPs 430, which may act as processing elements to process digitized versions of signals for communication at the antenna 400. For example, the one or more DSPs 430 may process digitized versions of signals received by the antenna elements to perform digital beamforming operations for reception. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more DSPs 430 may process digital signals that are to be transmitted by the antenna elements to perform digital beamforming operations for transmission.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows an example of a digital beamforming scheme 500 that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. Both a receive chain 502 and a transmit chain 504 are depicted. One or more portions of an antenna (e.g., DACs vs. ADCs, mixers, or other portions), as well as the directions of signal flow may differ between the receive chain 502 and the transmit chain 504.

[0051] For example, in the receive chain 502, a first side 520 of an antenna may include various antenna elements, including patch 1, edge 1, edge 2, edge 3, and edge 4.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)A second side 522 of an antenna may include various antenna elements, including patch 2, edge 5, edge 6, edge 7, and edge 8. As described herein, a patch element may also be referred to as a surface element. Any quantity or arrangement of patch / surface elements and edge elements may be employed. Each of the first side 520 and the second side 522 may include one or more synthesizers 524, one or more ADCs 534, and a serializer 528. Both the first side 520 and the second side 522 may feed signals to the processor 532, which may support or perform one or more digital beamforming operations. In some examples, digital beamforming processing for the various antenna elements may be performed in parallel, thereby allowing for increased flexibility in processing energy or information corresponding to the various antenna elements.

[0052] In the transmit chain 504, a first side 520 of an antenna may include various antenna elements, including patch 1, edge 1, edge 2, edge 3, and edge 4. A second side 522 of an antenna may include various antenna elements, including patch 2, edge 5, edge 6, edge 7, and edge 8. As described herein, a patch element may also be referred to as a surface element. Any quantity or arrangement of patch / surface elements and edge elements may be employed. Each of the first side 520 and the second side 522 may include one or more synthesizers 524, one or more DACs 536, and a deserializer 530. Both the first side 520 and the second side 522 may receive signals from the processor 532, which may support or perform one or more digital beamforming operations. In some examples, digital beamforming processing for the various antenna elements may be performed in parallel, thereby allowing for increased flexibility in processing energy or information corresponding to the various antenna elements.

[0053] Digital beamforming may involve the use of various antenna elements (including surface / patch elements and edge elements) that, in some aspects, may be treated similarly to a phased array. However, in a phased array, the various elements may be oriented in the same or similar directions, whereas in the digital beamforming scheme 500, the antenna elements may be oriented in different directions (e.g., to support the isotropic pattern or illumination of an antenna). For example, in the receive chain 502, the signals from various antenna elements may be converted by the ADCs 534 and processed together by the processor 532.

[0054] The processor 532 may digitally combine the digital signals (e.g., in accordance with one or more beamforming weights). The processor 532 may combineAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)the digital signals in different combinations and amounts. In a phased array, a phase front may arrive at various antenna elements at various angles resulting in various phase values at the antenna elements. Phase shifts may be added to respective signals of the various elements to compensate for the various differences in phase. However, such approaches may only concern a single direction or a limited set of directions. The digital beamforming scheme 500 considers multiple or all directions in three-dimensional space by inputting signals received in all directions across the multiple antenna elements, digitizing them, and combining or otherwise processing the digitized signals in various ways (e.g., depending upon a given communications scenario or characteristics). For example, the various antenna elements may be steered in any direction to obtain a higher quality signal that was detected as originating from a given direction.

[0055] In some examples, multiple individual detectors (e.g., one bit detectors, correlators) may be employed (e.g., one or more per antenna element) to determine whether energy is received at the individual antenna elements. Based on outputs of such detectors, the processor 532 or other element of a device or antenna may determine to perform beamforming operations corresponding to one or more directions in which energy was detected (e.g., based on which antenna elements or groups of antenna elements were indicated by the detectors as having received energy from signaling). In some examples, the antenna elements themselves may act as filters in terms of frequency, polarization, any other antenna characteristics, or any combination thereof, to aid in detection of desired signaling while ignoring undesired signaling. For example, the antenna elements may only receive across some frequency resources and may only receive signaling of one or more given polarizations (e.g., a circular polarization, such as left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization). In some examples, the antenna elements may be resonant at one or more frequencies, and may be less resonant at other frequencies, providing some filtering in the frequency domain. In some examples, the processor 532 or other portion of the antenna or of a device may process incoming information or energy to determine whether energy received at one or more antenna elements corresponds with desired signaling or is undesirable (e.g., undesired signaling or interference). Further, in some examples, the processor 532 or other portion of the antenna or of a device may create a beam using digital beamforming techniquesAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)to accept some energy or signaling and reject other energy or signaling to further limit what is received and processed and what is not.

[0056] In some examples of the receive chain 502, the serializer 528 may be employed to serialize the data from the ADCs 534 to aid in processing the data at the processor. In some examples of the transmit chain 504, the deserializer 530 may be employed to deserialize the data received from the processor 532 before conversion is performed at the ADCs 534.

[0057] In some examples (e.g., in the receive chain 502) the synthesizers 524 may aid in digital beamforming operations. For example, the synthesizers 524 may aid in downconverting signaling received at individual antenna elements (or groups of antenna elements, such as signals combined at a mixer). For example, an incoming signal may be a 60 GHz signal, and a 59 GHz synthesizer 524 may be employed to downconvert the incoming signal to a 1 GHz signal so that the ADC 534 may convert the incoming signal to digital for further processing by the processor. Additionally, or alternatively, in the transmit chain 504, a 59 GHz synthesizer may aid in upconverting the signals received from the DACs 536 before passing them to the antenna elements.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows an example of a waveguide scheme 600 that supports isotropic antennas with multiple planar elements in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The waveguide scheme 600 may involve one or more waveguides, such as the waveguide 602 or the waveguide 604. The waveguide 602 and the waveguide 604 provide examples of at least a portion of how an edge element may be structured.

[0059] In the waveguide 602, energy may be flowing through the waveguide between a top metal 620 portion and a bottom metal 625 portion. The waveguide 602 may aid in creating a phase difference (e.g., a 90 degree phase difference) between orthogonal electric fields (e.g., a horizonal electric field and a vertical electric field) which may result in circular polarization of an antenna element. For example, the V- shaped cutouts in the top metal 620 and the bottom metal 625 may manipulate the electric fields or the phases thereof to create the circular polarizations. The vias 630 may further manipulate the electrical fields to guide the energy through the waveguide (e.g., by guiding the energy from the entrance point to the exit point and further by providing a conductive path from the top metal 620 to the bottom metal 625).Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

[0060] In the waveguide 604, various portions of the top metal 620, the bottom metal 625, and the vias 630 may form a helical structure that may manipulate the electrical fields and guide the energy through the waveguide 604. For example, the top metal 620, the bottom metal 625, and the vias 630 may form a helical structure that allows for construction of a structure similar to a circular loop structure in a substrate. Such a helical structure may allow for circular polarization of an antenna element.

[0061] The use of the waveguide 602 and the waveguide 604 may aid in the use of the isotropic pattern or illumination described herein. In situations in which a signal of unknown origin (e.g., unknown direction) is to be received, it is unlikely that the polarization of such a signal will be known before reception. For proper communication, polarization between the transmitter and the receive should correspond, but such correspondence may not be possible for unknown signaling. However, by providing circular polarization for the antenna elements described herein (e.g., for both surface elements and edge elements), the orientation of the antenna is less important, as signaling may be received in circular polarization in various orientations.

[0062] It should be noted that these methods describe examples of implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible. In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined. For example, aspects of each of the methods may include steps or aspects of the other methods, or other steps or techniques described herein.

[0063] Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0064] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0065] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0066] Computer readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk read-only memory (CDROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non- transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer, or a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

[0067] As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.”

[0068] In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

[0069] The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0070] The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to beAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An antenna subsystem, comprising: one or more printed wiring boards (322); one or more first antenna substrates (324) mounted on a first side of the one or more printed wiring boards (322) and each having a respective first surface and a respective second surface, wherein the respective first surfaces of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) are coplanar with each other and the respective second surfaces of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) are coplanar with each other, wherein the one or more first antenna substrates (324) comprise a first plurality of surfaceemitting antennas (326) and a first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), wherein the first plurality of surface-emitting antennas (326) are comprised of conductive elements on the respective first surfaces and second surfaces of a first subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324), and wherein the first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328) are comprised of conductive elements on respective first surfaces and respective second surfaces of a second subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324); one or more second antenna substrates (324) mounted on a second side of the one or more printed wiring boards (322) and each having a respective first surface and a respective second surface, wherein the respective first surfaces of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) are coplanar with each other and the respective second surfaces of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) are coplanar with each other, wherein the one or more second antenna substrates (324) comprise a second plurality of surface-emitting antennas (326) and a second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), wherein the second plurality of surface-emitting antennas (328) are comprised of conductive elements on the respective first surfaces and second surfaces of a first subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324), and wherein the second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328) are comprised of conductive elements on respective first surfaces and respective second surfaces of a second subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324); a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) (434) coupled with the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antenna elements (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328) to obtain respective digitalAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)component receive signals corresponding to respective radio frequency (RF) signals from the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antennas (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328); and one or more digital signal processors (430) that process the digital component signals according to a set of beam weights to obtain a signal associated with a radio frequency beam that has a field of view of greater than (180) degrees.

2. The antenna subsystem of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of amplifiers coupled with the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antennas (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328) and configured to amplify the respective RF signals prior to input into the plurality of ADCs.

3. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 2, further comprising: a plurality of mixers coupled with the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antennas (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328) and configured to down-convert the respective RF signals prior to input into the plurality of ADCs.

4. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein the first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328) and the second plurality of edgeemitting antennas (328) comprise microstrip antennas or substrate integrated waveguide antennas.

5. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antennas (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328) comprise circularly polarized antennas.

6. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 5, wherein the one or more printed wiring boards (322) comprise a first printed wiring board (322) and a second printed wiring board (322), wherein the first printed wiring board (322) comprises the first side of the one or more printed wiring boards (322) and the second printed wiring board (322) comprises the second side of the one or more printed wiring boards (322), further comprising:Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)a support member (320), wherein the first printed wiring board (322) is attached to a first side of the support member (329), and the second printed wiring board (322) is attached to a second side of the support member (320) .

7. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 6, wherein: the first subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) and the second subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) are disjoint subsets; and the first subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) and the second subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) are disjoint subsets.

8. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 7, wherein: the first subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) and the second subset of the one or more first antenna substrates (324) are intersecting subsets; and the first subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) and the second subset of the one or more second antenna substrates (324) are intersecting subsets.

9. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 8, wherein: the one or more printed wiring boards (322) have a first edge (442), a second edge (446), and a third edge (444) that is orthogonal to the first edge and the second edge; and the one or more first antenna substrates comprise: a first antenna substrate (324) that includes a first subset of edgeemitting antennas (328) of the first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the first subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the first edge (442); a second antenna substrate (324) that includes a second subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) of the first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the second subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the second edge (446); andAttorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)a third antenna substrate (324) that includes a third subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) of the first plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the third subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the third edge (444).

10. The antenna subsystem of claim 9, wherein: the one or more second antenna substrates (324) comprise: a fourth antenna substrate (324) that includes a fourth subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) of the second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the fourth subset of edge-emitting antennas having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the first edge (442); a fifth antenna substrate (324) that includes a fifth subset of edgeemitting antennas (328) of the second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the fifth subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the second edge (446); and a sixth antenna substrate (324) that includes a sixth subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) of the second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328), the sixth subset of edge-emitting antennas (328) having an illumination directivity orthogonal to the third edge (444).

11. The antenna subsystem of any one of claims 1 through 10, wherein each of the one or more first and second antenna substrates (324) comprises a respective subset of the plurality of ADCs (434) that are associated with a respective subset of the first plurality surface-emitting antennas (326), the first plurality of edgeemitting antennas (328), the second plurality surface-emitting antennas (328), or the second plurality of edge-emitting antennas (328).

12. The antenna subsystem of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more first and second antenna substrates (324) comprises a serializer / deserializer (528, 530), in communication with the one or more digital signal processors (430), the serializer / deserializer (528, 530), configured to serialize a respective subset of the digital component receive signals.

13. The antenna subsystem of claim 12, wherein:Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)each of the one or more first and second antenna substrates comprises a respective subset of a plurality of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) (536) having inputs coupled with digital component transmit signals and outputs coupled with the first and second pluralities of surface-emitting antennas (326) and the first and second pluralities of edge-emitting antennas (328); and the serializer / deserializer (528, 530), is configured to deserialize a serial transmit signal stream into a respective subset of the digital component transmit signals.Attorney Docket No. VS2606-WO-1 (78120.0712)

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