Circularly Polarized Antenna Layout for Compact Omnidirectional Gain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional circularly polarized omnidirectional antennas are limited in size reduction due to the spacing requirements between elements, and existing designs like the Lindenblad antenna have fixed vertical sizes and are primarily square, making them unsuitable for compact installations in applications such as video piloting, unmanned vehicles, and Wi-Fi systems.
Innovation Solution
A compact circularly polarized omnidirectional antenna design utilizing an equal number of driven and parasitic elements around a central axis, where the elements can be straight, curved, or have compound bends, with parasitic elements not electrically connected to the central transmission system, allowing for reduced size and vertical compactness, and made from conductive materials like copper or brass, embedded in a printed circuit board within a non-conductive enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional circular antennas are used, then proper circular wave propagation is achieved, but antenna size cannot be reduced due to spacing requirements between elements
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna is divided into multiple discrete elements (driven elements and parasitic elements) arranged around a central axis. Each element is independently positioned at specific spacing intervals, allowing the overall antenna structure to achieve compact size while maintaining proper circular wave propagation through the segmented configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna transitions from a planar two-dimensional arrangement to a three-dimensional cylindrical configuration with elements distributed around a central axis. This dimensional change allows elements to be positioned in multiple directions simultaneously, achieving compact overall size while maintaining required element spacing for proper circular wave propagation.
2Power
If Lindenblad antenna design is used, then gain is improved, but vertical size is fixed and problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna design allows the vertical dimension to be dynamically adjusted by modifying the spacing between elements along the central axis. Unlike fixed Lindenblad designs, the element positions can be optimized to achieve desired gain performance while adapting the vertical size to specific application requirements, making the antenna versatile for different installation constraints.
3Reliability
If more elements are added to achieve better circular wave propagation, then radiation performance is improved, but antenna complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and separates the functional roles into two distinct element types: driven elements that are electrically connected to the feed system and parasitic elements that are not. This separation allows the parasitic elements to contribute to circular wave propagation and radiation pattern shaping without requiring direct electrical connections, thereby improving performance while limiting the total number of elements that need active feed connections.
4Device complexity
If driven elements only are used, then electrical connection is simple, but antenna size cannot be reduced due to spacing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Parasitic elements serve as intermediaries that couple the electromagnetic fields between driven elements without requiring direct electrical connections to the feed system. These parasitic elements are positioned strategically to enhance circular wave propagation and allow driven elements to be spaced closer together, thereby reducing overall antenna size while maintaining electrical connection simplicity at the driven elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves significant size reduction while maintaining circular wave propagation, offering higher gain and flexibility in form factor, suitable for various applications including video piloting, unmanned vehicles, and mesh networking, with improved mechanical support and impedance matching for efficient radio wave transmission.
Implementation Method 1
In transmission, a radio transmitter supplies an electric current to the antenna's terminals, and the antenna radiates the energy from the current as electromagnetic waves (radio waves)
Implementation Method 2
In reception, an antenna intercepts some of the power of an electromagnetic wave in order to produce an electric current at its terminals
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are examples of circularly polarized omni-directional antennas which contain an equal number of driven radiators and parasitic radiators spaced radially around a central axis which in which the driven elements are fed from a central feed system. This type of antenna allows for a compact size with higher axial ratio than other designs. In one aspect, an antenna comprises 2 or more elements shaped as a single curve in a cylindrical structure. In another aspect, the antenna may take on an angular form such as a square or a hexagon in which the elements may contain multiple angles. The antenna may be contained within a non-conductive enclosure and may contain a transmission line such as a coaxial cable.