Hybrid Antenna Layout for Wide-Angle Wireless Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing antenna designs for indoor positioning suffer from poor coverage at wide angles, interference issues due to close antenna edges, and the need for large ground planes, leading to inadequate performance for small angles and elevated positions.
Innovation Solution
An antenna device with a polygonal ground plane and a combination of chip antenna elements and a patch antenna element, where each chip antenna is placed at the edge of the ground plane with a spacing of half the wavelength, and the patch antenna is centered, allowing for effective detection of wireless signals from both wide and narrow angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If chip antenna elements are arranged along the edge of a large ground plane with 1/2 wavelength spacing, then positioning coverage is improved, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is segmented into multiple chip antenna elements distributed along the edges of the ground plane, with each element contributing to the overall positioning coverage. This segmentation allows the system to achieve wide-angle coverage without requiring a single large continuous antenna structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines chip antenna elements with a patch antenna element in a hybrid configuration. The chip antennas are positioned at the edges while the patch antenna is centered on the ground plane, merging different antenna types to achieve both wide-angle and small-angle positioning accuracy within a compact form factor.
2Power
If linear dipoles are stacked end-to-end along the edges of the ground plane, then antenna gain is improved, but interference increases due to close edges
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful interaction between closely spaced dipole edges is eliminated by extracting the antenna elements from a continuous linear arrangement and distributing them as discrete chip antenna elements along the edges. This separation reduces edge-to-edge interference while maintaining the edge-positioning advantage for wide-angle coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the ground plane are assigned different antenna types with optimized local characteristics. Chip antennas are placed at the edges where wide-angle coverage is needed, while a patch antenna is positioned at the center for optimal small-angle performance, creating local quality variations that eliminate interference issues.
3Measurement precision
If many antenna elements are switched in quick succession for signal analysis, then positioning accuracy is improved, but system complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane serves multiple functions: it acts as the radiation reference for chip antennas positioned at the edges and simultaneously provides the ground structure for the centered patch antenna. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve accurate triangulation with fewer active elements, reducing switching complexity while maintaining positioning precision.
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 proposed antenna device enhances positioning accuracy by enabling triangulation of wireless signals across a wider range of angles, reduces interference, and allows for a smaller form factor compared to traditional designs.
Implementation Method 1
detecting radio frequency characteristics of a wireless signal of said wavelength using the patch antenna element and two adjacent ones of said chip antenna elements
Data Source
AI summary
An antenna device configured for wireless positioning. The antenna device includes a ground plane having a polygonal shape comprising at least 4 side edges. A plurality of chip antenna elements tuned to a predetermined radio frequency are each singly provided at one of said side edges with a spacing between adjacent ones of said chip antenna elements corresponding to ½ of a wavelength of said predetermined radio frequency. A patch antenna element tuned to said predetermined radio frequency is provided at a center portion of a front side of the ground plane.