Interwoven Phased Array Antennas for Compact Multi-Band Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing communication terminals with satisfactory wireless performance while minimizing their size and weight is challenging, especially when integrating large antenna structures.
Innovation Solution
The integration of interwoven high and low band phased array antennas with shared apertures, where high band phased array antennas have center-grounded folded patch radiators and low band phased array antennas have folded patch radiators surrounded by conductive fences, mounted to a common antenna board with beamforming circuitry on a feeding board, using conductive standoffs and fasteners for secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If relatively large antenna structures are used to maximize wireless performance, then wireless performance is improved, but the size and weight of the communication terminal increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines high band and low band phased array antennas into a single integrated structure that shares a common aperture and substrate. Multiple antenna radiators for different frequency bands are merged into one unified antenna system, allowing both high band and low band antennas to occupy the same physical space rather than requiring separate antenna structures. This merging achieves satisfactory wireless performance across both frequency bands while minimizing the overall size and weight of the communication terminal.
2Reliability
If relatively large antenna structures are used to maximize wireless performance, then wireless performance is improved, but the size of the communication terminal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar two-dimensional antenna layouts to three-dimensional folded patch radiator structures. The folded patch radiators extend in the vertical dimension by folding the patch elements, allowing the antenna to achieve the electrical length required for resonance at different frequency bands without increasing the horizontal footprint. This dimensional transition enables compact antenna design that maintains wireless performance while reducing the overall size of the communication terminal.
3Weight of moving object
If compact antenna structures are used to minimize size and weight, then compactness is improved, but wireless performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested antenna configuration where high band folded patch radiators are positioned within the same aperture area as low band folded patch radiators. The high band antenna elements are effectively nested within the spatial envelope of the low band antenna structure, allowing both antenna systems to share the same physical aperture. This nesting arrangement achieves compact size and reduced weight while maintaining satisfactory wireless performance across both high and low frequency bands through proper spatial arrangement and electromagnetic isolation.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication terminal may include interwoven high and low band phased array antennas that form signal beams in respective bands. The high band antenna may have center-grounded folded patch radiators. The low band antenna may have folded patch radiators that each surrounds a different respective center-grounded folded patch radiator of the high band antenna. The low and high band antennas may be mounted to ground traces on an antenna board. The antenna board may be mounted to a feeding board. Beamforming circuitry for the low and high band antennas may be disposed on the feeding board. The patch radiators of the low and high band antennas may be formed from free-standing folded sheet metal. The folded sheet metal may be mounted to the antenna board by conductive standoffs. The conductive standoffs may be used to feed the antenna radiators and/or to short the antenna radiators to the ground trace.