Modular Mobile Hotspot with Deployable Ground Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile hotspots have limited range and useable life due to small cellular antenna performance and battery capacity, and are often bulky, making them less portable and modular, which restricts their connectivity options and device compatibility.
Innovation Solution
A modular mobile hotspot system with a disk-shaped cellular access point and annular ground element that enhances antenna performance through a larger ground plane, allowing for increased range and portability, and includes a battery module for extended use, along with additional devices like cameras and projectors for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a mobile hotspot device is made compact and portable, then ease of operation and portability are improved, but antenna performance and signal range deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile hotspot system is divided into separate modular components: a main body unit and an expandable ground element. This segmentation allows the antenna system to access a larger effective ground plane area when deployed, improving signal performance without increasing the portable size of the main device body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a deployable ground element that extends the antenna's effective ground plane in a spatial dimension. When the ground element is deployed, it provides additional surface area for signal reference, effectively increasing the antenna performance without making the compact device body larger.
2Duration of action of moving object
If battery capacity is increased to extend usable life, then duration of action is improved, but weight and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The power system is segmented into a main battery in the body unit and an optional external battery module. This allows users to extend usable life by adding the external battery only when needed, without permanently increasing the weight of the portable device body.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery configuration is made dynamic and adaptable. Users can adjust the power supply arrangement based on usage needs, switching between the integrated battery for portability and the external battery module for extended duration, optimizing the weight-duration tradeoff in real-time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the device is made modular with additional components, then adaptability and functionality are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile hotspot system is designed with universal interfaces and modular components that can perform multiple functions. The ground element serves both as an antenna performance enhancer and as a structural component, while the external battery module provides both power extension and potential additional connectivity options, reducing overall system complexity through multi-functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into standardized modular units with defined interfaces. This segmentation allows different combinations of modules to be assembled for different use cases without requiring complex integration logic, as each module operates with standardized connection protocols.
4Reliability
If antenna ground plane area is increased to improve signal range, then reliability is improved, but device volume and portability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by extending the ground plane in a deployable dimension rather than increasing the static volume of the device body. The ground element can be extended outward from the compact body, providing a larger effective ground plane area for improved signal range without permanently increasing the device's portable volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna system is segmented into the integrated antenna in the body and the separate deployable ground element. This segmentation allows the ground plane area to be expanded only when needed for improved signal range, while maintaining a compact device volume for portability when the ground element is retracted or not deployed.
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 system provides extended cellular signal range, improved antenna performance, and increased portability and functionality, enabling reliable data network access for a variety of devices and applications.
Implementation Method 1
A modular mobile hotspot system with a disk-shaped cellular access point and annular ground element that enhances antenna performance through a larger ground plane
Data Source
AI summary
A device can include a first ground element to be electrically connected to a module including a cellular antenna. The first ground element and the module can be stackable. The cellular antenna can have a first ground plane provided by a second ground element included in the module. The first ground element can provide a second ground plane for the cellular antenna when the first ground element is electrically connected to the cellular antenna. The second ground plane can be larger than the first ground plane. Radio performance of the cellular antenna with regard to a cellular network is enhanced when the cellular antenna is electrically connected to the first ground element based on the second ground plane.