Nonplanar Complementary Patch Antenna for Tracking Tags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless tracking tags used in sporting events face challenges with obtrusive and fragile designs due to rigid enclosures, inefficient radiation patterns, and high power consumption when oriented away from receivers, leading to reduced operational lifetime and increased bulkiness.
Innovation Solution
A nonplanar complementary patch antenna with angled antenna patches and a flexible substrate design that reduces power consumption by optimizing radiation patterns and allowing the tag to flex, thereby reducing size and weight while maintaining robustness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a planar patch antenna is used, then the antenna structure is simple and compact, but the radiation pattern is biased unidirectionally toward the normal axis causing high power consumption when the tag is oriented away from receivers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a planar (2D) antenna structure to a three-dimensional nonplanar structure by bending the flexible substrate at an angle. This dimensional change creates a radiation pattern that is no longer confined to a single plane, allowing the antenna to radiate effectively in multiple directions simultaneously, thus reducing power consumption when the tag is oriented away from receivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the antenna structure from planar to nonplanar by introducing a bend angle. This parameter change fundamentally alters the radiation characteristics, transforming the unidirectional radiation pattern into a more omnidirectional pattern that maintains efficiency across various tag orientations.
2Reliability
If the antenna is made mechanically rigid to protect it, then the antenna is protected from damage, but the enclosure becomes fragile and prone to breaking when exposed to bending forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible substrate to support the antenna structure, replacing traditional rigid enclosures. This flexible substrate can withstand bending forces without breaking, allowing the antenna to be protected while maintaining resistance to mechanical stress. The flexibility of the substrate enables the antenna to flex rather than fracture under bending loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a static rigid enclosure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt to mechanical stresses. The flexible substrate dynamically responds to bending forces by deforming elastically, allowing the antenna to survive impacts and bending that would cause rigid enclosures to fracture.
3Productivity
If a nonplanar complementary patch antenna with angled patches is used, then communication efficiency and operational range are enhanced, but the antenna volume and height increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible substrate that can be bent to create a nonplanar antenna structure with improved radiation characteristics. By utilizing the flexibility of the substrate, the antenna achieves enhanced communication efficiency without requiring a proportional increase in volume, as the bending creates the three-dimensional structure within the constraints of the substrate's surface area.
Data Source
AI summary
A nonplanar tracking tag includes a nonplanar complementary patch antenna having an antenna ground plane, a first antenna patch lying in a first plane forming a first angle with the antenna ground plane, and a second antenna patch lying in a second plane forming a second angle with the antenna ground plane. The patch antenna may be formed on a flexible circuit and electrically coupled to a transceiver. The tracking tag may also include a dielectric material shaped and sized to position the first and second antenna patches, when the flexible circuit is wrapped around the dielectric material, in the first and second planes. Advantageously, the radiation pattern produced by the nonplanar complementary patch antenna is biased away from a normal axis of the tracking tag, and therefore can communicate efficiently with receivers when the tracking tag is oriented with its normal axis pointing away from the receivers.