Reflector Arrangement for Wireless Terminal Antenna Gain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communications systems face challenges in achieving high antenna gain while maintaining a compact, cost-effective design, as current solutions often result in bulky and expensive arrangements with poor impedance matching and increased weight, particularly when using external reflectors or dielectric lenses.
Innovation Solution
A reflector arrangement featuring a sub-reflector with a conical shape and a dielectric ring around its perimeter, which acts as a feed antenna for a patch antenna, providing a compact design with good impedance matching and reduced beamwidth, thereby increasing antenna gain without the need for bulky components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a parabolic dish reflector with offset terminal support is used, then antenna gain is increased, but the arrangement becomes bulky and requires changing terminal orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is integrated within the reflector arrangement, with the housing portion accommodating the terminal and positioning it to cooperate with the sub-reflector and main reflector. This merging eliminates the need for separate external mounting structures and reduces overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal is nested within the housing portion of the reflector arrangement, which is itself nested within or integrated with the reflector structure. This nested configuration allows compact integration of multiple components without increasing external dimensions significantly.
2Power
If a microwave feed assembly with two antennas and transmission line is used, then antenna gain is improved, but impedance matching deteriorates causing signal reflection and distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The complex microwave feed assembly with multiple antennas and transmission lines is replaced by extracting only the essential function - using the terminal's internal patch antenna directly as the feed element. This simplification eliminates impedance matching problems associated with complex feed structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal's internal patch antenna serves multiple functions: it acts as both the communication antenna and the feed antenna for the reflector system. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate feed antennas and transmission lines, ensuring good impedance matching.
3Power
If a dielectric lens is fitted to increase antenna gain, then gain is improved, but weight and material cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical dielectric lens system is replaced by a reflector-based electromagnetic field control system. The main reflector and sub-reflector work together to shape and focus the electromagnetic waves, eliminating the need for heavy dielectric materials while achieving the same gain enhancement.
4Ease of manufacture
If an internal patch antenna is used, then manufacturing cost and size are kept low, but antenna gain is insufficient for far-distance communication
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is segmented into the internal patch antenna (feed) and external reflector elements (sub-reflector and main reflector). This segmentation allows the simple, low-cost patch antenna to be enhanced by the reflector structure, achieving high gain without complicating the antenna itself or increasing manufacturing cost significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional planar patch antenna to a three-dimensional reflector structure with the terminal positioned at a specific spatial relationship. By utilizing the third dimension (depth/distance from reflector surface), the system achieves higher gain without increasing the footprint or manufacturing complexity of the base antenna.
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 solution achieves higher antenna gain with reduced beamwidth and low sidelobe levels, maintaining efficient impedance matching and reducing the size and weight of the wireless communications terminal, while preserving polarization state and minimizing return loss.
Implementation Method 1
radiation from the patch antenna may be reflected by a sub-reflector towards a main reflector
Implementation Method 2
the main reflector is shaped to produce a radiated beam of reduced beamwidth and hence higher antenna gain
Implementation Method 3
A reflector arrangement featuring a sub-reflector with a conical shape and a dielectric ring around its perimeter
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A reflector arrangement is configured for attachment to a wireless communications terminal having a patch antenna. The patch antenna includes a patch radiator in a substantially parallel relationship with a ground plane, and the patch antenna produces a radiation beam of a predetermined beamwidth. The reflector arrangement is configured, when attached to the terminal, to produce a radiation beam of reduced beamwidth relative to the predetermined beamwidth. The reflector arrangement comprises a main reflector and a sub-reflector for reflecting radiation towards the main reflector, and the reflector arrangement is configured such that, when attached to the terminal, the patch antenna acts as a feed antenna for the sub-reflector. The sub-reflector is arranged to collect the radiation from the patch antenna and to reflect the beam towards the main reflector such that the main reflector produces the radiated beam of reduced beamwidth.