Stacked PCB 3D Antennas for Low Q Broadband Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically small antennas face challenges in achieving low quality factor (Q) values, which are desirable for broadband performance, and their fabrication into compact, three-dimensional structures is complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
The development of three-dimensional antennas formed as a stack of planar wiring boards with metallized and conducting regions, allowing for robust, cost-effective manufacturing and a wide range of configurations, including additional features like ground planes and lumped elements, to achieve improved mechanical integrity and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solid wire hemispherical helix antenna structure is used, then low Q value and broadband performance are achieved, but fabrication complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna structure is divided into multiple planar wiring board segments that can be manufactured separately and then stacked together. Each board contains portions of the helical structure, and the stacked assembly recreates the three-dimensional hemispherical helix geometry. This segmentation allows standard PCB manufacturing processes to be used instead of complex solid wire fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a traditional three-dimensional solid wire structure to a stacked planar structure, effectively using the stacking dimension to create the 3D antenna geometry. Multiple two-dimensional PCB layers are arranged in three-dimensional space to form the helical antenna shape, leveraging the stacking dimension to achieve the desired radiation characteristics.
2Reliability
If solid wire hemispherical helix antenna structure is used, then low Q value and broadband performance are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna is segmented into multiple PCB layers that can be manufactured using standard, cost-effective printed circuit board processes. Each layer can be produced independently using automated PCB fabrication techniques, avoiding the need for expensive custom solid wire fabrication and assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses planar PCB copies or approximations of the solid wire helical structure. Instead of manufacturing the exact three-dimensional wire geometry, the patent uses stacked planar representations that replicate the essential electromagnetic characteristics at lower cost through standard PCB manufacturing.
3Reliability
If complex three-dimensional antenna geometries are fabricated, then optimal radiation performance is achieved, but manufacturing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex three-dimensional antenna geometry is segmented into multiple planar PCB layers that can be manufactured in parallel using automated PCB fabrication processes. This segmentation enables rapid production of individual layers that are then quickly assembled into the final antenna structure, significantly improving manufacturing throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters from custom solid wire fabrication to standard PCB manufacturing parameters. By utilizing established PCB fabrication processes with controlled material properties and geometric tolerances, the design achieves optimal radiation performance through parameter optimization within the PCB manufacturing regime rather than attempting to fabricate idealized wire structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Three-dimensional antennas incorporate a stack of planar wiring boards, with conductive metallization on each board and electrical connectivity between conductive regions on adjacent boards. In one example of the disclosed technology, a three-dimensional antenna is formed from a stack of planar wiring boards, where each includes one or more disjoint metallizations in electrical contact with at least one disjoint metallization on an adjacent one of the planar wiring boards. Associated methods and variants are also disclosed.