Electronically Steerable Antenna with Configurable Counterpoise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional antennas requiring radiation and reception diversity occupy significant space, making them unsuitable for small form factor devices, and existing solutions like electronically tuning antennas only change the resonant frequency without steering the antenna's angle.
Innovation Solution
An electronically steerable antenna with a controllable counterpoise element, comprising multiple conductive segments that can be individually connected to modify the radiating angle of the driven element, allowing for selective control of the antenna's radiation pattern without increasing physical space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate antennas are used for radiation and reception diversity, then antenna diversity performance is improved, but device space is excessively occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple antenna functions into a single antenna structure by integrating a driven element with multiple configurable counterpoise elements. This merging approach allows the single antenna to provide radiation diversity in multiple planes simultaneously, achieving the performance equivalent of multiple separate antennas while occupying minimal device space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamically reconfigurable counterpoise elements that can be selectively connected or disconnected through switching elements. This dynamic configuration allows the antenna to change its radiation pattern and steering angle electronically without physical movement, enabling diversity performance adaptation while maintaining a compact fixed structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple antennas are packed onto a PCB for MIMO applications, then MIMO capability is achieved, but PCB space becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal antenna structure that can perform multiple functions including MIMO operations, beam steering, and frequency tuning within a single integrated design. The configurable counterpoise elements enable the same antenna to serve multiple radiation and reception diversity functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated antennas for each MIMO stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the spatial dimension by configuring counterpoise elements in different planes and orientations around the driven element. This three-dimensional arrangement allows the single antenna to create multiple independent radiation patterns and achieve MIMO capability without requiring additional planar PCB space for separate antenna elements.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronically steerable antenna includes at least one driven element, at least one controllable counterpoise element, and a support structure on which the driven element and the controllable counterpoise element are disposed. The controllable counterpoise element has at least one geometric characteristic which can be varied. A radiating angle of the driven element is selectively controlled, at least in part, by modifying the geometric characteristic of the at least one controllable counterpoise element. The counterpoise element may include multiple conductive segments, at least a subset of which may be adapted to be individually electrically connected together so as to modify the radiating angle of the driven element.