Window-Mounted Antenna Power and Data Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless devices experience degraded call quality due to signal attenuation when operating indoors, as RF signals pass through building materials like windows and walls, reducing the signal-to-noise ratio.
Innovation Solution
An antenna is mounted on an exterior surface, such as an automobile window, with power and data signals coupled through the window using an outboard and inboard module system, where power is converted and data is transmitted optically, allowing unobstructed RF signal reception without penetrating the window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the antenna is mounted indoors, then the device structure is simpler, but the RF signal strength is attenuated due to passing through windows, walls or ceilings
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate inboard and outboard modules mounted on opposite sides of the window. The inboard module contains the antenna and electronics on the interior side, while the outboard module contains additional electronics on the exterior side. This segmentation allows the antenna to be positioned indoors for simplicity while the outboard module handles signal processing externally to compensate for attenuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The window itself serves as an intermediary element that the system adapts to. Instead of penetrating the window or placing the antenna outside, the system uses the window as a barrier and mounts modules on both sides of it, using optical and electromagnetic coupling to transfer signals and power across the window without physical penetration.
2Strength
If the antenna is mounted outdoors on an exterior surface, then the RF signal strength is improved, but power and data transmission require penetrating the window structure
Solution Approach 1:
The window acts as an intermediary barrier that the system couples through without penetrating. Optical coupling and electromagnetic coupling mechanisms enable power and data transmission across the window between inboard and outboard modules, eliminating the need for physical penetrations while maintaining outdoor antenna placement for optimal signal reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical penetration through the window with non-mechanical coupling methods. Optical coupling uses light transmission and electromagnetic coupling uses electromagnetic fields to transfer power and data across the window, substituting the need for physical holes or penetrations with field-based energy and information transfer.
3Ease of operation
If power and data are transmitted through the window using traditional methods, then the system can operate indoors, but signal attenuation degrades call quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the functional components into inboard and outboard modules distributed across the window. This segmentation allows signal processing to occur both indoors and outdoors, with the outboard module compensating for attenuation by performing signal enhancement and processing externally where the RF signal is stronger, thereby maintaining call quality while enabling indoor operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the outboard module receives attenuated signals from the inboard antenna, processes them through amplification and signal correction, and transmits enhanced signals back through the window. This feedback loop compensates for the signal attenuation caused by the window, maintaining reliable communication while allowing the device to operate indoors.
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
This configuration enhances wireless signal strength and call quality by maintaining a higher signal-to-noise ratio, comparable to outdoor reception, without requiring physical penetrations through the window.
Implementation Method 1
The inboard power module may convert the input voltage into an electromagnetic waveform that is adapted to pass through the window to the outboard side
Implementation Method 2
The inboard data module may send the data as an optical signal that is adapted to pass through the window to the outboard side
Implementation Method 3
The outboard coil may convert energy in the electromagnetic waveform into a voltage to power the outboard data module
Implementation Method 4
The outboard data module may receive the optical signal and may convert the optical signal into an electrical data signal
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a power module to produce a switched voltage and to convert the switched voltage into a waveform adapted to wirelessly pass through a structure. The device may include a data module to receive a wireless signal through the structure, where the wireless signal includes information, and to send the information toward a destination.