Multi-band millimeter wave antenna arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10658762-B2
Application number	US-201715650638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2017
Priority date	Jul 14, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a phased antenna array. The array may include first, second, and third rings of antennas on a dielectric substrate that cover respective first, second, and third communications bands greater than 10 GHz. The second ring of antennas may surround the first ring of antennas. The third ring of antennas may be formed over the second ring of antennas. Parasitic elements may be formed over the first ring of antennas to broaden the bandwidth of the first ring of antennas. Beam steering circuitry may be coupled to the rings of antennas. Control circuitry may control the beam steering circuitry to steer a beam of wireless signals in one or more of the first, second, and third communications bands. The array may exhibit relatively uniform antenna gain regardless of the direction in which the beam is steered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A phased antenna array, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first set of patch antenna resonating elements on the dielectric substrate and configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a first communications band at frequencies greater than 30 GHz;
a second set of patch antenna resonating elements disposed around the first set of patch antenna resonating elements on the dielectric substrate and configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a second communications band at frequencies that are lower than the first communications band; and
a third set of patch antenna resonating elements on the dielectric substrate and configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a third communications band at frequencies that are higher than the second communications band and lower than the first communications band, wherein an entirety of each of the patch antenna resonating elements in the third set of patch antenna resonating element overlaps a respective one of the patch antenna resonating elements in the second set of patch antenna resonating elements.

2. The phased antenna array defined in claim 1 , wherein each patch antenna resonating element in the first set is located at a first distance from a point on the dielectric substrate, and each patch antenna resonating element in the second set is located at a second distance from the point on the dielectric substrate, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

3. The phased antenna array defined in claim 2 , wherein the first set of patch antenna resonating elements is formed at a first set of angles about the point on the dielectric substrate and the second set of patch antenna resonating elements is formed at a second set of angles about the point on the dielectric substrate, the second set of angles being offset with respect to the first set of angles.

4. The phased antenna array defined in claim 2 , wherein the first communications band comprises a communications band between 57 GHz and 71 GHz and the second communications band comprises a communications band between 27.5 GHz and 28.5 GHz.

5. The phased antenna array defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of parasitic antenna resonating elements, wherein each parasitic antenna resonating element in the set of parasitic antenna resonating elements overlaps a respective one of the patch antenna resonating elements in the first set.

6. The phased antenna array defined in claim 5 , wherein the set of parasitic antenna resonating elements comprises cross-shaped conductive patches.

7. The phased antenna array defined in claim 6 , further comprising:
an antenna ground plane coupled to the dielectric substrate, wherein the each patch antenna resonating element in the second set comprises:
a first antenna feed having a first antenna feed terminal coupled to a first location on that patch antenna resonating element and a second antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground plane, and
a second antenna feed having a third antenna feed terminal coupled to a second location on that patch antenna resonating element and a fourth antenna feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground plane.

8. The phased antenna array defined in claim 1 , wherein the patch antenna resonating elements in the first set are not overlapped by any parasitic antenna resonating elements.

9. The phased antenna array defined in claim 1 , wherein the first communications band comprises a communications band between 57 GHz and 71 GHz, the second communications band comprises a communications band between 27.5 GHz and 28.5 GHz, and the third communications band comprises a communications band between 37 GHz and 41 GHz.

10. A phased antenna array, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first set of antennas on the dielectric substrate and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in a first communications band at frequencies greater than 30 GHz;
a second set of antennas surrounding the first set of antennas on the dielectric substrate and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in a second communications band at frequencies that are lower than the first communications band;
a third set of antennas on the dielectric substrate and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in a third communications band at frequencies that are higher than the second communications band and lower than the first communications band, wherein the first set of antennas comprises a first set of patch antenna resonating elements, the second set of antennas comprises a second set of patch antenna resonating elements, and the third set of antennas comprises a third set of patch antenna resonating elements, each of the patch antenna resonating elements in the third set being formed over a respective patch antenna resonating element in the second set of patch antenna resonating elements;
a set of parasitic antenna resonating elements, wherein each parasitic antenna resonating element in the set of parasitic antenna resonating elements is formed over a respective one of the patch antenna resonating elements in the first set of patch antenna resonating elements; and
an antenna ground plane for the first, second, and third sets of antennas, wherein the dielectric substrate comprises a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and a third dielectric layer, the antenna ground plane is formed on the first dielectric layer, the first and second sets of patch antenna resonating elements are formed on the second dielectric layer, and the set of parasitic antenna resonating elements and the third set of patch antenna resonating elements are formed on the third dielectric layer.

11. The phased antenna array defined in claim 10 , wherein the set of parasitic antenna resonating elements comprises cross-shaped conductive patches.

12. The phased antenna array defined in claim 10 , wherein each antenna in the first set is located at a first distance from a point on the dielectric substrate and each antenna in the second set is located at a second distance from the point on the dielectric substrate, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

13. The phased antenna array defined in claim 12 , wherein the first set of antennas is formed at a first set of angles about the point on the dielectric substrate and the second set of antennas is formed at a second set of angles about the point on the dielectric substrate, the second set of angles being offset with respect to the first set of angles.

14. The phased antenna array defined in claim 13 , wherein the first communications band comprises a communications band between 57 GHz and 71 GHz, the second communications band comprises a communications band between 27.5 GHz and 28.5 GHz, and the third communications band comprises a communications band between 37 GHz and 41 GHz.

15. A phased antenna array, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a ground plane on the dielectric substrate;
a first set of antennas configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a first communications band at frequencies greater than 30 GHz, wherein each antenna in the first set comprises a respective antenna resonating element and a respective parasitic antenna resonating element overlapping that antenna resonating element, the antenna resonating elements in the first set of antennas being interposed between the parasitic antenna resonating elements in the first set of antennas and the ground plane;
a second set of antennas disposed around the first set of antennas and configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a second communications band at frequencies that are lower than the f

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Paulotto Simone
• Noori Basim H
• Mow Matthew A

Classifications

• H01Q5/40

  Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements · CPC title

• H01Q21/28

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title

• H01Q21/065 Primary

  Patch antenna array · CPC title

• H01Q9/0435

  using two feed points · CPC title

• H01Q9/0485

  Dielectric resonator antennas · CPC title