Electromagnetic waveguide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12166295-B2
Application number	US-202217942896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2022
Priority date	Sep 14, 2021
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

An electromagnetic, EM, apparatus, includes: a first portion having an EM signal feed; and a second portion disposed on the first portion, the second portion having a shaped metallized form having at least one shaped metallized cavity, the second portion further having a dielectric medium disposed within each of the at least one shaped metallized cavity such that respective ones of the dielectric medium has a 3D shape that conforms to a shape of a corresponding one of the at least one shaped metallized cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic, EM, apparatus, comprising:
a first portion comprising a first mating surface; and
a second portion comprising a second mating surface configured to be disposed on the first mating surface of the first portion;
wherein the first portion has an overall height H 1 , the first portion comprising:
an open-top structure having an upper surface profile having at least one top-down cavity comprising air and having a depth d 1 where d 1 <H 1 ;
wherein each of the at least one top-down cavity has corresponding side walls;
wherein outer exposed surfaces of the at least one top-down cavity with the corresponding side walls comprises an electrical conductor;
wherein corresponding ones of the at least one top-down cavity with the corresponding side walls forms a lower portion of an air waveguide, AWG;

wherein the second portion has an overall height H 2 , the second portion comprising:
a lower surface profile configured to mate with the upper surface profile of the first portion;
an upper surface profile having a plurality of top-down recesses, each of the top-down recesses extending to a plurality of floors at a depth d 2 where d 2 <H 2 ;
a plurality of bottom openings, each of the bottom openings separating a pair of floors among the plurality of floors;
wherein each of the top-down recess is at least partially filled with a dielectric medium having a relative dielectric constant greater than that of air that covers a corresponding bottom opening among the plurality of bottom openings;

wherein portions of the lower surface profile proximate each of the bottom openings comprises an electrical conductor and forms an upper portion of the AWG.

2. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the dielectric medium is disposed on top of an adhesive, wherein the corresponding dielectric medium, adhesive, or combination of dielectric medium and adhesive, is disposed on the corresponding floor of each respective top-down recess and in each bottom opening of each corresponding floor.

3. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the first portion and the second portion comprises a metallized plastic.

4. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the first portion and the second portion comprises a composite of multiple portions attached to each other.

5. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the at least one top-down recesses comprises a wall that surrounds a respective one of the dielectric medium disposed therein.

6. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
surfaces of each of the top-down recesses, including the corresponding surrounding wall and corresponding floor, comprises an electrical conductor.

7. The EM apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the surrounding wall, with the electrical conductor, of each respective top-down recess forms an electrically conductive electromagnetic, EM, reflector that substantially surrounds the dielectric medium disposed within the corresponding top-down recess.

8. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second portion is attached to the first portion at the first and second mating surfaces.

9. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first portion, at a top surface of the side walls of corresponding ones of the at least one top-down cavity, further comprises an interlocking engagement feature; and
the second portion, at the lower surface of the second portion proximate the interlocking engagement feature of the first portion, further comprises a complementary interlocking engagement element configured to interlock with a corresponding interlocking engagement feature of the first portion.

10. The EM apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the interlocking engagement feature of the first portion comprises an engagement recess, and wherein the complementary interlocking engagement element of the second portion comprises an engagement projection configured to fittingly engage with the engagement recess of the first portion.

11. The EM apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
each of the dielectric medium has a relative dielectric constant equal to or greater than 2 and equal to or less than 15.

12. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion further comprises:
a ridge projection having a height h 1 , where h 1 <d 1 , disposed within each of the at least one top-down cavity, the ridge projection having electrically conductive surfaces.

13. The EM apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:
each respective ridge projection is disposed in an opposing relationship with a corresponding one of the bottom opening in each respective floor of the top-down recesses of the second portion.

14. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the dielectric medium is integrally connected to another adjacent one of the dielectric medium by a relatively thin connecting structure to form a monolithic dielectric medium structure.

15. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the bottom opening in the plurality of floors below the top-down recesses forms an electromagnetic, EM, signal feed aperture.

16. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second portion is formed completely of metal.

17. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second portion is formed from a metal-coated dielectric material.

18. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the second portion is formed from a metal-coated molded or 3D printed dielectric material.

19. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the top-down recesses has tapered sidewalls that taper inward from top-to-bottom; and
wherein each of the dielectric medium has a 3D shape that conforms to the tapered sidewalls of a corresponding one of the top-down recesses.

20. The EM apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the dielectric medium has a 3D shape in the form of a trapezoidal prism.

Assignees

• Rogers Corp

Inventors

• Pandey Shailesh
• Pance Kristi
• George Roshin Rose
• Canzano Sara G
• Pennock Daniel
• Sprentall Karl Edward
• Brock Lori
• Taraschi Gianni

Classifications

• H01Q21/065

  Patch antenna array · CPC title

• H01Q15/08

  formed of solid dielectric material · CPC title

• H01Q21/0087

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays (manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00) · CPC title

• H01Q21/0043 Primary

  Slotted waveguides (combination with horns H01Q13/0233) · CPC title

• H01Q21/061

  Two dimensional planar arrays · CPC title