High performance lens antenna systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020350680-A1
Application number	US-201916399451-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 30, 2019
Priority date	Apr 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 5, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lens antenna system is disclosed. The lens antenna system comprises a hybrid focal source antenna circuit configured to generate a source antenna beam for integration with different lens structures. In some embodiments, the hybrid focal source antenna circuit comprises a set of antenna elements coupled to one another. In some embodiments, the set of antenna elements comprises a first antenna element configured to be excited in a first spherical mode; and a second antenna element configured to be excited in a second, different, spherical mode. In some embodiments, the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode are co-polarized. In some embodiments, the lens antenna system further comprises a lens configured to shape the source antenna beam associated with the hybrid focal source antenna circuit, in order to provide an output antenna beam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A lens antenna system, comprising:
a hybrid focal source antenna circuit configured to generate a source antenna beam, the hybrid focal source antenna circuit comprising a set of antenna elements coupled to one another, the set of antenna elements comprising:
a first antenna element configured to be excited in a first spherical mode; and
a second antenna element configured to be excited in a second, different, spherical mode;
wherein the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode are co-polarized.

2 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the set of antenna elements further comprising one or more antenna elements configured to be excited in one or more respective spherical modes, wherein the one or more spherical modes are co-polarized with respect to the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode.

3 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more spherical modes comprises one or more different spherical modes and the one or more spherical modes are different from the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode.

4 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first spherical mode comprises a fundamental spherical mode and the second spherical mode comprises a higher order spherical mode.

5 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode comprise traverse magnetic (TM) modes.

6 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first spherical mode and the second spherical mode comprise traverse electric (TE) modes.

7 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna element and the second antenna element are fed from a single input.

8 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna element and the second antenna element are fed separately from 2 separate balanced inputs.

9 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna element and the second antenna element are excited simultaneously.

10 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna element and the second antenna element are excited separately.

11 . The lens antenna system of claim 1 , further comprising a lens configured to shape the source antenna beam associated with the hybrid focal source antenna circuit, in order to provide an output antenna beam.

12 . The lens antenna system of claim 11 , wherein the lens comprises one of a zoned Luneburg lens, a sphere air gap (SAG) lens, a disk lens, a spherical perforated Luneburg lens and a spike lens.

13 . A cascaded lens system associated with a lens antenna system, comprises:
a focusing lens configured to receive a collimated beam associated with a source antenna circuit and focus the collimated beam, in order to convert the collimated beam from spatial domain to spatial frequency domain, thereby forming a focused beam associated with the focusing lens; and a collimation lens configured to couple to the focused beam and collimate a select spatial frequency component associated with the focused beam, thereby forming a real collimated beam.

14 . The cascaded lens system of claim 13 , further comprising a quasi-collimated lens configured to receive a source antenna radiation associated with the source antenna circuit and collimate the source antenna radiation to form the collimated beam associated with the source antenna circuit.

15 . The cascaded lens system of claim 13 , further comprising a spatial filter plate located between the focusing lens and the collimation lens, and configured to filter out unwanted spatial frequency components associated with the focused beam, thereby providing the select spatial frequency component associated with the focused beam to the collimation lens.

16 . The cascaded lens system of claim 13 , wherein a distance of the collimation lens from the focusing lens or a size of the collimation lens is adjusted, in order to filter out unwanted spatial frequency components associated with the focused beam, thereby enabling the collimation lens to collimate the select spatial frequency component associated with the focused beam.

17 . The cascaded lens system of claim 13 , wherein the select spatial frequency component comprises a fundamental spatial frequency component.

18 . The cascaded lens system of claim 13 , wherein the select spatial frequency component comprises one or more spatial frequency components.

19 . The cascaded lens system of claim 14 , wherein the quasi collimated lens and the focusing lens are integrated together.

20 . A lens antenna system, comprising:
a waveguide array comprising a set of waveguides, wherein each of the set of waveguides is configured to convey electromagnetic waves associated with a communication circuit; and a lens coupled with the set of waveguides and configured to receive the electromagnetic waves associated with one or more waveguides of the set of waveguides, in order to provide one or more output antenna beams.

21 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the set of waveguides are directly connected to the lens.

22 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the set of waveguides comprises a set of dielectric waveguides, respectively made of a dielectric material.

23 . The lens antenna system of claim 22 , wherein the set of dielectric waveguides comprises a set of dielectric rods, respectively.

24 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein each of the set of waveguides comprises a uniform cross-section.

25 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein each of the set of waveguides comprises a tapered cross-section, with the tapered end coupled to the lens.

26 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the set of waveguides are arranged in the azimuth plane or the elevation plane with respect to the lens.

27 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the set of waveguides are arranged in both the azimuth plane and the elevation plane with respect to the lens.

28 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the lens comprises a perforated structure, wherein the perforations have a predefined symmetry associated therewith.

29 . The lens antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the refractive index of each waveguide of the set of waveguides varies both radially and axially.

30 . A lens antenna system, comprising:
a lens configured to:
receive an antenna source beam associated with an antenna source circuit; and
provide an output beam based on the received antenna source beam;
wherein the lens is configured to provide a phase compensation to the received antenna source beam in accordance with a phase compensation profile associated with the lens, prior to providing the output beam; and
wherein the phase compensation profile of the lens is configured in a way that the lens provides 2-dimensional (2D) beam steering.

31 . The lens antenna system of claim 30 , wherein the lens comprises a planar lens.

32 . The lens antenna system of claim 30 , wherein the phase compensation profile of the lens is configured in a way that a phase delay associated with the received antenna source beam at different locations of the lens, defined by a phase delay profile of the antenna source beam, is not fully compensated at the lens, in order to pro

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Yang Tae Young
• Zhou Zhen
• Jackson Bradley
• Xu Shengbo
• Chin Cheng-Yuan
• Choudhury Debabani
• Sadri Ali

Classifications

• H01Q21/29

  Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic (H01Q25/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q3/44 Primary

  varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element · CPC title

• H01Q15/10

  comprising three-dimensional [3D] array of impedance discontinuities, e.g. holes in conductive surfaces or conductive discs forming artificial dielectric · CPC title

• H01Q21/06

  Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart · CPC title

• H01Q9/285 Primary

  Planar dipole (H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407) · CPC title