Steerable phased array antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9871300-B1
Application number	US-201615081720-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 25, 2016
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

Devices or apparatuses for adjusting a radiation angle of an antenna are described. An electronic device may include a strip, a first leaky-wave antenna (LWA) cell, and a second LWA cell. The first LWA cell can include a tunable component. The first LWA cell can also include a first conductive patch coupled to: a radio frequency (RF) feed on a first edge of the first conductive patch; a ground plane through a first via on a second edge of the first conductive patch; and a tunable component at a first corner between a third edge and a fourth edge of the first conductive patch. The second LWA cell can include a second conductive patch coupled to the ground plane through a second via on a second edge of the second conductive patch and coupled to the tunable component at a first corner between a first edge and a third edge of the second conductive patch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
radio frequency (RF) circuitry comprising an RF feed;
a phased array antenna structure comprising:
a ground plane;
a non-radiating conductive strip;
an array of leaky-wave antenna (LWA) cells individually coupled to respective locations on the non-radiating conductive strip and individually coupled to the ground plane through respective vias, wherein the array of LWA cells comprises a first LWA cell and a second LWA cell, wherein:
the first LWA cell comprises:
a first tunable component; and
a first conductive patch having a polygonal shape coupled to the RF feed on a first edge of the first conductive patch, coupled to the ground plane through a first via on a second edge of the first conductive patch, and coupled to the first tunable component at a first corner between a third edge and a fourth edge of the first conductive patch;

the second LWA cell comprises a second conductive patch having a polygonal shape coupled to the ground plane through a second via on a second edge of the second conductive patch and coupled to the first tunable component at a first corner between a first edge and a third edge of the second conductive patch; and

a controller coupled to the non-radiating conductive strip, the controller to generate a control signal to set a voltage value of the first tunable component, wherein the RF circuitry is operable to set, using the control signal, the voltage value of the first tunable component to a first voltage value correlated to a first radiation angle of the phased array antenna structure and apply a first current to the RF feed to cause to the phased array antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy at the first radiation angle, wherein the RF circuitry is operable to set, using the control signal, the voltage value of the tunable component to a second voltage value correlated to a second radiation angle of the phased array antenna structure and apply a second current to the RF feed to cause to the phased array antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy at the second radiation angle.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the second LWA cell comprises a second tunable component coupled between a second corner between the third edge and a fourth edge of the second conductive patch, and
the array of LWA cells comprises a third LWA cell comprising a third conductive patch having a polygonal shape coupled to the ground plane through a third via on a second side of the third conductive patch and coupled to the second tunable component at a first corner between a first side and a third side of the third conductive patch.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the first tunable component comprises:
a first variable capacitor coupled between a contact terminal of the non-radiating conductive strip and the first corner of the first conductive patch; and
a second variable capacitor coupled between the contact terminal and the first corner of the second conductive patch.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:
the first tunable component is a first varactor diode or a first Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) tunable capacitor and the second tunable component is a second varactor diode or a second BST tunable capacitor, and
the control signal is a bias voltage for the first or second varactor diodes or the first and second BST tunable capacitors.

5. An electronic device comprising:
radio frequency (RF) circuitry comprising an RF feed;
an antenna structure comprising:
a ground plane;
a first strip;
an first array of leaky-wave antenna (LWA) cells individually coupled to respective locations on the first strip and individually coupled to the ground plane through respective vias, wherein the array of LWAs cells comprises a first LWA cell and a second LWA cell, wherein:
the first LWA cell comprises:
a first tunable component; and
a first conductive patch coupled to the RF feed on a first edge of the first conductive patch and coupled to the first tunable component at a first corner between a third edge and a fourth edge of the first conductive patch;

the second LWA cell comprises a second conductive patch coupled to the first tunable component at a first corner between a first edge and a third edge of the second conductive patch; and

a controller coupled to the first strip, the controller to generate a control signal to set a variable value of the tunable component to a first voltage value correlated to a first radiation angle of the antenna structure.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein:
the second LWA cell comprises a second tunable component coupled between a second corner between the third edge and a fourth edge of the second conductive patch, and
the array of LWA cells comprises a third LWA cell comprising a third conductive patch coupled to the ground plane through a third via on a second edge of the third conductive patch and coupled to the second tunable component at a first corner between a first edge and a third edge of the third conductive patch.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein:
the first tunable component is a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) tunable capacitor,
the second tunable component is a second MEMS tunable capacitor, and
the control signal is a digital control signal for the first MEMS tunable capacitor and the second MEMS tunable capacitor.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the first strip further comprises a plurality of control lines, and wherein the first tunable component is coupled to a first set of the plurality of control lines and the second tunable component is coupled to a second set of the plurality of control lines.

9. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein:
the first conductive patch is coupled to the ground plane through a first via on a second edge of the first conductive patch, and
the second conductive patch coupled to the ground plane through a second via on a second edge of the second conductive patch.

10. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the RF circuitry is operable to:
set, using the control signal, the variable value of the first tunable component to the first voltage value correlated to the first radiation angle of the antenna structure;
apply a first current to the RF feed to cause to the antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy in a first direction;
set, using the control signal, the variable value of the tunable component to a second voltage value correlated to a second radiation angle of the antenna structure; and
apply a second current to the RF feed to cause to the antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy in a second direction.

11. The electronic device of claim 5 , the antenna structure further comprising:
a second strip coplanar to the first strip;
an second array of LWA cells individually coupled to respective locations on the second strip and individually coupled to the ground plane through respective vias, wherein the second array of LWAs cells comprises a third LWA cell and a fourth LWA cell, wherein:
the third LWA cell comprises:
a second tunable component; and
a third conductive patch coupled to the RF feed on a first edge of the third conductive patch, coupled to the ground plane through a third via on a second edge of the third conductive patch, and coupled to the second tunable component at a first corner between a third edge and a fourth edge of the third conductive patch;

the fourth LWA cell comprises a fourth conductive patch coupled to the ground plane through a fourth via on a second edge of the fourth conductive patch and coupled to the second tunable component at a first corner between

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Lee Tzung-I
• Hyun In Chul
• Kim Jin

Classifications

• H01Q13/26 Primary

  Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/48

  Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises · CPC title

• H01Q1/245 Primary

  with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure · CPC title

• H01Q3/26

  varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture ({H01Q3/12,} H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence) · CPC title