WIDE BAND DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA

Abstract

A wide band directional antenna includes three elements which are partially aligned, electrically isolated from each other, of which a lower element includes at least one reflector circuit, a middle element comprises at least one dipole circuit connected to a transmission line, and an upper element includes a director circuit, wherein the dipole circuit includes at least one first pair of conductive elements, suitable for forming a minor dipole connected to the transmission line, and at least one second pair of electrically isolated conductive elements, excited with capacitive effect by the minor dipole, in such a way as to form a major dipole.

Claims

1. A wide band directional antenna, comprising at least three elements which are at least partially aligned, electrically isolated from each other, of which a lower element comprising at least one reflector circuit, a middle element comprising at least one dipole circuit connected to a transmission line, and an upper element comprising at least one director circuit, wherein the dipole circuit comprises at least one first pair of conductive elements, suitable for forming a minor dipole connected to the transmission line, and at least one second pair of electrically isolated conductive elements, excited with capacitive effect by the minor dipole, in such a way as to form a major dipole.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein it comprises two identical dipole circuits connected to the transmission line, in such a way as to form an antenna array.

3. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein at least one electrically isolated conductive element comprises a bent extension parallel to the body of the major dipole, in such a way as to favor impedance adjustment at the lower frequencies.

4. The antenna according to claim 3, wherein the bent extension reaches the electrically isolated second conductive element in such a way as to form a capacitive coupling.

5. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the transmission line comprises a coaxial cable and at least one double-wire line, in such a way as to connect the antenna to a telecommunications unit.

6. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the lower element comprises two reflector circuits which are substantially specular and electrically isolated from each other.

7. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the reflector circuit comprises a cut which is transversal relative to the dipoles, and at least partially aligned with the transmission line, in such a way as to extend the path of the currents and to maintain electrical continuity.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the reflector circuit comprises at least one non-conductive island, with a substantially polygonal shape, in such a way as to improve the behavior of the reflector circuit at the higher frequency bands.

9. The antenna according to claim 8, wherein the islands have a quadrangular shape.

10. The antenna according to claim 8, wherein the islands comprise two parallel sides which are sized in order to allow the functionality of the reflector circuit for two different frequency bands, whose quarter wavelength substantially corresponds to the lengths of the parallel sides.

11. The antenna according to claim 8, wherein it comprises two islands which are positioned symmetrically relative to the transversal cut.

12. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the upper element comprises two director circuits which are substantially symmetrical, in such a way that each faces a dipole.

13. The antenna according to claim 12, wherein the director circuit has a trapezoidal shape, in such a way as to improve the behavior of the director circuit at the higher frequency bands and to bring the dipole circuit back to resonance.

14. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the upper element comprises a horizontal “H”-shaped third director circuit, in order to improve impedance adjustment at the lower frequency bands.

15. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a plurality of spacers, suitable for separating the middle element from the lower element and from the upper element, in such a way as to optimize the efficiency of the antenna.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Further advantages and features of the invention will be more apparent in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show an example, non-limiting embodiment, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates the invention according to a perspective assembly view, with some parts cut away to better illustrate others;

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates the invention according to the view in FIG. 1 exploded;

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a detail of the invention;

[0016] FIG. 3a illustrates a detail of FIG. 3;

[0017] FIG. 3b illustrates a detail of FIG. 3;

[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a second detail of the invention;

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates a third detail of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] As seen in the figures, the invention relates to a wide band directional antenna, particularly suitable for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals operating in the mobile communication standards sector, particularly 4G and 5G. In this specific use, the invention allows use to be made of many frequency bands included in a vast range which goes from frequencies below 1000 MHz, for example the band included between 698 and 960 MHz, up to frequencies higher than 3000 MHz and beyond, for example the band included between 3300 and 3800 MHz. However, that does not compromise use of the invention even for other frequency bands used for this and other purposes, such as, for example, WiFi transmissions, next generation cellular networks or other single-band or multi-band communication standards used in civilian, military, industrial, medical or other sectors. The antenna 10, shown in an assembly configuration without the containment structure, comprises at least three elements 1, 2, 3 which are at least partially aligned, electrically isolated from each other, of which a lower element 1 comprises at least one reflector circuit 11, a middle element 2 comprises at least one dipole circuit 21 connected to a transmission line 4, and an upper element 3 comprises at least one director circuit 31. The three elements 1, 2, 3, visible in the exploded view of FIG. 2, are preferably made in the form of supporting plates 12, 22, 32 made of insulating material, for example Vetronite, on which the conductive material has been deposited, for example copper, which forms the above-mentioned circuits 11, 21, 31, intended to perform different electromagnetic functions.

[0021] The reflector circuit 11 reflects the electromagnetic field which strikes it; the dipole circuit 21, connected to the transmission line 4 transmits and receives the signal of interest from and to a telecommunications unit, not shown here; the director circuit 31 promotes the propagation of the electromagnetic field arriving from the dipole circuit 21 and from the reflector circuit 11 in a predetermined direction.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the antenna 10, the dipole circuit 21, shown in FIG. 3, comprises at least one first pair of conductive elements 211, 212, suitable for forming a minor dipole 21m connected to the transmission line 4, shown in FIG. 3a, suitable for supplying functionality at the higher frequency bands, and at least one second pair of electrically isolated conductive elements 213, 214, excited with capacitive effect by the minor dipole 21m, a phenomenon made possible by the small thickness of the supporting plate 22 and by the partial superposing, on the two faces 22a, 22b of the plate 22, of the conductive elements 211, 213; 212, 214. The set formed by the minor dipole 21m and by the second pair of conductive elements 213, 214 thereby forms a major dipole 21M, shown in FIG. 3b, suitable for supplying functionality at the central and lower frequency bands, for example those between 1710 and 2690 MHz and between 698 and 960 MHz.

[0023] In the embodiment shown in the figures, the antenna 10 comprises two identical and specular dipole circuits 21, 21′, which are connected to the transmission line 4, here composed of a coaxial cable 41 and two double-wire lines 42, which allow the signal to be split or formed equally between the two dipoles 21, 21′. The set of dipoles 21, 21′ fed in this way forms an “antenna array”, allowing an increase in the overall gain and improving the directional feature of the antenna.

[0024] Moreover, it is advantageous for at least one electrically isolated conductive element 214 to comprise a bent extension 214a parallel to the body of the major dipole 21M, in such a way as to favor impedance adjustment at the lower frequencies, and having a length such that it reaches the electrically isolated second conductive element 213 in such a way as to form a capacitive coupling.

[0025] The lower element 1, shown in FIG. 4, comprises two reflector circuits 11, 11′, placed on two separate plates 12, 12′, substantially specular and electrically isolated from each other in order to reduce the coupling between the dipoles 21, 21′ above, particularly at the lower frequency bands. Each of them comprises a cut 11a which is transversal relative to the dipoles 21m, 21M, and at least partially aligned with the transmission line 4, in such a way as to extend the path of the currents and to maintain electrical continuity, making it suitable for supplying functionality at the lower frequency bands.

[0026] The reflector circuit 11 comprises at least one non-conductive island 11b, with a substantially polygonal shape, in such a way as to improve the behavior of the reflector circuit 11 at the higher frequency bands. In the example shown in the figures, the reflector circuits 11, 11′ each comprise two islands 11b which are positioned symmetrically relative to the transversal cut 11a, having a quadrangular shape and preferably trapezoidal, wherein the two parallel sides 111b are sized in order to allow the functionality of the reflector circuit 11 for two different frequency bands, whose quarter wavelength substantially corresponds to the lengths of the parallel sides 111b.

[0027] The upper element 3, shown in FIG. 5, also preferably comprises two substantially symmetrical director circuits 31, 31′, in such a way that each faces a dipole 21, 21′. The director circuits 31, 31′ have a trapezoidal shape, in such a way as to improve the behavior of the director circuit 31 at the higher frequency bands and to bring the dipole circuit 21 back to resonance. In fact, a dipole circuit 21 is resonant when voltage and current are in phase at the point of connection to a transmission line 4, since in this condition the antenna impedance is purely real and transmission occurs easily; feeding with capacitive effect of the major dipole 21M introduces a phase inversion which takes the resonance frequency outside the frequencies of interest, rendering the dipole circuit 21 no longer resonant. A director circuit 31 shaped in this way and placed at a suitable distance from the dipole circuit 21 adds a further capacitive contribution which allows the dipole circuit 21 to become resonant again at central frequency bands, for example between 1710 and 2700 MHz.

[0028] The upper element 3 also comprises a horizontal “H”-shaped third director circuit 31″, in order to improve impedance adjustment at the lower frequency bands, for example between 698 and 960 MHz.

[0029] A plurality of spacers 5, suitable for separating the middle element 2 from the lower element 1 and from the upper element 3 allows the efficiency of the antenna 10 to be optimized, sizing it depending on the frequency bands to be used.