Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q25/00—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns
  • H01Q25/001—Crossed polarisation dual antennas
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
  • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
  • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
  • H01Q1/24—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
  • H01Q1/241—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM
  • H01Q1/242—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use
  • H01Q1/243—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use with built-in antennas
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q13/00—Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
  • H01Q13/08—Radiating ends of two-conductor microwave transmission lines, e.g. of coaxial lines, of microstrip lines
  • H01Q13/085—Slot-line radiating ends
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q13/00—Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
  • H01Q13/10—Resonant slot antennas
  • H01Q13/18—Resonant slot antennas the slot being backed by, or formed in boundary wall of, a resonant cavity ; Open cavity antennas
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q13/00—Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
  • H01Q13/20—Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
  • H01Q13/22—Longitudinal slot in boundary wall of waveguide or transmission line
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
  • H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
  • H01Q21/20—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
  • H01Q21/24—Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
  • H01Q21/28—Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q25/00—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
  • H01Q3/26—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system 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

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to antenna devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to antenna devices capable of transmitting and receiving millimeter waves (mmWaves) according to polarization variations and wireless communication devices including the same.
• mmWaves millimeter waves
• the fifth generation (5G) era has happened to provide expanded performance and access to electronic devices and various user experiences by implementing easier linkage to nearby devices (e.g., wireless access) and enhanced energy efficiency.
• wireless access techniques operated on millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies a majority of basic issues in antenna array physics and high-speed transceiver design and equalizer design have already been shown in WiGig/802.11ad standards.
• Wireless communication devices supportive of fourth generation (4G)/5G mobile networks or wireless local area mobile networks may change their position as the users move, and they may thus require a wide beam scanning scope to provide stable communication channels.
• RFICs radio frequency integrated circuits
• RFICs may experience increased propagation loss or high-level noise factors. Forced boosting of the antenna gain may lead to stabilized access but may deteriorate the power efficiency.
• stabilized access may require a wide beam forming and beam scanning range. However, since the directivity increases as the communication frequency band rises up, the beam forming and beam scanning range may be reduced.
• a wireless communication device and/or electronic device includes an antenna device (e.g., a polarization-agile phased-array antenna), a mmWave antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, an RFIC, and a power feeding line, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are dual-type antenna elements configured to excite different polarization modes, and wherein the power feeding line allows a plurality of ports of the RFIC to individually connect to the plurality of dual-type antenna elements to excite the different polarization modes to perform beamforming.
• an antenna device e.g., a polarization-agile phased-array antenna
• a mmWave antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, an RFIC, and a power feeding line
• the plurality of antenna elements are dual-type antenna elements configured to excite different polarization modes
• the power feeding line allows a plurality of ports of the RFIC to individually connect to the plurality of dual-type antenna elements to excite the different polarization modes to perform
• an antenna in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, includes a substrate, a plurality of first antenna elements arranged in a first direction and exciting a first polarization mode, a plurality of second antenna elements arranged in a second direction and exciting a second polarization mode different from the first polarization mode, a plurality of first power feeding lines connected with the first antenna elements, and a plurality of second power feeding lines connected with the second antenna elements, wherein the plurality of first antenna elements and the plurality of second antenna elements are alternately arranged on the substrate.
• a wireless communication device and/or electronic device comprises an antenna device (e.g., a polarization-agile phased-array antenna) comprising a mmWave comprising a plurality of antenna elements and a housing including at least one opening matching the mmWave antenna with an outer space.
• an antenna device e.g., a polarization-agile phased-array antenna
• a mmWave comprising a plurality of antenna elements
• a housing including at least one opening matching the mmWave antenna with an outer space.
• the mmWave antenna comprises an RFIC, and a power feeding line, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are dual-type antenna elements configured to excite polarization modes orthogonal to each other, wherein the power feeding line are configured to individually couple a plurality of ports of the RFIC to individually connect to the plurality of dual-type antenna elements to excite the orthogonal polarization modes to perform beamforming, and wherein the mmWave antenna is separated from the outer space by the housing and is configured to radiate an electromagnetic wave through conductive patterns of the housing to the outer space.
• an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide antenna devices capable of transmitting and receiving millimeter waves (mmWaves) according to polarization variations and wireless communication devices including the same.
• mmWaves millimeter waves
• an mmWave antenna operated on a high frequency band of a few tens of GHz, wherein a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and a radiation conductor are integrated in a module on a single circuit board is provided.
• RFIC radio frequency integrated circuit
• Such antenna module may not only run on a significantly high frequency band but may also provide excellent power efficiency, wide beam forming and beam scanning range to thereby allow for stabilized access to a communication network. Further, it may be easily made smaller and may thus be equipped in a compact wireless communication device and/or electronic device.
• an antenna module capable of providing stabilized communication network access through electrical harmony with the ambient metal structure or dielectric structures and wireless communication device (or electronic device) including the same is provided.
• the antenna elements arranged in the mmWave antenna may configure a phase array antenna to transmit and receive mmWaves and may electrically couple with the conductive structure (e.g., a metal frame including at least one opening) provided in the wireless communication device and/or electronic device.
• the conductive structure e.g., a metal frame including at least one opening
• polarization-variation phased array antennas may have different types independently implemented in the same antenna element, providing control of dual-polarization radiation beam forming.
• At least one beamforming mode among an array mode by an array of antenna elements, a leaky wave mode by a leaky wave radiator configured through the conductive structure, and a mixed mode of the array mode and the leaky wave mode may be operated, thereby allowing for a wide beamforming and beam scanning range.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c are a perspective view and top views illustrating a portion of a wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are perspective views and a top view illustrating dual-type antenna elements and an array of the dual-type antenna elements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIG. 4 illustrates cross sections of the dual-type antenna elements of FIG. 3a, taken along line A-A' and line B-B' to represent a polarization-variation of the dual-type antenna elements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 5a and 5b are a top view and a top perspective view illustrating an array of dual-type antenna elements for polarization diversity beamforming according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 6a and 6b are enlarged views illustrating partial internal structures of a dual-type antenna element for polarization diversity beamforming according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stack structure of a millimeter wave (mmWave) monolithically integrated antenna module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 8 and 9 are views illustrating stack structures of some of the dual-type antenna elements of FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 10a, 10b, and 10c are views illustrating layouts of an antenna array module including a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 11a and 11b are views illustrating layouts of an antenna array module electrically connected with a RFIC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 12a and 12b are graphs illustrating examples of impedance matching and isolation of radiation-type structures of an antenna array module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are views illustrating various forms of leaky wave structures in an antenna device of a wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 16a and 16b are views illustrating antenna arrays free of a metal frame or plastic casing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 17a and 17b are perspective views illustrating metal-frame dual-polarization-type leaky wave structures according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
• FIGS. 18a and 18b are views illustrating distributions of electromagnetic waves radiated through leaky wave structures according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 19 is a view illustrating radiation patterns in a vertical polarization mode and horizontal polarization mode as propagated through leaky wave structures according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 'first' and 'second' may be used to denote various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be denoted a second component, and vice versa without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• the term "and/or" may denote a combination(s) of a plurality of related items as listed or any of the items.
• front is relative ones that may be varied depending on directions in which the figures are viewed, and may be replaced with ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second.”
• ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second.”
• the term "electronic device” may be any device with a touch panel, and the electronic device may also be referred to as a terminal, a portable terminal, a mobile terminal, a communication terminal, a portable communication terminal, a portable mobile terminal, or a display apparatus.
• the electronic device may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a navigation device, a game device, a television (TV), a head unit for vehicles, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal media player (PMP), or a personal digital assistant (PDA).
• the electronic device may be implemented as a pocket-sized portable communication terminal with a radio communication function.
• the electronic device may be a flexible device or a flexible display.
• the electronic device may communicate with an external electronic device, e.g., a server, or may perform tasks by interworking with such an external electronic device.
• the electronic device may transmit an image captured by a camera and/or location information detected by a sensor to a server through a network.
• the network may include, but is not limited to, a mobile or cellular communication network, a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), the internet, or a small area network (SAN).
• LAN local area network
• WLAN wireless LAN
• WAN wide area network
• SAN small area network
• a wireless communication device and/or electronic device may electromagnetically combine an antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements with a conductive structure (including at least one opening) of a case or housing.
• the phased array antenna module may be polarization-agile, operated on a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency, and provide both vertical and horizontal beamforming on an electronic device such as a mobile device.
• the dual-type antenna array devices may be provided in an aperture radiation-type structure and/or travelling radiation-type structure.
• independently forming different radiation types (aperture radiation type and/or travelling radiation type) in the same antenna element may provide dual-polarization radiation beamforming.
• the aperture radiation type and/or travelling radiation type formed in the different structures may form their respective corresponding polarization radiations.
• a vertical polarization radiation may be formed by the aperture radiation type structure
• a horizontal polarization radiation may be formed by the travelling wave radiation type structure.
• the above-mentioned wireless communication device and/or electronic device may be operated in any one beamforming mode among an array mode by an array of antenna elements, a leaky wave mode by a conductive structure, and a mixed mode according to a combination of the array mode and the leaky wave mode, thereby allowing for a wide beamforming and beam scanning range.
• the antenna element and/or antenna module for configuring a mmWave dual-type antenna may be accommodated in the housing of the electronic device, and radio waves radiated from the antenna elements should be able to be transmitted through the metallic portion or dielectric portion of the housing.
• wireless signals may be transmitted through the metallic portion or dielectric portion of the housing.
• ⁇ c is the wavelength at the center frequency, e.g., 60.5GHz.
• the wireless communication system and/or electronic device may have the following features.
• the wireless communication system and/or electronic device may be a brand-new dual-type antenna where a horizontally polarized travelling wave-type antenna may be formed as a part of a vertically polarized aperture-type antenna to simultaneously provide a vertical polarization radiation and horizontal polarization radiation.
• a horizontally polarized travelling wave-type antenna may be formed as a part of a vertically polarized aperture-type antenna to simultaneously provide a vertical polarization radiation and horizontal polarization radiation.
• travelling wave-type and aperture-type antennas are integrated in the same aperture, as in the present disclosure.
• the polarization phase controlled leaky wave antenna array in the wireless communication device and/or electronic device may provide a plurality of beamforming modes. For example, in the array mode where the antenna elements themselves radiate wireless signals, mmWave transmission and reception may be carried out through phase power feeding to each antenna element, and in the mixed mode or leaky wave mode, at least part of electromagnetic energy radiated from the antenna elements may be focused onto the leaky wave structure so that mmWave signals may be radiated by the leaky wave structure to the free space.
• phase controlled antenna structures that are operated in multiple modes, as in the present disclosure.
• the wireless communication device and/or electronic device may implement array antennas coupled to the dielectric and/or metallic structures of the wireless communication device and/or electronic device.
• the wireless communication device and/or electronic device may implement a leaky wave structure (e.g., a leaky wave radiator or leaky wave phase array antenna) and combine the leaky wave structure with the antenna elements by forming at least one opening in the conductive structure of the housing.
• a leaky wave structure e.g., a leaky wave radiator or leaky wave phase array antenna
• the combination of the leaky wave structure and antenna element array may diversify beamforming modes.
• the antenna elements in the array mode may radiate wireless signals through the opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing.
• the leaky wave phase array antenna may perform beamforming and beam scanning in a different direction and/or angle than in the array mode.
• the wireless communication device and/or electronic device may secure a wider beamforming and beam scanning range by selectively operating the array mode and leaky wave mode.
• the antenna elements may radiate wireless signals through the opening, so that the wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may conduct beamforming in the mixed mode of the array mode and the leaky wave mode. Accordingly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wireless communication device and/or electronic device may secure a wide beamforming and beam scanning range even on a high communication frequency band of a few tens of GHz or more.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a wireless communication device and/or electronic device 10 may include a housing 100 including a metal frame 101 and at least one of a front cover 102 and/or rear cover 103 and a circuit board 104 received in the housing 100.
• an antenna module of the electronic device 10 may include a plurality of dual-type antenna elements 200, and an array 201 of the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be formed on the circuit board 104.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 each may receive phase difference power feeding independently from one another.
• the array 201 of the dual-type antenna elements 200 may form a phase array antenna.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200, together with a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), may be integrated on one circuit board (e.g., the circuit board 104).
• RFIC radio frequency integrated circuit
• the metal frame 101 may generally have a closed loop shape and may include a conductive material at least partially.
• the rear cover 103 may be combined with the metal frame 101 to form a rear surface of the housing 100 and/or the electronic device 10.
• the rear cover 103 may be formed of a metallic material, such as aluminum or magnesium or a dielectric material, such as a synthetic resin.
• the rear cover 103 and the metal frame 101 may be formed in a single body.
• the rear cover 103 may be formed of the same material as the metal frame 101, or the rear cover 103, together with the metal frame 101, may be formed in a uni-body structure simultaneously with shape forming, without undergoing a separate assembling process through an insert molding process or so.
• the front cover 102 may be combined with the metal frame 101 in a direction opposite the rear cover 103 to form a front surface of the housing 100 and/or the electronic device 10.
• the metal frame 101 may be provided to at least partially surround a space between the rear cover 103 and the front cover 102 and may form side wall(s) of the housing 100 and/or the electronic device 10.
• the front cover 102 may be, e.g., a display having a window glass and display device and/or touch panel integrated together.
• the housing 100 may include at least one opening 111 formed to pass through a side wall, e.g., the metal frame 101.
• the opening(s) 111 may be formed on, e.g., the conductive structure of the metal frame 101.
• the opening(s) 111 may be elongated slot(s) formed in one of the side walls of the housing 100, multiple ones, respectively, of the side walls of the housing 100, or two adjacent ones of the side walls of the housing 100.
• a portion of the circuit board 104 and/or the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be received in the opening 111.
• At least a portion of the opening(s) 111 may be electromagnetically combined with the dual-type antenna elements 200 to form a leaky wave structure (e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna), such as leaky wave structure 500 illustrated in FIG. 2a.
• a leaky wave structure e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna
• a plurality of circular or polygonal openings may be arranged on a side wall (e.g., the conductive structure part of the metal frame 101) of the housing 100.
• the plurality of openings formed in the side wall of the housing 100 may be utilized as acoustic holes of the electronic device 10.
• the openings may be utilized as microphone holes for inputting the user's voice or sound output holes outputting sound generated from a speaker module.
• such acoustic holes although not directly receiving the dual-type antenna elements 200, may be arranged adjacent to the dual-type antenna elements 200 or to the array 201 of the dual-type antenna elements 200.
• the plurality of openings provided as acoustic holes may be electromagnetically coupled with the dual-type antenna elements 200 to form a leaky wave structure (e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna), such as leaky wave structure 500 illustrated in FIG. 2a.
• a leaky wave structure e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna
• the circuit board 104 may be formed of one of a printed circuit board (PCB) or low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) board.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be configured of waveguide pipes, such as an aperture radiation-type structure 210 illustrated in FIG 3a, arranged on at least one surface of the circuit board 104.
• the circuit board 104 is a multi-layered circuit board, there may be included a grid structure including a combination of a via hole and/or conductive pattern formed in the multi-layered circuit board or a portion of the waveguide pipe formed on at least one layer of the circuit board 104.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be received in the opening 111 or disposed adjacent to the opening 111.
• the housing 100 e.g., the opening 111
• the beam deflector 105 may be inserted from outside of the housing 100 to the opening 111.
• the beam deflector 105 may include a body formed generally of a dielectric substance (e.g., synthetic resin) and a parasitic conductor formed in the body, and when inserted into the opening 111, a side surface thereof may be exposed to the free space (e.g., an external space of the housing 100).
• the beam deflector 105 may be combined with the opening 111 to form a leaky wave structure (e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna), such as leaky wave structure 500 illustrated in FIG. 2a.
• a leaky wave structure e.g., a leaky wave phase array antenna
• the beam deflector 105 may be combined with the opening 111 to convert a flow of surface current generated in the conductive structure (e.g., the metal frame 101) into a leaky wave and radiate the leaky wave to the free space.
• FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c are a perspective view and top views illustrating an antenna module of a wireless communication device and/or electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• an antenna module 20 of the electronic device 10 includes the array 201 of dual-type antenna elements 200, which may be disposed adjacent to a side wall (e.g., a conductive structure portion of the metal frame 101) of the housing 100.
• the conductive structure portion of the metal frame 101 may form the leaky wave structure 500.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be arranged along an inner edge of the electronic device 10 in an arc shape corresponding to the shape of the leaky wave structure 500.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may have, e.g., a waveguide shape, and may receive power from outside of the antenna elements through power feeding ports to provide vertical polarization radiation and/or horizontal polarization radiation.
• the power feeding ports may be provided in various locations depending on the radiation direction of wireless signals or installation environment of the array 201 including the dual-type antenna elements 200.
• the array 201 including the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be disposed adjacent to a corner in a corresponding electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 10 of FIG. 1) and/or a corresponding housing (e.g., the housing 100 of FIG. 1) and may be disposed inside a corresponding opening (e.g., the opening 111 of FIG. 1) formed in a corresponding metal frame (e.g., the metal frame 101 of FIG. 1).
• Power feeding signals respectively provided to the power feeding ports may have a phase difference with respect to each other which allows, e.g., the radiation direction of wireless signals transmitted and received through the dual-type antenna elements 200 to be set in various manners.
• An equi-angular array, such as the array 201 including the dual-type antenna elements 200 as shown, may increase the beam scanning range.
• the distance between the beam deflector 105, or of a corresponding inner structure of the metal frame 101, and the PCB 104 may be adjusted depending on mechanical requirements for anti-stress durability.
• FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are perspective views and a top view illustrating dual-type antenna elements and an array of the dual-type antenna elements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module of an electronic device may include the plurality of dual-type antenna elements 200, an RFIC (e.g., RFIC 300 illustrated in FIG. 10c), and power feeding lines 233.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be configured to excite different polarization modes
• the power feeding lines 233 may be configured to individually connect a plurality of ports of the RFIC 300 to the dual-type antenna elements 200 to excite the different, separate polarization modes and carry out beamforming.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may include an aperture radiation-type structure 210 and a travelling radiation-type structure 230 to enable radiation of electromagnetic waves as per the two separated polarization modes.
• the aperture radiation-type structure 210 may be provided in the form of a rectangular waveguide 215 having an aperture 212 formed in a surface thereof, and the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be provided by slot lines 232 formed in a lengthwise surface of the waveguide shape of the waveguide 215.
• the aperture 212 of the aperture radiation-type structure 210 may provide a radiation polarized in a first direction (X), and the slot lines 232 formed in the waveguide 215 may provide a radiation polarized in a second direction (Y) orthogonal to the first direction X.
• the aperture 212 provided at a side of the waveguide 215 may generate a vertical polarization radiation perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the waveguide 215, and the slot lines 232 disposed at the center of the waveguide 215 may generate a horizontal polarization radiation.
• a vertical polarization radiation may be provided by the aperture radiation-type structure 210, and the aperture radiation-type structure 210 may be achieved by the waveguide 215 supportive of a TE10 mode.
• the vertical polarization radiation may be performed by the aperture 212 of the waveguide 215 matched with an outer space by an impedance transforming part 211 formed of a metal-dielectric.
• a horizontal polarization radiation may be provided by the traveling radiation-type structure 230, and the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be achieved by non-radiative slot lines 232 formed in an upper surface of the waveguide 215.
• a power feeding line 233 disposed on a lower surface of the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be disposed to connect with the waveguide 215 from a narrow wall to feed power to the slot line 232.
• the slot line 232 may be disposed in the form of a tapered slot.
• the array 201 of dual-type antenna elements 200 may be disposed to form a straight-line section on a PCB (e.g., the PCB 104 of FIG. 1).
• a PCB e.g., the PCB 104 of FIG. 1
• the inner space of the housing 100 and the conductive structures forming the same may be electromagnetically combined with the dual-type antenna elements 200 and/or the array 201 of the dual-type antenna elements 200 to form a plurality of waveguide structures.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may receive power from the RFIC 300 through channels independent from each other, and they, along with their surrounding conductive structures, may form the plurality of waveguide structures.
• the power feeding line 233 receiving power from the RFIC 300 may include a first power feeding port 213 (illustrated in FIG. 3c) for vertical polarization radiation and a second power feeding port 214 for horizontal polarization radiation.
• At least one metal screen 106 or 107 may be provided on the top and/or bottom of the array 201 of dual-type antenna elements 200.
• the metal screen 106 or 107 may be disposed adjacent to a conductive structure, e.g., the metal frame 101 (refer to FIG. 1).
• the first metal screen 106 and the second metal screen 107 may be disposed adjacent to each other, with at least a portion of the circuit board 104, e.g., the dual-type antenna elements 200 (and/or the array 201 of the dual-type antenna elements 200) interposed therebetween.
• the first metal screen 106 and/or second metal screen 107 may be disposed in the metal frame 101 to enhance the hardness of the above-described electronic device.
• the first metal screen 106 and/or second metal screen 107 may provide an electromagnetic shielding function between the circuit board 104 and other electronic parts therein (e.g., a display device).
• the first metal screen 106 and/or second metal screen 107 may spatially and/or electromagnetically isolate various electronic parts (e.g., the processor, RFIC, audio module, power management module, etc.) arranged in the circuit board 104 from each other.
• the wide-band impedance matching characteristics in the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be attained by the following means: tapered slot profile for impedance transformation of horizontal polarization; metal-dielectric part formed to transform impedance of vertical polarization; and parasitic matching elements arranged at ends of the dual-type antenna elements 200.
• a decoupling between the aperture radiation-type structure 210 and the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be achieved by the following means: since the strip line is a geometrical symmetry line and is perpendicular to the E-field of the TE10 mode, the TE10 mode might not be coupled to the strip line, and the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be formed of symmetrical non-radiative slot lines at the center of broad side surfaces of the waveguide.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be formed on the PCB 104 or in another embodiment may be formed on a monolithically integrated circuit board. Alternatively, the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be implemented of plastic pieces having conductors etched thereto.
• FIG. 4 illustrates cross sections of the dual-type antenna elements of FIG. 3a, taken along line A-A' and line B-B' to represent a polarization-variation of the dual-type antenna elements according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• electric field vectors 11 for representing a horizontal polarization radiation are distributed in metallic portions of the aperture radiation-type structure 210 and the second power feeding port 214 shaped as a slot-coupler line.
• horizontal polarization mode electromagnetic waves may be verified to be radiated by the slot-coupler line, and the second power feeding port 214 may induce an electric current onto the slot line of the traveling radiation-type structure 230.
• vertical polarization mode electromagnetic waves 13 and 14 may be generated by the aperture radiation-type structure 210 shaped as a rectangular waveguide port, and the electromagnetic waves 13 and 14 propagating through the slot structure may have a quasi TE10 mode.
• FIGS. 5a and 5b are a top view and a top perspective view illustrating an array of dual-type antenna elements for polarization diversity beamforming according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• an aperture radiation-type structure 400 may provide a vertical polarization radiation and may be formed by a first antenna 402.
• the first antenna 402 may include a probe antenna disposed in the form of a column inside an aperture radiation-type structure 404 shaped as a horn antenna.
• the first antenna 402 may be fed power by the first power feeding port 406 disposed as a line towards the aperture 408 at a side 410 of the aperture radiation-type structure 404.
• the first power feeding port 406 may include a strip line.
• the first antenna 402 is fed power through the first power feeding port 406 extending from the power feeding line of a corresponding RFIC, and may radiate a vertical polarization towards the aperture 408.
• the horn antenna-shaped aperture radiation-type structure 404 may be surrounded by two conductive layers arranged at an upper and lower side and a surface of a second antenna 412 disposed at an outer side and shaped as a slot line which is described below, and an end of the first antenna 402 disposed inside the aperture radiation-type structure 404 may be connected with an end of the first power feeding port 406 to receive power.
• the first power feeding port 406 may be disposed in a line shape between tapered slots and may be formed on a PCB to directly provide an electrical connection.
• a traveling radiation-type structure 414 may provide a horizontal polarization radiation and may be formed by the second antenna 412.
• the second antenna 412 may be implemented in the form of a slot.
• the second antenna 412 may be fed power by a second power feeding port 416 disposed to connect the tapered slot of the traveling radiation-type structure 414.
• the second power feeding port 233 may include a slot coupler strip line.
• the second antenna 412 fed power by the second power feeding port 416 extended by the power feeding line of the corresponding RFIC may radiate a horizontal polarization towards the opening of the slot.
• the second antenna 412 may be shaped as a tapered slot narrowing to the inside, and a plurality of second antennas 412 may be arranged at predetermined intervals.
• the second antenna 412 may include circular openings at inside ends therein.
• the second power feeding port 413 may be disposed in a line shape connecting tapered slots and may be formed of a PCB to directly provide an electrical connection.
• FIGS. 6a and 6b are enlarged views illustrating partial internal structures of a dual-type antenna element for polarization diversity beamforming according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a plurality of dual-type antenna elements 400 are mutually connected to expand laterally and may be arranged on multiple layers 418 (referring to FIG. 6b).
• a plurality of aperture radiation-type structures 404 (marked in doted lines of FIG. 5a) of the dual-type antenna element 400 may couple in a horizontal direction
• a plurality of traveling radiation-type structures 414 may be formed as portions of the aperture radiation-type structures 404 and be coupled together in a horizontal direction of the electronic device 10 with respect to the tapered slots.
• the tapered slot-shaped second antenna 412 may provide a horizontal polarization radiation to maintain a low reflection loss on a wide frequency band.
• the plurality of dual-type antenna elements 200 of the same shape may be structured to stack one over another on multiple layers.
• Dielectric layers may be arranged between the layers, and a choke 420 may be disposed on the uppermost layer or lowermost layer to isolate the elements for horizontal polarization radiation and vertical polarization radiation.
• the dual-type antenna element 400 may include the choke 420 to isolate the horizontal polarization radiation structure by the second antenna 412 from the vertical polarization radiation structure of the first antenna 402. Accordingly, a decoupling between the dual-type antenna elements 400 positioned adjacent to each other may be achieved by high-impedance chokes 420.
• the choke 420 may be 0.18 ⁇ and 0.024 ⁇ wide.
• the chokes 420 may be symmetrical with respect to the first antenna 402 and face each other.
• the traveling radiation-type structure 414 may include a balance-to-unbalance (balun) for impedance matching disposed at a side of the tapered slot.
• the second power feeding port 416 may be shorted on a side surface of the second antenna 412 of a tapered slot shape, and the second power feeding port 416 may be disposed at an end of the impedance matching balun in an opened form.
• the traveling radiation-type structure 414 may further include a structure for matching with the antenna impedance for horizontal polarization radiation.
• a structure for matching with the antenna impedance for horizontal polarization radiation may be formed by stubs 422.
• the stubs 422 in pair may protrude along a length direction of the tapered slot 412, spaced apart from each other.
• the stubs 422 may couple with an unbalanced circuit, such as a coaxial cable and circuit disposed parallel with the ground in the very-high-frequency-band transmission circuit, to induce impedance matching.
• the stubs 422 may match the second antenna 412 with the external space on a wide frequency band.
• the structures stacked vertically to the second antenna 412 in the PCB may mutually be electrically connected by conductive posts 424.
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stack structure of a mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• Examples of an mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module such as the antenna module 20 of FIG. 2a, may be manufactured using monolithically stacking techniques using a PCB, LTCC, or any dielectric materials.
• a PCB such as PCB 104 of FIG. 1.
• the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and similar structures may likewise be applicable to any other embodiments without departing from the present disclosure.
• phase-controlled array of dual-type antenna elements 200 for integration in the electronic device 10, such as a mobile device may be based on the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 700.
• the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 700 may include a stacked structure of dual-type antenna elements 200, feed lines 200a for vertical polarization antenna elements, feed lines 200b for horizontal polarization antenna elements, and feed lines 300a for power and communication lines for a corresponding RFIC.
• the stack-up of the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 700 may include a plurality of conductive layers, and a plurality of layers L1 to L5 from the top may be multiple conductive layers for a broad-side antenna array. Under the conductive layers for the antenna array may sequentially be arranged conductive lines L5 to L9 for end-fire horizontal polarization antenna feed lines, conductive lines L9 to L13 for vertical polarization antenna feed lines, and conductive lines L13 to L17 for RFIC data and power lines.
• the horizontal polarization antenna feed lines 200b and the vertical polarization antenna feed lines 200a may include a strip line type.
• two adjacent ones of the horizontal polarization antenna feed lines 200b or two adjacent ones of the vertical polarization antenna feed lines 200a may be separated by a dielectric layer 307.
• the conductor trace width and substrate height may be determined depending on how many layers are stacked while providing a minimum feed line loss.
• the dual-polarization array may be achieved by the structure of dual-type antenna elements and the stacked arrangement of the feed lines so as to include dual-type antenna elements allocated with a high density.
• FIGS. 8 and 9 are views illustrating stack structures of some of the dual-type antenna elements of FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• some feed lines 200a of the vertical polarization antenna elements generating a vertical polarization radiation may be arranged on layer 11 (L11) (refer to FIG. 7) of the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 700, and some feed lines 200b of the horizontal polarization antenna elements generating a horizontal polarization radiation may be arranged on layer 7 (L7) (refer to FIG. 7) of the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 700.
• Thereunder may be disposed one of the conductive layers for the stacked feed lines 300a for RFIC data and power lines.
• the conductive layers may be arranged along a direction stacked, and insulating layer 307 formed of a dielectric may be disposed on a rear or front surface of each conductive layer.
• the layers may be alternately and repeatedly arranged one over another.
• the conductive layers may have at least one conductive via 200e for an electrical connection.
• the insulating layer 307 may be provided between the conductive layers to prevent the conductive layers from contacting each other to make an electrical connection.
• the plurality of insulating layers each provided between two adjacent ones of the plurality of conductive layers may insulate the conductive layers from each other.
• the insulating layers may include a resin and glass fabric.
• the conductive layers may be electrically connected with any one of a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of ground lines 200c.
• Conductive vias 200e connecting the conductive layers with each other may include conductive vias conducting through all of the layers and conductive vias conducting between layers positioned adjacent to each other.
• some of the conductive layers 300a for feed lines for RFIC data and power lines, which are stacked at a lower portion, may include a contact layer 200d.
• the feed lines may transmit electrical signals from the contact layer 200d through the above-mentioned conductive via 200c to each signal layer.
• the signal layers may form strip lines (first power feeding port 213) feeding power to the first antenna 211 of the aperture radiation-type structure 210 shaped as a horn antenna.
• the signal layers may form a slot-coupler line (second power feeding port 214) feeding power to the second antenna 231 of the traveling radiation-type structure 230.
• Adjacent signal layers may be isolated by a ground layer 200c.
• excitation of a polarization mode of the dual-type antenna elements 200 in two separate polarization modes may be provided by the feed lines of vertical polarization antenna elements and the feed lines of the horizontal polarization antenna elements.
• some feed lines for the horizontal polarization antenna elements may be allocated to layer 11 (L11) of the dual-type antenna elements 200, and signals may be transmitted to the antenna element layer through the via 200f disposed on layer 7 to layer 11 (L7-L11).
• FIGS. 10a, 10b, 10c, and 11 are views illustrating layouts of an antenna array module including a RFIC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 20 may be disposed near a corner of the electronic device 10.
• structures (aperture radiation-type structure 210 and traveling radiation-type structure 230) of a dual-type antenna element 200 are shown, which extend along an arc of a fan shape near an upper and left portion.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 of the antenna module 20 may be formed of a waveguide(s) arranged on at least one surface of the circuit board 104.
• the circuit board 104 is a multi-layered circuit board, there may be included a grid structure including a combination of a via hole and/or conductive pattern formed in the multi-layered circuit board or a portion of the waveguide pipe formed on at least one layer of the circuit board 104.
• the antenna module 20, when viewed from above, may include multiple slots forming the traveling radiation-type structure 230.
• the traveling radiation-type structure 230 may be provided by slot lines provided on a surface in a lengthwise direction of the waveguide-shaped aperture radiation-type structure 210.
• the antenna module 20 may have a RFIC 300 disposed therein at the center thereof.
• the RFIC 300 may be positioned near the dual-type antenna elements 200 and electrically connected with the dual-type antenna elements 200.
• the area occupied by the RFIC 300 and the antenna array may be 2.4 ⁇ x 3 ⁇ .
• strip lines in charge of electrical connection may be organically arranged in the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module.
• first power feeding ports 211 shaped as feed strip lines and second power feeding ports 233 shaped as slot-coupler strip lines may feed power from outputs 310 of the RFIC 300 to a horn antenna-shaped first antenna 211 and a tapered slot-shaped second antenna 231 (refer to FIGS. 10a, 10b, and 10c).
• the first antenna 211 and the second antenna 231 electrically connected with each other may generate a vertical polarization radiation and horizontal polarization radiation, respectively.
• Such structures all may be formed in the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 20.
• the RFIC 300 and strip lines may be disposed adjacent to each other.
• a feed line loss in the slot-coupler strip line needs to be minimized.
• a feed line loss in the strip line needs to be minimized.
• the RFIC 300 may be disposed within a minimum distance from the first antenna 211 and/or the second antenna 231 (FIG. 6C) to reduce such feed line loss.
• each structure according to the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 20 may provide maximized overall radiation power with a minimized power loss in the feed lines and junctions. All of the components in the mmWave monolithically integrated antenna module 20 are manufactured in a common monolithic module process sequence. Thus, allowable tolerances and yields in production may be maximized.
• FIGS. 12a and 12b are graphs illustrating examples of impedance matching and isolation of radiation-type structures of an antenna array module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• the upper two lines 601 show the relation between adjacent co-polar elements
• the lower two lines 602 show the relation between adjacent cross-polar elements.
• the coupling 601 between adjacent cross-polar elements radiating a vertical polarization by an aperture radiation-type structure represents a small value, about -20dB at 60.00GHz on the vertical axis. It is verified that the value is small enough to be able to disregard the cross-polar coupling 602 and does not influence beamforming of the antenna array.
• the coupling 602 between adjacent co-polar elements radiating a horizontal polarization by a traveling radiation-type structure represents a small value, about -12dB at 60.00GHz on the vertical axis. It is verified that, although the antenna exhibits a relatively larger coupling value than that of the co-polar elements because it has the same polarization, it is still at a very low level enough to neglect the co-polar coupling 602 without affecting beamforming of the antenna array.
• FIG. 12b illustrates an example of impedance matching for a horizontal polarization 603 according to an impedance matching and traveling radiation-type structure for a vertical polarization 604 of an aperture radiation-type structure.
• the graph is an impedance chart showing 50ohm matching on a Smith chart, and where is marked as Center 1.0 is a 50ohm region.
• the impedance matching may lead to maximized power transmission and minimized parasitic signal reflections.
• FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are views illustrating various forms of leaky wave structures in an antenna module of a wireless communication device and/or electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a leaky wave structure 500 in which an opening is formed in a single side surface of the housing 100 (e.g., the metal frame 101), for example.
• a portion of the metal frame 101 in the electronic device may be provided as a leaky wave surface (e.g., a partial reflection surface).
• the metal frame 101 may have a plurality of openings 155 (e.g., a waveguide) filled with a dielectric substance, and the conductive structure (or conductive pattern) between the neighboring openings 155 may function as the leaky wave surface.
• the circuit board 104 including the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be received inside the metal frame 101.
• the dual-type antenna elements 200 may be arranged adjacent to the opening 155 inside the metal frame 101.
• the beam deflector (e.g., the beam deflector 105 of FIG. 1) of the electronic device 10 may include a conductive structure, e.g., the metal frame 101, and a plurality of openings 155 and 157 formed in the metal frame 101.
• the array of the openings 155 and 157 and a portion of the metal frame 101 may be electromagnetically combined with a dual-type antenna element array (e.g., the array 201 of FIG. 1) through the cavity formed inside the metal frame 101 and may convert a surface current into a leaky wave and radiate the leaky wave to the free space.
• the openings 155 and 157 may have a polygonal or circular shape and may be partially filled with a dielectric substance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the electronic device has a sound input or output function, at least some of the openings 155 and 157 may be utilized as an acoustic hole through which sound is propagated.
• FIGS. 16a and 16b are views illustrating antenna arrays free of a metal frame or plastic casing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• the antenna module 20 may include a dielectric-filled waveguide 701 and feed dual-polarization ports 702.
• the dual-polarization ports 702 may be connected with a polarizer 706.
• the feed dual-polarization ports 702 may be implemented by a monolithically integrating technique.
• the polarizer 706 may include a polarization filter 704 changing the direction of electromagnetic waves passing through the electronic device. Accordingly, a vertically polarized electromagnetic wave and/or horizontally polarized electromagnetic wave may be independently radiated through the polarization filter 704 of the polarizer 706. The vertically polarized electromagnetic wave may be excited by a wave port 705, and the horizontally polarized electromagnetic wave may be excited by a wave port 703.
• FIGS. 17a and 17b are perspective views illustrating a dual-polarization-type leaky wave structure of a metal frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a leaky wave structure 500 in which an opening is formed in a single side surface of the housing 100 (e.g., the metal frame 101), for example.
• the dual-polarization-type leaky wave structure 500 may be disposed on one surface of the housing 100, e.g., on the metal frame 509.
• the metal frame 509 may include an opening 511 formed in one straight line section, a leaky waveguide 502 disposed inside the opening 511, and a beam deflector 505 (e.g., the beam deflector 105) disposed at a side of the leaky waveguide 502.
• the beam deflector 505 may be formed by a dielectric cover having conductive patterns 504.
• the conductive patterns 504 may be formed based on molded metal stripes.
• the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
• Other embodiments may include laser-etched metal patterns or metal disposition or its relevant techniques.
• the leaky wave structure 500 may have a size of 0.64 ⁇ 0.8 ⁇ 5 ⁇ (where ' ⁇ ' is the wavelength of a resonant frequency formed in the leaky wave structure), and the beam deflector 505 may be inserted from outside of the metal frame 509 into the opening to close the opening.
• a look at the structure of the enlarged beam deflector 505 of FIG. 17b reveals that the conductive patterns (metal stripes) 504 include two layers respectively being 0.34 ⁇ wide and 0.27 ⁇ wide.
• the conductive patterns 504 may be sized or dimensioned to be 0.02 ⁇ x 0.8 ⁇ , and the beam deflector 505 may be substantially 0.1 ⁇ thick.
• an electromagnetic wave may propagate along the length direction of the opening 111 or may be radiated to the free space through the beam deflector 105.
• the radiation direction (or angle) of the electromagnetic wave and/or wireless signal radiated to the free space may be varied depending on the phase distribution of the above-described array of antenna elements or the propagation constant of the leaky wave structure.
• two modes of electromagnetic waves may be radiated through a leaky waveguide according to the leaky wave structure 500.
• the two modes of electromagnetic waves may include a vertical polarization radiation by the vertical polarization mode 506 and a horizontal polarization radiation by the horizontal polarization mode 507, and the electromagnetic waves may propagate into an outer space through the beam deflector 105 or travel through the leaky waveguide 502.
• a beam may be formed in a previously specified direction by the device, and the wireless communication device may operate in at least one beamforming mode of an array mode by an array of the antenna elements, a leaky wave mode by the leaky wave radiator, and a mixed mode by a combination of the array mode and the leaky wave mode.
• FIGS. 18a and 18b illustrates a distribution of electromagnetic waves propagating through leaky wave structures.
• FIG. 18a when a vertical polarization mode 506 according to the aperture radiation-type structure (e.g., the aperture radiation-type structure 210 of FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c) runs, the capability of the leaky wave structure 500 may be verified.
• FIG. 18b when a horizontal polarization mode 507 according to a traveling radiation-type structure (e.g., the traveling radiation-type structure 230 of FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c) runs, the capability of the leaky wave structure 500 may be verified.
• a traveling radiation-type structure e.g., the traveling radiation-type structure 230 of FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c
• FIG. 19 is a view illustrating radiation patterns in a vertical polarization mode 506 and horizontal polarization mode as propagated through a leaky wave structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• the vertical polarization mode 506 provides beamforming at 105 degrees (701) relative to a symmetry line Y1 on the azimuth plane.
• the beam squint is ⁇ 5 degrees on an operating frequency band.
• the horizontal polarization mode 507 provides beamforming at 100 degrees (702) relative to a symmetry line Y1 on the azimuth plane. It can be verified that the beam squint is the same as ⁇ 5 degrees in the vertical polarization mode on the operating frequency band. Such method may prevent beam squinting for beam tilt angles which are extreme values while reducing losses to beam scanning.
• the leaky-wave phased array antenna may be used for devices such as a mobile phone, tablet, wearables, as well as stationary devices: base-stations, routers, and other kinds of transmitters.
• An antenna array may be embedded into the mobile device for providing multi-gigabit communication services such as high definition television (HDTV) and ultra-high definition video (UHDV), data files sharing, movie upload / download, cloud services and other scenarios.
• HDMI high definition television
• UHDV ultra-high definition video
• methods for enhancing network functionality enabled by the leaky wave phase array antenna and/or electronic device may include concurrent transmission (spatial reuse), multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technique and the full-duplex technique.
• concurrent transmission spatial reuse
• MIMO multiple-input and multiple-output
• mmWave communication standards enabled by the leaky wave phase array antenna and/or electronic device may include wireless personal area networks (WPAN) or WLAN, for example, European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA-387), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3c, and IEEE 802.11ad.
• WPAN wireless personal area networks
• IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• IEEE 802.11ad IEEE 802.11ad
• the physical layer and media access control (MAC) layer may support multi-gigabit wireless applications including instant wireless sync, wireless display of HD streams, cordless computing, and internet access.
• multi-gigabit wireless applications including instant wireless sync, wireless display of HD streams, cordless computing, and internet access.
• two operating modes may be defined, the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) mode for high performance applications (e.g. high data rate), and the single carrier mode for low power and low complexity implementation.
• OFDM orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
• the designated device may provide the basic timing for the basic service set and coordinate medium access to accommodate traffic requests from the mobile devices.
• the channel access time may be divided into a sequence of beacon intervals (BIs), and each BI may include beacon transmission interval, association beamforming training, announcement transmission interval, and data transfer interval.
• BI beacon interval
• the base station may transmit one or more mmWave beacon frames in a transmit sector sweep manner.
• initial beamforming training between the designated device and mobile devices, and association may be performed in association beamforming training.
• Contention-based access periods and service periods may be allocated within each data transfer interval by access point (AP) during announcement transmission interval.
• AP access point
• peer-to-peer communications between any pair of the mobile devices including the designated device and the mobile devices may be supported after completing the beamforming training.
• CSMA/CA carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
• TDMA time division multiple access
• CSMA/CA may be more suitable for bursty traffic such as web browsing to reduce latency
• TDMA may be more suitable for traffic such as video transmission to support better quality of service (QoS).
• QoS quality of service
• antennas e.g., antenna elements
• antennas may be arranged at, at least, one corner of the mobile device as shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c.
• Achievable scan range and antenna gain may be equal or better than standalone antenna module without the mobile device.
• Parasitic effects due to, e.g., surface current, in the case of the devices may be suppressed or eliminated.
• the proposed leaky wave array antenna has the following advantages.
• antenna gain increases.
• Beam scan range better than +/- 70 degrees may be secured for the horizontal and/or vertical deflections.
• the array of eight antenna elements provides stable end-fire radiation beams with a realized gain over 10dBi over the entire operating band.
• the mmWave antenna array is structurally simple and conductor-backed, which is potentially useful for conformal integration into the mobile device with the metal frame.
• - mmWave antenna is designed with possibility of integration into the mobile phone with a metal frame.
• Antennas may be isolated or separated from environmental factors and mechanical impacts.
• - mmWave antenna may satisfy mechanical tolerance and stress robustness requirements of the housing 100 and/or electronic device while providing a stable performance.
• - Structures forming a leaky wave phase array antenna may provide high-gain, small-sized antenna modules.
• the metal frame including beam deflectors may expand the beamscanning range.
• the leaky wave phase array antenna may be used as part of an antenna array embedded into the electronic device for transmitting high-volume data, such as an unpacked HD video stream.
• high-volume data such as an unpacked HD video stream.
• the user may watch a desired movie through a TV set or monitor by simply turning on the TV set or monitor and activate streaming on the user's electronic device.
• sharing an HD movie between users mere activation of the data transmission function of the electronic device enables transmission of the entire movie to the opposite party's mobile device supporting such standard within two or three seconds.
• simple payment for the movie through mobile pay allows for activation of data transmission and reception of the movie in two or three seconds.
• leaky wave phase array antenna and/or electronic device including the same may be used in other various scenarios requiring transmission of high-volume data.
• a mmWave antenna module comprises a plurality of antenna elements, an RFIC, and a power feeding line, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are dual-type antenna elements configured to excite different polarization modes, and wherein the power feeding line allows a plurality of ports of the RFIC to individually connect to the plurality of dual-type antenna elements to excite the different polarization modes to perform beamforming.
• the dual-type antenna elements may be configured by an aperture radiation-type structure providing a vertical polarization radiation and a traveling radiation-type structure providing a horizontal polarization radiation.
• the traveling radiation-type structure may be formed as a portion of the aperture radiation-type structure.
• the aperture radiation-type structure may include a waveguide having a surface configured of an aperture, a first antenna disposed inside the waveguide, and a first power feeding port extending from the power feeding line and feeding power to the first antenna.
• the traveling radiation-type structure may include a slot line disposed in a lengthwise direction of the waveguide, a second antenna disposed on the slot line, and a second power feeding port extending from the power feeding line and feeding power to the second antenna.
• each of the dual-type antenna elements may be configured to provide the beamforming through polarization agility.
• the beamforming through the polarization agility may be performed by phase-controlled feeding the dual-type antenna elements.
• the first antenna may include a probe shape
• the second antenna may include a tapered slot shape
• the first antenna and the second antenna may be arranged to be orthogonal to each other.
• the mmWave antenna module may further comprise a circuit board formed of one of a PCB and a LTCC.
• the dual-type antenna elements may be formed in a portion positioned adjacent an edge of the circuit board. The portion may function as a dielectric transformer matching the antenna elements.
• the plurality of power feeding lines may have a stacked structure of feed lines for the antenna elements.
• a wireless communication device and/or electronic device including an antenna device may include a mmWave antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements and a housing 100 including at least one opening matching the antenna module with an outer space.
• the mmWave antenna module may include a plurality of antenna elements, an RFIC, and a power feeding line.
• the plurality of antenna elements may be dual-type antenna elements configured to excite polarization modes orthogonal to each other.
• the power feeding line may allow a plurality of ports of the RFIC to individually connect to the plurality of dual-type antenna elements to excite the orthogonal polarization modes to perform beamforming.
• the mmWave antenna module may be separated from the outer space by the housing and may radiate an electromagnetic wave through conductive patterns of the housing to the outer space.
• the conductive structure forming the conductive patterns may form at least some of side walls of the housing 100.
• the dual-type antenna elements may be configured of an aperture radiation-type structure including a first antenna providing a polarization radiation in a first direction and a traveling radiation-type structure including a second antenna providing a polarization radiation in a second direction different from the first direction.
• the housing 100 may further include a metal frame, and the metal frame may match the waveguide with the outer space.
• the housing 100 may further include a metal frame.
• a side of the waveguide filled with a plastic may be exposed to the outer space.
• the housing may accommodate the plurality of antenna elements and may include a metallic conductive structure.
• the conductive structure may form at least a portion of side walls of the housing 100.
• the wireless communication device may further comprise a leaky wave radiator matching the antenna module with the outer space of the housing 100.
• the leaky wave radiator may include an array of a plurality of openings formed in the conductive structure.
• the wireless communication device may operate in at least one beamforming mode of an array mode by an array of the antenna elements, a leaky wave mode by the leaky wave radiator, and a mixed mode by a combination of the array mode and the leaky wave mode.

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• 2016
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