Low profile antenna module
An antenna module is described where uniform radiation pattern coverage is provided in the plane of a low profile antenna radiating element. A polarization that is orthogonal to the plane of the low profile antenna radiating element can be achieved for the radiated field. A ground plate aperture is implemented into the antenna ground plate to minimize frequency shift as the antenna is installed on metallic (conductive) and non-metallic (non-conductive) ground planes of varying sizes. This antenna system technique is applicable for use in communication systems such as a local Area network (LAN), cellular communication network, and Machine to Machine (M2M).
1. An antenna module comprising:
a first conductor forming a radiating element, the radiating element being coupled to a feed conductor;
a second conductor forming a ground plate, wherein the first conductor is positioned above the ground plate forming a gap therebetween;
further characterized in that:
at least a portion of the ground plate is removed to form a ground aperture, wherein at least a portion of the radiating element is at least partially disposed above the ground aperture;
wherein the radiating element is configured to provide a first frequency response when the antenna module is coupled to a metallic support structure, and
wherein the radiating element is further configured to provide the first frequency response when the antenna module is coupled to a non-metallic support structure.
2. The antenna module of claim 1 , the antenna module configured to couple with a component of a utility meter.
3. The antenna module of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor is separated from the second conductor by a gap therebetween.
4. The antenna module of claim 3 , wherein the gap is between one and five hundredths of a wavelength of the radiating element.
5. The antenna module of claim 1 , further comprising a coaxial cable connector, wherein the feed is coupled to a center pin and the ground plate is coupled to a connector body of the coaxial cable connector.
6. The antenna module of claim 1 , wherein the antenna module is configured to provide uniform radiation pattern coverage in a plane associated with the radiating element and ground plate.
7. An antenna module comprising:
a ground plate having one or more ground apertures; and
a radiating element positioned above the ground plate to form a gap, the radiating element at least partially disposed above the one or more ground apertures;
wherein a location and an area of the one or more ground apertures is selected such that a frequency response of the antenna module is fixed when the antenna module is positioned on a conductive support structure and a non-conductive support structure such that the frequency response does not shift as the antenna module is moved from the conductive support structure to the non-conductive support structure.
8. The antenna module of claim 7 , wherein the antenna module comprises a low profile antenna such that the gap is a fraction of a wavelength of the radiating element.
9. The antenna module of claim 8 , wherein the gap is between one hundredth and five hundredths of the wavelength.
10. The antenna module of claim 7 , wherein a dominant polarization of the antenna module is normal to a plane that comprises two dominant dimensions of the antenna module.
11. The antenna module of claim 7 , wherein the radiating element comprises an area, and wherein the area comprises at least one of a circle, a square, or a rectangle.
12. The antenna module of claim 7 , wherein the radiating element is parallel to the ground plate.
13. The antenna module of claim 7 , further comprising a feed conductor coupled to the radiating element.
14. The antenna module of claim 13 , wherein the feed conductor is offset from a center of the radiating element.
15. The antenna module of claim 13 , wherein the feed conductor comprises a center conductor of a coaxial cable.
16. The antenna module of claim 13 , wherein the feed conductor comprises a capacitive feed wherein the feed conductor does not make physical contact with the radiating element.
17. The antenna module of claim 7 , further comprising a carrier placed between the radiating element and the ground plate and configured to provide a solid support for the antenna module, wherein the one or more ground apertures are configured to account for material properties of the carrier.
18. The antenna module of claim 17 , wherein the carrier comprises at least one of thermoplastic material or composite material.
19. The antenna module of claim 17 , further comprising a support structure coupled to the antenna module and comprising the ground plate, wherein the support structure comprises one of the conductive support structure or the non-conductive support structure.
20. The antenna module of claim 19 , wherein the support structure comprises a component of a utility meter.