ARTICLES FOR USE WITH 5G RADIO WAVES
The present disclosure relates to articles for transmitting and/or receiving radio waves therethrough having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz. The articles include a thermoplastic resin including a polyamide and provide low signal attenuation of the radio waves transmitted or received therethrough.
1 . An article for transmitting and/or receiving radio waves therethrough having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz, the article comprising:
a thermoplastic resin comprising
a first polyamide comprising
nylon-6,
nylon-6,6,
a copolymer of nylon-6 or nylon-6,6 comprising at least one repeating unit that is
poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide),
poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide), or
a copolymer of poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) and poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide),
a mixture thereof, or
a copolymer thereof; and
a second polyamide, an additive, or a mixture thereof.
2 . The article of claim 1 , wherein 0 wt % to 0.001 wt % of the thermoplastic resin is metals and/or metal-containing compounds.
3 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is a wall, a wall panel, or a wall plate.
4 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is a structural frame.
5 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is a radome or a radome cover.
6 . The article of claim 5 , wherein the radome or radome cover is configured such that heating of a wall of the radome or radome cover is effective to melt ice and/or to evaporate water from a surface of the radome or radome cover, wherein the heating of the wall is configured to at least partially be provided by a radio transmitter enclosed within the radome or radome cover.
7 . The article of claim 5 , wherein the radome or radome cover comprises one or more areas of non-uniform RF transmissibility.
8 . The article of claim 5 , wherein the radome or radome cover comprises variation in a thickness of the thermoplastic resin that corresponds with the non-uniform RF transmissibility of the radome or radome cover, wherein the radome or radome cover comprises variation in composition of the thermoplastic resin that corresponds with the non-uniform RF transmissibility of the radome or radome cover, or a combination thereof.
9 . The article of claim 5 , wherein the non-uniform RF transmissibility of the radome or radome cover is effective for steering a beam of radio waves having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz and/or to act as a lens for a beam of radio waves having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz.
10 . The article of claim 5 , wherein the article is a radome or radome cover, wherein walls of the radome or radome cover comprise the thermoplastic resin.
11 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is a fuselage for an aircraft, a radio-controlled (RC) aircraft, or drone; a cell phone case; a cell phone protective cover; a backpack; an exterior-mounted vehicular decorative or structural component; or a component thereof.
12 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the first polyamide comprises:
nylon-6 or nylon-6,6; and
a copolymer comprising nylon-6 or nylon-6,6, the copolymer comprising at least one repeating unit that is
poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide),
poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide), or
a copolymer of poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) and poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide), wherein a molar ratio of the poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) repeating unit to poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide) repeating unit is in a range of from about 60:40 to about 90:10.
13 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the first polyamide is at least one of nylon-6 and nylon-6,6.
14 . The article of claim 1 , wherein a signal attenuation of the thermoplastic resin within at least one of a 0.5 GHz to 6 GHz frequency range, a 24 GHz to 30 GHz frequency range, a 36 GHz to 40 GHz frequency range, and a 76 GHz to 81 GHz frequency range, when a direction of a signal impinging on the article is normal to a surface of the article, and wherein an article thickness is substantially uniform across an area where the signal impinges on the article, is less than 1 decibel (dB).
15 . The article of claim 1 , wherein glass fibers are 10 wt % to 50 wt % of the thermoplastic resin.
16 . A wall panel, wall plate, or structural frame, a cell phone case or protector or a component thereof, an aircraft fuselage or a component thereof, a fuselage for an aircraft or radio-controlled (RC) aircraft or drone or a component thereof, or an exterior-mounted vehicular decorative or structural component comprising:
a first polyamide comprising
nylon-6,
nylon-6,6,
a copolymer of nylon-6 or nylon-6,6 comprising at least one repeating unit that is
poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide),
poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide), or
a copolymer of poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) and poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide),
a mixture thereof, or
a copolymer thereof; and
a second polyamide, an additive, or a mixture thereof.
17 . A radome or radome cover comprising:
a first polyamide comprising
nylon-6,
nylon-6,6,
a copolymer of nylon-6 or nylon-6,6 comprising at least one repeating unit that is
poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide),
poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide), or
a copolymer of poly(hexamethylene terephthalamide) and poly(hexamethylene isophthalamide),
a mixture thereof, or
a copolymer thereof; and
a second polyamide, an additive, or a mixture thereof.
18 . A system comprising:
the article of claim 1 ; and
an antenna for transmitting and/or receiving radio waves having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz.
19 . A method of making the article of claim 1 , the method comprising:
injection molding, thermoforming, compression molding, or extruding the thermoplastic resin to form the article or one or more components thereof.
20 . A method comprising:
transmitting and/or receiving radio waves having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz through the article of claim 1 .