IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,555,922
Granted Patent B2
US 12,555,922 · App. 18/335,517 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Method for controlling beam using lens in wireless communication system

Inventors: Seungtae Ko (Suwon-si, KR); Wonbin Hong (Suwon-si, KR); Youngju Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Youngno Youn (Pohang-si, KR); Jaehong Choi (Pohang-si, KR)
Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; POSTECH RESEARCH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
H01Q19/06H01Q3/36
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,555,922
App. No.
18/335,517
Filed
Jun 15, 2023
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2845
USPC
343/833
Abstract

A beamforming device in a wireless communication system is provided that includes a phased array antenna, at least one wireless communication circuit, and a lens, wherein the lens comprises a first surface oriented in a first direction, which is the direction toward the phased array antenna, and a second surface oriented in a second direction, which is the opposite direction of the first direction, and a first beam radiated from the phased array antenna is refracted after passing through a first point on the first surface, and forms a first path inside the lens and forms a second path along which the first beam is refracted at a second point on the second surface after passing through the inside of the lens along the first path, wherein the refraction angle at the second point may be formed so as to be dependent on the radiation angle of the first beam.

Claims (44)

1 . A beamforming device in a wireless communication system, the beamforming device comprising:

a phased array antenna;

at least one wireless communication circuit; and

a lens,

wherein the lens comprises:

a first surface facing a first direction, which is a direction toward the phased array antenna, and

a second surface facing a second direction opposite to the first direction,

wherein a first beam radiated from the phased array antenna is refracted past a first point on the first surface,

wherein the first beam forms a first path in the lens and a second path along which the first beam passing through an inside of the lens along the first path and passing through a second point on the second surface is refracted,

wherein a refraction angle at the second point is formed to depend on a radiation angle of the first beam,

wherein the first surface corresponds to a portion of an ellipsoid,

wherein the second surface corresponds to a portion of a sphere,

wherein the major axis of the ellipsoid of the lens is located on the diameter of the sphere,

wherein the phased array antenna is disposed parallel to the minor axis of the ellipsoid,

wherein a center of the phased array antenna is located between a center of the ellipsoid and one focus of the ellipsoid,

wherein the center of the phased array antenna is spaced apart from the center of the ellipsoid by a first distance and from a center of the sphere by a second distance greater than the first distance,

wherein the one focus is located in a direction in which the first beam is directed among focuses of the ellipsoid,

wherein the center of the ellipsoid is apart from the first surface by half of the major axis,

wherein the center of the sphere is apart from the second surface by a radius of the sphere, and

wherein the lens is symmetrical with respect to the major axis of the ellipsoid.

2 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein, when a radius having a smallest length among radii of the ellipsoid is a first radius and a radius having a largest length is a second radius, a curvature of the first surface is changed by changing the first radius, the second radius, and the radiation angle of the first beam.

3 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein, when a radius of the sphere is a third radius, a curvature of the second surface is changed by changing the third radius.

4 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the center of the phased array antenna and a center of the lens is arranged on a straight line.

5 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises a single dielectric having a single layer.

6 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises multiple dielectrics having multiple layers.

7 . The beamforming device of claim 6 , wherein the multiple dielectrics having the multiple layers have different refractive indices.

8 . The beamforming device of claim 6 , wherein an incident angle at the first point is changed by changing the radiation angle of the first beam and a curvature of the first surface.

9 . The beamforming device of claim 8 , wherein a refraction angle at the first point is changed by changing a refractive index of at least one dielectric of the lens and the incident angle at the first point.

10 . The beamforming device of claim 9 , wherein an incident angle at the second point is changed by changing the refraction angle at the first point and a curvature of the second surface.

11 . The beamforming device of claim 10 , wherein a refraction angle at the second point is changed by changing a refractive index of at least one dielectric of the lens and the incident angle at the second point.

12 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the refraction angle at the second point has a greater value than a radiation angle at the first point.

13 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the refraction angle at the second point is greater than 60° and less than 90°.

14 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the phased array antenna is arranged in a linear array.

15 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the phased array antenna is arranged in a planar array.

16 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the phased array antenna is configured to have a tridimensional structure.

17 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , further comprising:

adjusting the radiation angle of the first beam through beam steering,

wherein a first radiation angle value of the radiation angle of the first beam according to a first refraction angle value of the refraction angle at the second point is different from a second radiation angle value of the adjusted radiation angle of the first beam according to a second refraction angle value of the refraction angle at the second point, and

wherein the first refraction angle value is different from the second refraction angle value.

18 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , further comprising:

another lens spaced apart from the lens and disposed on the second path of the first beam.

19 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , wherein the lens is configured such that the second path is not parallel to a radiation path of the first beam.

20 . The beamforming device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a communication unit configured to adjust a phase pattern of the phased array antenna.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2023
From: KO, SEUNGTAE; HONG, WONBIN; YOUN, YOUNGNO; CHOI, JAEHONG
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; POSTECH RESEARCH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 063963/0064 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0175767 · Dec 15, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTKR2021018544 · Dec 8, 2021
Related Publication 20230327343A1 · Oct 12, 2023
References Cited (38)
US 8130171B2 · Lam et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8659502B2 · Lam et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9515388B2 · Chernokalov et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 10256551B2 · Shehan · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10770790B1 · Mahanfar · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10950937B2 · Ko et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11233334B2 · Ko et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 11289818B2 · Deng et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 11527836B2 · Kim · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20100277398A1 · Lam et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20120146882A1 · Binzer et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120306708A1 · Henderson · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20170324171A1 · Shehan · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190148836A1 · Hu et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190317210A1 · Fillion · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200350692A1 · Ko et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20230275358A1 · Geng · 2023 [cited by examiner]
CN 107369915A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
EP 3706243A1 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180096362A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020190118792A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020200029756A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2011000607A1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019129298A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Michael Marcus et al., Millimeter Wave Propagation: Spectrum Management Implications, IEEE Microwave Magazine, Jun. 2005. [cited by applicant]
Jae-Hyun Lee et al., Cell Coverage Analysis of 28 GHz Millimeter Wave in Urban Microcell Environment Using 3-D Ray Tracing, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 66, No. 3, Mar. 2018. [cited by applicant]
Nurul H. Noordin et al., Antenna Array with Wide Angle Scanning Properties, 6th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EUCAP), IEEE, 2011. [cited by applicant]
Min Liang et al., A 3-D Luneburg Lens Antenna Fabricated by Polymer Jetting Rapid Prototyping, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 62, No. 4, Apr. 2014. [cited by applicant]
Ngoc Tinh Nguyen et al., Size and Weight Reduction of Integrated Lens Antennas Using a Cylindrical Air Cavity, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 60, No. 12, Dec. 2012. [cited by applicant]
A. Skalare et al., A Planar Dipole Array Antenna with an Elliptical Lens, Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, vol. 4, No. 1, Jan. 5, 1991. [cited by applicant]
Huan Yi et al., 3-D Printed Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Lenses with Fixed and Frequency Scanned Beam, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 64, No. 2, Feb. 2016. [cited by applicant]
Alexey Artemenko et al., Experimental Characterization of E-Band Two-Dimensional Electronically Beam-Steerable Integrated Lens Antennas, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, vol. 12, 2013. [cited by applicant]
Jan Hesselbarth et al., Millimeter-Wave Front-End Integration Concept Using Beam-Switched Lens Antenna, 2016 10th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP). IEEE, 2016. [cited by applicant]
Zhishu Qu et al., Wide-Angle Scanning Lens Fed by Small-Scale Antenna Array for 5G in Millimeter-Wave Band, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 68, No. 5, May 2020. [cited by applicant]
Carlos A. Fernandes et al., Dielectric Lens Antennas, Sep. 2016. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report dated Mar. 29, 2022, issued in International Application No. PCT/KR2021/018544. [cited by applicant]
Extended European Search Report dated Mar. 22, 2024, issued in European Patent Application No. 21906968.9. [cited by applicant]
Korean Office Action dated Dec. 3, 2024, issued in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0175767. [cited by applicant]