Granted Patent B2

US 12,640,485 · App. 18/038,372 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventors: Alejandro Garcia Tejero (St. Gallen, CH); Pietro Romano (Rorschach, CH); Francesco Merli (St. Gallen, CH)

Assignee: HUBER+SUHNER AG

H01Q13/0233H01Q1/3233H01Q15/246H01Q21/005H01Q21/064

Abstract

Claims (39)

1 . An antenna device comprising:

a. a printed circuit board and a thereon arranged electronic component;

b. an antenna assembly comprising at least two individual antenna elements interconnected to the electronic component configured to transmit and/or receive a signal, wherein

c. the antenna elements each comprise at least one waveguide channel interconnecting in the antenna assembly

i. a first waveguide aperture arranged at a back face of the antenna assembly, said first waveguide aperture being interconnected to the electronic component and configured to transmit and/or receive signal, and

ii. a second waveguide aperture arranged at a front face of the antenna assembly configured to transmit and/or receive signal, wherein

d. the at least one waveguide channel is adapted to maintain or twist the polarization of the E-field, such that

i. the polarization remains in the horizontal direction (i.e. in the x-y plane of the antenna assembly) from the first waveguide aperture to the second waveguide aperture, or

ii. the polarization is twisted from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction (i.e. perpendicular to the x-y plane of the antenna assembly) from the first waveguide aperture to the second waveguide aperture; and

e. at least one waveguide channel interconnected to a waveguide splitter, the waveguide splitter comprising at least one deflection element configured to twist the polarization of the E-field, such that:

i. the polarization of the first waveguide channel branch and the second waveguide channel branch are equally polarized; or

ii. the polarization of the first waveguide channel branch and the second waveguide channel branch are twisted.

2 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one waveguide channel is, with respect to the first waveguide aperture, at the distal end interconnected to a splitter by a primary port, wherein the splitter is configured to split a signal to be sent into:

a. a first waveguide channel branch interconnected to a first secondary port of the splitter; and

b. a second waveguide channel branch interconnected to a second secondary port of the splitter.

3 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the splitter comprises a necking, which is configured to divide the signal between the first and the second waveguide channel branch.

4 . The antenna device according to claim 3 , wherein the necking is:

a. arranged centered between the first secondary port and the second secondary port, wherein the signal power is split equally between the first and the second waveguide channel branch; or

b. arranged with offset with respect to the center between the first secondary port and the second secondary port, wherein the signal power is split non-equally between the first and the second waveguide channel branch.

5 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one deflection element is configured to twist the polarization of the E-field, such that the electric field is essentially twisted from the horizontal direction, to the vertical direction by 90 degrees.

6 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide splitter comprises the at least one deflection element arranged adjacent to the primary port configured to twist the polarization of the E-field from the horizontal direction, to the vertical direction by 90 degrees and an additional at least one deflection element arranged adjacent to the first secondary port and the second secondary port configured to twist the polarization back from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction.

7 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one deflection element is essentially arranged inside the waveguide channel and/or the waveguard splitter and comprises at least one or more of the group of the following elements: step, recess, channel, bump, or dented corner which are designed such that they protrude inside and/or outside the cross-section of the waveguide channel and/or the waveguard splitter.

8 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide channel comprises in the area of the primary port of the waveguard splitter two dented corners which are arranged opposite to each other and which are designed as deflection elements.

9 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide channel comprises at least a cross section out of at least one of the group of the following elements: rectangle, rhombus, ellipse, circle, wherein a main extension direction of the cross section is essentially parallel to the first and second waveguide aperture.

10 . The antenna device according to claim 2 , wherein the first and the second waveguide channel branch each comprise at least one radiating opening, wherein the radiating openings are arranged co-linear with respect to a center line.

11 . The antenna device according to claim 10 , wherein the first and the second waveguide channel branch are designed in a staggered design configured to alter the field such that the at least one radiating opening of the first and the at least one radiating opening of the second waveguide channel branch is aligned collinear with respect to each other.

12 . The antenna device according to claim 2 , wherein the waveguide channel, the first and/or the second waveguide channel branch comprise a ridge in form of at least one of the following elements or a combination thereof: Channel, lateral necking, a longitudinal inwardly directed protrusion, each configured to increase the circumferential channel surface, such that the cross section is minimized.

13 . The antenna device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one radiating opening of the first and the at least one radiating opening of the second waveguide channel branch are interconnected to at least one funnel, wherein the funnel is interconnected to the second waveguide aperture.

14 . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna assembly comprises a back part and front part interconnected to each other along a front face of the back part and a back face of the front part and wherein at least one waveguide channel extends at least partially in the front face of the back part and/or the back face of the front part.

15 . The antenna device according to claim 14 , wherein the back part and/or the front part comprises a number of pillars arranged on the front face of the back part or the back face of the front part configured to form the contour of a waveguide channel and/or the waveguard splitter and/or the first and second waveguide channel branch.

16 . The antenna device according to claim 15 , wherein electromagnetic band gap structures are arranged essentially around the at least one hollow waveguide channel which allows to block electromagnetic waves at a given range of frequencies, behaving as a conductive wall without the need to have direct and/or ohmic contact between the front part and the back part implementing a waveguide structure.

17 . An antenna device comprising

a. a printed circuit board and a thereon arranged electronic component;

b. an antenna assembly comprising at least two individual antenna elements interconnected to the electronic component configured to transmit and/or receive a signal, wherein

c. the antenna elements each comprise at least one waveguide channel interconnecting in the antenna assembly

i. a first waveguide aperture arranged at a back face of the antenna assembly, said first waveguide aperture being interconnected to the electronic component and configured to transmit and/or receive signal, and

ii. a second waveguide aperture arranged at a front face of the antenna assembly configured to transmit and/or receive signal, wherein

d. at least one deflection element is arranged at a splitter of the at least one waveguide channel, which deflection element is configured to introduce a 90° rotation of the E-field, and is configured to rotate the E-field from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction.

18 . The antenna device according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one deflection element comprises at least one or more of the group of the following elements: step, recess, channel, bump, or dented corner, which are designed such that they protrude inside and/or outside the cross-section of the waveguide channel and/or the splitter.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (87)