# US 11,079,472 B2 · Antenna apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,079,472 B2 - Document ID: US11079472B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/931,337 - Filed: 2020-07-16 - Published: 2020-11-05 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-06 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Kazushi Kawaguchi; Kazumasa Sakurai; Toshiya Sakai; Asahi Kondo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079472B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/03: Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver - G01S 7/038: {Feedthrough nulling circuits} - G01S 7/028: {Miniaturisation, e.g. surface mounted device [SMD] packaging or housings} - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - H01Q 9/0407: {Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna (dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40)} - H01Q 15/14: Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures {(electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526)} - H01Q 21/06: Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart - G01S 2013/93275: {in the bumper area} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract An antenna apparatus includes a dielectric substrate, a base plate, an antenna unit, and a reflecting unit. A plurality of conductor patches are structured to resonate, at an operating frequency of the antenna unit, in a resonating direction which is different from a polarization direction Dan of a radio wave transmitted and received by the antenna unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An antenna apparatus mounted to a vehicle, the antenna apparatus comprising: a dielectric substrate; a base plate provided on the dielectric substrate and configured to serve as an antenna ground surface; an antenna unit provided on a surface of the dielectric substrate, and having an antenna pattern configured to serve as an antenna array; and a reflecting unit arranged to surround the antenna unit, including a plurality of conductor patterns serving as a reflector, wherein each of the plurality of conductor patterns has a size smaller than an effective wavelength, at a preset operating frequency of the antenna unit, and is structured to resonate in a resonating direction different from a polarization direction of a radio wave transmitted and received by the antenna unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the plurality of conductor patterns are structured such that a phase lag of a reflected wave increases with increasing distance from a center of the antenna unit in the resonating direction from the center of the antenna unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The antenna apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: each of the plurality of conductor patterns includes a plurality of conductor patches each having a rectangle shape and in a form of a rectangle, each of the plurality of conductor patches is arranged such that a side of the rectangle of the corresponding one of the plurality of conductor patches is inclined at a same inclination angle to the polarization direction, and each of the plurality of conductor patches is structured such that, at the operating frequency, the resonating direction of the corresponding one of the conductor patches is a direction along at least one side of the rectangle of the corresponding one of the conductor patches. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: each of the plurality of conductor patches is structured in which, at the operating frequency, two directions along two adjacent sides of the rectangle of the corresponding one of the conductor patches is given as the resonating direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches constitute a plurality of blocks arranged along the resonating direction, and are structured such that, for respective reflected waves from the plurality of blocks, each block has a different phase at the operating frequency and such that, for each set of adjacent blocks, a difference in the phase of the reflected wave between the adjacent blocks is constant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches constitute a plurality of blocks arranged along the resonating direction, and are structured such that, for respective reflected waves from the plurality of blocks, each block has a different phase at the operating frequency, and the difference in the phase of the reflected wave between adjacent blocks increases with increasing distance from the center of the antenna unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The antenna apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: each of the plurality of conductor patterns includes conductor patches comprising a cutout shape in which each conductor patch comprises a rectangular shape with at least one corner thereof cut out. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The antenna apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the plurality of conductor patterns have a circular polarization characteristic based on the cutout shape. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The antenna apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the reflecting unit includes a plurality of areas, and the plurality of conductor patterns are structured such that at least one of a position where the cutout shape is formed and an amount of cutout is different, for each of the plurality of areas. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches have the phase of the reflected wave adjusted by changing the size of a conductor patch, along the resonating direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The antenna apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches have a length of a side of the rectangle changed along directions of each two adjacent sides of the rectangle to adjust the phase of the reflected wave, in four directions centered around the antenna unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches have a changing interval between the conductor patches, in the resonating direction, to adjust the phase of the reflected wave. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the polarization direction of the radio wave and the resonating direction is 45 degrees. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of conductor patterns has a size smaller than or equal to three-quarters of the effective wavelength at the operating frequency. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of conductor patches constitute a plurality of blocks arranged along the resonating direction, and are structured such that, for respective reflected waves from the plurality of blocks, each block has a different phase at the operating frequency and such that, for each set of adjacent blocks, a difference in the phase of the reflected wave between the adjacent blocks is constant. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of conductor patches constitute a plurality of blocks arranged along the resonating direction, and are structured such that, for respective reflected waves from the plurality of blocks, each block has a different phase at the operating frequency, and the difference in the phase of the reflected wave between adjacent blocks increases with increasing distance from the center of the antenna unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The antenna apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reflecting unit includes a plurality of areas, and the plurality of conductor patterns are structured such that at least one of a position where the cutout shape is formed and an amount of cutout is different, for each of the plurality of areas. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of conductor patches have the phase of the reflected wave adjusted by changing the size of a conductor patch, along the resonating direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 4) The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the plurality of conductor patches have a changing interval between the conductor patches, in the resonating direction, to adjust the phase of the reflected wave. ### Claim 20 (depends on 2) The antenna apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: an angle between the polarization direction of the radio wave and the resonating direction is 45 degrees.