# US 12,119,555 B2 · Angle-of-arrival antenna system

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- Number: US 12,119,555 B2
- Document ID: US12119555B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/535,214
- Filed: 2021-11-24
- Published: 2023-04-27
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2020-11-25
- Assignees: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
- Applicants: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
- Inventors: Jianwei Wang; Michael Alan Fredd; Junqiang Wu; Dipak Kumar Desai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119555B2

## CPC

- H01Q 21/24: Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction {(circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001)}
- G01S 3/043: {Receivers}
- G01S 3/46: using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
- H01Q 1/48: Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
- H01Q 9/0421: {with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element (H01Q9/0414 takes precedence)}
- H01Q 21/08: the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path {(waveguide fed H01Q21/0037)}
- H01Q 25/001: {Crossed polarisation dual antennas (orthomode horns H01Q13/0258; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; orthomode transducers H01P1/161)}
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- 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

## Abstract

An angle-of-arrival antenna system uses two orthogonal arrays of patch antenna elements to measure the angle of arrival of a wireless signal irrespective of its polarization. Each antenna element has an antenna patch located over a corresponding ground patch. A shorting wall directly electrically connects one edge of the antenna patch to a corresponding edge of the underlying ground patch. The edge of the ground patch is also directly connected to a system ground plane. No other edges of the ground patch are connected to the system ground plane. The shorting wall acts as an impedance that isolates the ground patch from the system ground plane, and therefore improves isolation between the antenna elements. The antenna system may be constructed using conventional circuit-board fabrication techniques by implementing each shorting wall as an array of plated through-holes or slots.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An angle-of-arrival antenna system, comprising:
an array of first antenna elements along a first direction, each of the first antenna elements having a first antenna patch positioned over a corresponding first ground patch, a first edge of the first antenna patch being parallel to the first direction, a second edge of the first ground patch being parallel to the first direction and electrically connected to the first edge;
an array of second antenna elements along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, each of the second antenna elements having a second antenna patch positioned over a corresponding second ground patch, a third edge of the second antenna patch being parallel to the second direction, a fourth edge of the second ground patch being parallel to the second direction and electrically connected to the third edge;
a system ground plane having (i) a first ground-plane edge parallel to the first direction and directly electrically connected to each second edge, and (ii) a second ground-plane edge parallel to the second direction and directly electrically connected to each fourth edge;
a first shorting wall for each of the first antenna elements, the first shorting wall having opposed fifth and sixth edges parallel to the first direction, the first and fifth edges being directly electrically connected, the second and sixth edges being directly electrically connected; and
a second shorting wall for each of the second antenna elements, the second shorting wall having opposed seventh and eighth edges parallel of the second direction, the third and seventh edges being directly electrically connected, the fourth and eighth edges being directly electrically connected.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
the array of first antenna elements has two first antenna elements; and
the array of second antenna elements has two second antenna elements.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
the array of first antenna elements has three first antenna elements; and
the array of second antenna elements has three second antenna elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, the system ground plane being coplanar with each first ground patch and each second ground patch.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1,
the first antenna elements being equally spaced along the first direction by a first spacing less than one-half of a center wavelength; and
the second antenna elements being equally spaced along the second direction by a second spacing less than one-half of the center wavelength.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, further comprising a solid dielectric material between each first antenna patch and its corresponding first ground patch, and between each second antenna patch and its corresponding second ground patch.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, further comprising air between each first antenna patch and its corresponding first ground patch, and between each second antenna patch and its corresponding second ground patch.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
each first antenna patch lies parallel to its corresponding first ground patch; and
each second antenna patch lies parallel to its corresponding second ground patch.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
each first antenna patch and corresponding first ground patch have a similar geometry; and
each second antenna patch and corresponding second ground patch have a similar geometry.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 9, the similar geometry being selecting from the group consisting of: semi-circular, rectangular, triangular, and hexagonal.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
the first edges are collinear;
the second edges are collinear;
the third edges are collinear; and
the fourth edges are collinear.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
the fifth edges are collinear;
the sixth edges are collinear;
the seventh edges are collinear; and
the eighth edges are collinear.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, wherein:
each first shorting wall lies perpendicularly to its corresponding first antenna patch and first patch ground; and
each second shorting wall lies perpendicularly to its corresponding second antenna patch and second patch ground.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, further comprising:
for each first antenna element of the array of first antenna elements:
a first antenna feed passing through the first ground patch of said each first antenna element and being directly electrically connected to the first antenna patch of said each first antenna element; and
for each second antenna element of the array of second antenna elements:
a second antenna feed passing through the second ground patch of said each second antenna element and being directly electrically connected to the second antenna patch of said each second antenna element.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 1, further comprising a circuit board with a plurality of layers, wherein:
each first and second antenna patch comprises metal disposed on a first layer of the plurality of layers;
each first and second ground patch comprises metal disposed on a second layer of the plurality of layers; and
the system ground plane comprises metal disposed on the second layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 15, further comprising:
for each first antenna element of the array of first antenna elements:
a first transmission line disposed on a third layer of the plurality of layers; and
a first feedline via passing through all of the plurality of layers, the first feedline via directly electrically connecting the first transmission line to the first antenna patch of said each first antenna element;
wherein the first ground patch of said each first antenna element forms an electrically non-conductive ring around the first feedline via such that the first feedline via is not shorted to the first ground patch; and
for each second antenna element of the array of second antenna elements:
a second transmission line disposed on a third layer of the plurality of layers; and
a second feedline via passing through all of the plurality of layers, the second feedline via directly electrically connecting the second transmission line to the second antenna patch of said each second antenna element;
wherein the second ground patch of said each second antenna element forms a non-electrically-conductive hole around the second feedline via such that the second feedline via is not shorted to the second ground patch.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 16, further comprising a switch soldered to the circuit board such that each input of the switch is electrically connected to either one first transmission line or one second transmission line.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 16, further comprising:
an array of vias passing through all of the plurality of layers to electrically connect the first and second edges of each of the first antenna elements; and
an array of vias passing through all of the plurality of layers to electrically connect the third and fourth edges of each of the second antenna elements.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The angle-of-arrival antenna system of claim 15, further comprising:
for each first antenna element of the array of first antenna elements:
collinear first and second arrays of vias passing through all of the plurality of layers to electrically connect the first and second edges of said each first antenna element;
a first transmission line disposed on a third layer of the plurality of layers and passing between a first gap between the collinear first and second arrays of vias; and
a first feedthrough via passing through all of the plurality of layers and directly electrically connecting the first transmission line to the first antenna patch of said each first antenna element; and
for each second antenna element of the array of second antenna elements:
collinear third and fourth arrays of vias passing through all of the plurality of layers to electrically connect the third and fourth edges of said each second antenna element;
a second transmission line disposed on the third layer and passing between a second gap between the collinear third and fourth arrays of vias; and
a second feedthrough via passing through all of the plurality of layers and directly electrically connecting the second transmission line to the second antenna patch of said each second antenna element.