Patch antenna apparatus with improved projection area

A patch antenna apparatus comprising:

• a dielectric substrate having a first axis and a second axis which cross each other perpendicularly, and having a first surface and a second surface which are parallel to each other;
• a grounding conductor formed on the first surface;
• at least one first conductor patch formed on the second surface, each said first conductor patch having only one feeding point, said only one feeding point of said each first conductor patch being operable to produce resonance in parallel to the first axis at a predetermined resonance frequency;
• at least one second conductor patch formed on the second surface, each said second conductor patch having only one feeding point, said only one feeding point of said each second conductor patch being operable to produce resonance in parallel to the second axis at the resonance frequency;
• and
• a controller operable to change a shape of a projection area of the patch antenna apparatus to a desired projection area by controlling each of radio signals of the resonance frequency fed to the feeding points of said at least one first and second conductor patches, so as to change at least one of an amplitude and a phase thereof, in such a manner that upon feeding the radio signals of the resonance frequency to the feeding points of said at least one first and second conductor patches, radio waves project with two linear polarizations which are parallel to the first and second axes, and which cross each other perpendicularly, and with a projection directional pattern corresponding to the desired projection area.

A patch antenna apparatus comprising:

• a dielectric substrate having a first axis and a second axis which cross each other perpendicularly, and having a first surface and a second surface which are parallel with each other;
• a grounding conductor formed on the first surface;
• at least one first conductor patch formed on the second surface, each said first conductor patch having only two feeding points including a first feeding point, for producing resonance in parallel to the first axis at a predetermined resonance frequency, and a second feeding point, for producing resonance in parallel to the second axis at the resonance frequency;
• at least one second conductor patch formed on the second surface, each said at least one second conductor patch having only one feeding point, said only one feeding point of said each second conductor patch being operable to produce resonance in parallel to the first axis at the resonance frequency;
• at least one third conductor patch formed on the second surface, each said third conductor patch having only one feeding point, said only one feeding point of said each third conductor patch being operable to produce resonance in parallel to the second axis at the resonance frequency;
• and
• a controller operable to change a shape of a projection area of the patch antenna apparatus to a desired projection area by controlling each of radio signals of the resonance frequency fed to the feeding points of said at least one first, second, and third conductor patches, so as to change at least one of an amplitude and a phase thereof, in such a manner that upon feeding the radio signals of the resonance frequency to the feeding points of said at least one first, second, and third conductor patches, radio waves are projected with two linear polarizations which are parallel to the first and second axes, and which cross each other perpendicularly, and with a projection directional pattern corresponding to the desired projection area.