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US-20260128515-A1 - COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WITH CONDUCTIVE SINUSOIDAL LENS ELEMENT AND RELATED ANTENNAS AND METHODS

US20260128515A1US 20260128515 A1US20260128515 A1US 20260128515A1US-20260128515-A1

Abstract

A communications device may include an RF device, an RF antenna coupled to the RF device, and an RF lens adjacent to the RF antenna. The RF lens may have a dielectric substrate, and a conductive sinusoidal trace carried by the dielectric substrate. The at least one conductive sinusoidal trace may include a plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces, such as four, for example. The dielectric substrate may have a cylinder-shape, or a cone-shape.

Inventors

  • Francis E. PARSCHE

Assignees

  • EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251021

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A communications device comprising: a radio frequency (RF) device; an RF antenna coupled to the RF device; and an RF lens adjacent to the RF antenna and comprising a dielectric substrate, and at least one conductive sinusoidal trace carried by the dielectric substrate.
  2. 2 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace comprises a plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces.
  3. 3 . The communications device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces comprises four conductive sinusoidal traces equally-sized and arranged about the dielectric substrate.
  4. 4 . The communications device of claim 2 wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces are nested together.
  5. 5 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the dielectric substrate has a cylinder-shape.
  6. 6 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the dielectric substrate has a cone-shape.
  7. 7 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the RF antenna comprises one of a patch antenna, a horn antenna, and a Yagi-Uda antenna.
  8. 8 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the RF antenna has an operating wavelength; wherein the dielectric substrate has a diameter between 0.3 and 0.5 of the operating wavelength; wherein the dielectric substrate has a height between 0.5 and 1 of the operating wavelength; and wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace defines a wave period between 0.1 and 0.3 of the operating wavelength.
  9. 9 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace has a shape based upon (d/4)sin(2πf)+0.8(d/4)sin(2πf); wherein f is an operating frequency of the RF antenna; and wherein d is a diameter of the dielectric substrate.
  10. 10 . The communications device of claim 1 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace provides a wave polarizer function.
  11. 11 . A communications device comprising: a radio frequency (RF) antenna to be coupled to an RF device; and an RF lens adjacent to the RF antenna and comprising a dielectric substrate, and at least one conductive sinusoidal trace carried by the dielectric substrate.
  12. 12 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace comprises a plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces; wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces are nested together; and wherein the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces comprises four conductive sinusoidal traces arranged about the dielectric substrate.
  13. 13 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the dielectric substrate has a cylinder-shape.
  14. 14 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the dielectric substrate has a cone-shape.
  15. 15 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the RF antenna comprises one of a patch antenna, a horn antenna, and a Yagi-Uda antenna.
  16. 16 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the RF antenna has an operating wavelength; wherein the dielectric substrate has a diameter between 0.3 and 0.5 of the operating wavelength; wherein the dielectric substrate has a height between 0.5 and 1 of the operating wavelength; and wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace defines a wave period between 0.1 and 0.3 of the operating wavelength.
  17. 17 . The communications device of claim 11 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace has a shape based upon (d/4)sin(2πf)+0.8(d/4)sin(2πf); wherein f is an operating frequency of the RF antenna; and wherein d is a diameter of the dielectric substrate.
  18. 18 . A method for making a communications device, the method comprising: coupling a radio frequency (RF) antenna to an RF device; and positioning an RF lens adjacent to the RF antenna, the RF lens comprising a dielectric substrate, and at least one conductive sinusoidal trace carried by the dielectric substrate.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace comprises a plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces comprises four conductive sinusoidal traces equally-sized and arranged about the dielectric substrate.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application is based upon prior filed copending application Ser. No. 18/788,698 filed Jul. 30, 2024, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and, more particularly, to a wireless communications device and related methods. BACKGROUND Although the field of antennas is approximately 130 years old, antenna types and their designs may remain artisan in nature. Radiation pattern requirements, in and of themselves, may not suggest all possible antenna shapes that are useful. For example, Fourier Transform techniques may refer to a radiation pattern shape and a planar antenna aperture current distribution. Nonetheless, the Fourier Transform may not easily define an elongate end fire antenna. During a golden age for antenna design, many of the Euclidian geometries were implemented in metal and used as antennas with useful results. For example, these approaches may comprise: the line-based wire dipole, the circular loop, the conical horn, and the parabolic reflector antenna, etc. The Euclidian shapes may offer optimizations of the shortest distance between two points for the line dipole. Also, these shapes may offer maximum radiation resistance for length, most area enclosed for least circumference for circular loops and circular patches, and maximum directivity for aperture area. Reflectors and lenses may be used to operate on antenna radiation. In the metal reflector, a feed antenna is provided, and a shaped conductive surface directs the feed energy. Reflector limitations include feed energy spillover, surface accuracy needs, and back reflections into the feed. In the dielectric lens, a nonconductive material may be shaped to be either concave or convex, and interposed with the wave. Dielectric lens limitations include excessive weight, material loss, and internal reflections. In some approaches, plasmonic lenses may operate at subwavelength sizes and below existing diffraction limits. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,888,663 to Zhou. To form the plasmonic lens, a series of slits is made in thin metal film. Negative permittivity and superfocusing are accomplished. Ordinary metals cannot, however, form a plasmonic lens at radio frequencies as metals cannot support the required surface plasmon movements (e.g., oscillations in electron density). In a copper plasmonic lens, the required operating frequency is above the familiar red color of copper metal. For radio frequency, antennas, this technology may await a radio frequency solid plasma material. Elongate antennas may be desirable for Earth satellites as planar broadside firing antennas may not fit within a limited satellite size and area. An elongate antenna of high directivity and gain is provided by a cascade of multiple dipoles known as the Yagi-Uda Antenna. (“Beam Transmission Of Short Waves”, Proceedings of the Institute Of Radio Engineers, 1928, Volume 16, Issue 6, pages 716-740). This reference referred to the many directors as a “wave canal”. These director systems may be known today as artificial lenses. A Yagi-Uda antenna may be narrow in bandwidth, which limits its application, and the beam may be asymmetric. In an existing approach, an antenna providing circular polarization is an axial mode wire helix antenna. An example is disclosed in “Helical Beam Antennas For Wide-Band Applications”, John D. Kraus, Proceedings Of The Institute Of Radio Engineers, 36, pp 1236-1242, October 1948. An improvement to the wire axial mode helix is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,480 to Killen, assigned to the present application's assignee. This approach for a directional antenna comprises a helix-shaped antenna. Although this antenna is directional, the helix-shaped antenna may not provide dual polarizations and modifications for linear polarization may be less than desirable. Referring briefly to FIGS. 1A-1B, another existing approach discloses a helix-shaped antenna 100. This antenna 100 includes a helix-shaped conductor 101, and a conductive plane 102 coupled to the helix-shaped conductor. Diagram 160 shows gain performance for the antenna 100. The provided gain has a non-flat profile, which is less desirable in radio design. SUMMARY Generally, a communications device may comprise a radio frequency (RF) device, an RF antenna coupled to the RF device, and an RF lens adjacent to the RF antenna. The RF lens may comprise a dielectric substrate, and at least one conductive sinusoidal trace carried by the dielectric substrate. In some embodiments, the at least one conductive sinusoidal trace may comprise a plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces. The plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces may comprise four conductive sinusoidal traces equally-sized and arranged about the dielectric substrate. Also, adjacent ones of the plurality of conductive sinusoidal traces may be nested together. For example, the dielectri