Compact Beam-Steerable Lens Antenna for 60-GHz Wireless Communications

Abstract

Abstract-This paper presents a new concept of steerable beam antenna composed by a dielectric lens which pivots in front of a single stationary moderate gain feed. The lens not only allows steering mechanically the beam in elevation and full azimuth, but further increases the gain up to 21 dBi. The solution is broadband, including the entire international unlicensed spectrum from 57 GHz to 66 GHz. A fabricated prototype shows the possibility of tilting the beam from 45 to +45 for all azimuths with gain scan loss below 1.1 dB and radiation efficiency above 95%. The arrangement is very simple, it does not require rotary joints, it is low cost and compact, lens plus feed volume being of the order of 3 3 3 cm 3 with lens weight less than 10 g.

Circular Polarization Wide-Angle Beam Steering at Ka-Band by In-Plane Translation of a Plate Lens Antenna

“…Only a single primary feed 52 is needed in many cases, thus overcoming one of the main 53 shortcomings of phased arrays. 54 A very simple yet effective mechanical beam steering con-55 cept was introduced by the authors in [2] and [17]. In [2], it was 56 demonstrated for azimuth beam steering and in [17], the con-57 cept evolved to add also elevation beam steering.…”

Review of 20 Years of Research on Microwave and Millimeter-wave Lenses at "Instituto de Telecomunicaço˜es"

“…The beam scanning is obtained by mechanically moving a specially shaped lens in front of its stationary feed, without touching it [29], [30]. This avoids the otherwise need for fault-prone rotary joints in long continuous usage.…”

“…The narrow beam needs to be steered to allow for the user mobility. A new configuration of a mechanical steerable beam antenna has been developed at IT where a dielectric lens pivots in front of a single stationary moderate gain feed, as shown in Figure 20(a) [30]. Again, the feed is not in physical contact with the lens.…”

“…This concept was later extended to include simultaneous elevation scanning, still avoiding rotary joints, intended for gigabit indoor wireless local area networks [30].…”

Prolate Ellipsoidal Lens for Antenna Systems Providing Multiple Asymmetric Beams

“…Antenna systems based on lenses and reflectors are considered the most compact and efficient solutions for multi-beam applications in this band [7,8]. Especially, lens solutions are becoming particularly interesting.…”