Described herein are power receptacle wireless access point (AP) devices that may be used as part of a networked (smart) living and work space. These power receptacle wireless AP devices may be wall-mounted and/or retrofitted over existing electrical outlets or light switches, for providing wireless access to a room or region of a room. The power receptacle wireless AP device may connect via power line communication to a data connection.

Power receptacle wireless access point devices for networked living and work spaces

An enhanced backscatter RF-ID tag reader system and multiprotocol RF tag reader system is provided. In a multiprotocol mode, the system emits a non-stationary interrogation signal, and decodes a phase modulated backscatter signal by detecting a stronger phase component from quadrature phase representations or determining phase transition edges in a phase of a received signal. The RF tag reader system predicts or follows the phase of the backscatter signal, thereby avoiding interference from nulls in the received signal waveform due to the non-stationary interrogation signal, relative movement or environmental effects. An acoustic RF-ID tag detection system detects the reradiated signal corresponding to respective transformation of a signal in the tag. Detection of either type of RF-ID tags therefore is possible, and the absence of any tag or absence of any valid tag also determined.

Dual mode transmitter-receiver and decoder for RF transponder tags

A three resonator capacitively coupled microstrip antenna structure includes an inverted stacked array of elements with a lowermost driven element directly connected to a transmission line connector, and passive elements stacked above the driven element and separated from the driven element and from one another by dielectric layers. The dimensions, spacings and quality factors of the elements are chosen so that at least one, and possibly two elements are resonant at any given frequency within a desired frequency operating range. The resulting antenna structure offers very broad bandwidth at relatively low VSWR in a compact, rugged package. The manner in which parameters of the stacked antenna structure are specified to achieve desired VSWR bandwidth and radiation efficiency is also described.

Three resonator parasitically coupled microstrip antenna array element

Multi-directional antenna apparatuses, including phased array antennas and/or arrays of multiple antennas, and methods for operating them. In particular, described herein are access point (AP) antenna apparatuses for communicating with one or more station devices by assigning a particular directional beam to each access point, and communicating with each station device using the assigned directional beam. Methods and apparatuses configured to optimize the assignment of one or more directional beam and for communicating between different station devices using assigned directional beams are described. Also described are compact lacunated RF lenses that may be used with the multi-directional antenna apparatuses described herein, having a plurality of holes/openings through the lens body so that an electromagnetic signal entering the lens body from any of the input ports into the lens will exit from each of the output ports at a time delay corresponding to a predetermined steering angle.

Array antennas having a plurality of directional beams

First to third dielectric layers (201-203) are deposited to form a multilayered dielectric substrate (220). A plurality of conductor patches (204a-204d) are formed on the surface of the first dielectric layer (201). An antenna-feeding microstrip line (205) is formed between the first and second dielectric layers. A ground layer (206) is formed between the second and third dielectric layers (202, 203). Microstrip lines (208a, 208b) for high-frequency circuits are formed on the back of the third dielectric layer (203). The ground layer (206) has a slot (207) though which the antenna-feeding microstrip line (205) and the high-frequency microstrip line (208a) are coupled electromagnetically. Thus, the efficiency and directivity of an antenna are improved.

Radio communication device with integrated antenna, transmitter, and receiver

A microstrip antenna system having one or more conductively isolated resonantly dimensioned radiator structures disposed less than about one-tenth wavelength above a ground plane is nonconductively coupled to an intermediate layer of microstrip feedline structure. The microstrip feedline structure includes various microstrip transmission line segments fed with reference to the ground plane an including predetermined coupling locations positioned an odd integer number of one-fourth wavelength(s) from an effective r.f. short circuit to the underlying ground plane. Such coupling locations are also disposed proximate a predetermined corresponding feedpoint region of the radiating structure such that electromagnetic fields concentrated at the coupling location operate to nonconductively couple r.f. energy to/from the radiator structure from/to the feedline structure. The coupling location is preferably disposed at a widened and relatively lowered r.f. impedance coupling tab segment of the transmission line having a width dimension which is sufficient to provide matched impedance coupling to the corresponding feedpoint region but which is also substantially less than the dimension of the radiator structure transverse to its resonant dimension. The effective r.f. short circuit may be provided by an actual conductive connection to the underlying reference surface or by an r.f. open circuit termination located an additional one-fourth wavelength therefrom along the feedline structure.

Microstrip antenna system having nonconductively coupled feedline

The center region of a dual slot microstrip-type antenna radiator "patch" structure is forced to take on a controlled non-zero radio frequency impedance by the provision of a slot formed therein at the center region. By controlling the dimension of such an impedance-matching slot in the radiator patch, a feedpoint connection may be made at the center region of the radiator patch and still achieve matched impedance feed. Because the feedpoint can thus be centrally located within the antenna structure, any spurious radiation which occurs from the feedpoint connection or associated feedlines does not tend to skew the overall or composite radiation antenna of the pattern as much as when such feedpoints are asymmetrically disposed on the radiator patch with respect to the primary radiating apertures.

Method and apparatus for matched impedance feeding of microstrip-type radio frequency antenna structure

A resonant metallic conductor having a nominal resonant frequency which varies inversely with temperature is temperature compensated by association with a predetermined proportion of dielectric material which acts to increase the nominal resonant frequency with temperature so as to substantially temperature compensate an antenna structure.

Temperature compensated radio frequency antenna and methods related thereto

The center region of a dual slot microstrip-type antenna radiator "patch" structure (12) is forced to take on a controlled non-zero radio frequency impedance by the provision of a slot (20) formed therein at the center region. By controlling the dimension of such an impedance-matching slot in the radiator patch, a feedpoint connection (18) may be made at the center region of the radiator patch and still achieve matched impedance feed. Because the feedpoint can thus be centrally located within the antenna structure, any spurious radiation which occurs from the feedpoint connection or associated feedlines does not tend to skew the overall or composite radiation antenna of the pattern as much as when such feedpoints are asymmetrically disposed on the radiator patch with respect to the primary radiating apertures.

Michael A. Weiss

Papers

Microstrip antenna system having nonconductively coupled feedline

Method and apparatus for matched impedance feeding of microstrip-type radio frequency antenna structure

Temperature compensated radio frequency antenna and methods related thereto

Apparatus for matched impedance feeding of microstrip-type radio frequency antenna structure