HK1064219B - Built-in antenna system for indoor wireless communications - Google Patents

Description

Built-in antenna system for indoor wireless communication

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wireless communication antenna system, and more particularly, to a built-in antenna system for indoor wireless communication.

Background

The use of wireless communication devices, such as network dialers, has become popular in home networks because of their superior performance, with greater mobility. Therefore, much effort is being expended on improving the performance of internal antennas to improve the quality of wireless communications.

Generally, indoor wireless communication is mainly performed between an Access Point (AP) of a wireless lan, which has low mobility or no mobility, and a notebook computer. Therefore, indoor wireless communication has not attracted much attention.

Indoor wireless communication is closely related to an indoor wireless environment. Therefore, the indoor wireless environment is first determined before various coefficients are selected to improve the quality of indoor wireless communication.

The indoor wireless environment may depend on the residential style or building type, and the residential style and building type may vary from country to country and from region to region. For example, if in the united states, a large percentage of the individual dwelling units in the united states are constructed using non-metallic materials, such as gypsum plasterboard, it does not block electric (or radio) waves. Thus, indoor wireless communication does not seem to be affected by the antenna position or shape.

In contrast, in korea, a large percentage of unit houses are occupied in korea houses, and many other buildings are built with steel bars or steel frames, which block the propagation of electric (radio) waves. Therefore, the quality of wireless communication depends on the position or shape of the antenna.

In a conventional indoor wireless communication system, antennas 12a of AP12 and AP12 are combined and mounted on one surface of a wall 10, as shown in fig. 1. Therefore, one signal emitted from the antenna 12a can propagate only in one direction due to the wall 10. If this is the case, the signal can be successfully transmitted to the first wireless communication terminal 14, and the wireless communication terminal 14 is mounted on the line of sight of the antenna 12 a. However, during the transmission of the signal to the second wireless communication terminal 16 behind the wall 10, the signal may be attenuated or may not be transmitted to the second wireless communication terminal 16. Also, the presence of the wall 10 causes the frequency band of the antenna 12a to drift.

In general, when the system shown in fig. 1 is used in a unit house, the antenna 12a is installed in a living room, and the transmission in the form of a beam from the antenna 12a has only one direction. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide stable wireless communication in a living room, but the communication rate may be reduced or communication may be impossible in a certain room.

Installing several APs in one unit reduces the occurrence of the aforementioned problems when wireless communication is performed using a wireless communication apparatus having less mobility. However, interference of electric (radio) waves is still a serious problem when wireless communication is performed using a wireless communication apparatus having high mobility.

As described above, the conventional antenna system for indoor wireless communication can maintain high-quality wireless communication for the wireless communication terminal installed on the line of sight of the AP antenna. However, it is difficult to maintain high quality wireless communication for wireless communication terminals that are out of line of sight of the AP antenna using conventional antenna systems, such as when there is a wall between the terminal and the AP antenna. In the worst case, wireless communication with a wireless terminal is not possible using a conventional antenna system. In particular, when the AP antenna is installed adjacent to a wall, the frequency band of the AP antenna may drift.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides an internal antenna system for indoor wireless communication, which can support high-quality wireless communication regardless of the position of a wireless terminal.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna system for indoor wireless communication, said antenna system comprising a first Access Point (AP) antenna, a portion of the antenna being structurally embedded in a surface of a wall of a building; and an AP (or RF unit) connected to the first AP antenna. The antenna system further includes a second AP antenna having a portion thereof buried in another surface of the wall and connected to the AP, wherein the wall of the building is curved such that a portion of the wall on which the first access point antenna is mounted forms a corner, and a third access point antenna is mounted on an outer surface of the curved portion to facilitate wireless communication in an area not within a line of sight of the second access point antenna.

All surfaces of the first and second AP antennas except for the radiating surface are buried in a wall, and the first and second AP antennas are installed parallel to the wall to maximize radiation efficiency of radio waves.

All surfaces of the third AP antenna except the radiating surface are buried in the outer surface of the bent portion, and the third AP antenna is installed in parallel with the outer surface.

The wall protrudes into the room, and the fourth antenna is mounted on a surface of the protruding wall to provide a communication range not covered by the first, second, and third antennas. All surfaces of the fourth antenna except the radiating surface are buried in the wall, and the fourth antenna is installed in parallel with the wall.

The first AP antenna and the AP are brought together and buried in the wall. The first and second AP antennas are integrated with the AP and buried in a wall. First to third antennas AP antennas are integrated with the AP and buried in a wall. The first and fourth AP antennas are integrated with the AP and buried in the wall.

A power divider between the first and second AP antennas and the AP is buried in the wall, and supplies signals received from the AP to the first and second AP antennas, respectively.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna system for indoor wireless communication, the system comprising: the first antenna assembly is installed through a selected wall in a building; and an AP (or RF unit) is connected to the first antenna device, wherein the first antenna device is a sliding structure and thus can be adjusted according to the thickness of the wall.

The first antenna structure includes first and second horn antennas exposed at both surfaces of the wall and parallel to the wall; a feed for transmitting signals received from the AP to the first and second feedhorns; and a sliding waveguide wall connecting the first and second horn antennas and the feeder in a sliding structure so that the first and second horn antennas can be properly installed according to the thickness of the wall.

The selected wall includes a first surface and a second surface, the first surface mounting the first antenna structure and the second surface being perpendicular to the first surface.

A second antenna structure is mounted on the second surface, the second antenna structure having the same structure as the first antenna structure.

Therefore, the antenna system according to the present invention can minimize the frequency band drift of the AP antenna due to the presence of the wall, and support high-quality wireless communication regardless of the position of the wireless terminal. And the electric field intensity can be secured at the place where the terminal is installed.

Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional antenna system for indoor wireless communication;

fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal antenna system for indoor wireless communication in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an internal antenna system for indoor wireless communication in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the internal antenna system of FIG. 2 installed in a wall surface having corners; and

fig. 5 is a plan view of the internal antenna system shown in fig. 3 installed in a wall where a first surface and a second surface are perpendicular.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of an internal antenna system for indoor wireless communication according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the thicknesses of regions and layers are exaggerated for clarity.

The first embodiment:

as shown in fig. 2, the internal antenna system for indoor wireless communication according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a first Access Point (AP) antenna 44 and a second AP antenna 46, which are installed in both surfaces of a certain wall 10 in a building, respectively; and a first AP40, a radio frequency unit, connected to the first and second antennas 44 and 46. The first AP40 is mounted on the exterior of the wall 10 and is separate from the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46. There is also a first power splitter 42 connected to the first AP40 and the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46, and disposed within the wall 10 between the first AP40 and the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46. The first power divider 42 divides a signal, which is transmitted from the first AP40, into two equal parts and supplies the divided signals to the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46. The first AP40 and the first power splitter 42, the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46 are interconnected using a first RF cable 48.

Specifically, all surfaces of the first AP antenna 44, except for the radiating surface, are buried in the surface of the wall 10 facing the area where the first wireless terminal 14 is used. It is preferable that the first AP antenna 44 is installed such that the radiation efficiency of the radio wave of the antenna is maximized, for example, the antenna is installed in parallel with the wall 10. The second AP antenna 46 is disposed in the other surface of the wall 10 that faces the area where the second wireless terminal 16 is used. Preferably, the second AP antenna 46 is mounted in the same manner as the first AP antenna 44.

The first AP antenna 44 receives a signal from the first AP40 and transmits the signal to the first terminal 14 installed on the line of sight of the first AP antenna 44, and transmits a signal output from the first terminal 14 to the first AP 40. The second AP antenna 46 receives signals output from the second terminal 16 and transmits the received signals to the first AP40, and also transmits signals received from the first AP40 to the second terminal 16.

In a residence or building with a room, either of the first AP antenna 44 and the second AP antenna 46 may be omitted from the built-in antenna system shown in fig. 2. In this case, the first power divider 42 is not required because the selected one of the AP antennas 44 and 46 is directly connected to the first AP40 through the wall 10.

Alternatively, the internal antenna system shown in fig. 2 may be manufactured by bringing the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46 and the first AP40 together and placing them in the wall 10. Additionally, even in a residence or building having rooms, either of the first AP antenna 44 and the second AP antenna 46 may be located with the first AP40 and within the walls of the residence or building. The first power splitter 42 is not required if the first AP40 and the AP antenna 44 or 46 connected to the first AP40 are collocated.

Meanwhile, since the wall 10 structure shown in fig. 2 is straight and has no corners, only two areas of the building facing the two surfaces of the wall 10 are considered to be wirelessly communicable. However, once the wall 70 has corners, as shown in fig. 4, the first to third areas a1, a2 and A3 in the building should be considered to be capable of wireless communication, and thus, the structure of the internal antenna system according to the first embodiment is slightly different from the antenna shown in fig. 2.

In particular, referring to fig. 4, the third AP antenna 76 is installed in the inner surface of the wall 70 and faces the first area a1 so that wireless communication is possible in the first area a 1. The fourth AP antenna 78 is installed in the outer surface of the wall 70 and faces the second area a2 so that wireless communication is possible in the second area a 2. Meanwhile, since the wall 70 has corners, it is difficult for the radio wave emitted from the fourth AP antenna 78 to reach the third area a3 facing the upper surface of the wall 70. Even if the radio wave reaches the third area a3, the intensity of the radio wave is weak. To solve this problem, the fifth AP antenna 80 is installed on the upper surface of the wall 70 and faces the third area A3 so as to enable wireless communication in the third area A3. The third through fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 are preferably mounted in the same manner and in the same manner as the first and second AP antennas 44 and 46 shown in fig. 2. Therefore, the detailed description of the installation of the third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 will not be repeated here. The third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 are connected to a third AP72 outside the wall 70. The third AP72 outside the wall 70 and the third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 in the wall 70 are connected to each other by cables. A second power splitter 74 is also placed in the wall 70 between the third and fourth AP antennas 76 and 78. The second power divider 74 divides the signal transmitted from the third a72 into three equal parts and supplies to the third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78, and 80, respectively. The second power divider 74 and the third AP72 are connected to each other by a third RF cable C, and the second power divider 74 and the third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 are connected by fourth to sixth RF cables C1, C2 and C3, respectively.

Alternatively, the antenna system shown in fig. 4 may be manufactured by bringing together the third AP72 and the third to fifth AP antennas 76, 78 and 80 and placing them in the wall 70. If so, the second power divider 74 is not required.

We will now assume that the walls 70 shown in figure 4 enclose a room, with the second and third zones a2 and A3 forming the interior of the room, and the first zone a1 being the exterior of the room. If so, the third AP antenna 76 is not necessary. However, although there is only one room, the shape of the wall 70 may protrude substantially into the room, i.e. the room has corners. If an AP antenna is installed in such a room, the wireless communication terminal may not be in line of sight of the AP antenna depending on the location of the terminal. If so, the number of AP antennas may need to be increased depending on the shape of the wall 70.

Second embodiment

A second embodiment of the built-in antenna system according to the invention is characterized in that the antenna system is mounted through a wall.

In particular, with reference to fig. 3, there is a hole h in the wall 10. The antenna device including the first horn antenna 62a, the second horn antenna 62b, the feeder 63 and the sliding waveguide wall 64 is installed in the hole h to transmit signals, which are transmitted from the second AP60 outside the wall 10, to the wireless communication terminal (not shown in the drawing) installed at both sides of the wall 10. A second AP60 outside the wall 10 is connected to the antenna arrangement in the wall 10 using a second RF cable 66. The first and second horn antennas 62a and 62b are installed at both ends of the hole h in parallel with the wall 10, and transmit signals output from the feed 63 to wireless communication terminals (not shown in the drawing) at both sides of the wall 10 and also transmit signals output from the terminals to the feed 63. The feeder 63 supplies the signal transmitted from the second AP60 to the first and second horn antennas 62a and 62 b. The sliding waveguide wall 64 connects the first and second horn antennas 62a and 62b to the feeder 63 in a sliding manner. The second AP60 is connected to the feeder 63.

On the other hand, the wall 10 has a first surface 10a and a second surface 10b, the first surface 10a and the second surface 10b being perpendicular to each other and constituting a corner of the wall 10, as shown in fig. 5. If so, the antenna devices shown in fig. 3 may be mounted on the first surface 10a and the second surface 10b, respectively.

In particular, referring to fig. 5, a first antenna structure 90 and a second antenna structure 92 are mounted through the first surface 10a and the second surface 10b of the wall, respectively. The first and second antenna structures 90 and 92 have the same structure as the antenna structure shown in fig. 3. A first feed 90a and a second feed 92b are mounted on the first antenna structure 90 and the second antenna structure 92, respectively. The first and second feeds 90a and 92b are connected to the second AP60 so as to supply the first and second antenna structures 90 and 92 with signals transmitted from the second AP 60.

The inventors of the present invention analyzed the distribution of electric field intensity using a method of ray analysis to confirm the effect of the present invention. In the analysis process, the performance of the omni-directional dipole antenna mounted on the surface of the wall or inside the wall was studied, respectively. The study was done at frequency band 2.44 GHZ. The results of the study at 5GHZ are the same as those at 2.44 GHZ.

The results of the analysis will now be described without the relevant figures. First, when the omni-directional dipole antenna is installed on the surface of a wall, signals transmitted from the dipole antenna are intercepted by the wall and cannot be propagated. The electric field intensity distribution of the signal emitted from the omni-directional dipole antenna when the omni-directional dipole antenna is installed in the wall surface is 25 dB higher than that when the omni-directional dipole antenna is installed on the wall surface.

As described above, in the built-in antenna system according to the present invention, the antenna is installed on the wall surface facing the area where the terminal for indoor wireless communication is located in the building, and the antenna is parallel to the wall. Thus, the terminal can be placed in the line of sight of the antenna regardless of the location of the terminal in the building feature. Therefore, the electric field strength of the signal transmitted from the antenna is higher than that of the conventional antenna system. Thereby improving the inherent quality of wireless communication. Furthermore, it is also possible to minimize band drift due to the presence of walls.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, those skilled in the art may use a divider that divides a signal transmitted from an AP into unequal portions corresponding to the characteristics of the AP antennas, instead of the power divider shown in fig. 2 or 4. Also, when a wireless communication terminal is installed on only one surface facing a wall in which the internal antenna system according to the second embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig. 3 is installed, one of the selected horn antennas may be omitted. Other possibilities are that the AP antenna is partially buried in the wall.

Claims (9)

1. An antenna system for indoor wireless communication, comprising:

a first access point antenna, a portion of the first access point antenna being embedded in a surface of a wall of the building;

an access point connected to the first access point antenna; and

a second access point antenna, a portion of which is buried in another surface of the wall of the building and connected to the first access point,

wherein the wall of the building is curved such that a portion of the wall on which the first access point antenna is mounted forms a corner, and the third access point antenna is mounted on an outer surface of the curved portion to facilitate wireless communication in an area not within the line of sight of the second access point antenna.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein all surfaces of the first and second access point antennas except the radiating surface are buried in a wall, and the first and second access point antennas are installed in parallel with the wall to maximize radiation efficiency of radio waves.

3. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein all surfaces of the third access point antenna except for one radiating surface are buried in an outer surface of the bent portion, the third access point antenna being installed in parallel with the outer surface.

4. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the wall protrudes into the room, and a fourth antenna is mounted in a surface of the protruding wall to provide a communication range not covered by the first, second, and third antennas.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first ap antenna is combined with the ap and buried in a wall.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first and second access point antennas and the access point are combined and buried in a wall.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first to third ap antennas are combined with the ap and buried in a wall.

8. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the power divider is buried in the wall between the first and second access point antennas and the access point, the power divider supplying signals received from the access point to the first and second access point antennas, respectively.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the power divider is buried in a wall between the first to third access point antennas and the access point, and supplies the signals received from the access point to the first to third access point antennas, respectively.