Antenna with thermally transferred element
An antenna includes an element that is made by thermally bonding a patterned conductive layer to a dielectric sheet. The antenna can be redesigned easily for prototype or low volume production yet the invention is suitable for volume production as well. The antenna, or an element thereof, can be made from a xerographic print using toner as an adhesive.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 11/818,482, filed Jun. 13, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to antennas and, in particular, to an antenna having elements thermally transferred to a dielectric sheet.
A variety of antennas are known in the art that use planar conductive elements; e.g. planar, phased array antennas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,110 (Woodward); spiral antennas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,465 (Andre et al.); a cavity combined with a spiral antenna U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,937 (Clasby et al.), and dipole arrays, U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,248 (Killen et al.). Another pattern of conductive elements is a fractal antenna; e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,349 (Cohen). Typically, the conductive elements of the antenna are produced by applying a conductive layer to a substrate and then patterning the layer; e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,248.
At ultra high frequencies, approximately 12 GHz, the wavelength is approximately 2.50 cm, which means that even seemingly small changes in dimension can be substantial fractions of a wavelength. Patterning conductive layers can be controlled to small fractions of a centimeter but the process for forming the conductive layers is expensive, uses solvents or other chemicals that must be disposed of properly, and is ill suited to making small quantities or experimental samples.
It is known in the art to use a plurality of thermal pins in an array for printing; e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,448 (Hanagata et al.). It is known in the art to thermally print electrically conductive carbon black from a ribbon; e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,892 (Shattuck et al.). It is known in the art to stamp foil with a die or stereotype to make an antenna; see U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/018880 (Young).
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide an antenna that is made by thermally bonding elements to a dielectric sheet.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antenna that can be changed easily for prototype or low volume production.
A further object of the invention is to provide an antenna in which an element is thermally bonded to a dielectric sheet by toner powder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe foregoing objects are achieved by this invention in which an antenna includes an element that is made by thermally bonding a patterned conductive layer to a dielectric sheet. The antenna can be redesigned easily for prototype or low volume production yet the invention is suitable for volume production as well. The antenna, or an element thereof, can be made from a xerographic print using toner as an adhesive.
A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Ribbon 20 and dielectric sheet 28 are illustrated in
In
The invention thus provides an antenna in which an element is thermally bonded to a dielectric sheet or substrate. The sheet can be rigid or flexible, flat or curved in use. An antenna design can be changed easily for prototype or low volume production in accordance with the invention. An element can be thermally bonded to a substrate by toner powder and an element can be patterned directly from a xerographic print. Dimensional tolerances are small, even in terms of wavelength, and the thickness of the dielectric sheet determines the size of cavities or the spacing of elements.
Having thus described the invention, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, a hot platen laminator can be used instead of heated rollers when transferring a patterned toner powder. The bond between layers can be enhanced by treating a layer with an adhesion promoter. Active or passive elements of an antenna can be made in accordance with the invention. An element need not be created in a single transfer. Plural transfers can be used to create a pattern.
Claims
1. A method for making an antenna, said method comprising the steps of:
- positioning a conductive layer on a substrate between a thermal printer and a dielectric sheet with the conductive layer facing the dielectric sheet;
- bringing the conductive layer into contact with the dielectric sheet;
- locally heating the conductive layer to transfer a portion of the conductive layer to the dielectric sheet;
- repeating the step of locally heating to produce a matrix of transfers; and
- separating the substrate from the dielectric sheet to leave a patterned conductive layer adhering to the dielectric sheet.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the steps are repeated with a second dielectric sheet and further including the step of assembling the sheets into an antenna.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bringing step is preceded by the step of applying an adhesive on the dielectric sheet.
4. A method for making an antenna, said method comprising the steps of:
- xerographically printing a pattern on a dielectric sheet;
- positioning a conductive layer on a substrate with the conductive layer facing the pattern;
- bringing the conductive layer into contact with the pattern;
- heating the pattern to transfer portions of the conductive layer to the dielectric sheet; and
- separating the substrate from the dielectric sheet to leave a patterned conductive layer adhering to the dielectric sheet.
5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the steps are repeated with a second dielectric sheet and further including the step of assembling the dielectric sheets into an antenna.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 11, 2009
Publication Date: Apr 15, 2010
Applicant: World Properties, Inc. (Lincolnwood, IL)
Inventor: Paul F. Wille (Scottsdale, AZ)
Application Number: 12/653,321
International Classification: H01P 11/00 (20060101);