SuperShaped Antennas!?

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Rickideemus

Contributor
#1
#1
The plainly named "Antenna Company" is adding the third dimension to those fractal antennas you've been reading about. They have the superformula, and apparently a superpatent, on Supershaped Dielectric Resonator Antennas which add from 3 to 6 dB of gain to a typical WiFi network.

http://www.antennacompany.com/docs/p1.pdf
http://www.antennacompany.com/docs/p2.pdf
http://www.antennacompany.com/docs/p3.pdf
http://www.antennacompany.com/docs/p4.pdf

The 45% bandwidth mentioned in the docs should be wide enough for the UHF band. WiFi antennas do not typically have reflectors, so I suspect there's little motivation to simulate that dimension for OTA broadcast antennas. But even if you could add 3 to 6 dB to a reflectorless omni antenna, it could be a game changer. They had to write their own simulators. Conventional antenna software may not be able to simulate complex 3 dimensional elements.

The preferred material for supershaped elements is not metal; it's dielectric resonating plastic or ceramics. By a stunning coincidence, Antennas Direct's patent for the DBxe line was published recently, and what do you suppose those cute little orange connectors are made of? Why dielectric resonating plastic of course!

United States Patent: 8674897

The patent title is "Antenna assemblies including antenna elements with dielectric for forming closed bow tie shapes," and the only difference I see between the patented design and a conventional bowtie is the dielectric end connectors.

Rick
 
P

ProjectSHO89

Contributor
#4
#4
Why dielectric resonating plastic of course!
Click to expand...
They're actually polyurethane plastic tubing pieces.

I think they just patented the shape of the close bow tie. As noted in the patent about halfway through, in regards to the tubing, the patent states "But each antenna element is not closed electrically by that dielectric material, which is electrically non-conductive and inoperable for galvanically connecting the spaced-apart portions of the antenna elements. In addition, the dielectric material may comprise pieces of tubing or other tubular, hollow members formed from various dielectric, non-conductive materials, such as plastic, rubber, composite materials, other dielectric materials, etc."

I take that to mean that the spacers don't do anything except .... space the ends of the elements and close the bowties visually and mechanically.
 
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BOUVAL

DTVUSA Rookie
#5
#5
I take that to mean that the spacers don't do anything except .... space the ends of the elements and close the bowties visually and mechanically
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I agree with ProjectSHO89 and I'd say it's just to make the antenna fancier.

What I don't like about the DB4e is that it's TWO DB2e harnessed together.

A real 4 bay antenna like Mclapps or mine is more effective and I did some tests to prove it.
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R

Rickideemus

Contributor
#6
#6
BOUVAL said:
I agree with ProjectSHO89 and I'd say it's just to make the antenna fancier.
Click to expand...
OK, if you're going to gang up on me, I won't argue. Seems like a steerange reason for a patent, though -- what amounts to no more than packing props.

A real 4 bay antenna like Mclapps or mine is more effective and I did some tests to prove it.
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Hey, r u teasing us?!? I read through that whole thread, and clicked on all the links in your posts -- no tests. Did you mean the simulations from holl_ands?

But now you got me curious. How much does your antenna weigh compared to a DB4e? I'm not going to invest in your antenna company til we pin that down! :playball:

R.
 
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