DESC:RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, integrated circuit (IC) layout design, and/or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a field of electronics, and specifically to a radome structure that operates at millimeter (mm) wave frequencies.

BACKGROUND
[0003] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the prior art.
[0004] Currently available radomes serve a dual purpose of providing structural stability and of shielding antennas and electronic components from environmental factors. Along with providing structural rigidity, the available radomes are engineered to offer electromagnetic transparency with minimal absorption/reflection of electromagnetic energy that transmits through them. These conventional radome structures typically cover a frequency range from 0.5 Gigahertz (GHz) to 81GHz without incorporating air gaps between components. Additionally, the conventional radomes are prepared with polycarbonate (PC) as a co-polymer rather than being a primary material for manufacturing. Further, in conventional radomes with thicknesses ranging from 2.5mm to 4mm, a signal attenuation/insertion loss typically ranges from 1dB to 0dB for frequencies between 24GHz to 30GHz resulting in higher insertion losses and lower signal transmissions.
[0005] US5408244A describes a D-sandwich multi-layer radome wall design that provides transmission efficiency of frequencies of up to 100 GHz or above. The radome wall construction design includes a core layer of low dielectric constant material bounded by intermediate layers of high dielectric constant material which are bounded by additional layers of low dielectric constant material.
[0006] US9744741B2 describes a material for construction of and a process for making the radomes. The material used for construction comprises multiple laminate components such as polymeric fibers having a loss tangent of less than 8×10-3 radians as measured at a frequency chosen from a group of frequencies consisting of 1.8 GHz; 3.9 GHz; 10 GHz; 39.5 GHz; and 72 GHz.
[0007] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an improved radome structure for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies to address insertion loss issues by overcoming the deficiencies of the prior art(s).

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are listed herein below.
[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a radome structure for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies to address insertion loss issues.
[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a fifth generation (5G) radome structure operating under the mm wave frequencies for transmission of electromagnetic signals over a specific bandwidth.
[0011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a radome housing operating at a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) that lies between 26.5 Gigahertz (GHz) to 27.5GHz mm wave frequencies range.
[0012] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome housing with 0.2dB insertion loss while operating at the FR2.
[0013] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome housing with a thickness of 3.5 mm.
[0014] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome housing including a polymeric amorphous material with a dielectric constant value of 2.7 and a dissipation factor value of 0.006.
[0015] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome housing with a half-wavelength monolithic design.
[0016] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome structure with a 5.5 mm airgap between the radome housing and an antenna.
[0017] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide the radome housing featuring a half-wavelength monolithic design ensuring excellent radio frequency (RF) performance, while being easy to produce and cost-effective.
[0018] It is an object of the present disclosure to utilize polycarbonate (PC) material for construction of the radome housing due to its superior strength, flexibility and ease of processing as compared to nylon.

SUMMARY
[0019] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0020] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a radome structure for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies. The structure comprises a radome housing placed at a distance around or in front of an antenna and operating in a predetermined mm wave frequency range to reduce an insertion loss, wherein the insertion loss occurs due to an effect of reflection and detuning of the antenna.
[0021] In an embodiment, the predetermined mm wave frequency range is a Frequency Range 2 (FR2).
[0022] In an embodiment, the FR2 lies between 26.5 Gigahertz (GHz) to 27.5GHz of the mm wave frequency range.
[0023] In an embodiment, the radome housing includes a polymeric amorphous material.
[0024] In an embodiment, the polymeric amorphous material has a low dielectric constant value and a low dissipation factor value.
[0025] In an embodiment, the dielectric constant value of the polymeric amorphous material is 2.7 and the dissipation factor value is 0.006.
[0026] In an embodiment, a 5.5mm air gap is maintained between the radome housing and the antenna. The air gap (406) is around 5.5 mm.
In an embodiment, the insertion loss for the predetermined mm wave frequency range is 0.2dB.
[0027] In an embodiment, the radome housing has a half-wavelength monolithic design.
[0028] In an embodiment, the radome housing has a thickness of 3.5mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0029] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes the disclosure of electrical components, electronic components, or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary Fifth Generation (5G) wireless architecture (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary design of a radome structure (202) for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates a variation curve (300) representing insertion loss of a radome housing (204) at different frequencies, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary representation (400) of an air gap maintained between the radome housing (204) and an antenna (402), in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary representation (500) of the radome housing (204) and maintained air gap, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0035] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.
[0037] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.
[0038] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
[0039] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.
[0040] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.
[0041] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0043] Commercially available radomes are structural enclosures that protect an antenna. The radomes have a radome housing that provides electromagnetic transparency while minimizing absorption or reflection of electromagnetic energy passing through them.
[0044] The various embodiments throughout the disclosure will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGs. 1-5.
[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary Fifth Generation (5G) wireless architecture 100, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In this architecture, a core network 106 is powered via Internet 102 (also referred to herein as a network 102) to provide connectivity and routing services to various components of the wireless architecture 100 present inside and outside a premises. The core network 106 may receive and acknowledge service requests from a gNodeB 110 that may execute only in a Frequency Range 1 (FR1), for example, frequencies ranging between 4.1 Gigahertz (GHz) to 7.125 GHz. In addition, the core network 106 may cater to an Outdoor Small Cell (OSC) 108. The OSC 108 may work only in a FR2, for example, frequencies ranging between 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. An outdoor Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) 112 may provide Internet connectivity to a Power over Ethernet (PoE) injector 114 that is connected to one or more indoor units (IDU) 116 placed inside the premises. The POE injector 114 may be connected to the one or more IDUs 116 over a Local Area Network (LAN).
[0046] An indoor CPE device 118 with integrated Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point, router, optional Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)/Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) ports, etc., may be provided to offer a favourable Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal coverage within the premises. Also, Internet services may be provided within the premises via an optical line terminal (OLT) device 104 to a Gigabyte Passive Optical Network Optical Network Terminal (GPON ONT) 120. The ONT is a fibre optic cable that may be connected from inside the premises to a fibre network at street such as the OLT device 104 which serves as the service provider endpoint of a passive optical network. The GPON is a point-to-multipoint access network that uses passive splitters in a fiber distribution network to serve multiple premises.
[0047] The premises may also be equipped with a Wi-Fi extender 122, also known as a range extender or a Wi-Fi booster. The Wi-Fi extender 122 may repeat a received wireless signal to expand its coverage and rebroadcast it to areas where Wi-Fi network is weak or non-existent.
[0048] Various appliances within the premises may function through the provided Internet connectivity. The appliances may include smart devices operating in a smart environment, for example, an Internet of Things (IoT) system. In such an embodiment, the appliances may include, but is not limited to, smart phones, smart watches, smart sensors (e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, etc.), networked appliances, networked peripheral devices, networked lighting system, communication devices, networked vehicle accessories, networked vehicular devices, smart accessories, tablets, smart television (TV), computers, smart security system, smart home system, other devices for monitoring or interacting with or for the users and/or entities, or any combination thereof.
[0049] In an embodiment, the appliances may include, but is not limited to, a handheld wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a phablet device, and so on), a wearable computer device (e.g., a head-mounted display computer device, a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, and so on), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or another type of portable computer, a media playing device, a portable gaming system, and/or any other type of computer device with wireless communication capabilities, and the like. In an embodiment, the appliances may include, but is not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electromechanical, or an equipment, or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, a laptop, a general-purpose computer, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a mainframe computer, or any other computing device, wherein the appliances may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as a camera, an audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, and input devices for receiving input from the user or the entity such as a touch pad, a touch enabled screen, an electronic pen, and the like.
[0050] The network 102 may include, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth. The network 102 may include, by way of example but not limitation, one or more of: a wireless network, a wired network, an internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched network, an ad hoc network, an infrastructure network, a public-switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, some combination thereof.
[0051] Although FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of the network architecture (100), in other embodiments, the network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 1. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the network architecture (100).
[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary design of a radome structure 202 for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0053] In an embodiment, the radome structure 202 includes a radome housing 204 placed at a distance around or in front of an antenna. In an embodiment, the radome housing 204 operates at a predetermined mm wave frequency range to reduce an insertion loss. The insertion loss may typically arise as a result of reflection and antenna detuning effects. As an example, the insertion loss for the predetermined mm wave frequency range is 0.2dB.
[0054] In an embodiment, the predetermined mm wave frequency range operates in the FR2. The FR2 lies between 26.5GHz to 27.5GHz of the mm wave frequency range.
[0055] In an embodiment, the radome housing 204 features a half-wavelength monolithic design to provide high Radio Frequency (RF) performance, while balancing manufacturability and operation cost.
[0056] In an embodiment, the radome housing 204 includes a polymeric amorphous material that has a low dielectric constant value of 2.7 and a low dissipation factor value of 0.006. In addition, the radome housing 204 has a thickness of 3.5mm. Also, the radome housing 204 may be either of a circular shape, a round shape, or a polygonal shape. It may be appreciated that other configurations of the radome housing 204 may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0057] In an embodiment, an air gap is maintained between the radome housing 204 and the antenna, for example, a 5.5mm air gap.
[0058] In an embodiment, the radome housing 204 of the radome structure 202 may include a plastic component 206 enclosed within an aluminium housing 208. Section of the radome housing 204 situated in front of the antenna may comprise of the plastic component 206, while the surrounding material of the radome housing 204 may be metal, such as but not limited to aluminium. The metal may primarily be used to dissipate heat from inside of the radome structure 202 to an external environment. In an example embodiment, the plastic component 206 may have dimensions of 142.8 x 112.9 units, with a width of 14 units. In addition, the plastic component 206 may be R15.7 compliant.
[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, wall thickness of the half-wavelength monolithic radome design may be calculated, where parameters are:
Transmitting Frequency (fc) = 28GHz, …eq(1)
Wavelength in free air, ?0 = 10.7mm, …eq(2)
Polycarbonate material with a relative permittivity (?r) = 2.7 …eq(3)
Material wavelength (?m) = ?0/v ?r = 10.7/ v 2.7 = 6.51mm …eq(4)
Based on the above mentioned parameters, the radome wall thickness may be determined as:
Optimal Radome thickness (Tm) = ?0/2*v ?r = 6.51/2 = 3.3mm …eq(5)
As may be appreciated, next optimal radome thickness may be multiples of ?0/2.
[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates a variation curve 300 representing insertion loss of the radome housing 204 at different frequencies, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0061] Transmission of signals may be depicted as a sinusoidal waveform in the variation curve. In addition, the insertion loss of the radome housing 204 plotted at higher frequencies may be depicted in the variation curve.
[0062] In an embodiment, when laminate material of the radome housing 204 is 0.5 wavelengths thick, reflections may get cancelled and thus, net signal transmissions may be high. Further, an optimal distance “D” between the antenna and the radome housing 204 may minimize effects of reflections and antenna detuning caused by the radome housing 204.
[0063] In an embodiment, the optimal distance “D” between the antenna and the radome housing 204 be calculated as:
dm = ?o/2 …eq(6)
where dm = minimal distance between the antenna and the radome housing.
Further, a minimal distance between the antenna and radome housing may be calculated based on :
transmitting frequency, fc = 28GHz, …eq(7)
free wavelength, ?o = 10.7mm. …eq(8)
Hence, dm = ?o/2= 10.7/2 = 5.35mm (minimum distance) .…eq(9)
[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary representation 400 of an air gap maintained between the radome housing 204 and the antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0065] The air gap or an optimal distance “D” may be maintained between the radome housing 204 and the antennas (402-1, 402-2… 402-N) (also referred to as the antenna 402, hereinafter).
[0066] In an embodiment, Table 1 provides calculations for the radome housing thickness along with distance between the antenna 402 and the radome housing 204 for minimum insertion loss.

Sl. No. Device Frequency GHz Free Wavelength (?o) mm Dielectric constant of material Material Wavelength (?m) mm Optimal Radome thickness (Tm) mm Minimum distance b/w antenna and radome (mm) Distance b/w antenna and radome (5-10 wavelength distance) (mm)
1
Outdoor Small Cell (ODSC) FR2 26.5 11.3 2.7 6.88 3.44 5.65 62.5 to 113
2 27 11.103 2.7 6.76 3.38 5.55 55.5 to 111
3 27.5 10.9 2.2 7.35. 3.67 5.45 54.5 to 109
Table 1: Summary of housing thickness and airgap
[0067] In an embodiment, the radome structure 202 is tested at 26.6 to 27.5 GHz range of frequencies using different combinations of the radome thickness and the airgap. The results are shown in Table 2. As shown in Table 2, out of 5 different iterations, version 2 yields minimum insertion loss of 0.2dB which may be better than the existing design parameters of 2mm radome thickness and the airgap of 1mm.
Version 1 (Existing) Version 2 Version 3 Version 4 Version 5
Radome Thickness (mm) 2 3.5 3 3.5 3
Air Gap (mm) 1 5.5 5.5 11.1 11.1
Insertion Loss(dB) 2.6 0.2 0.38 1.07 1.54
Table 2: Insertion Loss Details
[0068] With respect to Table 2, it is shown that the existing radome structure 202 with radome thickness of 2mm, the airgap of 1 mm for a given mm wave frequency has the insertion loss of 2.6dB. However, with a series of experiments, it is shown that the values given in Table 2 for Version 2 of the radome structure 202 ranks better than existing versions of the radome structures.
[0069] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary representation 500 of the radome housing 204 and maintained air gap, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0070] In an embodiment, the radome housing thickness 502 of 3.5 mm and the air gap of 5.5 mm may be maintained between the radome housing 204 and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 504 with the antenna 402.
[0071] The disclosed radome structure yields high performance as the outdoor devices such as the ODSC and the Outdoor CPE serve as intermediate components within the 5G architecture, facilitating transmission and reception of signals for communication. Further, any performance issues with the outdoor devices may cascade to dependent devices such as indoor devices, for example, the IDU, Indoor Customer Premises Equipment (IDCPE), and the like, and reliability of these devices relies on Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) and vendors during manufacturing leading to low insertion loss.
[0072] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be implemented merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0073] The present disclosure provides a radome structure for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies to address insertion loss issues.
[0074] The present disclosure provides a fifth generation (5G) radome structure operating under the mm wave frequencies for transmission of electromagnetic signals over a specific bandwidth.
[0075] The present disclosure provides a radome housing operating at a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) that lies between 26.5 Gigahertz (GHz) to 27.5GHz mm wave frequencies range.
[0076] The present disclosure provides the radome housing with 0.2dB insertion loss while operating at the FR2.
[0077] The present disclosure provides the radome housing with a thickness of 3.5 mm.
[0078] The present disclosure provides the radome housing including a polymeric amorphous material with a dielectric constant value of 2.7 and a dissipation factor value of 0.006.
[0079] The present disclosure provides the radome housing with a half-wavelength monolithic design.
[0080] The present disclosure provides the radome structure with a 5.5 mm airgap between the radome housing and an antenna.
[0081] The present disclosure provides the radome housing featuring a half-wavelength monolithic design ensuring excellent radio frequency (RF) performance, while being easy to produce and cost-effective.
[0082] The present disclosure utilizes polycarbonate (PC) material for construction of the radome housing due to its superior strength, flexibility and ease of processing as compared to nylon.
,CLAIMS:1. A radome structure (202) for millimeter (mm) wave frequencies, said radome structure (202) comprising:
a radome housing (204) placed at a distance around or in front of an antenna (402) and operating in a predetermined mm wave frequency range to reduce an insertion loss,
wherein the insertion loss occurs due to an effect of reflection and detuning of the antenna (402).

2. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the predetermined mm wave frequency range is a Frequency Range 2 (FR2).

3. The radome structure (202) of claim 2, wherein the FR2 lies between 26.5 Gigahertz (GHz) to 27.5GHz of the mm wave frequency range.

4. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the radome housing (204) includes a polymeric amorphous material.

5. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the polymeric amorphous material has a low dielectric constant value and a low dissipation factor value.

6. The radome structure (202) of claim 5, wherein the dielectric constant value of the polymeric amorphous material is 2.7 and the dissipation factor value of the polymeric amorphous material is 0.006.

7. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein an air gap (406) is maintained between the radome housing (204) and the antenna (402), and wherein the air gap (406) is around 5.5 mm.

8. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the insertion loss for the predetermined mm wave frequency range is 0.2dB.
9. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the radome housing (204) has a half-wavelength monolithic design.

10. The radome structure (202) of claim 1, wherein the radome housing (204) has a thickness of 3.5mm.