Aperture-fed, stacked-patch antenna assembly

An antenna assembly comprising:

• a first substrate comprising:
• a plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements;
• a second substrate comprising:
• a first layer with at least a conductive ground plane and a plurality of pairs of apertures, wherein a number of the plurality of pairs of apertures is equal to a number of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements;
• and a second layer with at least a first transmission line feed network coupled to a first feed point and a second transmission line feed network coupled to a second feed point;
• a third substrate comprising:
• a plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements, wherein a number of the plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements is equal to the number of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements;
• a first spacer interposed between the third substrate and the second substrate, the first spacer comprising a dielectric material and at least one first spacer opening in the dielectric material, wherein the dielectric material is absent within the at least one first spacer opening;
• and a second spacer interposed between the first substrate and the third substrate, the second spacer comprising a dielectric material and at least one second spacer opening in the dielectric material, wherein the dielectric material is absent within the at least one second spacer opening;
• wherein a first feedline portion of the first transmission line feed network crosses over a rectangular aperture body of the first aperture of each pair of the plurality of pairs of apertures in a first direction for each first aperture that excites each respective stacked resonant radiating antenna element formed amongst each respective one of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements, each respective one of the plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements and the conductive ground plane for said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements arranged in a first column of said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements and a second feedline portion of the first transmission line feed network crosses over a rectangular aperture body of the first aperture of each pair of the plurality of pairs of apertures in a second direction for each first aperture that excites each respective stacked resonant radiating antenna element formed amongst each respective one of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements, each respective one of the plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements and the conductive ground plane for said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements arranged in a second column of said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements, and wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction;
• wherein a third feedline portion of the second transmission line feed network crosses over a rectangular aperture body of the second aperture of each pair of the plurality of pairs of apertures in a third direction for each second aperture that excites each respective stacked resonant radiating antenna element formed amongst each respective one of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements, each respective one of the plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements and the conductive ground plane for said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements arranged in the first column of said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements and a fourth feedline portion of the second transmission line feed network crosses over a rectangular aperture body of the second aperture of each pair of the plurality of pairs of apertures in a fourth direction for each second aperture that excites each respective stacked resonant radiating antenna element formed amongst each respective one of the plurality of first substrate conductive patch elements, each respective one of the plurality of third substrate conductive patch elements and the conductive ground plane for said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements arranged in the second column of said stacked resonant radiating antenna elements, and wherein the third direction is the same as the fourth direction.