# US 10,483,630 B2 · Wing leading edge antenna system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,483,630 B2 - Document ID: US10483630B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/811,596 - Filed: 2017-11-13 - Published: 2019-05-16 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-13 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Rick A Biedscheid; Devin W Hill - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483630B2 ## CPC - H01Q 1/287: {integrated in a wing or a stabiliser} - H01Q 3/34: by electrical means (active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46) - H01Q 9/045: {with particular feeding means (for circular polarisation H01Q9/0428)} - H01Q 13/103: {with variable reactance for tuning the antenna (tuning resonant circuits H03J)} - H01Q 19/30: the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna - H01Q 21/0031: {Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays (multibeam arrays H01Q25/008)} - H01Q 21/064: {using horn or slot aerials (slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005)} - H01Q 21/065: {Patch antenna array} - H01Q 21/10: Collinear arrangements of substantially straight elongated conductive units - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract Disclosed is a wing leading edge antenna system (“WLEAS”). The WLEAS includes an upper leading edge (“LE”) of a wing of an aircraft, a two-dimensional non-gimbaled scannable antenna (“2D-NGSA”), and an adapter plate. The upper LE of the wing includes two LE ribs and a LE cavity formed by the two LE ribs and a lower LE surface of the wing and the adapter plate is attached to both of the LE ribs within the LE cavity. Moreover, the 2D-NGSA is attached to the adapter plate within the LE cavity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wing leading edge antenna system (“WLEAS”), the WLEAS comprising: an upper leading edge (“LE”) of a wing of an aircraft having two LE ribs within a LE cavity and the LE cavity formed by the two LE ribs and a lower LE of the wing; a two-dimensional non-gimbaled scannable antenna (“2D-NGSA”); and an adapter plate attached to both of the LE ribs, wherein the 2D-NGSA is attached to the adapter plate within the LE cavity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, further including a radome surface located on the upper LE of the wing covering the 2D-NGSA. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a phased array antenna. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The WLEAS of claim 3, wherein the 2D-NGSA has a diameter that is approximately 30 inches and a thickness that is approximately 2 inches. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a cylindrically fed antenna structure, wherein the cylindrically fed antenna structure includes an antenna feed to input a cylindrical feed traveling wave, a radio frequency (“RF”) array having a tunable slotted array in signal communication with the antenna feed, wherein the tunable slotted array includes a plurality of slots, and wherein each slot of the plurality of slots is tuned to provide a desired scattering radiation at a given frequency. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a cylindrically fed antenna structure that includes a plurality of slots, and a plurality of patches, wherein each of the patches of the plurality of patches is co-located over and separated from a slot of the plurality of slots forming a patch-slot pair, and wherein each patch-slot pair is turned off or on based on an application of a voltage to a patch in the patch-slot pair. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, further including a dielectric layer through which a cylindrical feed traveling wave travels, a ground plane, a radio frequency (“RF”) array, a coaxial pin in signal communication with the ground plane to input the cylindrical feed traveling wave into the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is between the ground plane and the RF array, at least one RF absorber in signal communication with the ground plane and the RF array to terminate unused energy to prevent reflections of the unused energy back through the dielectric layer, an interstitial conductor, wherein the dielectric layer is between the interstitial conductor and the RF array, a spacer between the interstitial conductor and the ground plane, and a side area that is in signal communication with the ground plane and the RF array. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, wherein the 2D-NGSA utilizes a power level of approximately 20 Watts or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The WLEAS of claim 1, further including a thermo-electric generator (“TEG”) in signal communication with the 2D-NGSA, wherein the TEG includes a hot-side and a cool-side, and wherein the upper LE of the wing is located near an engine of the aircraft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The WLEAS of claim 9, further including a TEG controller in signal communication with the TEG and the 2D-NGSA, wherein the hot-side of the TEG is in physical contact with a bleed air duct of the engine and the cool-side of the TEG is in physical contact with a heat-sink. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The WLEAS of claim 9, further including a TEG controller in signal communication with the TEG and the 2D-NGSA, wherein the hot-side of the TEG is in physical contact with bleed air from a bleed air duct of the engine and the cool-side of the TEG is in physical contact with the adapter plate. ### Claim 12 A scannable antenna system for use in an upper leading edge (“LE”) of a wing of an aircraft having two LE ribs and a LE cavity formed by the two LE ribs and a lower LE of the wing, the scannable antenna system comprising: a two-dimensional non-gimbaled scannable antenna (“2D-NGSA”); and an adapter plate attached to both of the LE ribs within the LE cavity, wherein the 2D-NGSA is attached to the adapter plate within the LE cavity. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12, further including a radome surface located on the upper LE of the wing covering the 2D-NGSA. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The scannable antenna system of claim 13, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a phased array antenna. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The scannable antenna system of claim 14, wherein the 2D-NGSA has a diameter that is approximately 30 inches and a thickness that is approximately 2 inches. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a cylindrically fed antenna structure, wherein the cylindrically fed antenna structure includes an antenna feed to input a cylindrical feed traveling wave, a radio frequency (“RF”) array having a tunable slotted array in signal communication with the antenna feed, wherein the tunable slotted array includes a plurality of slots, and wherein each slot of the plurality of slots is tuned to provide a desired scattering radiation at a given frequency. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12, wherein the 2D-NGSA is a cylindrically fed antenna structure that includes a plurality of slots, and a plurality of patches, wherein each of the patches of the plurality of patches is co-located over and separated from a slot of the plurality of slots forming a patch-slot pair, and wherein each patch-slot pair is turned off or on based on an application of a voltage to a patch in the patch-slot pair. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12 further including a dielectric layer through which a cylindrical feed traveling wave travels, a ground plane, a radio frequency (“RF”) array, a coaxial pin in signal communication with the ground plane to input the cylindrical feed traveling wave into the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is between the ground plane and the RF array, at least one RF absorber in signal communication with the ground plane and the RF array to terminate unused energy to prevent reflections of the unused energy back through the dielectric layer, an interstitial conductor, wherein the dielectric layer is between the interstitial conductor and the RF array, a spacer between the interstitial conductor and the ground plane, and a side area that is in signal communication with the ground plane and the RF array. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12, wherein the 2D-NGSA utilizes a power level of approximately 20 Watts or less. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The scannable antenna system of claim 12, further including a thermo-electric generator (“TEG”) in signal communication with the 2D-NGSA, wherein the TEG includes a hot-side and a cool-side, and wherein the upper LE of the wing is located near an engine of the aircraft.