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US 11,057,072 B2Granted
Systems and methods for signal communication with scalable, modular network nodes
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsRaphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an interface board. An array of electrically conductive tapered projections have bases disposed on a front side of the interface printed circuit board and extend away from the front side of the interface printed circuit board. RF circuitry is disposed at the back side of the interface board and is electrically connected with the electrically conductive tapered projections.
Claims29
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of faceted electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board;
- and
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring facets of neighboring pairs of faceted electrically conductive tapered projections;
- wherein each faceted electrically conductive tapered projection includes:
- a dielectric structure having tapered receptacles;
- and
- electrically conductive tapered plates mating into the tapered receptacles of the dielectric structure, wherein the electrically conductive tapered plates define the facets of the electrically conductive tapered projection.
5 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of faceted electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board;
- and
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring facets of neighboring pairs of faceted electrically conductive tapered projections;
- wherein each faceted electrically conductive tapered projection comprises a single-piece cut-out from a metal sheet comprising facets of the faceted electrically conductive tapered projection meeting at an apex point or apex facet, wherein the facets of the single-piece cut-out are folded at their junctions with the apex point or apex facet to define the faceted electrically conductive tapered projection.
2 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of solid electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board with the bases having threaded openings;
- threaded fasteners passing through openings in the interface board and threaded into the threaded openings of the bases of the solid electrically conductive tapered projections to secure the solid electrically conductive tapered projections to the interface board;
- and
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring pairs of the solid electrically conductive tapered projections.
2 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board, the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having central cylinder supports disposed inside the hollow projections, the central cylinder supports having threaded openings;
- threaded fasteners passing through openings in the interface board and threaded into the threaded openings of the central cylinder supports of the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections to secure the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections to the interface board;
- and
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring pairs of the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections.
2 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board, the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having central cylinder supports disposed inside the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections, wherein each hollow electrically conductive tapered projection includes:
- a dielectric structure having tapered receptacles, and
- electrically conductive tapered plates mating into the tapered receptacles of the dielectric structure, wherein the electrically conductive tapered plates define the hollow electrically conductive tapered projection;
- and
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring pairs of the electrically conductive tapered projections.
3 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) aperture comprising:
- an interface board having a front side and a back side;
- an array of hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having bases disposed on the front side of the interface board and extending away from the front side of the interface board, the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections having central cylinder supports disposed inside the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections;
- RF circuitry disposed at the back side of the interface board and electrically connected with aperture pixels comprising differential RF receive and/or transmit elements defined by neighboring pairs of the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections;
- and
- a radome having tapered projection-shaped recesses;
- wherein the hollow electrically conductive tapered projections are disposed in the tapered projection-shaped recesses of the radome.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.