Back to results
US 11,641,050 B2Granted
Antenna assembly and related methods
AssigneeRTL Materials Ltd.
InventorAndrew James Daton-Lovett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An antenna assembly and related methods are described. The antenna assembly (1) comprises an extendible mast (2) constructed and arranged so as to be configurable between a coiled form and an extended form. The extended mast (2) is resiliently biased in the form of an elongate tube having a slit along its length. The coiled mast is wound about an axis extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the mast. An antenna (6) is integrally coupled to the mast such that when extended, the mast supports and positions the antenna, and when coiled, the mast and antenna are coiled together.
Claims18
An antenna assembly, comprising:
- an extendible mast comprised of layers of fibre reinforced material forming a bistable composite member constructed and arranged so as to be reversibly configurable between a first stable form in which it is coiled and a second stable form in which it is extended, wherein when extended the mast is resiliently biased in the form of an elongate tube having a slit along its length and wherein when coiled the mast is wound about an axis extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the mast;
- and,
- an antenna coupled to a portion of the mast wherein the antenna is not a structural component of the mast and is spaced from a proximal end of the mast such that when extended, the mast supports and positions the antenna at an elevated position, and when coiled, the mast and antenna are coiled together, wherein the antenna comprises a material configured to accommodate strains induced in the antenna when the mast is coiled and the coupling between the antenna and mast is arranged to tolerate repeated cycles of operation, wherein an operation comprises of manually uncoiling the mast for terrestrial deployment and then re-coiling of the mast for storage or transportation.
An antenna assembly, comprising:
- an extendible mast constructed and arranged so as to be configurable between a coiled form and an extended form, wherein when extended the mast is resiliently biased in the form of an elongate tube having a slit along its length and wherein when coiled the mast is wound about an axis extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the mast;
- an antenna coupled to the mast such that when extended, the mast supports and positions the antenna, and when coiled, the mast and antenna are coiled together;
- a cable for connecting a communication system to the antenna;
- and,
- a pocket in which the cable is retained to couple the cable to the mast along at least a portion of the mast such that the mast and cable are coiled together, the cable being electrically connected to the antenna, wherein the mast comprises fibre reinforced layers of material providing the structural strength of the mast and the pocket is formed by an additional, non-structural layer of material bonded to a surface of the mast so as to form a protective enclosure for the cable that allows the cable to slip relative to the mast during cycles of coiling and extension of the antenna assembly.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing an antenna assembly, comprising:
- coupling an antenna to an extendible mast comprised of layers of fibre reinforced material arranged to form a bistable composite member, the mast being constructed and arranged so as to be reversibly configurable between a first stable form in which it is coiled and a second stable form in which it is extended, wherein when extended the mast is resiliently biased in the form of an elongate tube having a slit along its length and wherein when coiled the mast is wound about an axis extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the mast, wherein the antenna is not a structural component of the mast and is spaced from a proximal end of the mast such that when extended, the mast supports and positions the antenna at an elevated position, and when coiled, the mast and antenna are coiled together, wherein the antenna comprises a material configured to accommodate strains induced in the antenna when the mast is coiled and the coupling between the antenna and mast is arranged to tolerate repeated cycles of operation, wherein an operation comprises manually uncoiling and then re-coiling the mast for storage or transportation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.