Antenna assembly mounted to an interior surface of a dielectric structure

An antenna assembly, comprising:

• a dielectric structure defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein the antenna assembly is mounted to the interior surface of the dielectric structure;
• an antenna including a conductive patch and an antenna substrate, the conductive patch of the antenna defining an aperture, an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface of the conductive patch of the antenna faces the interior surface of the dielectric structure, and wherein the antenna substrate defines an antenna width and an antenna length;
• a conductive enclosure mounted to the interior surface of the dielectric structure and including a main body constructed at least in part of an electrically conductive material and an upper edge surface, wherein the main body of the conductive enclosure defines a cavity containing the antenna, and wherein the electrically conductive material of the conductive enclosure urges electromagnetic radiation transmitted from the aperture of the conductive patch of the antenna to a space above the exterior surface of the dielectric structure, and wherein a length of the cavity is at least five percent greater than the antenna length of the antenna substrate of the antenna, wherein the cavity includes a length that is at least five percent greater than an antenna length of the antenna substrate of the antenna and a width of the cavity is at least five percent greater than an antenna width of the antenna substrate of the antenna, and wherein the cavity includes a support surface and a plurality of side surfaces, and wherein the side surfaces of the cavity defined by the main body of the conductive enclosure are oriented in a direction perpendicular with respect to the support surface of the cavity of the conductive enclosure, and wherein the upper edge surface is located between the cavity and an outer surface of the conductive enclosure and opposes an electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure;
• and
• a window defined by the electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure, wherein the window represents an absence of the electrically conductive coating and allows for the conductive patch of the antenna to send and receive electromagnetic waves through the dielectric structure, and wherein an area of the window is sized to match the area of an area of the support surface defined by a boundary formed by the side surfaces of the cavity.

An antenna assembly, comprising:

• a dielectric structure defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein an interior enclosure is defined in part by the interior surface of the dielectric structure;
• an antenna including a conductive patch and an antenna substrate, the conductive patch of the antenna defining an aperture, an upper surface, and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface of the conductive patch of the antenna faces the interior surface of the dielectric structure, and wherein the antenna substrate defines an antenna width and an antenna length;
• an electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure, wherein a window is defined by the electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure, wherein the window represents an absence of the electrically conductive coating and allows for the conductive patch of the antenna to send and receive electromagnetic waves through the dielectric structure;
• a conductive enclosure mounted to the interior surface of the dielectric structure and including a main body that defines a cavity containing the antenna, wherein the cavity includes a support surface, a plurality of side surfaces, an upper edge surface, an outer surface, a length, and a width, and wherein the length and the width of the cavity is at least five percent greater than the antenna length and the antenna width of the antenna substrate of the antenna, and wherein the upper edge surface of the conductive enclosure is located between the cavity and the outer surface of the conductive enclosure, wherein the cavity includes a support surface and a plurality of side surfaces, and wherein the side surfaces of the cavity defined by the main body of the conductive enclosure are oriented in a direction perpendicular with respect to the support surface of the cavity of the conductive enclosure, and wherein the upper edge surface is located between the cavity and an outer surface of the conductive enclosure and opposes an electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure;
• a window defined by the electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure, wherein the window represents an absence of the electrically conductive coating and allows for the conductive patch of the antenna to send and receive electromagnetic waves through the dielectric structure, and wherein an area of the window is sized to match the area of an area of the support surface defined by a boundary formed by the side surfaces of the cavity;
• and
• a compressible conductive material disposed between the upper edge surface of the conductive enclosure and the electrically conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure, and wherein the support surface and the plurality of side surfaces of the cavity cooperate with one another and the conductive coating disposed along the interior surface of the dielectric structure to create an electromagnetic seal between the conductive patch of the antenna and the interior enclosure while the aperture of the conductive patch of the antenna transmits and receives electromagnetic radiation through the dielectric structure.