Three-dimensional antenna fabrication from a two-dimensional structure

Abstract

A method for making an antenna array includes dividing a flexible dielectric substrate into a plurality of folding sections, with each folding section being integrally connected to an adjacent folding section along a shared boundary therebetween. The folding sections are co-planar with one another when unfolded and include spaced apart antenna sections, spaced apart ground plane sections and connecting sections therebetween. An antenna element is formed on each antenna section. The antenna elements are coplanar with the antenna sections, the ground plane sections and the connecting sections. The folding sections of the flexible dielectric substrate are folded along the shared boundaries so that the antenna sections extend in a different plane with respect to the ground plane sections.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.