Cavity antenna with radome
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRonald O. Lavin, Dennis K. McCarthy, Andy H. Lee, Manny S. Urcia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for designing an antenna including defining an operating frequency of an antenna radiating element located within an antenna cavity structure; determining a non-loaded depth of the antenna cavity structure; determining a reduced depth of the antenna cavity structure; determining a reduction factor to reduce the non-loaded depth to the reduced depth; and selecting a dielectric material, at least partially forming a radome structure covering the antenna radiating element, to achieve the reduction factor.
Claims20
A method of designing an antenna, the method comprising:
- defining an operating frequency of an antenna radiating element to be located within an antenna cavity structure;
- determining a non-loaded depth of the antenna cavity structure;
- determining a reduced depth of the antenna cavity structure;
- determining a reduction factor to reduce the non-loaded depth to the reduced depth;
- and
- selecting a dielectric material, forming at least a portion of a radome structure that covers the antenna radiating element, to achieve the reduction factor.
A method of making an antenna, the method comprising:
- locating an antenna radiating element within a cavity opening of an antenna cavity structure, wherein the antenna radiating element is operable to emit electromagnetic radiation that has at least one wavelength;
- covering the cavity opening of the antenna cavity structure with a radome structure that has an antenna window for passage of the electromagnetic radiation, wherein the radome structure comprises a foam core and a dielectric material distributed through at least a portion of the foam core;
- and
- electromagnetically coupling the radome structure with the antenna radiating element such that the antenna radiating element is dielectrically loaded by the radome structure and a depth of the antenna cavity structure is less than one-fourth of the at least one wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the antenna radiating element.
A method of making an antenna system for a vehicle, the method comprising:
- locating an antenna radiating element within a cavity opening of an antenna cavity structure, wherein the antenna radiating element is operable to emit electromagnetic radiation that has at least one wavelength;
- coupling a radio module to the antenna radiating element;
- covering the cavity opening of the antenna cavity structure with a radome structure that has an antenna window for passage of the electromagnetic radiation, wherein the radome structure comprises a foam core and a dielectric material distributed through at least a portion of the foam core;
- electromagnetically coupling the radome structure with the antenna radiating element such that the antenna radiating element is dielectrically loaded by the radome structure and a depth of the antenna cavity structure is less than one-fourth of the at least one wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the antenna radiating element;
- and
- coupling the radome structure to at least one of a plurality of panels to form a skin of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.