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AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsEugene C. Hatcher, Jr., Mark J. DeHart, Douglas W. Sherman
Estimating the term…
A linear conformal array antenna consisting of double-ridged waveguide elements which are all tapered in the E-plane or the H-plane. The array of waveguide elements is fed by a Gent lens whose amplitude and phase characteristics can be adjusted to cause the waveguide element array to produce a desired radiation pattern. The linear array antenna, which has been tapered in the E-plane, can be operated to scan an electromagnetic endfire beam in one predetermined direction with a maximum scan loss of 3 dB. The array of waveguide elements can be substantially conformal with the fuselage of an airborne craft carrying the linear array antenna, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag and radar cross section. The linear array antenna has a bandwidth that is greater than an octave wide.
An antenna, comprising a plurality of rectangular waveguide antenna elements each having an input end, an output end, and first and second mutually orthogonal pairs of parallel walls, the output ends of the second walls of each of said antenna elements being generally tapered inwardly toward the input end of said antenna elements from one of said first walls to the other of said first walls along a first axis extending perpendicularly from one of said first walls to the other, said antenna elements being arranged in a row having a longitudinal axis with the first walls of all of said antenna elements being generally parallel to each other and with the first axis of each of said antenna elements generally aligned with each other along the longitudinal axis of said row.
A transmission system, comprising:
An airborne craft for transmitting electromagnetic energy in a predetermined direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the airborne craft, the airborne craft comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.