Wideband, high dynamic range antenna
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorStephen P. Hubbell
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Abstract
A magnetic field sensor which can be used as an active antenna is disclosed that is capable of small size, ultrawideband operation, and high efficiency. The sensor includes a multiplicity of magnetic field transducers, e.g., superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or Mach-Zehnder modulators, that are electrically coupled in a serial array. Dummy SQUIDs may be used about the perimeter of the SQUID array, and electrically coupled to the active SQUIDs for eliminating edge effects that otherwise would occur because of the currents that flow within the SQUIDs. Either a magnetic flux transformer which collects the magnetic flux and distributes the flux to the transducers or a feedback assembly (bias circuit) or both may be used for increasing the sensitivity and linear dynamic range of the antenna.
Claims8
A wideband, high linear dynamic range sensor for detecting the magnetic field component of incident electromagnetic radiation over a bandwidth from about DC to at least 10 GHz, comprising:
- magnetic field transducing means for providing a signal indicative of the magnitude of the magnetic component of the incident electromagnetic radiation over a bandwidth from about DC to at least 10 GHz, the magnetic field transducing means including a plurality of responsive elements for responding to the incident magnetic component coupled together in an array, the array being constructed to combine a signal produced by each element to provide a combined signal indicative of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic radiation detected;
- bias means, coupled to the array, including a DC constant current generator, for providing bias energy to the elements of the magnetic field transducing means;
- and
- energy focusing means for collecting the incident magnetic field into a collected signal and for distributing the collected signal to the array to provide a maximum to minimum detectable magnetic field ratio of at least about 124 dB;
- wherein some responsive elements in the array define an array perimeter, the sensor further comprising a plurality of dummy elements electrically coupled to the responsive elements and positioned at the array perimeter to eliminate edge effects for the responsive elements otherwise occurring in the responsive elements, the dummy elements being arranged so that each responsive element receives substantially uniform magnetic flux, each dummy element being responsive to the bias energy to create a compensating magnetic field but not being responsive to the incident electromagnetic radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.