End-fire antenna or array on surface with tunable impedance
AssigneesHRL Laboratories, LLC, Raytheon Company
InventorsDaniel Sievenpiper, Jar Jar Lee, Stan Livingston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A steerable antenna and method of steering a radio frequency wave received by and/or transmitted from the antenna. The antenna includes a tunable high impedance surface and at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface. The method includes varying the impedance of the tunable high impedance surface.
Claims68
A steerable antenna for receiving and/or transmitting a radio frequency wave, the antenna comprising:
- (a) a tunable high impedance surface;
- and
- (b) at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface.
A method of steering a radio frequency wave, received by and/or transmitted from an antenna, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a tunable high impedance surface;
- (b) disposing at least one end-fire antenna on said surface;
- and
- (c) varying the impedance of the tunable high impedance surface.
A steerable antenna for transmitting a radio frequency beam, the antenna comprising:
- (a) a tunable impedance surface;
- (b) at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface;
- and
- (c) means for tuning the impedance of the tunable impedance surface to control the take off angle of the radio frequency beam relative to the tunable impedance surface.
A steerable antenna system for receiving a radio frequency wave, the antenna system comprising:
- (a) a tunable impedance surface;
- (b) at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface;
- and
- (c) means for tuning the impedance of the tunable impedance surface to control the sensitivity of the end fire antenna to radio frequency waves in an elevation direction relative to the tunable impedance surface.
A method of steering the sensitivity of an end-fire antenna to a received radio frequency wave, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a tunable impedance surface;
- (b) disposing at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface;
- and
- (c) controllably varying the impedance of the tunable impedance surface to thereby affect the sensitivity of the end fire antenna in an elevation direction relative to said tunable impedance surface.
A method of steering the sensitivity of an end-fire antenna to a received radio frequency wave, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a tunable impedance surface;
- (b) disposing at least one end-fire antenna disposed on said surface;
- and
- (c) controllably varying the impedance of the tunable impedance surface to thereby affect the sensitivity of the end fire antenna in an elevation direction relative to said tunable impedance surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.