US 7,038,636 B2Granted

Helical antenna

AssigneeEMS Technologies Cawada, Ltd.

InventorsSteve Larouche, Gerard Senechal, François Bussieres, Sylvain Richard, Andre Bouvrette, John McDougall, Geoffrey Moss

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Abstract

A helical antenna has a helix supported by a helix support. The helix support includes at least one piece of flexible sheet having its two surfaces covered with a layer antistatic material. The flexible sheet is curlable into a revolution surface configuration to form a revolution surface-shaped support section for at least partially supporting a portion of the helix component there around. A grounding mechanism electrically grounds the external sheet surface to the helix and the two sheet surfaces to one another when in the revolution surface configuration while a locking mechanism locks the flexible sheet in the revolution surface configuration. The combination of the helix and the flexible support renders the antenna structurally relatively rigid in all directions.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A helical antenna, comprising:

a helix component defining a helix axis, said helix component being made out of rigid-type electrically conductive material formed into a helix shape, said helix component being substantially flexible in an axial direction and in a bending direction generally transverse to the helix axis and substantially rigid in a radial compression direction;
a helix support including a flexible sheet, said flexible sheet being curlable in a revolution surface configuration to form a revolution surface-shaped support section for at least partially supporting a portion of the helix component therearound, said section defining a section axis, said section axis being substantially in a co-linear relationship relative to the helix axis when said flexible sheet is in said revolution surface configuration;
said support section being substantially rigid in said axial and bending directions and substantially flexible in said radial compression direction, said helix component and said support section structurally cooperating with one another so that said antenna is substantially rigid in said axial, bending and radial compression directions when said support section supports said helix component therearound.

A helical antenna, comprising:

a groundable helix component;
a helix support for at least partially supporting said helix component, said helix support including:
a flexible sheet being curlable in a revolution surface configuration to form a revolution surface-shaped support section for at least partially supporting a portion of said helix component therearound, said section defining a section axis;
said flexible sheet defining generally opposed first and second sheet surfaces thereof, said first sheet surface being oriented outwardly when in said revolution surface configuration and including an antistatic coating thereon;
a grounding means for electrically grounding said first sheet surface to said helix component when at least partially supporting said portion of said helix component thereon;
a locking means for locking said flexible sheet in said revolution surface configuration.

3 more elements

A helix support for supporting a helix component of a helical antenna, the antenna defining a mounting base thereof, said helix support comprising:

first flexible sheet being curlable in a first revolution surface configuration to form a first revolution surface-shaped support section for at least partially supporting a first portion of the helix component therearound, said first section defining a first section axis;
second flexible sheet being curlable in a second revolution surface configuration to form a second revolution surface-shaped support section for at least partially supporting a second portion of the helix component therearound, said second section defining a second section axis, said second section being connectable to said first section with said second section axis extending substantially along said first section axis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/868,210Filed 16 Jun 2004 · us provisional application
Priority: 18 Jun 2003
Published: US 2004/0257298 A123 Dec 2004
Granted: 2 May 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H01Q 11/08
Non-resonant antennas, e.g. travelling-wave antenna: helical antennas
H01Q 1/362
Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewith: for broadside radiating helical antennas
H01Q 11/083
Helical antennas: tapered helical aerials, e.g. conical spiral aerials
H01Q
Antennas, i.e. radio aerials