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US 7,583,229 B2Granted
Method for detection of faulty antenna array elements
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsJohn T. Apostolos, Richard C. Ball
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for early detection of faulty antenna arrays comprising the step of treating said detection as a special case of target recognition; wherein targets of interest are all previous examples of defective antenna arrays.
Claims20
A method for testing an assembled antenna array, comprising the steps of:
- locating the antenna array to be tested in spaced adjacency to a transmit/receive antenna aimed at the antenna array;
- using the transmit/receive antenna to project RF energy towards the antenna array and to intercept returns from the array;
- performing a frequency domain reflectometer measurement of the energy returned to the transmit/receive antenna so as to produce complex reflection coefficients;
- correlating the complex reflection coefficients with a large number of contingency templates;
- ascertaining which of the contingency templates most nearly matches the reflection coefficients that are the result of testing the antenna array;
- and,
- identifying from the ascertained contingency template an array element that is improperly terminated, whereby bare antenna arrays that have been manufactured can be quickly tested for passive elements being improperly terminated that distort the antenna pattern of the manufactured antenna array.
4 more elements
A method of testing an antenna array having at least one active element and at least one passive element, comprising the steps of:
- measuring the reflected energy from the passive element;
- and,
- determining from the reflected energy from the passive element if the passive element is properly terminated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.