Ultra wideband loop antenna

An ultra wideband loop antenna, comprising:

• a planar conductive antenna element defining an essentially elliptical perimeter having a major axis, a minor axis and a center, in which the antenna element major axis is longer than its minor axis but is less than about twice as long as its minor axis, and in which the two halves of the antenna element that are defined by its minor axis are separated by an offset height;
• an elongated, contiguous gap in the antenna element that is symmetric about the antenna element minor axis, entirely located within the antenna element, and defines a generally elliptical perimeter having a major axis, a minor axis and a center, the major axis of the gap being parallel to and spaced from the antenna element minor axis by the offset height, the gap defining a gap feed end located on the minor axis and spaced from one side of the antenna element perimeter by an element feed width, and further defining an opposed gap ground end located on the minor axis and spaced from the opposing side of the antenna element perimeter by an element ground width, to define an antenna element ground portion, wherein the feed width is at least about five times greater than the ground width;
• and
• a feed region connecting the feed end of the gap to the perimeter, to define antenna element feed ends that are adjacent to the feed region, the antenna element feed ends being essentially mirror images of one another.

An ultra wideband loop antenna, comprising:

• a planar conductive antenna element defining an essentially semi-elliptical perimeter having a major axis, a minor axis and a center, in which the antenna element major axis is longer than its minor axis but is less than about twice as long as its minor axis;
• an elongated, contiguous gap in the antenna element that is symmetric about the antenna element minor axis, entirely located within the antenna element, and defines a generally semielliptical perimeter having a major axis, a minor axis and a center, the major axis of the gap being parallel to and spaced from the antenna element minor axis by an offset height, the gap defining a gap feed end located on the minor axis and spaced from one side of the antenna element perimeter by an element feed width, and further defining an opposed gap ground end located on the minor axis and spaced from the opposing side of the antenna element perimeter by an element ground width, to define an antenna element ground portion, wherein the feed width is at least about five times greater than the ground width;
• a feed region connecting the feed end of the gap to the perimeter, to define an antenna element feed end that is adjacent to the feed region;
• and
• a ground plane element oriented in a plane that is orthogonal to the antenna element, in which the antenna element ground portion is electrically coupled to the ground plane.