Back to results
US 9,318,811 B1Granted
Methods and designs for ultra-wide band(UWB) array antennas with superior performance and attributes
OwnerHerbert U. Fluhlerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A array of fixably interconnected planar elements equally spaced and orthogonally oriented, that is ultra wide band with a low operating frequency, exhibits steerability in both azimuth and elevation and is capable of dual polarization. The configuration of the array, having a 1:2 ratio of elements to feed lines, allows the implementation of two oppositely driven 50 ohm coaxial feed lines to feed into a single 94 ohm element without the need for custom components or impedance transformers.
Claims14
A method for at least one of emitting and receiving RF signals comprising:
- providing a plurality of electromagnetically (EM) reactive elements, each EM reactive element having an RF feedpoint, each RF feedpoint comprising a source terminal for a source of current for said RF signals and an RF sink terminal for providing a current sink for said RF signals,
- arranging said plurality of EM reactive elements in a two dimensional array wherein each said source terminal of a respective said EM reactive element is electrically coupled to said sink terminal of a next adjacent, in one direction, co-linear said EM reactive element, so that an emitted or received EM field associated with said co-linear reactive elements is co-polarized,
- and also wherein each said sink terminal of a respective said EM reactive element is electrically coupled to said source terminal of a next adjacent, in an opposite direction, co-linear said reactive element,
- defining an electric vector field plane (E-plane) that is substantially co-linear with a next adjacent co-linear coupling between said EM reactive elements,
- said E-plane further creating a magnetic vector field plane (H-plane) that is substantially perpendicular to said E-plane,
- defining a unit cell as an area surrounding at least one said RF feedpoint of a respective said EM reactive element, with a perimeter of said unit cell being co-planar to a plane of said array, with perimeters of said unit cells generally bisecting a distance between said RF feedpoints in said E-plane direction and in said H-plane direction,
- selecting a ratio of spacings between said RF feedpoints in said array to define a predetermined aspect ratio of electrical vector fields (E fields) to magnetic vector fields (H fields) developed by each said reactive element of said EM reactive elements, said predetermined aspect ratio of spacing between said E-plane and said H-plane of each of said EM reactive elements selected to impress a free space wave impedance of said unit cells of said array onto said RF feedpoints in order to closely match a convenient impedance of each feed network port attached to each said feed point without need of other impedance matching aids,
- using said array to efficiently perform at least one of said emitting and receiving said RF signals.
5 more elements
A method for at least one of emitting and receiving RF signals comprising:
- providing a plurality of electromagnetically (EM) reactive elements, each EM reactive element having an RF feedpoint, each said RF feedpoint comprising a source terminal for a source of current for said RF signals and an RF sink terminal for providing a current sink for said RF signals,
- arranging said plurality of EM reactive elements in a two dimensional array wherein each said source terminal of a respective said EM reactive element is electrically coupled to said sink terminal of a next adjacent, in one direction, to emit or receive a copolarized EM field from or to said co-linear said EM reactive element, so that an emitted or received EM field associated with respective co-linear said reactive elements is polarized along said electrically coupled source terminals and sink terminals, and associated said EM reactive elements and their said one direction, forming a connected array,
- defining an electric vector field plane (E-plane) that is substantially co-linear with said co-linear EM reactive elements,
- said E-plane developing a magnetic vector field plane (H-plane) that is substantially perpendicular to said E-plane,
- defining a unit cell as an area surrounding at least one said RF feedpoint of a respective said EM reactive element, each said unit cell being co-planar to a plane of said array, with two sides of said perimeter of each said unit cell generally bisecting a distance between two or more said RF feedpoints in an E-plane direction and two other orthogonal sides of said perimeter in an H-plane direction,
- each said unit cell defining a predetermined aspect ratio of said electrical vector field (E field) to said magnetic vector field (H field) developed by each said unit cell by selecting a predetermined spacing between said RF feedpoints in said electrical vector field (E field) direction and said magnetic vector field (H field) direction of each said unit cell, said predetermined spacing selected so that each said unit cell closely matches a convenient impedance of an RF network attached to each said RF feed point without need of other impedance matching aids,
- using said array to efficiently perform at least one of said emitting and receiving said RF signals.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.