Frequency agile, directive beam patch antennas
First Claim
1. A frequency agile, directive beam patch antenna, comprising:
- an array of antenna elements, said antenna array elements loaded with tunable dieletric capacitors in order to tune their frequency response; and
an electronic phase shifter controlling said array of antenna elements in order to spatially scan the main radiation beam.
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Abstract
A beam steering, frequency agile antenna having low insertion loss, fast tuning speed, high power-handling capability, high IP3 and low cost in the microwave frequency range. The beam steering, frequency agile antenna comprising an array of antenna elements, said antenna array elements loaded with tunable dieletric capacitors in order to tune their frequency response; and an electronic phase shifter controlling said array of antenna elements in order to spatially scan the main radiation beam, said tunable dielectric capacitor comprising a substrate having a low dielectric constant with planar surfaces, a tunable dielectric film on said substrate of low loss tunable dielectric material, metallic electrodes with predetermined length, width, and gap distance; and low loss isolation material used to isolate an outer bias metallic contact and a metallic electrode on said tunable dielectric.
52 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A frequency agile, directive beam patch antenna, comprising:
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an array of antenna elements, said antenna array elements loaded with tunable dieletric capacitors in order to tune their frequency response; and
an electronic phase shifter controlling said array of antenna elements in order to spatially scan the main radiation beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of tuning a patch antenna over a wide frequency range, comprising the steps of:
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loading an array of antenna elements with tunable dieletric capacitors in order to tune their frequency response; and
controlling said array of antenna elements with an electronic phase shifter in order to spatially scan the main radiation beam. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A patch antenna, comprising:
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an array of antenna elements, said antenna array elements loaded with tunable dieletric capacitors in order to tune their frequency response, said tunable dielectric capacitor comprising;
a substrate having a low dielectric constant with planar surfaces;
a tunable dielectric film on said substrate of low loss tunable dielectric material;
metallic electrodes with predetermined length, width, and gap distance; and
low loss isolation material used to isolate an outer bias metallic contact and a metallic electrode on said tunable dielectric; and
an electronic phase shifter controlling said array of antenna elements in order to spatially scan the main radiation beam. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification