Offsetting patch antennas on an ominidirectional multi-facetted array to allow space for an interconnection board
First Claim
1. An antenna array comprising:
- a plurality of facets disposed around an axis, each of said plurality of facets having sides connectively abutting the sides of an adjacent facet, said plurality of facets forming a faceted tube;
at least one patch antenna disposed on each of said plurality of facets;
at least one radio frequency interface module disposed therein;
a plurality of signal tracks disposed across said plurality of facets interconnecting said patch antennas across said connectively abutting sides to said radio frequency interface module;
at least one ground plane, separated from said at least one patch antenna and said plurality of signal tracks by a dielectric having a thickness; and
each facet having a substantially planar region thereunder said at least one patch antenna, and each facet having a first curved region under at least a portion of said plurality of signal tracks, wherein said first curved region has a radius of curvature great enough to avoid discontinuities in RF propagation along said signal tracks.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-facetted antenna array is disclosed for omnidirectional signalling. The multi-facetted antenna array includes a plurality of abutting facets having a planar region under the patch antenna structures, and curving regions between the planar regions and across the abutting edges of the facets. The planar regions under the patch antenna provide proper RF antenna performance, while the curved regions minimize the size of the assembled array. Further disclosed is a method of mounting the associated RF interface module across an inside corner formed by abutting facets. The disclosed multi-facetted antenna array is particularly useful for overcoming the unsightly size and wind loading problems of multi-facetted antenna arrays known in the art.
45 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An antenna array comprising:
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a plurality of facets disposed around an axis, each of said plurality of facets having sides connectively abutting the sides of an adjacent facet, said plurality of facets forming a faceted tube;
at least one patch antenna disposed on each of said plurality of facets;
at least one radio frequency interface module disposed therein;
a plurality of signal tracks disposed across said plurality of facets interconnecting said patch antennas across said connectively abutting sides to said radio frequency interface module;
at least one ground plane, separated from said at least one patch antenna and said plurality of signal tracks by a dielectric having a thickness; and
each facet having a substantially planar region thereunder said at least one patch antenna, and each facet having a first curved region under at least a portion of said plurality of signal tracks, wherein said first curved region has a radius of curvature great enough to avoid discontinuities in RF propagation along said signal tracks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for forming an antenna array, the method comprising:
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disposing a plurality of facets around an axis, each of said plurality of facets having sides abutting the sides of an adjacent facet, said plurality of facets forming a faceted tube;
disposing at least one patch antenna on each of said plurality of facets;
disposing at least one radio frequency interface module within said array;
disposing a plurality of signal tracks across said plurality of facets interconnecting said patch antennas across said connectively abutting sides to said radio frequency interface module;
disposing at least one ground plane separated from the at least one patch antenna and plurality of signalling tracks by a dielectric having at thickness; and
configuring each facet to have a substantially planar region under said at least one patch antenna, and each facet to have a first curved region under at least a portion of said plurality of signal tracks, wherein said first curved region has a radius of curvature great enough to avoid discontinuities in RF propagation along said signal tracks. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification