LIGHTWEIGHT DEPLOYABLE HELICAL ANTENNA

• US 3,836,979 A
• Filed: 12/14/1973
• Issued: 09/17/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gelb N. Fruktow, Richard M. Kurland
• Original Assignee: Gelb N. Fruktow, Richard M. Kurland
• Inventors: Kurland, Richard M., Fruktow, Gelb N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieberman, Eli
• Application Number:
  US05/425,022
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: 343/880,881,895
• US Class Current: 343/881
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/086 collapsible

Abstract

A lightweight deployable helical antenna having a thin, flat electrically conductive radiator strip helically coiled about an axially extensible and contractable supporting structure and pivotally secured at intervals to the structure in a manner such that the antenna is longitudinally contractable to a collapsed configuration and extendible to a deployed configuration. In the preferred embodiment, the antenna supporting structure is a truss frame structure constructed of tubular, resiliently flexible elastic strain energy deployable beams which deform when the frame structure is contracted to store elastic strain energy for extending the antenna to its deployed configuration.

Claims

1. A deployable helical antenna comprising:

a longitudinally extendible and contractable supporting structure;

a relatively thin and flat electrically conductive radiator strip coiled helically about said structure with the faces of the strip generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the structure;

pivot means securing the ends of said strip to the ends of said structure;

additional pivot means securing said strip to said structure at points spaced along the strip; and

the pivot axes of said pivot means being transverse to the axis of said structure and the faces of said strip, whereby said antenna is contractable to a collapsed configuration wherein said structure and radiator strip are axially contracted and the antenna is extendible to a deployed configuration wherein said structure and radiator strip are axially extended.

2. A deployable antenna according to claim 1 wherein:

said supporting structure comprises a truss frame structure constructed of resiliently flexible strain energy beams which deform upon contraction of the antenna to its collapsed configuration to store elastic strain energy for extending the antenna to its deployed configuration.

3. A deployable antenna according to claim 2 wherein:

said beams comprise resiliently flexible tubular beams with coplanar diametrically opposed flanges, and said beams flatten and fold during contraction of the antenna to its collapsed configuration.

4. A deployable antenna according to claim 3 wherein:

said truss frame structure has a generally triangular cross-section and includes three longitudinal beams extending lengthwise of the structure and cross beams joining the longitudinal beams; and

said helically coiled radiator strip is pivotally attached to said longitudinal beams at the points of attachment of the latter beams and cross beams.

5. A deployable antenna according to claim 4 wherein:

said antenna is an axial mode helical antenna and said helically coiled radiator strip has a substantially constant diameter and pitch.

6. A deployable antenna according to claim 4 whereIn:

said antenna is a conical log spiral antenna and said helically coiled radiator strip has a diameter and pitch which vary logarithmitically.

7. A deployable antenna according to claim 1 wherein:

said antenna is an axial mode helical antenna and said helically coiled radiator strip has a substantially constant diameter and pitch.

8. A deployable antenna according to claim 1 wherein:

said antenna is a conical log spiral antenna and said helically coiled radiator strip has a diameter and pitch which vary logarithmitically.

9. A deployable antenna according to claim 1 including:

a ground plane at one end of said antenna including a rectangular frame comprising resiliently flexible strain energy frame members about the perimeter of the frame, a wire mesh screen secured to said frame members and extending across the frame, resiliently flexible strain energy cross beams secured to said perimeter frame members and extending across said screen in crossing relation to one another and joined to one another at their crossing point, and means joining said cross beams to said structure.