Broadband circular polarization satellite antenna
First Claim
1. A broadband, circular polarization antenna array, comprising:
- ground means;
a first substrate positioned over said ground means;
at least a first coupling array having a preselected number of microstrip patch elements disposed in a predetermined orientation on a first surface of said first substrate, said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array having feed points in predetermined positions thereon;
a second substrate positioned over and substantially parallel to said first substrate;
at least a first antenna array having said preselected number of microstrip patch elements disposed on a first surface of said second substrate such that each of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first antenna array is positioned above a selected one of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling subarray for electromagnetic coupling therebetween; and
at least a first interconnect network comprising a first plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array with a signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby,whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means are selected wherein said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array are in a first sequential rotation relationship and said at least first antenna array is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A broadband, circular polarization antenna is disclosed for use on a satellite. In one embodiment, signals are fed to, or received by, an array of electromagnetically coupled patch pairs arranged in sequential rotation by an interconnect network which is coplanar with the coupling patches of the patch pairs. The interconnect network includes phase transmission line means, the lengths of which are preselected to provide the desired phase shifting among the coupling patches. The complexity of the array and the space required are thus reduced. In the described embodiment, two such arrays are employed, each having four patch pairs. The two arrays are arranged in sequential rotation to provide normalization of the circularly polarized transmitted or received beam.
112 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A broadband, circular polarization antenna array, comprising:
-
ground means; a first substrate positioned over said ground means; at least a first coupling array having a preselected number of microstrip patch elements disposed in a predetermined orientation on a first surface of said first substrate, said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array having feed points in predetermined positions thereon; a second substrate positioned over and substantially parallel to said first substrate; at least a first antenna array having said preselected number of microstrip patch elements disposed on a first surface of said second substrate such that each of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first antenna array is positioned above a selected one of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling subarray for electromagnetic coupling therebetween; and at least a first interconnect network comprising a first plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points of said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array with a signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means are selected wherein said microstrip patch elements of said at least first coupling array are in a first sequential rotation relationship and said at least first antenna array is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A broadband, circular polarization antenna array, comprising:
-
ground means; a first substrate positioned over said ground means; first spacing means positioned over said first substrate; a second substrate positioned above and substantially parallel to said first spacing means; a first subarray having a preselected number of electromagnetically coupled patch pairs of microstrip patch coupling elements and microstrip patch antenna elements, said microstrip patch coupling elements being disposed in a predetermined orientation on a first surface of said first substrate and having feed points in predetermined positions thereon, said microstrip patch antenna elements being disposed on a first surface of said second substrate; a first interconnect network comprising a first plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points of said microstrip patch coupling elements of said first subarray with a signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means of said first interconnect network having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements of said first coupling array, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means of said first interconnect network are selected wherein said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least first subarray are in a first sequential rotation relationship and said first subarray is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals; at least a second subarray having said preselected number of electromagnetically coupled patch pairs of microstrip patch coupling elements and microstrip patch antenna elements proximate to said first subarray, said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least second subarray being disposed in a predetermined orientation on said first surface of said first substrate and having feed points in predetermined positions and said microstrip patch antenna elements of said at least second subarray being disposed on said first surface of said second substrate; at least a second interconnect network comprising a second plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points of said coupling elements of said at least second subarray with said signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means of said at least second interconnect network having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements of said second coupling array, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means of said second interconnect network are selected wherein said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least second subarray are in said first sequential rotation relationship and said second subarray is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A broadband, circular polarization antenna array, comprising:
-
ground means; a first substrate positioned over said ground means; first spacing means positioned over said first substrate; a second substrate positioned above and substantially parallel to said first spacing means; a first subarray having a preselected number of electromagnetically coupled patch pairs of microstrip patch coupling elements and microstrip patch antenna elements, said microstrip patch coupling elements being disposed in a predetermined orientation on a first surface of said first substrate and having feed points in predetermined positions thereon, said microstrip patch antenna elements being disposed on a first surface of said second substrate; a first interconnect network comprising a first plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points said microstrip patch coupling elements of said first subarray with a signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means of said first interconnect network having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements of said first coupling array, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means of said first interconnect network are selected wherein said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least first subarray are in a first sequential rotation relationship and said first subarray is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals; at least a second subarray having said preselected number of electromagnetically coupled patch pairs of microstrip patch coupling elements and microstrip patch antenna elements proximate to said first subarray, said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least second subarray being disposed in a predetermined orientation on said first surface of said first substrate and having feed points in predetermined positions thereon, and said microstrip patch antenna elements of said at least second subarray being disposed on said first surface of said second substrate; at least a second interconnect network comprising a second plurality of phase transmission line means disposed on said first surface of said first substrate to connect said feed points of said coupling elements of said at least second subarray with said signal transmission means, said phase transmission line means of said at least second interconnect network having predetermined lengths for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements of said second coupling array, said predetermined positions of said feed points, and said predetermined lengths of said phase transmission line means of said second interconnect network are selected wherein said microstrip patch coupling elements of said at least second subarray are in said first sequential rotation relationship, said second plurality of phase transmission line means of said at least second interconnect mans comprising a phase transmission line having a preselected length for phase shifting signals conducted thereby, and whereby said predetermined orientation of said microstrip patch elements of said first and second coupling arrays, said predetermined positions of said feed points of said microstrip patch elements of said first and second coupling elements, and said predetermined length of said ninth phase transmission line are selected wherein said first subarray and said at least second subarray are in a second sequential rotation relationship and said second subarray is capable of transmitting/receiving circularly polarized signals; second spacing means positioned below said first substrate; and a third substrate positioned below and substantially parallel to said second spacing means, said ground means being disposed on a surface of said third substrate. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
-
Specification