Flat panel-configured electronically steerable phased array antenna having spatially distributed array of fanned dipole sub-arrays controlled by triode-configured field emission control devices
First Claim
1. A phased array antenna comprising a plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements and an arrangement of field emission devices electrically coupled with said plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements, a respective one of said field emission devices having a first electrode coupled in circuit with one of said radiation elements, a second electrode coupled in circuit with a second electrode of another of said field emission devices, said another of said field emission devices having a first electrode thereof coupled in circuit with another of said radiation elements, and wherein each of said one and another of said field emission devices has a selectively controllable current flow path therethrough between first and second electrodes thereof, so as to control electrical coupling therethrough between said one and said another of said radiation elements.
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Abstract
A flat panel-configured electronically steered phased array antenna includes a planar distribution of densely nested microstrip dipole sub-arrays, arranged and controlled in a manner similar to microstrip `reflect-array` antenna elements. The resultant phase of a circularly polarized wave for a reflect-array fan-out distribution of dipole antenna elements is controlled by an associated plurality of triode-configured field emission devices. Each dipole element sub-array is plated to a resistive sub-layer on an interior surface of a flat first millimeter wave transmissive panel member of an evacuated flat panel type support structure. Mounted to a similar resistive layer on the interior surface of a second, flat panel member is a microstrip conductive layer partially overlapped around its periphery by respective fan-configured microstrip dipole antenna elements plated on the first panel member. Arranged between overlapping regions and overlapping portions of the respective dipole antenna elements are a plurality of elements, that form cathode and control gates of plural triode-configured field emission devices, the anodes of which are dipoles formed on the first plate member. These elements select a desired dipole pair within each subarray and control the current therein.
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Citations
36 Claims
- 1. A phased array antenna comprising a plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements and an arrangement of field emission devices electrically coupled with said plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements, a respective one of said field emission devices having a first electrode coupled in circuit with one of said radiation elements, a second electrode coupled in circuit with a second electrode of another of said field emission devices, said another of said field emission devices having a first electrode thereof coupled in circuit with another of said radiation elements, and wherein each of said one and another of said field emission devices has a selectively controllable current flow path therethrough between first and second electrodes thereof, so as to control electrical coupling therethrough between said one and said another of said radiation elements.
- 15. A phased array antenna comprising a flat panel structure including first and second plate members that are effectively transparent to radiation in a frequency band of operation of said phased array antenna, said first and second plate members being spaced apart from and hermetically sealed with one another, so as to form a thin evacuated space between interior faces of said first and second plate members, a dipole array formed on the interior face of said first plate member, said dipole array being comprised of a generally planar distribution of microstrip dipole sub-arrays, each dipole sub-array comprising a plurality of microstrip dipole antenna elements spaced apart from one another and extending radially outwardly from a sub-array feed location, so as to form spaced apart pairs of diametrically opposed dipole elements within a respective sub-array, a microstrip conductive layer formed on the interior face of said second plate member so as to be partially overlapped, in projection, around its periphery by respective ones of said dipole antenna elements formed on said first plate member, and a plurality of elements, that form respective cathode and control gates of a plurality of triode-configured field emission devices, the anodes of which correspond to dipole elements formed on the interior face of said first plate member, said devices being disposed upon said microstrip conductive layer on the interior face of said second plate member.
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28. A method of electronically steering an antenna pattern comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a phased array antenna of a plurality of spatially distributed radiation reflector elements; (b) coupling a radiating horn element to said plurality of spatially distributed reflector radiation elements; and (c) controlling the operation of selected ones of said plurality of spatially distributed radiation reflector elements by controlling conductivity through field emission devices and thereby defining and steering an antenna pattern associated with said plurality of spatially distributed radiation reflector elements, a respective one of said field emission devices having a first electrode coupled in circuit with one of said radiation reflector elements, a second electrode coupled in circuit with a second electrode of another of said field emission devices, said another of said field emission devices having a first electrode thereof coupled in circuit with another of said radiation reflector elements, and wherein each of said one and another of said field emission devices has a selectively controllable current flow path between first and second electrodes thereof, so as to control electrical coupling therethrough between said one and said another of said radiation reflector elements. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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- 33. A phased array antenna comprising a plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements and an arrangement of triode-configured field emission devices electrically coupled with said plurality of spatially distributed radiation elements, and wherein selected arrays of said triode-configured field emission devices are electrically coupled with selected sets of said radiation elements.
Specification