High gain, frequency tunable variable impedance transmission line loaded antenna having shaped top plates
First Claim
1. An antenna comprising:
- a conductive plate;
a first conductive element having a first edge;
a second conductive element having a first edge electrically connected to said conductive plate said second conductive element further including a second edge opposingly spaced apart from the first edge of said second conductive element;
a shaped conductive element having a plurality of independently excitable regions, wherein current flow through one or more of said regions determines the effective length of the antenna, and wherein a first location of said shaped conductive element spaced proximate to the first edge of said first conductive element so as to create a gap there between, and wherein a second location of said shaped conductive element is spaced proximate to the second edge of said second conductive element so as to create a gap there between;
a first meanderline coupler electrically connected between said first conductive element and said shaped conductive element so as to provide a path across the gap there between;
second meanderline coupler electrically connected between said second conductive element and said shaped conductive element so as to provide a conductive path across the gap there between; and
wherein said first and said second meanderline couplers have a selectable electrical length.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is disclosed a meanderline loaded antenna comprising a ground plane, a non-driven vertical element affixed thereto, a driven vertical element and a shaped top radiating element conductively connected between the driven and non-driven vertical elements. One or more segments or regions of the top plate are resonant depending on the input signal frequency. Since top plate presents several such segments or portions, several different resonant frequencies (a band of closely spaced resonant frequencies or multiple bands of disparate resonant frequencies) are presented to the antenna driving signal, thus allowing the antenna to resonate at several different frequencies and bands. In another embodiment, the antenna comprises a plurality of top radiating elements in parallel spaced relation or in a single plane, wherein each top radiating element is resonant at a different frequency, when considered with the effective lengths of the other antenna elements. Thus the plurality of top radiating plates accommodate multiple resonant frequencies and wideband operation. A plurality of such antennae can be used as elements to form an antenna array. The antenna functions similarly in a receive mode in accordance with the antenna reciprocity therein.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. An antenna comprising:
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a conductive plate;
a first conductive element having a first edge;
a second conductive element having a first edge electrically connected to said conductive plate said second conductive element further including a second edge opposingly spaced apart from the first edge of said second conductive element;
a shaped conductive element having a plurality of independently excitable regions, wherein current flow through one or more of said regions determines the effective length of the antenna, and wherein a first location of said shaped conductive element spaced proximate to the first edge of said first conductive element so as to create a gap there between, and wherein a second location of said shaped conductive element is spaced proximate to the second edge of said second conductive element so as to create a gap there between;
a first meanderline coupler electrically connected between said first conductive element and said shaped conductive element so as to provide a path across the gap there between;
second meanderline coupler electrically connected between said second conductive element and said shaped conductive element so as to provide a conductive path across the gap there between; and
wherein said first and said second meanderline couplers have a selectable electrical length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
a first plurality of meanderline couplers connected between the first conductive element and the shaped conductive element in parallel with the first meanderline coupler;
a second plurality of meanderline couplers connected between the second conductive element and the shaped conductive element in parallel with the second meanderline coupler; and
a controller for activating either the first meanderline coupler or one of the first plurality of meanderline couplers, and for activating either the second of the second plurality of meanderline couplers.
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17. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the first meanderline coupler and the second meanderline coupler comprise folded slow-wave transmission lines.
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18. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the first meanderline coupler and the second meanderline coupler have a controllable effective length.
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19. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the first conductive element is responsive to a signal to be transmitted when the antenna is operative in a transmit mode, and wherein the first conductive element provides a received signal when the antenna is operative in a receive mode.
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20. The antenna of claim 1 wherein one or more regions of the shaped conductive element are excited by signals transmitted from or received by the antenna.
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21. The antenna of claim 1 wherein one or more regions of the shaped conductive element resonate in response to signals transmitted from or received by the antenna.
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22. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the shaped conductive element includes a plurality of holes therein.
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23. An antenna comprising:
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a conductive plate;
a first conductive element including a first edge;
a second conductive element including a first edge electrically connected to said conductive plate, said second conductive element further including a second edge spaced apart from the first edge of said second conductive element;
a first radiating element, wherein a first region of said first radiating element is spaced proximate to the first edge of said first conductive element so as to create a gap there between, wherein a second region of said first radiating element is spaced proximate to the second edge of said second conductive element so as to create a gap there between;
a first meanderline coupler conductively connected between said first conductive element and said first radiating element so as to provide a conductive path across the gap there between;
a second meanderline coupler conductively connected between said second conductive element and said first radiating element so as to provide a conductive electrical path across the gap there between; and
a second radiating element conductively connected at two spaced apart points to said first radiating element, wherein said first-and said second radiating elements cooperate to form the antenna radiating element. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An antenna array comprising;
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a groundplane;
a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each antenna element comprises;
a first conductive element including a first edge;
a second conductive element including a first edge connected to said ground plane, said second conductive element further including a second edge spaced apart from the first edge of said second conductive element;
at least one radiating element having a shape selected from a closed curve, a polygon a simple polygon and an irregularly bounded surface and, through one or more of said regions determines the effective length of each antenna element, and wherein a first location of said at least one radiating element is spaced proximate to the first edge of said first conductive element so as to create a gap there between, and wherein a second location of said at least one top radiating element is spaced proximate to the second edge of said second conductive element so as to create a gap there between;
a first meanderline coupler conductively connected between said first conductive element and said at least one radiating element so as to provide a conductive path across the gap there between;
second meanderline coupler conductively connected between said second conductive element and said at least one radiating element so as to provide a conductive path across the gap there between; and
wherein said first and said second meanderline couplers have a selectable effective electrical length. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. An antenna comprising:
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a conductive plate;
a first meanderline coupler having a first terminal responsive to a signal when said antenna is operative in a transmitting mode and for providing a signal when said antenna is operative in a receiving mode, and further having a second terminal;
a second meanderline coupler having a first terminal conductively connected to said conductive plate and further having a second terminal;
a shaped conductive element conductively connected to the second terminal of said first meanderline coupler at a first location and conductively connected to the second terminal of said second meanderline coupler at a second location, wherein said shaped conductive element comprises a plurality of independently excitable regions, and wherein current flow through one or more of said regions determines the effective length of the antenna; and
wherein said first and said second meanderline couplers have independently selectable effective electrical lengths. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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41. An antenna comprising:
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a conductive plate;
a first meanderline coupler having a first terminal responsive to a signal when said antenna is operative in a transmitting mode and for receiving a signal when said antenna is operative in a receiving mode, and further having a second terminal;
a second meanderline coupler having a first terminal in electrical connection with said conductive plate and further having a second terminal;
a first radiating element in electrical connection with the second terminal of said first meanderline coupler at a first location and in electrical connection with the second terminal of said second meanderline coupler at a second location; and
a second radiating element electrically connected to said first radiating element at two spaced apart points. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43)
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Specification