Wideband conical spiral antenna

• US 6,791,508 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2002
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gilbert, James R., Berry, Sonja A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/164,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20030227422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 343/745, 343/749, 343/792.5, 343/880, 343/881, 343/895
• US Class Current: 343/895
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/34 Adaptation for use in or on ships, submarines, buoys or torpedoes for subaqueous use H01Q1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas

Abstract

A spiral antenna having a horizontal member that terminates wires for conducting and radiating signals provides increased efficiency over the HF transmission range in a smaller size construction. A load having a parallel RLC circuit is provided at about the center of the horizontal member. The wires are provided in an elliptical pattern with the spacing between wires provided arithmetically. The wires are further configured symmetrically around a vertical support member. A balun transformer is also provided for impedance matching with a feed line.

Claims

1. A conical spiral antenna comprising:

a conductor member configured in a conical spiral arrangement for transmitting and receiving signals; and

a horizontal member provided at a base of the conductor member, including an RLC load disposed on the horizontal member, the RLC load connected to the conductor at the horizontal member, and adapted for terminating the conductor member to thereby provide improved conducted and radiated efficiency for the signals.

2. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 1, wherein the RLC load is a parallel RLC load at about the center of the horizontal member.

3. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 1, wherein the conductor member comprises conducting wires and further comprising a vertical support member with the conducting wires configured around the vertical support member to provide the conical spiral arrangement.

4. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 3, wherein the conducting wires are configured in a symmetrical spiral arrangement around the vertical support member.

5. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 4, wherein the conducting wires are arithmetically spaced.

6. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 3, wherein the conducting wires are configured in a generally elliptical arrangement.

7. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 3, wherein the vertical support member is configured orthogonally with respect to a mounting surface.

8. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 1, wherein the conductor member comprises a first element and a second element, the first and second elements electrically separated and connected at the load.

9. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 8, wherein the first and second elements each comprise a spiral portion and a horizontal portion with the horizontal portion of each of the first and second elements forming the horizontal member.

10. A conical spiral antenna adapted for portability and improved efficiency in operation over a high frequency transmission range, the conical spiral antenna comprising:

a collapsible vertical support member configured orthogonally to a mounting surface on which the vertical support member is mounted;

a conical spiral conductor configured in a generally symmetrical elliptical pattern around the collapsible vertical support member, and having arithmetically spaced spirals;

a horizontal base member adapted to terminate the conical spiral conductor at a base of the conical spiral conductor; and

a load at about the center of the horizontal base member, the load including a parallel RLC circuit.

11. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 10, wherein the collapsible vertical support member comprises a telescoping mast.

12. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 11 further comprising a balun transformer at a top of the telescoping mast.

13. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 12, wherein a feed line is adapted to be connected directly between the balun transformer and a communication unit for transmitting and receiving signals over the high frequency range.

14. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 10, wherein the conical spiral conductor decreases in elliptical size extending up the vertical support member with the base winding having a major axis of about 32 meters and a minor axis of about 14 meters.

15. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 14, wherein the parallel RLC circuit comprises a resistor of about 4000 ohm, an inductor of about 70 microHenry and a capacitor of about 10 picoFarad connected in parallel.

16. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 10, wherein the conical spiral conductor comprises a first element and a second element electrically separate from each other.

17. The conical spiral antenna according to claim 16, wherein each of the first and second elements comprise a spiral portion and a horizontal portion, the horizontal portion of each of the first and second elements forming the horizontal base member.

18. A method of constructing an antenna adapted for ease in setup and transportation and providing improved operation over the high frequency transmission range, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring a conductor in a symmetrical conical spiral arrangement, with each spiral having a generally elliptical shape;

providing a horizontal member at a base of the conductor for terminating the conductor; and

providing a load having an RLC circuit disposed on the horizontal member.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the conductor comprises wires for conducting and radiating signals, and further comprising spacing the wires arithmetically.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the RLC circuit is a parallel RLC circuit at about the center of the horizontal member.

21. The method according to claim 18 further comprising providing a vertical support member orthogonally to a mounting surface.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the conductor comprises a first element and a second element, and further comprising electrically separating the first and second elements.

23. A conical spiral antenna comprising:

a vertical support member;

a conductor member including conducting wires configured around the vertical support member in a conical spiral arrangement for transmitting and receiving signals;

a horizontal member adapted for terminating the conductor member to thereby provide improved conducted and radiated efficiency for the signals; and

a transformer provided at a top of the vertical support member for impedance transformation between a feed line and the conducting wires.

24. A method of constructing an antenna adapted for ease in setup and transportation and providing improved operation over the high frequency transmission range, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring a conductor in a symmetrical conical spiral arrangement, with each spiral having a generally elliptical shape, the conductor including a first element and a second element;

electrically separating the first and second elements; and

providing a horizontal member at a base of the conductor for terminating the conductor, the first element and the second element electrically connected at a load provided at about the center of the horizontal member.