Aircraft directional/omnidirectional antenna arrangement
First Claim
1. An antenna system configured for selective directional and omnidirectional operation, comprising:
- an array of folded monopoles;
a first printed circuit board having capacitive hats disposed thereon, each capacitive hat being in association with a folded monopole of the array of folded monopoles, the capacitive hats being formed by a coating on a dielectric substrate;
a second printed circuit board having a switched beam forming network formed thereon, the switched beam forming network configured to provide a predetermined omnidirectional antenna operation at a first switching position of the switched beam forming network and an activation of only one input/output port of the switched beam forming network, and a predetermined directional antenna operation at a second switching position of the switched beam forming network and an alternate activation of all inputs/output ports of the switched beam forming network;
an antenna radome;
a ground plate providing structural support for the switched beam forming network and the antenna radome;
a plurality of feeding elements, each feeding element of the plurality of feeding elements being associated with each monopole of the array of folded monopoles, said each feeding element being coupled to one of the capacitive hats and an antenna terminal of the switched beam forming network;
shorting elements of the folded monopoles coupled to the capacitive hats and to the ground plate; and
a broadband matching network disposed between the folded monopoles and the input/output ports to provide matching therebetween.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A directional/omnidirectional antenna system is disclosed. A first printed circuit board has capacitive hats disposed thereon. Each capacitive hat is in association with one of an array of folded monopoles. A second printed circuit board has a switched beam forming network formed thereon. The switched beam forming network is configured to provide a predetermined omnidirectional antenna operation at a first switching position, and a predetermined directional antenna operation at a second switching position. Each of a plurality of feeding elements is associated with one of the folded monopoles. Each feeding element is coupled to one of the capacitive hats and to an antenna terminal. Shorting elements of the folded monopoles are coupled to the capacitive hats and to a ground plate of the antenna. A plurality of decoupling elements improve the antenna pattern for directional and omnidirectional modes and provide greater antenna gain.
30 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An antenna system configured for selective directional and omnidirectional operation, comprising:
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an array of folded monopoles; a first printed circuit board having capacitive hats disposed thereon, each capacitive hat being in association with a folded monopole of the array of folded monopoles, the capacitive hats being formed by a coating on a dielectric substrate; a second printed circuit board having a switched beam forming network formed thereon, the switched beam forming network configured to provide a predetermined omnidirectional antenna operation at a first switching position of the switched beam forming network and an activation of only one input/output port of the switched beam forming network, and a predetermined directional antenna operation at a second switching position of the switched beam forming network and an alternate activation of all inputs/output ports of the switched beam forming network; an antenna radome; a ground plate providing structural support for the switched beam forming network and the antenna radome; a plurality of feeding elements, each feeding element of the plurality of feeding elements being associated with each monopole of the array of folded monopoles, said each feeding element being coupled to one of the capacitive hats and an antenna terminal of the switched beam forming network; shorting elements of the folded monopoles coupled to the capacitive hats and to the ground plate; and a broadband matching network disposed between the folded monopoles and the input/output ports to provide matching therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An aircraft antenna system configured for selective directional and omnidirectional operation, comprising:
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an array of folded monopoles; a first printed circuit board having capacitive hats disposed thereon, each capacitive hat being in association with a folded monopole of the array of folded monopoles; a second printed circuit board having a switched beam forming network formed thereon, the switched beam forming network configured to provide a predetermined omnidirectional antenna operation at a first switching position of the switched beam forming network and an activation of only one input/output port of the switched beam forming network, and a predetermined directional antenna operation at a second switching position of the switched beam forming network and an alternate activation of all inputs/output ports of the switched beam forming network; a plurality of feeding elements, each feeding element of the plurality of feeding elements being associated with each monopole of the array of folded monopoles, said each feeding element being coupled to one of the capacitive hats and an antenna terminal of the switched beam forming network; shorting elements of the folded monopoles being coupled to the capacitive hats and to a ground plate of the antenna system; and an antenna radome, wherein the ground plate provides structural support for the switched beam forming network and the antenna radome. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. An antenna system configured for selective directional and omnidirectional operation, comprising:
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means for providing a plurality of folded monopoles; means for connecting a capacitive hat to each of the plurality of folded monopoles; means for providing an omnidirectional antenna radiation pattern and a directional antenna radiation pattern; means for selectively switching between the omnidirectional antenna radiation pattern and the directional antenna radiation pattern; means for associating an antenna terminal feeding element with each folded monopole and the respective capacitive hat; and ground plate means for providing structural support for the switched beam forming network and an antenna radome, wherein the feeding element and a shorting element associated therewith comprise parallel feeding and shorting strips disposed upon a dielectric means, the dielectric means being interposed between and mechanically coupled to the means for connecting the capacitive hat and to the means for providing an omnidirectional antenna radiation pattern and a directional antenna radiation pattern.
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Specification