Conformal antennas for mitigation of structural blockage
First Claim
1. A method of mitigating adverse transmission and/or reception effects that an obstruction would otherwise have upon a RF signal to be transmitted or received, the RF signal being available at a feed point and wherein the obstruction is spaced from the feed point in a direction of desired transmission or reception, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) disposing an artificial impedance surface adjacent the feed point and the obstruction, and(b) tuning or causing the artificial impedance surface (i) to have a spatially constant impedance function in a constant impedance region at least immediately adjacent the feed point and (ii) to have a spatially non-constant impedance function in one or more regions spaced from the feed point and closer to the obstruction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for mitigating adverse transmission and/or reception effects that an obstruction would otherwise have upon a RF signal to be transmitted or received, the RF signal being available at a feed point and wherein the obstruction is spaced from the feed point in a direction of desired transmission or reception. An artificial impedance surface is disposed adjacent the feed point and the obstruction, and the artificial impedance surface is designed (i) to have a spatially non-varying impedance function in a constant impedance region at least immediately adjacent the feed point and (ii) to have a non-constant impedance function in one or more regions spaced from the feed point and closer to the obstruction.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of mitigating adverse transmission and/or reception effects that an obstruction would otherwise have upon a RF signal to be transmitted or received, the RF signal being available at a feed point and wherein the obstruction is spaced from the feed point in a direction of desired transmission or reception, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) disposing an artificial impedance surface adjacent the feed point and the obstruction, and (b) tuning or causing the artificial impedance surface (i) to have a spatially constant impedance function in a constant impedance region at least immediately adjacent the feed point and (ii) to have a spatially non-constant impedance function in one or more regions spaced from the feed point and closer to the obstruction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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- 13. A method of radiating RF energy available from a feed point disposed on object having an obstruction which would normally interfere with radiation of the RF energy at said feed point, said method including emitting RF energy as surface waves on an artificial impedance surface from said feed point, the artificial impedance surface having a first region with a first surface impedance function which supports said surface waves moving away from said feed point and around an area where said obstruction meets said object and having a second region with a second surface impedance function which causes said surface waves to leak or launch off the artificial impedance surface as the radiation of said RF energy away from said artificial impedance surface.
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15. An apparatus for mitigating an effect of a RF obstruction upon a RF signal emitted by a RF feed point, the apparatus comprising:
an artificial impedance surface having the RF feed point disposed on or adjacent the artificial impedance surface and with the RF obstruction being disposed on or adjacent the artificial impedance surface, the artificial impedance surface having an essentially spatially constant impedance function in a region of the artificial impedance surface bounded by the RF feed point and the RF obstruction and with a spatially varying impedance function in regions not bounded by the RF feed point and the obstruction. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
- 22. An artificial impedance surface antenna comprising an artificial impedance surface disposed adjacent an obstruction which protrudes away from said artificial impedance surface and acts as a RF block, the artificial impedance surface having an impedance modulation that routes surface waves released upon the artificial impedance surface around said obstruction and into a radiating region unaffected by the obstruction.
Specification