Directive, electrically-small UWB antenna system and method

• US 9,209,525 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GaN Corporation
• Original Assignee: Q-Track Corporation
• Inventors: Schantz, Hans Gregory, DePierre, Robert Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US13/436,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,346 Days
• Field of Search: 342/81, 342/368, 342/369, 342/372, 343/785, 343/884, 343/905
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence

Abstract

A directive electrically small antenna (DESA) process and method employs multipole synthesis to implement directive electrically small multipole antennas with ultra-wideband (UWB) stable antenna patterns. Although lossy, embodiments have adequate efficiency to work as receive antennas in the high ambient noise environment of the HF band and below. Employing a process dubbed “antenna regeneration,” energy may be circulated within an antenna by means other than resonance. This enables multiple decade UWB response without the efficiency penalties inherent to traditional resistively-loaded antenna systems. Regenerative antennas can simultaneously achieve the performance of high Q resonant antennas and the bandwidth of resistively loaded antennas.

Claims

1. An electrically-small directive antenna system comprising a twin lead transmission line and at least one load and further comprising a multipole configuration of radiation centers, the radiation centers emitting or receiving signals, and the radiation centers phased so as to yield a substantial cancellation of the signals in at least one direction resulting in a directive antenna pattern and wherein the twin-lead transmission line is impedance matched to at least one load, wherein the twin-lead transmission line is characterized by a length greater than a separation distance, and wherein the length is less than a quarter wavelength at a frequency of operation.

2. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 wherein the load is regenerative.

3. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 further including a cross-over.

4. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 further including an impedance transformer.

5. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 further including a second transmission line embedded within the twin-lead transmission line.

6. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 wherein the multipole is a quadrupole.

7. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 1 wherein the multipole is an octupole.

8. An electrically-small directive antenna system comprising a feed point, a load, and a twin-lead transmission line between the feed-point and the load, wherein the twin-lead transmission line is impedance matched to the load, wherein the twin-lead transmission line is characterized by a length greater than a separation distance, and wherein the length is less than a quarter wavelength at a frequency of operation.

9. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 8 further including at least one cross-over.

10. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 8 further including an impedance transformer.

11. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 8 further including a second transmission line embedded within the twin-lead transmission line.

12. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 8 wherein the load is a regenerative load.

13. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 12 wherein the regenerative load employs rectification.

14. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 12 wherein the regenerative load employs transformer coupling.

15. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 12 wherein the regenerative load employs a phase shifter.

16. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 12 wherein the regenerative load employs amplification.

17. The electrically-small directive antenna system of claim 8 wherein the load and the feed point form a multipole configuration of radiation centers phased so as to yield a substantial cancellation of the signals in at least one direction resulting in a directive antenna pattern.