WAVELENGTH COMPRESSED ANTENNAS

• US 20150349432A1
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Archaius LLC
• Original Assignee: Physical Devices, LLC
• Inventors: Vosburgh, Frederick
• Application Number:
  US14/727,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20150349432A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/09 wherein the primary active element is coated with or embedded in a dielectric or magnetic material protective material H01Q1/40, varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of refracting or diffracting devices H01Q3/44
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/00 Antenna arrays or systems arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system H01Q3/00

Abstract

Devices and methods for wavelength compression antennas and for arrays composed thereof are disclosed. Composed of individual wavelength compressing antennas, such arrays are of reduced size but avoid the mounting constraints and cost of containerized arrays. They also provide wider bandwidth for jammer cancellation, direction finding, beam steering and other array applications.

Claims

1. A wavelength compressive antenna element comprising:

a conductor;

a wavelength compressing layer in contact with at least a portion of the conductor; and

a terminal for connecting the antenna element to a circuit, wherein the wavelength compressing layer is configured to compress wavelengths of signals before the signals are incident to the conductor so that the conductor can have at least one dimension that is based on a compressed wavelength of one of the signals and so that the antenna element has a greater bandwidth than another antenna element having the at least one dimension but without the wavelength compressing layer.

2. The antenna element of claim 1 wherein the wavelength compressing layer is of a refraction providing type.

3. The antenna element of claim 2 wherein the wavelength compressing layer comprises at least one of:

a material having a high dielectric; and

a material having a negative dielectric,

and further comprising at least one of;

a material having a real permittivity; and

a material having an imaginary permittivity.

4. The antenna element of claim 2 wherein the wavelength compressing layer comprises a thin film covering the at least a portion of the conductor.

5. The antenna element of claim 2 wherein the wavelength compressing layer comprises a metamaterial.

6. The antenna element of claim 2 wherein the wavelength compressing layer covers at least a portion of the conductor.

7. The antenna element of claim 1 wherein the terminal is connected to an amplifier that is connected to a phase shifter.

8. The antenna element of claim 1 wherein the terminal comprises a slow wave transmission line.

9. An antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements of claim 1.

10. The antenna array of claim 9 wherein spacing between at least two of the antenna elements is based on compressed wavelength.

11. A method of receiving signals using a wavelength compressing antenna, the method comprising:

detecting radio frequency (RF) signals propagating through a medium, wherein detecting comprises;

compressing, using a wavelength compressing layer in contact with at least a portion of a conductor, wavelengths of the signals to provide compressed signals to the conductor.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising at least one of:

modifying compressed signals;

combining modified signals; and

processing combined signals,

as means of providing array antenna output signals to a receiver.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein compressing is conducted with high permittivity material.

14. The method in claim 11 wherein compressing comprises dilating.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein modifying comprises signal phase shifting.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein modifying comprises altering delay of at least one detected signal.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein processing comprises at least one of:

direction finding;

interference cancelling;

array gain providing;

array desensitizing; and

steered transmitting.

18. The method of claim 11 comprising performing the compressing and detecting using each antenna of an array of antennas.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein spacing between antennas in the array is determined according to compressed wavelength.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising directionally transmitting at least one signal using the conductor.