High temperature skin antenna

• US 5,039,992 A
• Filed: 05/22/1990
• Issued: 08/13/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Societe Anonyme DBA
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Espace
• Inventors: Raguenet, Gerard, Coustere, Michel, Lenormand, Regis, Remondiere, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, PETER T
• Application Number:
  US07/526,755
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700 MS, 343/705, 343/708, 343/873, 343/878, 343/767, 343/789
• US Class Current: 343/708
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/002 Protection against seismic waves, thermal radiation or other disturbances, e.g. nuclear explosion; Arrangements for improving the power handling capability of an antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/18 the slot being backed by, or formed in boundary wall of, a resonant cavity longitudinally slotted cylinder H01Q13/12 ; Open cavity antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0457 electromagnetically coupled to the feed line

Abstract

The invention relates to a space reentry vehicle high-temperature skin antenna comprising a printed antenna embedded in a tile for providing thermal protection, and fed by electromagnetic coupling. The invention is particularly applicable to space telecommunications.

Claims

1. A skin antenna mounted to the exterior surface of a space reentry vehicle, said space reentry vehicle comprising a plurality of thermal protection tiles of a material subjected to vehicle external reentry temperatures exceedng 1,000°

C., with each tile fixed to said vehicle by a plurality of spacers providing thermal decoupling, said vehicle including an inside conductor, said antenna comprising at least one of said tiles being formed of a material capable of functioning as a conductor of microwaves, a recess formed within an outwardly facing surface of said at least one tile, a slab of dielectric material contained within said recess, a radiating element being disposed on an outwardly facing surface of said dielectric material slab, the bottom of said recess constituting a gound plane of said radiating element, said dielectric material and said radiating element being formed respectively of materials capable of withstanding said reentry temperatures, and a microwave feed line contained in one of said spacers of said at least one tile, said microwave feed line being connected to said radiating element and being coupled to said vehicle inside conductor via an electromagnetic slot.

2. An antenna according to claim 1, wherein the outwardly facing surface of the slab of dielectric material is surface treated.

3. An antenna according to claim 1, further including a protective layer on said slab of dielectric material of a material different from that of the slab.