High performance low profile antennas

• US 9,806,425 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Antenum, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ami Research & Development, LLC
• Inventors: Apostolos, John T., Feng, Judy, Mouyos, William, McMahon, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINDGREN BALTZEL, ANDREA J
• Application Number:
  US13/372,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 343785
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/20 Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/22 Longitudinal slot in boundary wall of waveguide or transmission line H01Q13/203 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/24 constituted by a dielectric or ferromagnetic rod or pipe H01Q13/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/28 comprising elements constituting electric discontinuities and spaced in direction of wave propagation, e.g. dielectric elements or conductive elements forming artificial dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0068 Dielectric waveguide fed arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/068 using parallel coplanar travelling wave or leaky wave aerial units H01Q21/065 takes precedence

Abstract

A leaky travelling wave array of elements provide a broadband radio frequency antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna array apparatus comprising:

an elongated waveguide having a multi-layer substrate, the substrate having a major axis, a minor axis, an excitation end and a load end, the substrate comprising two or more layers of dielectric material, at least one of the layers being a selected dielectric layer that is spaced apart from an adjacent dielectric layer by an adjustable distance;

a control element, connected to at least one of the dielectric layers, and to thereby electrically scan a radiated beam angle by adjusting the adjustable distance between the selected dielectric layer and the adjacent dielectric layer;

one of the dielectric layers being an outer dielectric layer; and

an array of radiating antenna elements disposed on and electrically coupled to the outer dielectric layer at regularly spaced apart positions along the major axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control element is one of a piezoelectric or electro-active actuator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising:

a wedge layer disposed adjacent the array of radiating elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multi-layer substrate operates in a TEM propagation mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layers further comprise two or more types of dielectric layers, with a first dielectric layer type having a first dielectric constant alternately disposed with layers of a second dielectric layer type having a second dielectric constant, wherein the second dielectric constant is greater than the first dielectric constant.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least one of the first or second dielectric layer types is air.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the spacing between dielectric layers follows a chirp spacing that ranges from one-quarter of a wavelength of a lower frequency of operation to one quarter of a wavelength of a higher frequency of operation.