Kvh Industries, Inc.

Amsc Subsidiary Corporation

Torrey Science Corporation

Charles D McCarrick

John M Seavey

Gregory Poe

Thomas Stanley Seay

Wayne T Cottle

Ronald K Manherz

A stacked patch antenna has a first element having a feed thereto spaced above a ground plane and one or more spaced apart parasitic elements spaced above the first element. The first and parasitic elements may be tuned to a fundamental mode for radiation of a specified frequency. The geometric centers of the parasitic elements are offset from one another and from the geometric center of the first element along the same direction. The stacked patch configuration provides increased gain and bandwidth. The offset configuration determines the direction of maximum gain for the antenna. The first and parasitic elements can be single antenna elements and may be microstrip antenna elements. The elements can also be arrays of microstrip antenna elements. The phasing of the arrays of microstrip elements can be controlled to determine a gain sensitivity direction.

Offset stacked patch antenna and method

Disclosed are systems, methods, and an apparatus that includes a microstrip network disposed on a ground plane and including at least one collection point, where the collection point(s) is in electrical communication with the microstrip network, a probe associated with each collection point, the probe extending through at least one opening in the ground plane and in electrical communication with one or more transmission line(s), and, a physical perturbation associated with each probe, the physical perturbation integrated with the transmission line(s) to create at least a first and a second signal port in the transmission line(s).

Microstrip transition and network

A feed network for, and method of feeding, an array of antenna elements has multiple feed points. Two feed lines extend from the feed points, one having a longer length that the other to provide a phase difference in the two feed lines. The feed lines split into main feed lines, which in turn split into secondary feed lines that connect to the antenna elements. The connections to the elements fed from one of the feed lines are rotated with respect to the connections to the elements fed from the other to provide another phase difference between the elements. The antenna elements may be fed from the longer of the feed lines from one of the feed points and the shorter of the feed lines from an adjacent feed point, with the connections from the feed points providing for right hand and left hand circular polarized elements, respectively.

Feed network and method for an offset stacked patch antenna array

A multi-band low-profile antenna includes a conductive ground-plane element; a first radiator element mounted on the ground-plane element to define a first vertical loop; a second radiator element mounted on the ground-plane element to define a second vertical loop; and a coupling element mounted on the ground-plane element to define a vertical coupling loop, with one end portion of the coupling element being connected to a feed terminal. In at least one embodiment, the first radiator element and the second radiator element are of such dimensions and are so disposed as to be parasitically coupled to each other, to cause the first radiator element to resonate at a first predetermined VHF frequency and to cause the second radiator element to resonate at a second predetermined VHF frequency. The coupling element is of such dimensions and is so disposed in relation to the first radiator element and the second radiator element as to cause a signal at the first predetermined VHF frequency to be inductively coupled between the first radiator element and the feed terminal and to cause a signal at the second predetermined VHF frequency to be inductively coupled between the second radiator element and the feed terminal. The antenna further includes a third radiator element of such dimensions and is so disposed as to resonate at a predetermined UHF frequency; and the coupling element is of such dimensions and is so disposed as to cause a signal at the predetermined UHF frequency to be inductively coupled between the third radiator element and the feed terminal. A compartment in the ground-plane element encloses circuit components of a communication device connected to the feed terminal.

Low-profile multi-band antenna

A mobile vehicular antenna for use in accessing stationary geosynchronous and/or geostable satellites. A multi-turn quadrifilar helix antenna is fed in phase rotation at its base and is provided with a pitch and/or diameter adjustment for the helix elements, causing beam scanning in the elevation plane while remaining relatively omni-directional in azimuth. The antenna diameter and helical pitch are optimized to reduce the frequency scanning effect. A technique is provided for aiming the antenna to compensate for any remaining frequency scanning effect.

Growing community of inventors

Plymouth, MA, United States of America

Charles D McCarrick