Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Clifton Quan

Mark S Hauhe

Fangchou Yang

Jar Jar Lee

David E Roberts

Brian M Pierce

Hee Kyung Kim

Stanley W Livingston

Mark Y Hashimoto

Rosie M Jorgenson

Claudio S Howard

Alberto F Viscarra

Tse E Wong

Gerald A Cox

Rohn Sauer

Timothy E Dearden

Yanmin Zhang

Robert Chris Allison

Ronald I Wolfson

Jason G Milne

David T Winslow

Samuel Doug Tonomura

Shahrokh Hashemi-Yeganeh

Rick L Sturdivant

Timothy D Keesey

Raymond C Tugwell

Edward L Robertson

Daniel M Battista

Stephen E Sox

Chris E Schutzenberger

Douglas A Hubbard

Stephen M Schiller

Avery Y Quil

Richard M Hoffmeister

Polwin C Chan

Stephen R Kerner

Brian David Young

Irwin L Newberg

Stan W Livingston

Howard S Nussbaum

Stephen J Schiller

Kevin C Rolston

Leo H Hui

Scott T Johnson

Patrick J Fitzgerald

John J Wooldridge

Richard W Nichols

Steve K Panaretos

Chad E Patterson

Richard D Young

John J Wootan

Dung T Nguyen

Michael D Runyan

Larry L Lai

Chaim Warzman

Ike Chang

Mark E Stading

Jonathan D Gordon

Lonny Richard Walker

Kyle W Maxhimer

Derek Pruden

Steven W Drost

Alec Ekmekji

Edward Marsh Jackson

Steven G Buczek

Brendan H Robinson

Harold S Fenger

Thomas Brennan

Gary L Crandall

Veronica P Matterer

Adam C Von

Donald E Bostrom

Colleen Tallman

Robert Brett Williams

Charles J Mott

Frederick C Rupp

Michael D Wabs

Gregg M Tanakaya

Hernan E Romero

Alec Ekrnekjl

Mark Olson

Donald R Rohweller

Sean Costello

Keith Whaley

Jim Vaught

Bruce F Wolfe

Ruth Dean, Deceased

Min Takaki

Dan Roper

Pat Fitzgerald

Bill Batterton

Peter Holbrook

Richard A Montgomery

John H Steele, Ii

Anita L Reinehr

Raquel Z Rokosky

Robert W Ladera

Jeffrey J Stitt

David E Robert

A multi-layer microwave corrugated printed circuit board is provided. In one embodiment, an interconnect assembly includes a first flat flexible layer having a signal conductor and a ground conductor forming a first microstripline or microstrip transmission line, a second folded flexible layer having a signal conductor and a ground conductor forming a second microstripline or microstrip transmission line, the bottom surface of the second folded flexible layer having ridge portions, a non-conductive adhesive layer disposed between the top surface of the first flat flexible layer and the ridge portions of the second folded flexible layer, a signal through-hole extending through the non-conductive adhesive layer and the first flat flexible layer, and two ground through-holes extending through the non-conductive adhesive layer and the second folded flexible layer, wherein the two ground through-holes are disposed on opposite sides of the signal through-hole.

Multi-layer microwave corrugated printed circuit board and method

A rotary joint includes a contactless electrical connection that has an annular shape, not extending into a central region surrounded and defined by the annular contactless electrical connection. The annular shape of the electrical connection portions allows other uses for the central region, such as for passing an optical signal through the rotary joint. Feeds are coupled to annular waveguide structures in both halves of the rotary joint, for input and output of signals. The feeds may provide connections to the annular waveguide structures at regularly-spaced circumferential intervals around the waveguide structures, such as at about every half-wavelength of the incoming (and outgoing) signals. The annular waveguide structures propagate signals in an axial direction, parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary joint. The signals propagate contactlessly (non-electrically-conductively) across a gap in the axial direction between the two annular waveguides.

Rotary joint including first and second annular parts defining annular waveguides configured to rotate about an axis of rotation

Systems and methods for determining a positional state of an airborne array antenna using distributed accelerometers are described. One such method includes receiving and formatting acceleration data from each of a plurality of accelerometers mounted at different locations along the array antenna, receiving position and orientation data from an inertial navigation service (INS) mounted on the array antenna, generating an INS estimated position for each accelerometer based on the position and orientation data from the INS, generating an accelerometer estimated position for each accelerometer based on the acceleration data, determining a position and orientation of each accelerometer based on the respective INS estimated position and the respective accelerometer estimated position, determining an estimated position of a center and an orientation of the array antenna based on the determined position and orientation of each accelerometer, and adjusting a direction of the array antenna based on the estimated position of the array antenna.

Systems and methods for determining a positional state of an airborne array antenna using distributed accelerometers

An integrated stiffener and RF reflector (stiffener/reflector) () for a RF emitter which includes: a plurality of vertical ribs () constituting side walls of the stiffener/reflector; a plurality of horizontal ribs () formed in a width direction of the stiffener/reflector; a top cover () including metallization layer (), the top cover being electrically coupled to a ground layer () of the RF emitter and configured in such a way to direct all of RF energy in an opposite direction to the top cover. Each of the vertical () and horizontal () ribs has a sandwich structure, which includes: a foam core layer () disposed on a layer of the RF emitter (); a thin film layer () bonded to sides and top of the rib to form facesheets of the sandwich structure.

Lightweight stiffener with integrated RF cavity-backed radiator for flexible RF emitters

Provided is a radiator transition assembly for exciting a long slot radiator of an antenna, the transition assembly including a folded flexible circuit substrate including at least two folds forming a long slot radiator, an excitation circuitry configured to generate signals for exciting the long slot radiator, and a microstrip transmission line coupled to the excitation circuitry and positioned along the folded flexible circuit substrate, where the microstrip transmission line extends across an opening of the long slot radiator.

Systems and methods for exciting long slot radiators of an RF antenna

The present invention relates to panel array antennas, and more particularly to a cooling system for an antenna such as a jet stream conformal panel array antenna. In one embodiment, a panel array antenna for an aircraft includes a closed-loop fluid flow path that passes through the panel array assembly and dissipates heat to the jet stream outside the aircraft. A fluid such as pressurized air passes through this closed-loop path, flowing through strategically-placed openings in the layers of the panel array assembly and flowing over and around the hot electrical components in the panel assembly. The air is heated by these electrical components, and the heated air then flows through the flow path under the top sheet, dissipating the heat to the jet stream outside. In one embodiment, a panel array antenna includes a panel assembly having a top layer through which the antenna radiates or receives a signal, and a fluid flow path through the panel assembly. A first portion of the fluid flow path is disposed below the top layer such that a fluid passing through the first portion of the fluid flow path is in heat transfer proximity to the top layer.

Cooling system for panel array antenna

A system and method for recalibrating a beacon for illuminating an antenna array, the system including an adjustable beacon configured to illuminate at least a portion of an array of antenna elements with a beacon signal, an element locator coupled to the antenna elements and configured to determine a location of a test element of the antenna elements with respect to a reference element of the antenna elements using RF phase sensing based upon the beacon signal as perceived by the test element and the reference element, a beam steering unit coupled between the adjustable beacon and the element locator and configured to cause the adjustable beacon to produce an adjusted beacon signal corresponding to the determined location of the test element and an antenna signal-to-noise ratio perceived by the beam steering unit, a photo-responsive element coupled to the adjustable beacon and configured to power the adjustable beacon, and a light source configured to illuminate the photo-responsive element.

Method and apparatus for reconfiguring a photonic TR beacon

A switchable microwave fluidic polarizer is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a switchable polarizer for polarizing radio frequency (RF) signals associated with an antenna, the switchable polarizer including a plurality of radiating elements, an RF feed coupled to the plurality of radiating elements, an antenna input coupled to the RF feed, and an antenna cover disposed in proximity to the plurality of radiating elements, the antenna cover including a dielectric substrate including a plurality of channels for enclosing a liquid metal.

Switchable microwave fluidic polarizer

A space-fed conformal array for a high altitude airship includes a primary array lens assembly adapted for conformal mounting to a non-planar airship surface. The lens assembly includes a first set of radiator elements and a second set of radiator elements, the first set and the second set spaced apart by a spacing distance. The first set of radiators faces outwardly from the airship surface to provide a radiating aperture. The second set of radiators faces inwardly toward an inner space of the airship, for illumination by a feed array spaced from the second set of radiators.

Airship mounted array

Systems and methods for providing a reconfigurable groundplane are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to an antenna assembly having a reconfigurable groundplane, the assembly including a radio frequency (RF) feed, a plurality of radiating elements, a plurality of interconnects, each coupling one of the plurality of radiating elements to the RF feed, a first groundplane positioned between the RF feed and the plurality of radiating elements, a second groundplane positioned between the RF feed and the plurality of radiating elements, the second groundplane including at least one cavity for enclosing a liquid metal.

Systems and methods for providing a reconfigurable groundplane

A radio frequency (RF) transition for a three dimensional molded RF structure is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a radio frequency (RF) transition for an RF structure, the RF transition includes an assembly having a first flexible layer, a second flexible layer, and a third flexible layer, wherein a first section of the assembly includes a microstrip transmission line, wherein a second section of the assembly includes a dielectric stripline transmission line, and wherein a third section of the assembly includes a suspended substrate stripline transmission line.

RF transition with 3-dimensional molded RF structure

A light weight stowable antenna lens array assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a stowable lens antenna array including at least one antenna pair including a transmit antenna on a first layered composite, a receive antenna on a second layered composite, a ground plane on a third layered composite, the ground plane being between and spaced apart from the transmit antenna and the receive antenna, and a balanced transmission line coupling the transmit antenna to the receive antenna, and an articulating structure attached to at least one of the first layered composite, the second layered composite and the third layered composite, the articulating structure having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein at least one of the first layered composite, the second layered composite and the third layered composite includes a polymeric film.

Light weight stowable phased array lens antenna assembly

Methods for assembling an active array system are described. In one exemplary embodiment, an active subarray panel assembly having a first surface with a first array of electrical contacts and a radiator aperture with an array of radiator structures and an aperture mounting surface with a second array of electrical contacts are assembled together. The first surface of the panel assembly and the aperture mounting surface of the radiator aperture are brought into contact with an adhesive layer including microwave interconnects in a pattern corresponding to the first array of electrical contacts and the second array of electrical contacts so that the adhesive layer is between the first surface of the panel assembly and the aperture mounting surface of the radiator aperture. Pressure, heat and vacuum are applied to cure the adhesive and complete engagement of the microwave interconnects.

Methods for producing large flat panel and conformal active array antennas

An exemplary embodiment of a dual band antenna array includes a folded thin circuit board structure with a thin dielectric layer and a conductor layer pattern formed on a first surface of the dielectric layer, the circuit board structure folded in a plurality of folds to form a pleated structure. A first array of radiator structures on the first surface is configured for operation in a first frequency band in a first polarization sense. A second array of radiator structures is configured for operation in a second frequency band in a second polarization sense. A conductor trace pattern is formed on the folded circuit board to carry control signals, DC power and RF signals. Active RF circuit devices are attached to the folded circuit board in signal communication with the conductor trace pattern.

Dual band active array antenna

Systems and methods for assembling lightweight RF antenna structures are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a process for forming a lightweight antenna including a process for forming a first feed assembly for the antenna, the process for forming the first feed assembly including providing a flat flexible circuit substrate, providing a formed flexible circuit substrate, applying an adhesive to a plurality of locations on a surface of the flat substrate or the formed substrate, joining the flat substrate and the formed substrate using the adhesive, and heating the joined flat substrate and the formed substrate to bond the substrates.

Systems and methods for assembling lightweight RF antenna structures

Growing community of inventors

Arcadia, CA, United States of America

Clifton Quan