Raytheon Company

Jared W Jordan

Benjamin L Cannon

Joseph M Anderson

Charles G Gilbert

Kelly Ryian Stewart

Clifford E Blanton

Presently disclosed is an antenna system having an array of ridged waveguide Vivaldi radiator (RWVR) antenna elements fed through a corporate network of suspended air striplines (SAS). The SAS transfers the electromagnetic energy to the radiating element via the ridged waveguide coupler. The Vivaldi radiator matches the output impedance of the ridged waveguide coupler/SAS to the impedance of the surrounding medium. Because the coupling method and the radiating elements are wideband mediums, this antenna array is capable of wideband operation. The physical dimensions of the resulting array are also not as sensitive to its electrical performance as other antenna designs since the bandwidth is quite large, reducing the occurrence of an out-of-specification antenna due to manufacturing tolerance build-up. This also reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process, which in turn lowers cost.

Ridged waveguide flared radiator antenna

Presently disclosed is an antenna system having an array of ridged waveguide Vivaldi radiator (RWVR) antenna elements fed through a corporate network of suspended air striplines (SAS) with an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) ground plane surrounding the ridged waveguide transition. The SAS transfers the electromagnetic energy to the radiating element via the ridged waveguide coupler. The Vivaldi radiator matches the output impedance of the ridged waveguide coupler/SAS to the intrinsic impedance of the surrounding medium. The EBG, which may be comprised of a photonic bandgap material or other metamaterial, allows for better frequency and bandwidth performance in a lower-profile array package, thereby reducing size and weight of the array for applications requiring small size and or low-inertia packaging. In alternate embodiments, radiating elements other than Vivaldi radiators may be used. This configuration also reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process, which in turn lowers cost.

Ridged waveguide flared radiator array using electromagnetic bandgap material

A radome is provided and includes a dielectric wall and metallic layers embedded within and/or disposed on the monolithic wall. Each of the metallic layers is configured to act as a sub-resonant reactive impedance surface at a lower frequency and as a frequency selective surface at an upper frequency.

Multi-bandpass, dual-polarization radome with embedded gridded structures

A radome is provided and includes a dielectric wall and one or more inductive metallic grids embedded in and/or disposed on the dielectric wall. Each of the one or more grids includes compressed grid arms and is tuned to permit bandpass transmission at upper and lower frequencies.

Multi-bandpass, dual-polarization radome with compressed grid

A stripline includes a first ground plane; a second ground plane; a first signal trace located between the first ground plane and the second ground plane; and a center via that extends through the stripline and is in electrical contact with the first ground plane and the first signal trace.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Jared W Jordan