The Boeing Company

Jay H McCandless

Kenneth G Voyce

George W Fitzsimmons

Dietrich E Riemer

Donn T Harvey

A phased-array antenna structure is provided that includes an antenna waveguide structure with a plurality of waveguides. The antenna waveguide structure propagates the received or transmitted electromagnetic (EM) signals within the plurality of waveguides to a corresponding active array module. Each active array module amplifies and adjusts the phase of a received or transmitted EM signal. The active array modules are coupled to an interconnect structure that provides EM signal propagation paths, as well as power and digital signal paths, to and from the active array modules. A plate is coupled to the interconnect structure and the antenna waveguide structure to support the antenna waveguide structure, the electronic modules, and the interconnect structure, thereby forming a rigid unit and keeping the electronic modules in alignment with their corresponding waveguides in the antenna waveguide structure. The plate also includes waveguides for propagating the EM signals from the interconnect structure to the antenna output. The active array modules each include an integrated polarizer for selectably operating with either right-hand circularly polarized signals or left-hand polarized signals. The polarizer, amplifiers and phase shifters are mounted on a substrate in each active array module, with the substrate disposed in a position normal to the propagation of the EM signals in the corresponding waveguide of the antenna waveguide structure, resulting in a planar configuration. Further, each active array module includes a waveguide as an integral part of the active array module.

Low-cost communication phased-array antenna

A mist cooled distributed amplifier utilizing a connectorless module. The amplifier comprises modules that are connected to waveguides in a honeycomb. The RF signals are distributed to and combined from the modules using a distributed waveguide manifold. Cooling is accomplished by forming channels between the modules through which mist is transmitted and collected and condensed at the output end.

Mist cooled distributed amplifier utilizing a connectorless module

A monopulse comparator receives an incoming RF signal through a multimode antenna and splits it into a first-half signal that corresponds to the incoming RF signal as received by one half of the antenna and a second-half signal that corresponds to the incoming RF signal as received by the other half of the antenna. A folded magic tee selectively separates an unsymmetric mode component signal and a symmetric mode component signal from the first-half signal. In one embodiment, the unsymmetric mode component signal is the TE.sub.2,0 mode and the symmetric mode component signal is the TE.sub.1,0 mode. The energy of the TE.sub.2,0 mode signal is dependent on .DELTA.AZ information of the incoming RF signal relative to the antenna's boresight. The TE.sub.1,0 mode contains the .SIGMA. and .DELTA.EL signals. A second folded magic tee selectively separates the corresponding unsymmetrical and symmetrical mode component signals of the second-half signal. Waveguide-to-microstrip transition circuits transition the TE.sub.2,0 mode component signals from the two folded magic tees to provide the .DELTA.AZ signal to microstrip. A third magic tee, coupled to the two folded magic tees, separates the .DELTA.EL and .SIGMA. signals from the TE.sub.1,0 mode component signals. Two waveguide-to-microstrip transition circuits transition the .DELTA.EL and .SIGMA. signals from the third magic tee to microstrip. Each magic tee includes matching-probes to match the ports of the magic tee. Each matching-probe includes a hole that causes the magic tee to have a lower return loss in the magic tee's sum port.

Package integrated planar monopulse comparator

A dually polarized monopulse feed system for processing radar signal information from a target so the target may be identified and tracked includes a symmetrical multimode input waveguide, a coupler for separating polarized modes of signal waves to identify and track the target, waveguides for rejecting and terminating selected polarized modes of signal waves, and a backshort for reflecting selected polarized modes of signal waves.

Dually polarized monopulse feed using an orthogonal polarization coupler

A waveguide-to-microstrip transition module transmits captured electromagnetic energy between a waveguide and signal processing circuitry. The module is an assembly of a base which includes at least one waveguide, a circuit board having one side mounted to the base and the opposite side including at least one microstrip. The microstrip is simultaneously connected to signal processing circuitry and oriented with each waveguide. A backshort is associated with each microstrip. The module further includes a housing bonded to and containing, the base and circuit board. A cover is hermetically sealed to the housing to enclose the circuit board in the housing.

Hermetic waveguide-to-microstrip transition module

A feedback linearization technique for a power amplifier that does not require the availability of the modulation signals. The RF input signal is down converted to a first IF signal. A portion of the amplifier RF output signal is used to form a feedback signal that is down converted to produce a second IF signal that is subtracted from the first IF signal to produce a different signal. The difference signal is filtered and amplified, and then up converted to RF for input to the power amplifier. Use of feedback at IF avoids stability problems inherent in RF feedback techniques.

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Jay H McCandless