Raytheon Company

John M Hadden, Iv

Robert G Yaccarino

Lonny Richard Walker

James A Carr

Rohn Sauer

John A Crockett, Jr

Steven Edward Bradshaw

James P Treinen

Thomas C DaVeiga

Anthony J Fahey

Steven E Bradshaw

The present invention relates to active electronically scanned array antennas. A thin, low cost design is provided by coupling electromagnetic energy into periodically driven long slots () using circulators with integrated probes (). The long slots () are formed as grooves () in a conductive base plate (), each groove () bracketed on both sides by conductive strips (). The circulators with integrated probes () are installed between the conductive strips () and the base plate (), to reduce fabrication costs of the machined parts and to facilitate the making of connections between the circulators and the antenna electronics. The probes () protrude partway into the slots () and provide coupling to waves propagating in free space.

Low profile cavity backed long slot array antenna with integrated circulators

An antenna system includes an array of notch radiators, arranged in aligned rows on longitudinal axes to define a series of troughs between adjacent notch radiator rows within an aperture area, each notch radiator including a tip region. A plurality of surface/traveling wave suppressors fabricated of microwave energy absorbing material is disposed in the troughs, so that a longest suppressor dimension is transverse or nearly transverse to the array face and so that a suppressor surface is transverse or nearly transverse to the longitudinal axes.

Surface/traveling wave suppressor for antenna arrays of notch radiators

An offset flared radiator and probe assembly for radiating and receiving electromagnetic energy. The radiator includes a reflective resonator which is nonsymmetrical to the radiator axis, and is coupled to the flare slotline region by a bend and transverse slotline region. The transverse slotline region is of sufficient length to accommodate a probe also offset from, and parallel to the radiator axis. The probe has no bends to cause reflections. The junction between the probe and the transverse slot region provides a coupling region for the energy received at the flared radiator.

Offset flared radiator and probe

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Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

John M Hadden, Iv