Raytheon Company

Joseph M Anderson

Pyong K Park

Charles G Gilbert

Jared W Jordan

Matthew Salem

Kelly Ryian Stewart

Matthew J Wargo

Sang H Kim

David Y Kim

Steven Edward Bradshaw

Steven W Bartley

Jack H Anderson

Herbert A Leach

Todd Hatch

Richard M Oestreich

Kevin P Grabe

A directional coupler includes a substrate, an output line formed on a top of the substrate, and an input line formed on the top of the substrate and including a transmission region. The coupler also includes a lower input line formed on a bottom of the substrate below at least a portion of the transmission region, and one or more vias passing through the substrate and electrically coupling the input line and the lower input line.

Highly directive electromagnetic coupler with electrically large conductor

The concepts, systems and methods described herein are directed towards a connectorless radio frequency (RF) interface between an antenna and RF processor. An RF interconnect is provided having a housing having a ridged waveguide portion provided therein, an upper cavity formed in an upper portion of the housing, a lower cavity formed in a lower portion of the housing, a first suspended air stripline (SAS) transmission line disposed in the lower cavity such that at least a portion of the first SAS transmission line crossed a slot formed by the ridged waveguide and a second SAS transmission line disposed in the upper cavity such that at least a portion of the second SAS transmission line crosses the slot formed by the ridged waveguide.

Radio frequency interconnect systems and methods

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 scanned radio frequency (RF) antenna having a small volume is described.

Scanned antenna having small volume and high gain

A dual polarization multi-band antenna may include a waveguide horn, a low band feed section, a transition section, and a high band feed section coupled in series. The waveguide horn may be configured to support propagation of electromagnetic waves in a low band and a high band. The low band feed section may include horizontal and vertical feeds and may be configured to support propagation of electromagnetic waves in the low band and the high band. The high band feed section may include horizontal and vertical feeds and may be configured to support propagation of electromagnetic waves in the high band but not in the low band. The transition section may be configured to couple electromagnetic waves in the high band from the high band feed section to the low band feed section and to constructively reflect electromagnetic waves in the low band.

Broadband/multi-band horn antenna with compact integrated feed

An antenna element ( ) comprising a first conductive plane ( ), a second conductive plane ( ), and one or more dielectric layers ( ) separating the first and second conductive planes ( and ). A resonant cavity ( ) is formed by a portion of the first conductive plane ( ), a portion of the second conductive plane ( ) and electrical connections (e.g., plated vias( )) extending therebetween. A slot ( ) is formed in the portion of the second conductive plane ( ) forming one side of the resonant cavity ( ) and the feedline ( ) extends into the cavity ( ).

Antenna

A dual-polarization common aperture antenna having fully populated common aperture dual polarized arrays. The inventive antenna includes a first and second arrays of radiating slots disposed in a faceplate. The second array is generally orthogonal and therefor cross-polarized relative to the first array. The first array is waveguide fed and the second array is stripline fed. In the illustrative implementation, the first array and the second array share a common aperture. The common aperture is fully populated and each array uses the aperture in its entirety. The first and second arrays of slots are arranged for four-way symmetry. Each slot in the first array is a vertically oriented, iris-excited shunt slot fed by a rectangular waveguide and centered on a broad wall thereof. The second array is a standing wave array in which each slot is an air cavity backed slot fed by an inverted micro-stripline offset from a center thereof.

Dual-polarization common aperture antenna with rectangular wave-guide fed centered longitudinal slot array and micro-stripline fed air cavity back transverse series slot array

An aperture coupled microstrip patch antenna coupling circuit. Electromagnetic energy propagating along a stripline feedline is coupled through one of the ground plane surfaces through a tuned aperture to an adjacent microstrip feedline device, which may be a microstrip patch antenna. Undesirable propagation modes are suppressed by enclosing the aperture-coupled slot in a non-resonant cavity. Impedance matching is accomplished with an impedance matching section.

Stripline fed aperture coupled microstrip antenna

A compact high-performance antenna. The antenna includes a waveguide (,) for providing or receiving electromagnetic energy. A feed circuit (,) provides or receives the electromagnetic energy to or from the waveguide (,). A radiating circuit (,) provides or receives the electromagnetic energy to or from the feed circuit (,). One or more notches (,) in the feed circuit (,) compensate for insertion phase errors in the electromagnetic energy. One or more tabs (,) in the radiating circuit (,) compensate for radiation phase errors in the electromagnetic energy. In a specific embodiment, the antenna is a dipole antenna and includes an array of dipole cards. The radiating circuit (,) includes first (,) and second (,) radiating circuits included in each of the dipole cards (,). The first (,) and second (,) radiating circuits include a plurality of quarter-wave stripline transformers (,). The transformers (,) include one more rectangular tabs (,) for tuning out radiation phase errors, capacitance effects, and/or junction effects. The feed circuit (,) includes v-shaped notches (,) near the bases of the transformers that compensate for insertion phase errors. In the illustrative embodiment, the transformers (,) are arranged so that an equivalent circuit of the radiating circuit (,) appears shunt to an equivalent circuit of the feed circuit (,). Each transformer (,) is connected to a slotline radiating element (,). The magnitude of the transmitted or received electromagnetic energy is a function of the sizes of the transformers (,). The feed waveguide (,) includes indentations for inductive tuning.

Standing wave antenna array of notch dipole shunt elements

Disclosed is a common aperture dual polarization antenna array (30). This common aperture dual polarization antenna array (30) includes an antenna aperture (36) and a plurality of centered slot arrays (32) positioned within the antenna aperture (36). A plurality of notch dipole arrays (34) are positioned within the antenna aperture (36) and positioned substantially orthogonal to the plurality of centered slot arrays (32). A first feed guide (46) is coupled to the plurality of centered slot arrays (32) and a second feed guide (56) is coupled to the plurality of notch dipole arrays (34).

Dual polarization antenna array with radiating slots and notch dipole

Apparatus and methods for transitioning between opposite sides of adjacent stripline circuit boards. An orthogonal coaxial connection between opposite sides of the stripline circuit boards is provided wherein a center pin of a coax connector is disposed through the first stripline circuit board and the center trace of one of the stripline circuit boards and through the second board. The center pin is soldered or otherwise electrically attached to a small conductor island pad isolated from the ground plane of the second board and to the plated through hole. The ground of the coaxial connector is connected to the ground plane of the second board adjacent to the isolated conductor island pad.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Joseph M Anderson