Hughes Aircraft Company

Other

Motia Inc.

Kenneth C Kelly

James June-Ming Wang

Donald C Chang

Te-Kao Wu

Stanley S Chang

Wenzhang Wang

Harry Wong

A digital water intrusion notification system comprising a water intrusion detection device, a digital data transmission device, and a software interface is disclosed. The digital water intrusion notification system preferably comprises a deployable moisture collection device to cover an area, a digital data transmission device to provide internal monitoring, relay to a computer system, and cellular connectivity, and a software interface to provide instant notification of alerts and automated dispatch of a service technician. Such a system can detect water intrusion in roofing applications or other large areas requiring sufficient leak detection coverage, and may be assembled in various orientations and compositions to suit the relevant application.

Digital water intrusion notification system

The present invention relates to a vehicle mountable satellite antenna as defined in the claims which is operable while the vehicle is in motion. The satellite antenna of the present invention can be installed on top of (or embedded into) the roof of a vehicle. The antenna is capable of providing high gain and a narrow antenna beam for aiming at a satellite direction and enabling broadband communication to vehicle. The present invention provides a vehicle mounted satellite antenna which has low axial ratio, high efficiency and has low grating lobes gain. The vehicle mounted satellite antenna of the present invention provides two simultaneous polarization states. In one embodiment, an inverted L-shaped waveguide has a first wall extending vertically downward from a top surface. The top surface can include a ridge portion. The top surface includes a plurality of radiating elements for forming a radiating surface.

Vehicle mounted satellite antenna system with inverted L-shaped waveguide

A shunt coupled array of slots in a waveguide broadwall, wherein the slots are defined by a punch operation which leaves a tab connected at one side of the slot. The slot side to which the tabs are connected is alternated. The tabs extend downwardly into the waveguide and provide a means for exciting the slots without requiring the longitudinal slots to be alternatively offset. Thus, the invention provides a method of fabrication which permits elimination of the slot offsets, while at the same time is lower in cost than conventional methods of creating slot openings arrays. Higher antenna gain results from a given aperture when slot offsets are eliminated and the slots are truly located along straight lines in rows and columns.

Tab coupled slots for waveguide fed slot array antennas

A constant gain sector beam array is obtained by applying equal amplitude, equal phase excitations to a sector array characterized by a curved array geometry. In a simple form, the curve is the arc of a portion of a circle. The radiation pattern can be further enhanced by using a more complex curvature geometry, and by minor adjustments to the amplitudes in the slots. Other forms of shaped beams, such as a cosecant squared antenna pattern, may be obtained by appropriately shaping the curvature geometry.

Shaped beams from uniformly illuminated and phased array antennas

A triplex microwave reflector which includes a primary reflector and a pair of dichroic surfaces disposed between the primary reflector and the focal point of the primary reflector. Each of the dichroic surfaces reflects a specific band of microwave signal frequencies and transmits the others. Microwave signals reflected by one of the dichroic surfaces are focused at a front virtual focal point and microwave signals reflected by the other dichroic surfaces are focussed at a back virtual focal point. Microwave signals transmitted by both the front and back dichroic surfaces are focussed at the primary focal point.

Multiple dichroic surface cassegrain reflector

An EHF array antenna backplate that integrates thermal cooling structure and signal processing structure together into one unified structure. In one embodiment, forced air is employed to conduct heat from active modules; while in another embodiment, embedded heat pipes are employed. The array backplate is made by using four layers. The layers are: a high density multichip interconnect board, a metal matrix composite motherboard, an integrated waveguide/cavity/cooling structure, and a metal matrix composite baseplate. Each module uses solder bumps to connect to the high density multichip interconnect board where DC power and control logic signal distribution takes place. The modules are soldered in four locations to the metal matrix composite motherboard through openings in the high density multichip interconnect board. EHF signals are coupled to the modules from a resonant cavity via probes that protrude through the high density multichip interconnect board. Probes are strategically located in the resonant cavity to pick up an EHF standing wave generated by slots that are part of a slotted planar waveguide EHF 16-way power divider network. The waveguide/cavity/cooling structure is also the primary load-bearing member of the backplate.

EHF array antenna backplate including radiating modules, cavities, and

An array antenna (20) that avoids the generation of grating lobes or second order beams is formed of a two-dimensional array of radiating elements (40) disposed in parallel rows (22) and parallel columns (24), each of the radiating elements being formed as slotted apertures within a top broad wall (28) of a waveguide (26). The width of the broad wall is many times greater than the height of a sidewall (32, 34) of the waveguide, the waveguide having a rectangular cross section. A wave launcher (46) connected to a first end of the waveguide launches a higher-order mode of electromagnetic wave wherein the order of the mode is equal to the number of columns of the radiating elements. A set of vanes (48, 48A) upstanding from a bottom wall (30) of the waveguide extend partway towards the top wall to provide values of inductance and capacitance which resonate at the resonant frequency to inhibit reflection of the electromagnetic wave from individual ones of the vanes. Each vane extends in a plane perpendicular to the sidewalls, individual planes of the vanes bisecting slots (40) of the radiating elements, the slots being arranged parallel to the sidewalls. In each column, the locations of vanes are staggered from side to side so as to offset a path of propagation of the wave in the vicinity of the radiating element to reverse a sense of coupling of electromagnetic power from the wave to the radiating element. This produces a uniform phase front from radiations from all of the radiating elements.

Slot radiator assembly with vane tuning

An antenna (20) is formed of a two-dimensional array of radiating apertures disposed in rows (22) and columns (24), each of the radiating apertures being formed as slots (40) within a top broad wall (28) of a waveguide (26). The width of the broad wall is many times greater than the height of a sidewall (32, 34) of the waveguide, the waveguide having a rectangular cross section. A wave launcher (56) connected to a first end wall (36) of the waveguide launches a higher-order mode of electromagnetic wave wherein the order of the mode is equal to the number of columns of the radiating elements. The top wall (28) has an enlarged thickness of approximately one-eighth free-space wavelength. Each of the slots extends via a passage (46) from an input port (48) at an interior surface (52) of the top broad wall to an output port (50) at an exterior surface (54) of the top broad wall. All of the slot output ports are centered at the locations of maximum intensity of electric field. In order to provide for magnetic coupling from an electromagnetic wave within the waveguide to longitudinal sides of each slot, each slot passage is inclined so as to displace the slot input port to a location wherein there is sufficient magnetic field component parallel to the slot to couple power from the wave to be radiated from the antenna. Inclinations of successive ones of the slot passages are staggered for coupling from magnetic wave components of equal polarization and phase.

Array antenna with slot radiators offset by inclination to eliminate

A flat plate array is provided which permits generation of two independent beams from a single slotted waveguide antenna. The two beams are coincident in space, but are of two different linear polarizations, those polarizations being orthogonal, i.e., at right angles to each other. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of slots are provided in a flat top plate of a waveguide cavity. The slots are located in rows and columns with a predetermined spacing between pairs of slots positioned in the respective rows and columns. Each beam is associated with its own input/output port and either the rows or columns of slots of the array. Coupling the two ports with a suitable power splitter and phase shifter permits the antenna to produce a single beam with any elliptical polarization, any linear polarization, right circular polarization, or left circular polarization, plus a second coincident beam with polarization characteristics 'orthogonal' to the first, for example, right circular polarization and left circular polarization.

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Sherman Oaks, CA, United States of America

Kenneth C Kelly