Andrew Corporation

Other

Mano Dorsey Judd

Gregory Allan Maca

Jonathon C Veihl

Breck Wayne Lovinggood

James L Alford

William P Kuiper

Michael D Thomas

David T Tennant

Thomas D Monte

Donald G Jackson

David Webb

Kevin W Ommodt

Mike Thomas

Darold B Cummings

Joel C Roper

Thomas A Bachman, Ii

Russell Hoppenstein

Johnsy Varghese

Jonathan C Veihl

Greg S Maca

Andria Van Der Merwe

The present invention, Methods for RF or Acoustic Boresighting, is a collection of various methods of accounting for and correcting for the errors that occur in a receiver during signal collection, and are an extension of patent Ser. No. 10/185,022, by using Radio Frequency coupling as opposed to switches. These updated methods enable a means to ensure a collected signal can be calibrated at any point during the signal collection period without having to cease signal collection in order to switch in a reference signal. These methods also account for signal bandwidth and signal type, including wideband, pulse, and continuous signals.

Boresight method with various methods

In the design of phased array antennas, as well as simple use of compact antennas, there is a strong interest to locate higher frequency antennas closer in spacing, and/or on the same surface, as the larger frequency antennas. What is needed is an array antenna technology, which can be conformal, and can interleave elements, as the frequency increases, to reduce array grating lobes. The desired solution would have much fewer required RF antenna ports, than the Tightly Coupled Dipole Antenna solutions. The optimal solution would also enable Dual or Diverse Polarization. This innovation embeds a wideband Slot Antenna, within the physical area of a larger electric dipole Antenna or Cross Dipole Antenna, with a De-Coupling gap around the Slot Ground Plane (or conductor) and isolates the Wideband Slot Antenna (the inner antenna) from the Dipole or Monopole antenna leg(s) (the Outer Antenna). Both (Inner and Outer) antennas have independent feeds and independent transmission line(s). Two key innovations are the use of a De-Coupling gap, and the use of the patent pending innovation 'Compact Single Pole Wideband Slot Antenna Design with Inverted Co-Planar Waveguide Feed'. Both the Inner Slot Antenna and its CPW feed are independent and isolated from the Outer Antenna and its feed and transmission line. This structure, which could have a multiplicity of inner Slot Antennas with numerous RF ports, is very different from the slot or parasitic inner structure within a single port antenna system.

Decoupled inner slot antenna

Aircraft

In patent application Ser. No. 15,934563, a method was developed that achieves wave rotation or shaping in the near field and far field, for narrowband RF Signals. That is, using an acoustic or RF phased array, the effective wavefront can be rotated from the propagation normal, at a selected location region in space. In this innovation, the application has been extended to Wideband Signals, where the signal bandwidths can highly exceed the one-percent of carrier frequency narrowband threshold.

Wideband wave construction method for controlling, rotating, or shaping radio frequency or acoustic waves in free space or in a fluid

Invention that uses over-sampling of the Analog to Digital Converter to produce additional synthetic vector signal samples that are used to construct high dimensional Signal Data Vectors and Calibration Steering Vectors, that are used to synthetically increase the effective size of the original real array which results in the generation of a narrower array beamwidth.

Passive beam mechanics

A wideband dual polarized antenna array system, with minimal number of RF ports that enables wideband array frequency ratios of 25:1 to 120:1. Reduced grating lobe performance is enabled by employing antennas-within-antennas. Orientation and spacing of antennas in novel methodologies further reduces sidelobes and grating lobes. Finally, this technology reduces the number of RF ports, compared to Tightly Coupled Dipole Antenna (TCDA) arrays by 10&#xd7; to 25&#xd7; times.

Wideband dual polarized antenna array system

A wave construction method is described that can be used to generate a new and different wave front, which is not parallel to the natural expanding wave front from the emitted signal generated from the source array. Restated, a wave construction method is described that can be used to generate a new and different wave front which is not perpendicular to the direction from the source array to the center of the wave front. This method can also be used to shape a wave in the far field or near field, by changing the locations of the computed points, and generating a linear or non-linear shaped wave (front). This disclosure allows for the controlling, rotating, or shaping radio frequency or acoustic waves in free space or in a fluid.

Wave construction method for controlling, rotating, or shaping radio frequency or acoustic waves in free space or in a fluid

A dual polarization antenna is described. An antenna under the present disclosure can comprise a plurality of legs, and a plurality of parasitic elements disposed between the legs. Feeds are connected to both the legs and the parasitics. By feeding the parasitics the antenna can be dual polarized, providing greater reception and transmission capabilities, as well as saving space compared to other dual polarized antennas.

Dual polarization antenna

An apparatus and method are described for a leading and trailing edge antenna structure. The antenna disclosed, with optional director and reflector, can allow for greater RF and telecommunications capabilities on an aircraft, including operating at lower frequencies than previous solutions. The disclosure allows for greater capability with negligible effect on weight or drag of an aircraft.

Leading edge antenna structures

A method for calibrating signals that uses continuous calibration throughout the signal collection process is described.

Boresight method

An antenna comprising a plurality of legs, a plurality of parasitic elements, each disposed between two of the plurality of legs and a gap between each of the parasitic elements and each of the associated legs that the parasitic element is disposed between.

Dipole antenna with parasitic elements

A signal repeating element for repeating a signal includes a housing, at least one transmit antenna element positioned on one side of the housing and at least one receive antenna element positioned on the same one side of the housing. Receiver and transmitter circuitry is coupled with respective ones of the receive and transmit antenna elements. Phase circuitry for affecting the phase of signals from the at least one receive antenna element and at least one transmit antenna element is coupled between the respective receive or transmit antenna element and the receiver or transmitter circuitry.

Repeaters for wireless communication systems

A repeater and associated method of use includes at least one antenna element for communicating in one direction and at least one antenna element for communicating in another direction. A radio frequency uplink path and a radio frequency downlink path are coupled between the antennas. At least one of the radio frequency uplink path or the radio frequency downlink path includes an adaptive cancellation circuit. The adaptive cancellation circuit is configured to generate a cancellation signal without requiring an injected signal. The cancellation signal, when added to a radio frequency signal in the respective uplink and downlink paths, substantially reduces feedback signals present in the radio frequency signal.

Growing community of inventors

Rockwall, TX, United States of America

Mano Dorsey Judd