L-3 Communications Corporation

Neil Kenneth Harker

Rory Kim Sorensen

Douglas H Ulmer

Scott M Lyon

Richard Gerald Edwards

Steven Douglas Wollschleger

Samuel Charles Kingston

Brandon Gregory Walsh

Radivoje Zarubica

N Thomas Nelson

Alan McLean Buchanan

Jeffrey J McGill

Michael C Hollenbeck

Timothy G Riggs

Trevis D Anderson

Troy M Rueckert

Bryan Willis

David M Ellis

Craig M Norton

An antenna array can be quickly and efficiently designed to meet specified performance criteria. A system can be configured to receive various performance criteria as inputs, and from these inputs, identify how elements of an antenna array should be arranged so that the antenna array will meet the performance criteria. An iterative process can be performed to identify at least one arrangement of elements that will best meet the performance criteria while also complying with specified structural constraints.

Designing an antenna array to meet specified performance criteria

A configurable antenna may include a circular horn array comprising a plurality of horn antennas, a configurable waveguide in a center of the circular horn array, and a plurality of actuators. The configurable waveguide includes a plurality of retractable triangular wedges, with one side of each wedge oriented to one of the plurality of horn antenna and a corner oriented toward a center of the waveguide, wherein a circle defined by each of the corners oriented toward the center of the waveguide defines a first circumference. The configurable waveguide further includes a plurality of movable tuning rods arranged in a circle defining a second circumference, the second circumference being smaller than the first circumference, said movable tuning rods further arranged such that the movable tuning rods are between the corners the corners oriented toward the center of the waveguide.

Configurable horn antenna

A horn-reflector antenna for tracking the location of in-flight aircraft is provided. The antenna includes an upwardly-opening horn having a reflector attached thereto. The horn may have an asymmetric rectangular cross-section and comprise at least one upwardly and outwardly extending side wall. The reflector includes a reflecting surface that may have a generally hyperbolic paraboloid shape or saddle shape. The horn and reflector may be constructed from a polymer material in an injection molding process. The reflecting surface of the reflector and the inner surfaces of the horn may be coated with a reflective or conductive material, for example, a paint comprising sliver-plated copper particles. In use, the horn-reflector antenna may be adapted to rotate around the longitudinal axis of a stationary waveguide feed. As such, the antenna of the present invention can be adapted for operation without the use of a rotary joint or a slip ring.

Directional single-axis horn-reflector antenna

A phase shifting component of a waveguide comparator subsystem can effect a relative phase shift that advances an input signal A relative to an input signal B. A comparator component can then split those signals such that a first part of signal A and a second part of signal B are combined at a difference port, and a first part of signal B and a second part of signal A are combined at a sum port. The comparator can delay the phase of the second parts of the signals such that, with the relative phase shift of the phase shifting component, the first part of signal A and the second part of signal B are one-hundred eighty degrees (180&#xb0;) out of phase at the difference port, and the second part of signal A and the first part of signal B are in phase at the sum port.

Radio frequency comparator waveguide system

A cluster of communications platforms can comprise a master platform and support platforms. The master platform can partition a data block into data partitions and transmit the data partitions via a short range transmitter to the support platforms. Each support platform can include a high power storage device for powering long range burst transmissions of a subset of the data partitions to a distant receiver. Burst transmissions of data partitions by the same support platform can be separated by a charging time period that allows a high power storage device in the support platform to charge from a relatively low average power Pa relatively high power burst Pthat is sufficient to transmit one of the data partitions to a distant receiver.

Transmitting portions of a data block in transmission bursts from a plurality of transmitters

Stepped radio frequency (RF) reflector antennas are disclosed in which an inner RF reflector is disposed in a central opening of at one or more annular RF reflectors. The RF reflecting surface of the inner RF reflector and the RF reflecting surface(s) of the one or more annular RF reflectors can be shaped and positioned relative to each other to have different focal lengths but nevertheless reflect an RF signal to the same focal plane. The depth of the inventive reflector antenna system can be less than the depth of prior art reflector antennas with a comparable RF aperture.

Stepped radio frequency reflector antenna

A compact integrated waveguide load has a load section disposed within an interior region of the waveguide proximate to a closed end of the waveguide. The load section has a tubiform shape, with an exterior surface congruent with an interior surface of the waveguide and an interior surface defining a circumferential step within the waveguide. A method of making a compact integrated waveguide load includes providing a waveguide and placing electromagnetic wave absorbing materially circumferentially around the interior surface to create an inward step.

Growing community of inventors

South Jordan, UT, United States of America

Neil Kenneth Harker