The Boeing Company

Scott A Raby

Peter Timothy Heisen

Julio A Navarro

Robert Tilman Worl

Jimmy Susumu Takeuchi

Bruce Larry Blaser

Jonathan Martin Saint Clair

Ming Chen

Lixin Cai

Richard Neal Bostwick

John Byam O'Connell

Douglas Allan Pietila

Stephen Lee Fahley

Mark Richard Davis

Dan R Miller

Derek E Iverson

Harold Peter Soares, Jr

David Lee Mohoric

Randy L Ternes

Richard N Bostwick

John B O'Connell

Jimmy S Takeuchi

The invention removes copper from the concave side of a flex circuit around a bendable region and replaces it with a conductive epoxy to allow it to be formed to tighter bend radii than would otherwise be possible. After the flex circuit is shaped in a tight radius and attached to a mechanical structure, the conductive epoxy is cured to act as functional replacement of the removed copper.

Stripline flex circuit

A modularly expandable, phased array antenna having a rhomboidal shaped antenna aperture formed by a plurality of rhomboidal shaped subarrays. Each subarray has a rhomboidal shaped printed wiring board on which is formed a plurality of antenna elements, where the elements collectively form a rhomboidal shape in accordance with the printed wiring board. The rhomboidal shaped subarrays enable a modular aperture to be formed without producing any gaps between columns or rows of adjacently positioned subarrays. Thus, a uniform, consistent spacing is maintained between all the antenna elements on the subarrays. This improves antenna radiation and low observability performance for the antenna system, as well as reducing the overall size of the antenna aperture and its cost of construction.

Rhomboidal shaped, modularly expandable phased array antenna and method therefor

An antenna array core comprising a plurality of microwave modules, a control layer, a mounting layer, and a signal distribution layer. The control layer is capable of distributing control signals to the plurality of microwave modules. The plurality of microwave modules are attached to an upper surface of the mounting layer and the mounting layer is made from a heat conductive material capable of cooling the plurality of microwave modules. The signal distribution layer is located below the mounting layer, wherein the signal distribution layer is capable of transmitting microwave signals to the plurality of microwave modules and wherein the arrangement of the plurality of microwave modules on the mounting layer, the control layer, and the wave distribution network form a layered architecture for the antenna core. The architecture is a balance between, size, thermal control, manufacturability, cost, and performance so as to be a unique solution.

Phased array antenna architecture

A dual beam electronically scanned phased array antenna architecture including a plurality of antenna modules orthogonally connected to a signal distribution board. Each module includes a radiator board orthogonally connected to a first end of a support mandrel. Each radiator board includes RF radiators and a pair of chip carriers mounted to opposing sides of the respective mandrel and interconnected to the respective radiator board. Each module includes a signal transfer board formed to fit around a second end of the mandrel such that it is compressed between the mandrel and the signal distribution board, and a pair of signal distribution bridges mounted to the opposing sides of the mandrel. Each signal distribution bridge interconnects respective chip carriers with the signal transfer board and distributes digital, DC and/or RE signals received from the signal transfer board to a plurality of beam scanning circuits included in the respective chip carrier.

Compact, dual-beam phased array antenna architecture

A method and structure for producing an angled RF connection between a first element and a second element using a flexible substrate is provided. The method includes laminating a flexible substrate onto the first element; bending the flexible substrate such that a bonding pad on the flexible substrate is in a similar plane as a bonding pad on the second element; and creating the angled RF connection by wire bonding the bonding pad on the flexible substrate and the bonding pad on the second element. The structure includes a flexible substrate that is laminated onto a first element as an outer layer, flexible substrate having at least one bonding pad, and the flexible substrate able to bend in an angle that places the bonding pad in a same plane as a bonding pad on a second element.

Method and system for angled RF connection using a flexible substrate

An antenna system for communicating electromagnetic and optical signals using a common aperture is provided. The system includes at least one optical phased array terminal integrated with an optically transparent electromagnetic antenna such that the optically transparent electromagnetic antenna and the optical phased array terminal share a common aperture. The optically transparent electromagnetic antenna includes a substrate fabricated of a substantially electrically non-conductive material that is substantially optically transparent to optical signals having a wavelength within a specific portion of the optical spectrum. An antenna element layer, including an array of electromagnetic antenna elements electrically connected by transmission lines and a plurality of phase shifters electrically connected to the electromagnetic antenna elements is disposed onto the substrate. The antenna elements and the transmission lines are fabricated of a conductive material that is deposited such that they are substantially optically transparent to optical signals having a wavelength within the specific portion of the optical spectrum.

Combined optical and electromagnetic communication system and method

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Scott A Raby