The Boeing Company

Ted Ronald Dabrowski

Larry Leon Savage

John Dalton Williams

Robert Alan Smith

John E Rogers

Corey McKinney Thacker

Timothy Doyle Messer

Michael Francis Mitchell

Enrique Jesus Ruiz

Colin A Diehl

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to an antenna assembly having a first conductive element having a bowtie shape, the first conductive element on a dielectric material at a first layer; a feed point within the bowtie; a second conductive element as a feed line, at a second layer, wherein the second conductive element is electrically coupled to the first conductive element at least at the feed point, independently of direct electrical contact between the first conductive element and the second conductive element; and a ground plane. In some implementations, the second conductive element has no direct electrical contact with the first conductive element, and electrical coupling of the conductive elements comprises electric fields within the dielectric. This reduces the risk of electrical performance degradation caused by mechanical damage at the feed point, such as when the antenna assembly is installed to conform to a non-planar surface.

Electrically coupled bowtie antenna

A system for remote sensing of air gaps includes a substrate and a capacitor sensor array attached to the substrate, where the capacitor sensor array includes a plurality of capacitor sensors. The system also includes a transmit antenna attached to the substrate, and a microprocessor electrically connected to the transmit antenna and the capacitor sensor array. The microprocessor is configured to switch on and off at least one capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors and to transmit determined air gap measurements using the transmit antenna.

Systems and methods for remote sensing of air gaps using a capacitor sensor array

In examples, systems and methods for a radiating system of an aircraft are described. The aircraft system includes a conformal antenna array having a flexible substrate configured to conform to a curvature of a portion of an aircraft. Additionally, the conformal array has a plurality of antenna elements coupled to a first surface of the flexible substrate, where the plurality of antennas are formed in an array. The aircraft system further includes radio front-end hardware configured to communicate signals to and from the plurality of antenna elements. Moreover, the aircraft system includes a radar processing system coupled to the radio front-end hardware. Yet further, the aircraft system includes a renewable energy source configured to power the radar processing system and the radio front-end hardware.

Flexible hybrid electronic sensing system for UAV applications

In examples, systems and methods for a conformal array are described. In one example, an array is described. The array includes a plurality of antenna elements formed in a conformal array. The conformal array is arranged on a non-planar surface. Additionally, the array includes a respective feed for each of at least a subset of the antennas of the plurality of antenna elements. Each feed of the array is coupled to a respective antenna of the plurality of antennas based on a taper profile determined based on the non-planar surface. In another example, a method of determining an antenna array is disclosed. The method includes determining a planar array configuration for a plurality of antennas. The method further includes mapping the planar array configuration to a conformal surface to form a conformal array. Additionally, the method includes determining a taper profile based on the conformal array.

Method to optimally reduce antenna array grating lobes on a conformal surface

In examples, systems and methods for an antenna are described. The antenna array includes a flexible substrate and a plurality of antenna elements forming a two-dimensional array. Each antenna element includes a stripline feed located halfway through a height dimension of the flexible substrate. Each antenna element further includes a rectangular patch antenna having a first dimension equal to one-half of a wavelength at a given frequency of operation, and a second dimension equal to three-quarters of the wavelength at the given frequency of operation. Moreover, each antenna element includes a slot in the rectangular patch having a slot-length approximately equal to 0.925 of a wavelength at the given frequency of operation, where the stripline feed crosses under the rectangular patch and is orthogonal to a polarization of the slot.

Stripline fed full wavelength slot in half wavelength patch antenna

Systems, methods, and apparatus for a polarization uniqueness manipulation apparatus (PUMA) are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, an antenna apparatus (e.g., a PUMA) comprises a receive antenna to receive a signal with a first polarization. In one or more embodiments, the antenna apparatus is configured to passively modify the first polarization of the signal to a second polarization. The antenna apparatus further comprises a transmit antenna to transmit the signal with the second polarization. In at least one embodiment, the receive antenna is communicatively coupled to the transmit antenna. In one or more embodiments, the receive antenna and the transmit antenna are each separate patch antennas that are mounted on a substrate of the antenna apparatus at different orientations from one another. In at least one embodiment, the second polarization is dependent upon the different orientations of the receive antenna and the transmit antenna.

Polarization uniqueness manipulation apparatus (PUMA)

A broadband conformal antenna ('BCA') is disclosed. The BCA includes a narrow approximately rectangular outer conductive ('NARO') housing, a plurality of dielectric layers within the NARO housing forming a laminated dielectric structure, and an inner conductor formed within the laminated dielectric structure. The NARO housing includes a top broad wall and the BCA further includes an antenna slot within the top broad wall. The BCA is configured to support a transverse electromagnetic signal within the NARO housing.

Broadband conformal antenna

A method to mitigate an antenna multipath, Rayleigh fading effect. The method includes coupling an antenna on top of a structure, wherein the structure is covered by a radio frequency (RF) radiation absorbing layer, wherein the structure has a shape such that any reflecting surface of the structure is perpendicular to an incoming RF signal. The method also includes directing the incoming RF signal towards the structure, wherein undesired direct or reflected RF signals are either absorbed by the RF radiation absorbing layer or deflected back to a source of the RF signal, thereby avoiding interference of the undesired RF signal with a desired RF signal aimed at the antenna.

Spherical dielectric lens side-lobe suppression implemented through reducing spherical aberration

An antenna. The antenna includes a plurality of loop antennas sharing a common gap. The antenna also includes a nonlinear mixing component connected to the gap and configured to collect energy from at least one of the plurality of loop antennas.

Dominant H-field multiband loop antenna including passive mixer

A passive difference-frequency tag including a first antenna on a substrate, the first antenna having a first frequency band, the first antenna having a first shape of a first bowtie with first rounded end caps and first ends opposed to each other. The passive difference-frequency tag also includes a second antenna on the substrate inside the first antenna. The second antenna has a second frequency band higher than the first antenna frequency band. The second antenna having a second shape of a second bowtie with second rounded end caps and second ends opposed to each other. A combination of the first antenna and the second antenna forms a plurality of multi-band antennas with a shared axis of symmetry. The passive difference-frequency tag also includes a diode assembly on the substrate, and connected to the first ends of the first antenna and to the second ends of the second antenna.

Wideband bowtie antenna including passive mixer

A reconfigurable antenna comprises a plurality of antenna feed elements, a plurality of plasma switches respectively associated with the antenna feed elements, and control circuitry for independently operating the plasma switches to selectively activate and deactivate the antenna feed elements. Each plasma switch may comprise a volume of inert gas, and a pair of electrodes spanning the respective volume of inert gas. The reconfigurable antenna may comprise a power supply for supplying a voltage to the pair of electrodes of each of plasma switch sufficient to ignite the respective inert gas volume into a plasma field to deactivate the respective antenna feed element. Each plasma switch may optionally be operated to attenuate each antenna feed element.

Plasma switched array antenna

An apparatus includes a waveguide. The waveguide includes a waveguide wall having a shape associated with a dominant propagation mode. The waveguide includes a first dielectric material having a cross-sectional area that varies along a length of a portion of the waveguide.

Apparatus including a dielectric material disposed in a waveguide, wherein the dielectric permittivity is lower in a mode combiner portion than in a mode transition portion

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Madison, AL, United States of America

Ted Ronald Dabrowski