William Pala

Title: William Pala and an Ultrawideband Horn Antenna

Introduction

William Pala is an inventor associated with Fairfax Station, Virginia. His work includes an antenna design intended to efficiently transmit and receive high-power pulses of ultrawideband electromagnetic waves.

Latest Patents

Pala is credited with 1 patent: “Inline Coaxial Balun-Fed Ultrawideband Cornu Flared Horn Antenna.” The design transitions a coaxial transmission line into a parallel-plate transmission line using a Klopfenstein impedance profile, then terminates in a horn shaped according to a scaled Cornu spiral. This spiral is defined using the cosine and sine Fresnel integrals, and its flare curvature increases linearly with arc length.

The Klopfenstein profile is designed to reduce voltage reflections across a wide bandwidth while keeping the transition short. Combined with the Cornu-shaped flare, the design supports wideband operation. It is intended to radiate and receive high-power ultrawideband pulses over a preferred range of angles. In transmission, the antenna produces a field that is nearly proportional to the scaled temporal derivative of the input voltage; in reception, it produces a voltage that is nearly a scaled replica of the incident field.

Career Highlights

The patent lists the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, as the assignee. The invention’s focus is a compact, wideband transition and antenna structure for pulse-based electromagnetic applications.

Collaborations

Mark Kragalott is identified as Pala’s coworker in connection with the supplied information.

Conclusion

William Pala’s patented antenna combines a Klopfenstein-profile balun with a Cornu-spiral horn to support efficient ultrawideband pulse transmission and reception.