The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 09, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 26, 1996
Bronson Murray, Freehold, NJ (US);
James Paul Foley, Yardley, PA (US);
Thomas MacKenzie Stuart, East Windsor, NJ (US);
Fred Manfred Weiss, Moorestown, NJ (US);
Lockheed Martin Corp., East Windsor, NJ (US);
Abstract
An array antenna especially adapted for spacecraft use includes a support frame made up of intersecting beams which form an 'eggcrate' of square openings. A plurality of subarrays or radiating tiles are dimensioned to fit within the openings. Distortion of the support frame due to external forces, or due to expansion and contraction of the radiating tiles, is accommodated andor resisted by a four-point mounting arrangement for each tile. Each mounting is located on the center of the sides of the radiating tile, and the corresponding center of the side of the opening in which it fits. Each mounting consists of a thin, flexible mounting beam, extending parallel to the associated support beam, and fastened to the support beam at the ends of the mounting beam. The center of the side of the tile is fastened to the center of the flexible support beam, so expansion and contraction of the tile are compensated by bending of the flexible beam. Mutually opposing external forces acting parallel to the elements of the support frame are resisted by the longitudinal stiffness of the flexible beam and the diagonal stiffness of the tile.