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. 05, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 29, 1998
M Lawrence Goldstein, Palm Bay, FL (US);
Eric Andrew Gyorko, Indialantic, FL (US);
William D Killen, Satellite Beach, FL (US);
Harris Corporation, Melbourne, FL (US);
Abstract
A gain-optimized, compact helical antenna array comprises an array of tapered pitch angle helical antenna elements. By tapered pitch angle is meant that the pitch angle increases from the base end of the antenna element to the distal end, in a manner that optimizes the gain of each helical element relative to helix length for a given physical size of the winding. Each helical winding is coupled to a signal distribution network, through which the antenna's radiation pattern is controllably defined. The antenna elements have a spatially aperiodic distribution, that reduces grating lobes, by minimizing the number of antenna elements which share the same azimuth. A radial line orthogonal to the boresight axis will intercept a minimum number of helical antenna elements of the array. To minimize mutual coupling, the mutual spacing between any two antenna elements of the array is at least a prescribed minimum separation that is proportional to a product of the square root of the gain of the respective antenna element and the wavelength of the operating frequency of the array.