Radome attachment band clamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9083083-B2
Application number	US-201213600544-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2012
Priority date	Dec 11, 2009
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

A band clamp for coupling a radome to a distal end of a reflector dish for improving the front to back ratio of a reflector antenna, is provided with an inward projecting proximal lip and an inward projecting distal lip. The distal lip is dimensioned with an inner diameter equal to or less than a reflector aperture of the reflector dish. The proximal lip may be provided with an inward bias dimensioned to engage the reflector dish in an interference fit and/or turnback region dimensioned to engage an outer surface of a signal area of the reflector dish in an interference fit. A variety of different configurations of protruding portions extending from the band clamp may be applied to further improve electrical performance.

First claim

We claim:

1. A band clamp for coupling a radome to a distal end of a reflector dish, comprising:
a band with an inward projecting proximal lip and an inward projecting distal lip;
the distal lip dimensioned with an inner diameter less than or equal to a reflector aperture of the reflector dish;
the proximal lip provided dimensioned to engage an outer surface of the reflector dish in an interference fit; and
a protruding portion extending from an outer diameter of the band clamp;
the proximal lip, the distal lip and the protruding portion provided as a unitary contiguous portion.

2. The band clamp of claim 1 , wherein a distal edge of the protruding portion is serrated.

3. The band clamp of claim 1 , wherein a distal edge of the protruding portion is castellated.

4. The band clamp of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion extends toward a proximal end of the reflector dish.

5. The band clamp of claim 1 wherein the protruding portion has a length dimensioned as a multiple of one quarter wavelength of a desired operating frequency of the reflector dish.

6. The band clamp of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion extends outward at an angle of approximately 60 degrees from a longitudinal axis of the reflector dish.

7. The band clamp of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion extends from an outer diameter of the band clamp; the protruding portion forming at least one choke groove open to a distal end of the reflector dish.

8. The band clamp of claim 7 wherein a width of the choke groove is dimensioned as a multiple of one quarter wavelength of a desired operating frequency of the reflector dish.

9. The band clamp of claim 7 , wherein the at least one choke groove is two concentric choke grooves.

10. A method for manufacturing a band clamp for coupling a radome to a distal end of a reflector dish, comprising the steps of:
forming a band with an inward projecting proximal lip and an inward projecting distal lip;
a protruding portion extending from an outer diameter of the band clamp;
the proximal lip, the distal lip and the protruding portion provided as a unitary contiguous portion;
the distal lip dimensioned with an inner diameter less than or equal to a reflector aperture of the reflector dish;
the proximal lip provided dimensioned to engage an outer surface of the reflector dish in an interference fit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the band is formed by extrusion.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the band is formed by injection molding and metalizing.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the band is formed by progressive punching.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the band is formed by stretch forming.

Assignees

• Hills Chris
• Wright Alastair D
• Renilson Ian
• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Hills Chris
• Wright Alastair D
• Renilson Ian

Classifications

• H01Q1/42

  Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome · CPC title

• H01Q15/14 Primary

  Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures {(electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526)} · CPC title

• H01Q15/16

  curved in two dimensions [2D], e.g. paraboloidal · CPC title