Printed circuit board based feed horn

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300054-B2
Application number	US-201213349504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2012
Priority date	Jan 12, 2011
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A new class of feed horns is provided based on the use of metamaterial printed circuit board (PCB) liners on the walls of the feed horns. These feed horns may be implemented to achieve low cost operation. PCBs making up the metamaterial liner may be assembled together in such a manner as to form a feed horn with a square or rectangular aperture shape, although other suitable shapes are possible. These PCBs may be fabricated from standard low cost, off-the-shelf dielectric material. A conductor artwork pattern on the PCB surface forming the interior surface of the feed horn can be designed such that the PCB feed horn yields radio frequency (RF) properties similar to that of a corrugated feed horn. A simple flat plate ground plane bonded to the back side of the PCB can serve as the feed horn structure.

First claim

What is claimed is the following:

1. A feed horn comprising:
one or more printed circuit boards forming all outer walls of the feed horn such that the one or more printed circuit boards form the entire outer walls of the feed horn, the one or more printed circuit boards having a trace pattern on an interior surface of the feed horn, the one or more printed circuit boards comprising a conductive outer layer on an exterior surface of the feed horn, the trace pattern connected to the conductive outer layer through a via,
wherein the trace pattern forms a metamaterial on the interior surface of the feed horn for manipulating propagation of electromagnetic waves.

2. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the trace pattern spans substantially the entire interior surface of the feed horn.

3. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards is flexible, rigid or semi rigid.

4. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards comprises at least one of a dielectric and a metal.

5. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the trace pattern comprises metal traces printed on at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards.

6. The feed horn of claim 4 , wherein the dielectric comprises at least one of a ceramic, a glass or a polymer-based material.

7. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the feed horn is used to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic waves.

8. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards is either a single layer of printed circuit board, a multi layer of printed circuit boards or a printed circuit board with multi layers.

9. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards further comprises a dielectric layer with an effective index of refraction above 1.

10. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein a cross section of the feed horn is either circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or any shape with n-fold symmetry, wherein n is an integer.

11. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the feed horn is either directly radiating or serving as a feed to a reflector.

12. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the feed horn's operating frequency range is from UHF (Ultra High Frequency) to THz (terahertz).

13. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more printed circuit boards has an effective index of refraction between 0 and 1 in all or part of an operating frequency range.

14. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the one or more printed circuit boards are a low loss tangent material and not an absorber.

15. The feed horn of claim 1 , wherein the one or more printed circuit boards comprise four printed circuit boards so that a cross section of the feed horn is rectangular, wherein the trace pattern is formed on only the interior surface of two of the four printed circuit boards that are opposite to each other and the trace pattern is not formed on the interior surface of the other two printed circuit boards.

16. A feed horn comprising:
a plurality of outer horn walls, wherein each of the plurality of outer horn walls comprises a printed circuit board such that each entire outer horn wall comprises the respective printed circuit board, wherein each printed circuit board comprises a conductive layer, a dielectric layer, and a conductive trace, wherein the conductive trace is disposed on the dielectric layer opposite the conductive layer, wherein the conductive trace is connected to the conductive layer through a via extending through the dielectric layer, and wherein each conductive trace forms a metamaterial on an interior surface of the feed horn for manipulating propagation of electromagnetic waves.

17. The feed horn of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of horn walls are all electrically connected together.

18. The feed horn of claim 16 , wherein each printed circuit board is flexible, rigid or semi rigid.

19. The feed horn of claim 16 , wherein each printed circuit board comprises at least one of a dielectric and a metal.

20. An antenna system comprising:
a feed horn comprising at least one rigid printed circuit board forming all entire outer walls of the feed horn, wherein the at least one rigid printed circuit board comprises a conductive layer, a dielectric layer, and a plurality of unit metal traces, wherein the plurality of unit metal traces is disposed on the dielectric layer opposite the conductive layer, wherein each of the plurality of unit metal traces is connected to the conductive layer through a respective one of a plurality of individual vias, and wherein the plurality of unit metal traces forms a metamaterial on an interior surface of the feed horn for manipulating propagation of electromagnetic waves.

Assignees

• Martin Bonnie G
• Lier Erik
• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Martin Bonnie G
• Lier Erik

Classifications

• H01Q13/02

  Waveguide horns · CPC title

• H01Q15/0086 Primary

  said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title