Radio frequency grounding sheet for a phased array antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9472843-B2
Application number	US-201313757451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2013
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A method includes coupling a printed circuit board (PCB) and a first conductive sheet to a pressure plate to form an antenna sub-assembly. The first conductive sheet defines a first plurality of openings and includes a first plurality of bumps. At least one opening of the first plurality of openings is surrounded by a set of bumps of the first plurality of bumps. The method includes coupling the antenna sub-assembly to a cover to form an antenna assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a cover including a plurality of waveguides;
a pressure plate;
a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising a plurality of radiating elements of a phased array antenna;
a first conductive sheet defining a first plurality of openings and including a first plurality of bumps, wherein one or more openings of the first plurality of openings is surrounded by a set of bumps of the first plurality of bumps; and
a second conductive sheet defining a second plurality of openings and including a second plurality of bumps, wherein one or more openings of the second plurality of openings is surrounded by a set of bumps of the second plurality of bumps,
wherein the PCB is positioned between the first conductive sheet and the second conductive sheet,
wherein the PCB, the first conductive sheet, and the second conductive sheet are positioned between the cover and the pressure plate, and
wherein, the first plurality of bumps and the second plurality of bumps are constructed from a conductive material to function as ground contacts for the phased array antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of openings has a circular shape and wherein each of the second plurality of openings has a rectangular shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one periphery connector located proximate a periphery of the pressure plate and at least one internal connector located proximate to a central portion of the pressure plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein one or more of the at least one periphery connector and the at least one internal connector comprise a spring configured to maintain an amount of pressure applied to the first conductive sheet, the second conductive sheet, and the PCB.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a first particular opening of the first plurality of openings is in alignment with a particular radiating element of the PCB.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of bumps is located on a first surface of the first conductive sheet and wherein the second plurality of bumps is located on a first surface of the second conductive sheet.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a first surface of the PCB is adjacent to a second surface of the first conductive sheet, wherein the second surface of the first conductive sheet is opposite the first surface of the first conductive sheet, wherein a second surface of the PCB is adjacent to a second surface of the second conductive sheet, wherein the second surface of the second conductive sheet is opposite the first surface of the second conductive sheet, and wherein the first surface of the PCB is opposite the second surface of the PCB.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first conductive sheet, the PCB, and the second conductive sheet define a plurality of connector openings.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the pressure plate includes a plurality of connectors, each connector of the plurality of connectors configured to extend through a particular connector opening of the plurality of connector openings on the first conductive sheet, the PCB, and the second conductive sheet.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pressure plate comprises a plurality of connectors around a periphery of the pressure plate, where the connectors can be tightened or loosened to adjust spring-loaded contact between first electronics coupled to the pressure plate and second electronics coupled to the plurality of radiating elements of the PCB.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of bumps and the second plurality of bumps are sized according to a design frequency range.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of bumps and the second plurality of bumps are shaped according to a design frequency range.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between adjacent bumps of any of the first plurality of bumps and the second plurality of bumps is sized to correspond to shortest wavelength signal at a frequency of at least 15 GHz.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each set of bumps surrounding one or more openings defined by any of the first conductive sheet and the second conductive sheet electrically isolates a corresponding radiating element of the PCB from an adjacent radiating element.

15. A method comprising:
coupling a printed circuit board (PCB), a first conductive sheet, and a second conductive sheet to a pressure plate to form a phased array antenna sub-assembly; and
coupling the phased array antenna sub-assembly to a cover to form a phased array antenna assembly,
wherein the PCB comprises a plurality of radiating elements of the phased array antenna,
wherein the PCB is positioned between the first conductive sheet and the second conductive sheet,
wherein the first conductive sheet defines a first plurality of openings and includes a first plurality of bumps, wherein at least one opening of the first plurality of openings is surrounded by a set of bumps of the first plurality of bumps,
wherein the second conductive sheet defines a second plurality of openings and includes a second plurality of bumps, wherein at least one opening of the second plurality of openings is surrounded by a set of bumps of the second plurality of bumps,
wherein, the first plurality of bumps and the second plurality of bumps are constructed from a conductive material to function as ground contacts for the phased array antenna, and
wherein the PCB, the first conductive sheet, and the second conductive sheet are positioned between the cover and the pressure plate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a distance between a particular bump of the first plurality of bumps and an adjacent bump of the first plurality of bumps is less than ten one-thousandths of an inch.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first plurality of bumps is located on a first surface of the first conductive sheet, wherein the second plurality of bumps is located on a first surface of the second conductive sheet, wherein a first surface of the PCB is adjacent to a second surface of the first conductive sheet, wherein the second surface of the first conductive sheet is opposite the first surface of the first conductive sheet, wherein a second surface of the PCB is adjacent to a second surface of the second conductive sheet, wherein the second surface of the second conductive sheet is opposite the first surface of the second conductive sheet, and wherein the first surface of the PCB is opposite the second surface of the PCB.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first plurality of bumps is adjacent to the cover and wherein the second plurality of bumps is adjacent to the pressure plate.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first plurality of bumps is formed using at least one of a machining process, a mechanical punching process, a stamping process, and an etching process.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Takeuchi Jimmy S
• Cameron Rodney D
• Heisen Peter T

Classifications

• H01Q1/523

  between antennas of an array · CPC title

• Y10T29/49016

  Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making · CPC title

• H01Q21/0087

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays (manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00) · CPC title

• H01Q21/061

  Two dimensional planar arrays · CPC title

• H01Q3/26

  varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture ({H01Q3/12,} H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence) · CPC title