Multifunctional, multi-beam circular BAVA array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9716309-B1
Application number	US-201213494517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 12, 2012
Priority date	Jun 12, 2012
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A radar, communication, discovery and networking system is disclosed. The system utilizes a parallel plate waveguide simulator in combination with a circular array of Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna elements to support very broad bandwidth operations utilizing a low-profile aperture. It is contemplated that such configurations may be applied to linear arrays (i.e., with no curvature) as well. In addition, the antenna arrays may form multiple rows to resemble a planar antenna. The antenna system in accordance with the present disclosure may be installed on a size-constrained platform and utilized as a common shared asset aperture, providing multifunctional, multi-beam support to facilitate multiband communications.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a disc-shaped conductive substrate;
a ring-shaped conductive substrate being positioned generally parallel with respect to the disc-shaped conductive substrate, the ring-shaped conductive substrate having an outer diameter generally coincides with an outer diameter of the disc-shaped conductive substrate; and
a plurality of Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (BAVA) elements each positioned perpendicularly between the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate, the plurality of BAVA elements forming a circular antenna array along edges of the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate, the plurality of BAVA elements defining an electric field plane (E-plane) of the circular antenna array, the E-plane of the circular antenna array being parallel with the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate, and the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate jointly form a parallel plate waveguide for the circular antenna array.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate is determined based on a lowest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance separating two adjacent BAVA elements of the plurality of BAVA elements is determined based on a highest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate jointly create two imaged BAVA elements for each of the plurality of BAVA elements, and wherein the two imaged BAVA elements created for each of the plurality of BAVA elements are created on two opposite sides of the parallel plate waveguide formed by the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of BAVA elements is vertically polarized.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer diameters of the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate are approximately 2 feet, a distance between the disc-shaped conductive substrate and the ring-shaped conductive substrate is approximately 1 inch, and two adjacent BAVA elements of the plurality of BAVA elements are placed approximately 1.2 inches apart, allowing the apparatus to provide multiband coverage ranging from 830 MHz to 5 GHz.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
a first conductive substrate;
a second conductive substrate being positioned generally parallel with respect to the first conductive substrate, the second conductive substrate defining an outer perimeter that generally coincides with an outer perimeter of the first conductive substrate, and the second conductive substrate further defining an opening at a center of the second conductive substrate; and
a plurality of Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (BAVA) elements each positioned perpendicularly between the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate, the plurality of BAVA elements forming a continuous antenna array that loops around edges of the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate, the plurality of BAVA elements defining an electric field plane (E-plane) of the continuous antenna array, the E-plane of the continuous antenna array being parallel with the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate, and the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate jointly form a parallel plate waveguide for the continuous antenna array.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of BAVA elements forms at least one of: a circular antenna array, an elliptical antenna array or an oval-shaped antenna array.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a distance between the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate is determined based on a lowest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the distance is approximately 1 inch.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a distance separating two adjacent BAVA elements of the plurality of BAVA elements is determined based on a highest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the distance is approximately 1.2 inches.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate jointly create two imaged BAVA elements for each of the plurality of BAVA elements, and wherein the two imaged BAVA elements created for each of the plurality of BAVA elements are created on two opposite sides of the parallel plate waveguide formed by the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate.

14. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is configured for providing multiband coverage ranging from 830 MHz to 5 GHz.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell further comprising:
a first conductive substrate;
a second conductive substrate being positioned generally parallel with respect to the first conductive substrate; and
a Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (BAVA) element positioned perpendicularly between the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate,

wherein the plurality of unit cells jointly forms a continuous antenna array, the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate of each of the plurality of unit cells jointly form a parallel plate waveguide for the continuous antenna array, the plurality of unit cells defines an electric field plane (E-plane) of the continuous antenna array, and the E-plane of the continuous antenna array is parallel with the parallel plate waveguide for the continuous antenna array formed by the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate of each of the plurality of unit cells.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of unit cells jointly forms at least one of: a circular antenna array, an elliptical antenna array or an oval-shaped antenna array.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a distance between the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate is determined based on a lowest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a distance separating two adjacent BAVA elements of the continuous antenna array is determined based on a highest operating frequency supported by the apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first conductive substrate and the second conductive substrate of each of the plurality of unit cells jointly create two imaged BAVA elements for the BAVA element of each of the plurality of unit cells, and wherein the two imaged BAVA elements created for the BAVA element of each of the plurality of unit cells are created on two opposite sides of the parallel plate waveguide formed for the continuous antenna array.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is configured for providing multiband coverage ranging from 830 MHz to 5 GHz.

Assignees

• Elsallal M Wajih
• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Elsallal M Wajih

Classifications

• H01Q1/38 Primary

  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

• H01Q13/085

  Slot-line radiating ends · CPC title

• H01Q5/00

  Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements (combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30) · CPC title

• H01Q1/28 Primary

  Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons · CPC title

• H01Q25/00

  Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns (arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00) · CPC title