Patent Application
20070139272
The present invention relates to the field of communications, and, more particularly, to low profile phased array antennas and related methods.
Existing microwave antennas include a wide variety of configurations for various applications, such as satellite reception, remote broadcasting, or military communication. The desirable characteristics of low cost, light-weight, low profile and mass producibility are provided in general by printed circuit antennas. The simplest forms of printed circuit antennas are microstrip antennas wherein flat conductive elements are spaced from a single essentially continuous ground element by a dielectric sheet of uniform thickness. An example of a microstrip antenna is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,277 to Olyphant.
The antennas are designed in an array and may be used for communication systems such as identification of friend/foe (IFF) systems, personal communication service (PCS) systems, satellite communication systems, and aerospace systems, which require such characteristics as low cost, light weight, low profile, and low sidelobes.
The bandwidth and directivity capabilities of such antennas, however, can be limiting for certain applications. While the use of electromagnetically coupled microstrip patch pairs can increase bandwidth, obtaining this benefit presents significant design challenges, particularly where maintenance of a low profile and broad beam width is desirable. Also, the use of an array of microstrip patches can improve directivity by providing a predetermined scan angle. However, utilizing an array of microstrip patches presents a dilemma. The scan angle can be increased if the array elements are spaced closer together, but closer spacing can increase undesirable coupling between antenna elements thereby degrading performance.
Furthermore, while a microstrip patch antenna is advantageous in applications requiring a conformal configuration, e.g. in aerospace systems, mounting the antenna presents challenges with respect to the manner in which it is fed such that conformality and satisfactory radiation coverage and directivity are maintained and losses to surrounding surfaces are reduced. More specifically, increasing the bandwidth of a phased array antenna with a wide scan angle is conventionally achieved by dividing the frequency range into multiple bands.
One example of such an antenna is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,167 to Wong et al. This antenna includes several pairs of dipole pair arrays each tuned to a different frequency band and stacked relative to each other along the transmission/reception direction. The highest frequency array is in front of the next lowest frequency array and so forth.
This approach may result in a considerable increase in the size and weight of the antenna while creating a Radio Frequency (RF) interface problem. Another approach is to use gimbals to mechanically obtain the required scan angle. Yet, here again, this approach may increase the size and weight of the antenna and result in a slower response time.
Harris Current Sheet Array (CSA) technology represents the state of the art in broadband, low profile antenna technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,512,487 to Taylor et al. is directed to a phased array antenna with a wide frequency bandwidth and a wide scan angle by utilizing tightly packed dipole antenna elements with large mutual capacitive coupling. The antenna of Taylor et al. makes use of, and increases, mutual coupling between the closely spaced dipole antenna elements to prevent grating lobes and achieve the wide bandwidth.
A slot version of the CSA has many advantages over the dipole version including the ability to produce vertical polarization at horizon, metal aperture coincident with external ground plane, reduced scattering, and stable phase center at aperture. Conformal aircraft antennas frequently require a slot type pattern, but the dipole CSA does not address these applications. Analysis and measurements have shown that the dipole CSA cannot meet requirements for vertical polarized energy at the horizon. The Dipole CSA is also limited in wide angle scan performance due to dipole-like element pattern over a ground plane.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a slot antenna that can produce vertical polarized energy near the horizon and can scan to near grazing angles.
This and other objects, features, and advantages in accordance with the present invention are provided by a slot-mode antenna including an array of slot-mode antenna units carried by a substrate, and each slot-mode antenna unit comprising a pair of patch antenna elements arranged in laterally spaced apart relation about at least one central feed position. Adjacent patch antenna elements of adjacent slot-mode antenna units have respective spaced apart edge portions with predetermined shapes and relative positioning to provide increased capacitive coupling therebetween.
The spaced apart edge portions may be continuously or periodically interdigitated to provide the increased capacitive coupling therebetween. The substrate may include a ground plane and a dielectric layer adjacent thereto, and the pair of patch antenna elements may be arranged on the dielectric layer opposite the ground plane and define respective slots therebetween. The patch antenna elements preferably have a same shape, such as a rectangular shape.
An antenna feed structure may be provided for each antenna unit and comprising a pair of coaxial feed lines, each coaxial feed line comprising an inner conductor and a tubular outer conductor in surrounding relation thereto. The outer conductors are connected to the ground plane, and the inner conductors extend outwardly from ends of respective outer conductors, through the dielectric layer and are connected to respective patch antenna elements adjacent the central feed position.
A method aspect of the invention is directed to a method of making a slot-mode antenna including forming an array of slot-mode, antenna units carried by a substrate, each slot-mode antenna unit comprising a pair of patch antenna elements arranged in laterally spaced apart relation about a central feed position, and shaping and positioning respective spaced apart edge portions of adjacent patch antenna elements of adjacent slot-mode antenna units to provide increased capacitive coupling therebetween.
Shaping and positioning may include comprises continuously or periodically interdigitating the respective spaced apart edge portions along the edge portions. The substrate may comprise a ground plane and a dielectric layer adjacent thereto, and forming the array may include arranging the pair of patch antenna elements on the dielectric layer opposite the ground plane to define respective slots therebetween.
The method may include forming an antenna feed structure for each antenna unit and comprising a pair of coaxial feed lines, each coaxial feed line comprising an inner conductor and a tubular outer conductor in surrounding relation thereto. The outer conductors are connected to the ground plane, and the inner conductors extend outwardly from ends of respective outer conductors, through the dielectric layer and are connected to respective patch antenna elements adjacent the central feed position.
The slot antenna of the present invention is capable of being matched at a lower frequency for a given unit cell size and ground plane spacing than the conventional dipole CSA. Analysis shows that the slot antenna produces the element pattern of a slot antenna, and can produce vertically polarized radiated energy near the horizon as well as scan to near grazing angles. Performance characteristics are significantly more independent of unit cell size than has been observed for dipoles, and more elements are possible within a limited size.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.
Referring to
Each antenna unit may also include an antenna feed structure 30 including two coaxial feed lines 32. Each coaxial feed line 32 has an inner conductor 42 and a tubular outer conductor 44 in surrounding relation thereto, for example (
More specifically, the feed line organizer body 60 may include a base 62 connected to the ground plane 26. A bottom enclosed guide portion 64 may be carried by the base 62, a top enclosed guide portion 65 is adjacent the antenna elements 16, 18 and an intermediate open guide portion 66 extends between the bottom enclosed guide portion and the top enclosed guide portion. The outer conductor 44 of each coaxial feed line 32 may be connected to the feed line organizer body 60 at the intermediate open guide portion 66 via solder 67, as illustratively shown in
The feed line organizer body 60 is preferably made from a conductive material, such as brass, for example, which allows for relatively easy production and machining thereof. As a result, the antenna feed structure 30 may be produced in large quantities to provide consistent and reliable ground plane 26 connection. Of course, other suitable materials may also be used for the feed line organizer body 60, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
Additionally, as illustratively shown in
More specifically, the feed line organizer body 60 allows the antenna feed structure 30 to essentially be “plugged in” to the substrate 12 for relatively easy connection to the antenna unit 13. The antenna feed structure 30 including the feed line organizer body 60 also allows for relatively easy removal and/or replacement without damage to the antenna 10. Moreover, common mode currents, which may result from improper grounding of the coaxial feed lines 32 may be substantially reduced using the antenna feed structure 30 including the feed line organizer body 60. That is, the intermediate open guide portion 66 thereof allows for consistent and reliable grounding of the coaxial feed lines 32.
The ground plane 26 may extend laterally outwardly beyond a periphery of the antenna units 13, and the coaxial feed lines 32 may diverge outwardly from contact with one another upstream from the central feed position 22, as can be seen in
The dielectric layer 24 preferably has a thickness in a range of about ½ an operating wavelength near the top of the operating frequency band of the antenna 10, and at least one upper or impedance matching dielectric layer 28 may be provided to cover the antenna units 13. This impedance matching dielectric layer 28 may also extend laterally outwardly beyond a periphery of the antenna units 13. The substrate 12 is flexible and can be conformally mounted to a rigid surface, such as the nose-cone of an aircraft or spacecraft, for example.
Referring more specifically to
The relative Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) to frequency of the single-polarization, slot antenna array 10 of the present invention is illustrated in the graph of
Thus, an antenna array 10 with a wide frequency bandwidth and a wide scan angle is obtained by utilizing the antenna elements 16, 18 of each slot-mode antenna unit 13 having mutual capacitive coupling with the antenna elements 16, 18 of an adjacent slot-mode antenna unit 13. Conventional approaches have sought to reduce mutual coupling between elements, but the present invention makes use of, and increases, mutual coupling between the closely spaced antenna elements to achieve the wide bandwidth.
A related method aspect of the invention is for making a single-polarization, slot antenna 10 including forming an array of slot-mode, antenna units 13 carried by a substrate 12, each single-polarization, slot antenna unit comprising four patch antenna elements 16, 18 arranged in laterally spaced apart relation about a central feed position 22. The method includes shaping and positioning respective spaced apart edge portions 23 of adjacent patch antenna elements of adjacent single-polarization, slot antenna units 13 to provide increased capacitive coupling therebetween.
Shaping and positioning may include continuously or periodically interdigitating the respective spaced apart edge portions 23, as shown in the enlarged views of
The method may further include forming an antenna feed structure 30 for each antenna unit and comprising two coaxial feed lines 32, each coaxial feed line comprising an inner conductor 42 and a tubular outer conductor 44 in surrounding relation thereto. The outer conductors 44 are connected to the ground plane 26, and the inner conductors 42 extend outwardly from ends of respective outer conductors, through the dielectric layer 24 and are connected to respective patch antenna elements at the central feed position 22, for example, as shown in
Referring now to
Thus, an antenna array 10′ with a wide frequency bandwidth and a wide scan angle is obtained by utilizing the antenna elements 16, 18 of each slot-mode antenna unit 13′ having mutual capacitive coupling with the antenna elements 16, 18 of an adjacent slot-mode antenna unit 13′.
A method aspect of this embodiment of the invention is directed to making a slot-mode antenna and includes providing a respective capacitive coupling plate 70 adjacent each gap and overlapping the respective spaced apart edge portions 23 to provide the increased capacitive coupling therebetween. Again, the capacitive coupling plates 70 may be arranged within the dielectric layer 24 below the patch antenna elements or within the second dielectric layer 28 above the patch antenna elements.
The antenna 10, 10′ may have a seven-to-one bandwidth for 2:1 VSWR, and may achieve a scan angle of +/−75 degrees. The antenna 10, 10′ may have a greater than ten-to-one bandwidth for 3:1 VSWR. Thus, a lightweight patch array antenna 10, 10′ according to the invention with a wide frequency bandwidth and a wide scan angle is provided. Also, the antenna 10, 10′ is flexible and can be conformally mountable to a surface, such as an aircraft.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
