Radiating element incorporating impedance transformation capabilities

Claim 2

An antenna comprising: a dielectric member; an electrically conductive ground plane formed on one side of said dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on the other side of said dielectric member and spaced from said ground plane by said dielectric member, said patch element for radiating RF energy at a single predetermined frequency when coupled to a source of RF input energy applied to said patch; and means for transforming the impedance of said patch element to a predetermined impedance at a feed point located on said transforming means, said transforming means being electrically connected at one end thereof to said patch element and selectively located entirely within the perimeter of said patch element and being entirely surrounded by said patch element, said feed point location being at an end remote from said one end and separated by an effective electrical length of an odd number of quarter wavelengths at said predetermined frequency; said transformation means being a section of metal electrically connected at one end to said patch element and isolated in part at its feedpoint from said patch element by a slot, said slot characterized by an absence of metal; said slot being a U-shaped slot.

Claim 3

An antenna comprising: a dielectric member; an electrically conductive ground plane formed on one side of said dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on the other side of said dielectric member and spaced from said ground plane by said dielectric member, said patch element for radiating RF energy at a single predetermined frequency when coupled to a source of RF input energy applied to said patch; means for transforming the impedance of said patch element to a predetermined impedance at a feedpoint of said transforming means, said means for transforming being selectively located entirely within the perimeter of said patch element and being entirely surrounded thereby; and said means for transforming being a quarter wavelength section of metal electrically connected at one end thereof to said patch element and isolated in part at an end remote to said one end from said patch element by a slot, said feedpoint located at said remote end and said slot characterized by an absence of metal, said slot being a U-shaped slot.

Claim 4

An antenna comprising: a dielectric member; an electrically conductive ground plane formed on one side of said dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on the other side of said dielectric member and spaced from said ground plane by said dielectric member, said patch element for radiating RF energy at a single predetermined frequency when coupled to a source of RF input energy applied to said patch; means for transforming the impedance of said patch element to a predetermined impedance at a feedpoint of said transforming means, said means for transforming being selectively located entirely within the perimeter of said patch element and being entirely surrounded thereby; and said means for transforming being a quarter wavelength section of metal electrically connected at one end thereof to said patch element and isolated in part at an end remote to said one end from said patch element by a slot, said feedpoint located at said remote end and said slot characterized by an absence of metal, said slot being a U-shaped slot.

Claim 5

An antenna as defined in claim 2, said radiating patch element being a planar rectangular patch.

Claim 6

An antenna as defined in claim 3, said U-shaped slot being arranged with its axis of symmetry on an axis of symmetry of said patch element.

Claim 7

An antenna as defined in claim 2, said section having a resonant length aligned parallel to a resonant length of said patch element.

Claim 8

An antenna as defined in claim 2, said section having a tapered width.

Claim 9

An antenna as defined in claim 2, said section having a plurality of stepped width sections.

Claim 10

An antenna as defined in claim 2, said ground plane being made of copper and having a thickness of 1.0 oz. per square foot.

Claim 11

An antenna as defined in claim 8, said metal patch element being made of copper and having a thickness of 1.0 oz. per square foot.

Claim 12

An antenna as defined in claim 9, said dielectric member being a low dielectric constant material.

Claim 13

An antenna as defined in claim 10, said low dielectric constant material being a paper honeycomb impregnated with phenolic resin.

Claim 14

An antenna as defined in claim 11, said dielectric having a thickness of approximately 1/2 inch.

Claim 15

An antenna as defined in claim 11, said dielectric member further comprising two fiberglass layers attached to opposite surfaces of said honeycomb layer.

Claim 16

An antenna comprising: a dielectric member; an electrically conductive ground plane formed on one side of said dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on the other side of said dielectric member and spaced from said ground plane by said dielectric member, said patch element for radiating RF energy at a single predetermined frequency when coupled to a source of RF input energy applied to said patch; means for transforming the impedance of said patch element to give a desired impedance at a feedpoint of said transforming means, said transforming means selectively located within the perimeter of said patch element and entirely surrounded thereby; said means for transforming being a section of metal electrically connected at one end to said patch element and isolated in part at its feedpoint from said patch element by a U-shaped slot, said slot characterized by an absence of metal; said radiating patch element being a planar rectangular patch; said dielectric member being a thick dielectric and having a low dielectric constant; said U-shaped slot being arranged with its axis of symmetry on an axis of symmetry of said patch element, such that the resonant length of said section is aligned parallel to the resonant length of said patch element; and said section defined by said U-shaped slot, being a quarter wavelength section.

Claim 17

An antenna comprising: a dielectric member; an electrically conductive ground plane formed on one side of said dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on the other side of said dielectric member and spaced from said ground plane by said dielectric member, said patch element for radiating RF energy at a single predetermined frequency when coupled to a source of RF input energy applied to said patch; means for transforming the impedance of said patch element to give a desired impedance at a feedpoint of said transforming means, said transforming means selectively located within the perimeter of said patch element and entirely surrounded thereby; said means for transforming being a section of metal electrically connected at one end to said patch element and isolated in part at its feedpoint from said patch element by a U-shaped slot, said slot characterized by an absence of metal; said radiating patch element being a planar rectangular patch; said dielectric member being a thick dielectric and having a low dielectric constant; said U-shaped slot being arranged with its axis of symmetry on an axis of symmetry of said patch element, such that the resonant length of said section is aligned parallel to the resonant length of said patch element; and said section defined by said U-shaped slot, being a quarter wavelength section.

Claim 18

A single frequency microstrip patch antenna with impedance matching capabilities comprising: a planar dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on a face of said dielectric member, said patch comprising a generally U-shaped nonconductive slot dividing said patch into a radiating element and a impedance matching transformer, said slot partially surrounding said transformer, said transformer and said radiating element being in electrical contact along the open side of said U-shaped slot; a feedpoint on said transformer situated at an edge opposite to the open side of said U-shaped slot; and an electrically conductive ground plane formed on the opposite face of said dielectric member.

Claim 19

A single frequency microstrip patch antenna with impedance matching capabilities comprising: a planar dielectric member; a metal patch element formed on a face of said dielectric member, said patch comprising a generally U-shaped nonconductive slot dividing said patch into a radiating element and a impedance matching transformer, said slot partially surrounding said transformer, said transformer and said radiating element being in electrical contact along the open side of said U-shaped slot; a feedpoint on said transformer situated at an edge opposite to the open side of said U-shaped slot; and an electrically conductive ground plane formed on the opposite face of said dielectric member.

Claim 20

An antenna as defined in claim 15, said patch element being a planar rectangular patch.

Claim 21

An antenna as defined in claim 16, said transformer having a length aligned parallel to the length of said patch element.

Claim 22

An antenna as defined in claim 17, said dielectric member being a thick dielectric.

Claim 23

An antenna as defined in claim 17, the length of said transformer being a quarter wavelength.

Claim 24

An antenna as defined in claim 15, said transformer having a tapered width.

Claim 25

An antenna as defined in claim 15, said transformer having plurality of stepped width sections.

Claim 26

An antenna as defined in claim 15, wherein the length of said radiating element and the length of said transformer are approximately a half and respectively a quarter of the wavelength at said single frequency.

Claim 29

A method as claimed in claim 23, comprising the step of selecting the width of said transformer for obtaining an input impedance of said antenna at said feedpoint matching the impedance of an external energizing means.