Abstract: A tunable antenna isolator includes a first wall, a second wall, and an electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure located between the first wall and the second wall. The first wall may be a metallic wall or an EBG structure, and the second wall may be a metallic wall or an EBG structure.

Abstract: A curved phononic waveguide. In some embodiments, the curved phononic waveguide includes a sheet including a plurality of standard reflectors and a plurality of divergent reflectors. Each of the standard reflectors is associated with a respective grid point of a grid defined by a plurality of intersecting lines, each grid point being a respective intersection of two of a plurality of intersecting lines, the grid being locally periodic to within 5%, and having a local grid spacing. Each of the standard reflectors has a center separated from the respective grid point of the standard reflector by at most 1% of the grid spacing. The divergent reflectors define a waveguide among the standard reflectors, each of the divergent reflectors being an absent reflector or a reflector that is smaller than one of the standard reflectors.

Abstract: A phononic coupler. In some embodiments, the phononic coupler includes a sheet, including a plurality of standard reflectors, and a plurality of divergent reflectors. The divergent reflectors define, among the standard reflectors, a first waveguide, and a second waveguide. The coupler has a first port, at a first end of the coupler, a second port, at the first end of the coupler, and a third port, at a second end of the coupler. The first waveguide has a first end at the first port. The second waveguide has a first end at the second port, and a second end at the third port. The coupler is configured to couple longitudinal sound waves to both the first port and the second port.

Abstract: An autonomously reconfigurable surface for adaptive antenna nulling includes a lattice of electrically conductive elements (which may be embodied as crossed metallic dipoles) mounted on a thin and preferably conformal surface and aperiodically loaded with reactance tuning elements and/or RF (and typically high power) sensing circuits. Additional elements mounted on this surface include analog to digital convertors (ADCs), digital to analog convertors (DACs), and microcontroller(s). The analog outputs of the DACs are networked to reactance tuning elements via, for example, a network of thin copper traces. The analog inputs of the ADCs are networked to the RF sensing circuits via a network, for example, of thin copper traces. The digital outputs of ADCs and the digital inputs of DACs are networked to microcontroller(s) via a network, for example, of thin copper traces.

Abstract: A method for providing control of surface waves propagating on a surface includes forming a surface treatment on the surface, wherein the surface treatment is configured to achieve a tensor surface admittance distribution matrix on the surface determined according to a modified transformation electromagnetics (tEM) equation.

Abstract: A tunable antenna isolator includes a first wall, a second wall, and an electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure located between the first wall and the second wall. The first wall may be a metallic wall or an EBG structure, and the second wall may be a metallic wall or an EBG structure.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting electromagnetic surface waves from TE mode to TM mode or from TM mode to TE mode. The apparatus includes a dielectric surface having an anisotropic impedance tensor which is preferably obtained by a plurality of electrically conductive unit cells disposed on the dielectric surface and arranged in a two dimensional array of unit cells, a majority of the unit cells in said array being divided into at least two portions, with at least one gap separating the at least two portions from each other into two or more patches or plates, the array of unit cells having a surface wave input end and a surface wave output end, gaps in the unit cells disposed closest to the surface wave input end having a first orientation and gaps in said unit cells disposed closest to the surface wave output end having a second orientation different than said first orientation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting electromagnetic surface waves from TE mode to TM mode or from TM mode to TE mode. The apparatus includes a dielectric surface having an anisotropic impedance tensor which is preferably obtained by a plurality of electrically conductive unit cells disposed on the dielectric surface and arranged in a two dimensional array of unit cells, a majority of the unit cells in said array being divided into at least two portions, with at least one gap separating the at least two portions from each other into two or more patches or plates, the array of unit cells having a surface wave input end and a surface wave output end, gaps in the unit cells disposed closest to the surface wave input end having a first orientation and gaps in said unit cells disposed closest to the surface wave output end having a second orientation different than said first orientation.

Abstract: A thin film, flexible, co-planar waveguide (CPW), antenna structure suitable to be mounted on vehicle glass and that has particular application for MIMO LTE applications in, for example, the 0.46-3.8 GHz frequency band. The antenna structure includes a planar antenna formed on a substrate that includes a ground plane having an elliptical cut-out slot section defined within an outer perimeter portion of the ground plane and an antenna radiating element extending into the slot from the perimeter portion.

Abstract: A thin film, flexible antenna that has particular application to be adhered to vehicle glass, where the antenna has a wideband antenna geometry and is operable to receive right-hand or left-hand circularly polarized signals from, for example, GPS and SDARS satellites. The antenna is a printed planar antenna formed to the substrate and includes a ground plane having a slot formed therein and a tuning sleeve having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. The planar antenna further includes a radiating element positioned adjacent to the tuning sleeve and including a feed portion positioned within the slot, where the radiating element includes a first horizontal portion and a second horizontal portion extending from a vertical portion towards the vertical portion of the sleeve. The ground plane is operable to generate circularly polarized signals to be received by the radiating element where the sleeve provides phase tuning of the signals.

Abstract: An adaptive detection and nulling system includes an antenna or radio frequency aperture, an electronically tunable radome placed over the antenna or radio frequency aperture, the radome including a plurality of scatterers on a substrate, and one or more tunable reactance elements connecting at least two of the scatterers, a microcontroller coupled to the tunable reactive elements and configured to control the reactance values of the one or more tunable reactance elements, and a sensing circuit coupled to the microcontroller, wherein inputs from the sensing circuit are used by the microcontroller to adaptively determine bias voltages to the one or more tunable reactance elements using characterization data of the radome to control the tunable reactance elements to form one or more nulls in a receive radiation pattern of the antenna.

Abstract: A thin film, flexible antenna that has particular application to be adhered to vehicle glass, where the antenna is operable to receive right-hand or left-hand circularly polarized signals from, for example, GPS and SDARS satellites. The antenna is a printed planar antenna formed to the substrate and includes a ground plane having an outer perimeter portion defining a slot therein and having a plurality of sides. A T-line tuning stub extends from one of the sides into the slot, a curved spur-line tuning stub extends from a corner where two sides of the perimeter portion meet and extends into the slot, and a radiating element electrically isolated from the perimeter portion extends into the slot. The perimeter portion is operable to generate circularly polarized signals to be received by the radiating element where the tuning stubs provide phase tuning of the circularly polarized signals.

Abstract: Several embodiments of systems and methods are described for a compound structure consisting of a compact conformal surface-wave antenna feed structure attached to a conformal surface-wave antenna. The feed structure is an Artificial Impedance Surface (AIS) which takes as input an arbitrary source, converts it into a desired surface-wave waveform, which then feeds its output into the attached conformal surface-wave antenna for optimal radiation performance. The feed structure can be made up of several sizes and shapes of AIS metal patches and can produce plane isotropic as well as anisotropic surface-wave output. The surface-wave antenna can be a radiating hologram made up of the same AIS metallic patches as the feed structure and fabricated on the same dielectric substrate.

Abstract: An antenna assembly including a planar antenna formed on a dielectric substrate and a frequency selective impedance surface formed on the substrate and at least partially surrounding the antenna. The frequency selective impedance surface receives surface waves propagating along the dielectric substrate generated by the antenna, where the impedance surface mitigates negative effects of the surface waves by converting the surface wave energy into leaky-wave radiation, and also possibly providing some control of the radiation gain pattern of the antenna. In one embodiment, the dielectric substrate is vehicle glass, such as a vehicle windshield.

Abstract: A thin film, flexible, leaky-wave CPW antenna that can mounted to a dielectric substrate on a vehicle, such as vehicle glass, where the antenna has application for a MIMO LTE cellular system, and where the conductive portion of the antenna can employ transparent conductors. The antenna includes a ground plane having opposing first and second ground lines defining a gap therebetween and an antenna radiating element extending between the ground lines in the gap. The antenna radiating element includes a plurality of leaky-wave tuning stubs crossing the antenna radiating element at predetermined intervals that operates to change the radiation pattern of the antenna to be more parallel to the ground.

Abstract: A thin film, flexible, co-planar waveguide (CPW), dual-polarized antenna structure suitable to be mounted on vehicle glass and that has particular application for MIMO LTE applications in the frequency band of, for example, 0.46-3.8 GHz. The antenna structure includes two U-shaped antenna radiating elements that receive signals that are linearly polarized in two orthogonal horizontal (H) and vertical (V) directions, where the radiating elements are separated by a ground plane line.

Abstract: A thin, flexible antenna that has particular application to be mounted to a dielectric structure on a vehicle, such as vehicle glass, where the antenna has a wideband antenna geometry for various communications applications, and where the conductive portion of the antenna can employ transparent conductors.

Abstract: A connector assembly that provides a proper impedance connection between a CPW antenna mounted on automotive glass to a FAKRA-type connector. The connector assembly includes a PCB having a top surface and a bottom surface and being adhered to the glass. Vias are provided through the PCB to make electrical contact between metallization planes on the top surface and the bottom surface of the PCB. Terminals that are part of the connector extend through some of the vias, where ground terminals provide mechanical stability and make electrical contact with the metallization planes on the bottom surface of the PCB and a signal terminal provides an electrical connection to the antenna radiating element. The PCB is adhered to a substrate on which the antenna is mounted so that the metallization planes and microstrip lines make electrical contact with a CPW feed structure that feeds the antenna.

Abstract: A tensor impedance surface including a plurality of unit cells, wherein each unit cell includes a dielectric having a thickness, a first surface of the dielectric having a metallic pattern on the first surface, and at least one lumped element coupled between a first point on the metallic pattern and a second point on the metallic pattern. Each unit cell of the plurality of unit cells has a first thickness and has an identical metallic pattern. Each unit cell of the plurality of unit cells is adjacent to one or more unit cells of the plurality of the unit cells.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electronically steering an antenna system is provided. A surface wave is propagated along each of a number of surface wave channels formed in each of a plurality of radiating elements to form a radiation pattern. Each surface wave channel in the number of surface wave channels formed in each radiating element in the plurality of radiating elements is coupled to a transmission line configured to carry a radio frequency signal using a surface wave feed in a plurality of surface wave feed associated with the plurality of radiating elements. A main lobe of the radiation pattern is electronically steered by controlling voltages applied to a plurality of switch elements connecting a plurality of impedance elements in each of the number of surface wave channels.