Abstract: A universal mounting assembly that can be attached to both a cylindrical surface and a planar surface is provided according to embodiments of the present invention. The universal mounting assembly includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and a spacer. Both the top plate and the bottom plate have a pair of parallel edge portions and at least one curved edge portion that is disposed between the two parallel edge portions. The curved edge portion on the top and bottom plate contains at least one mounting tab for attaching the universal mounting assembly to a cylindrical support structure. The universal mounting assembly also includes planar mounting brackets located at each intersection of the parallel edge portions and the curved edge portion for mounting to a planar support structure. The top plate and the bottom plate are rigidly affixed to the spacer, which may be annular shaped and used to house electronic components, such as a lightning protection circuit. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.

Abstract: The invention includes a mechanical scanning feed and a spherical lens antenna system. The mechanical feed includes a waveguide, which has a movable wall assembly that contains a guide slot. The moveable wall portion also includes an end wall that is located proximate to the guide slot to prevent leakage of the propagating energy out of the waveguide. The mechanical feed also includes a drive mechanism, which moves the moveable wall assembly along the waveguide in a direction that is parallel to the direction of propagation of the energy. This allows the guide slot to be positioned at any elevation angle to allow a portion of the propagating energy to exit through the guide slot. This in combination with the waveguide being able to be rotated 360 degrees about the spherical lens provides the antenna system with nearly spherical coverage.

Abstract: A mixed-signal circuit board can provide a flexible arrangement of multiple RF transmission mediums in a single lightweight and compact structure as well as support embedding electronic devices within RF transmission paths. The transmission mediums may include a voided waveguide, a dielectric waveguide, a microstrip, a suspended microstrip, a traditional stripline, and a suspended stripline. The center conductors in each transmission medium may be constructed on the same plane or the same PCB layer in order to simplify coplanar design. A distribution board can be provided to deliver the power supply and control signals to the active electronic devices placed in the signal path of the RF board for signal processing and within covered cavities provided within the RF board.

Abstract: A connecting system can couple two waveguides to one another, wherein each of the waveguides comprises a flange or a protruding rim. When the waveguides are connected together, the flanges can face one another in an adjoining arrangement. The connecting system can comprise two members, each having a groove, recess, or slot that receives a circumferential area of the adjoining flanges. The two members can be disposed on opposite lateral sides of the waveguides with each groove embracing a peripheral area of the adjoining flanges. A fastener or another apparatus can bring the two members towards one another, thereby causing the flanges to move deeper into the grooves. That is, the two members can clamp around opposing sides of the flanges. In response to the flanges moving deeper into the grooves, the sidewalls of the grooves can compress the flanges together to attach the waveguides to one another.

Abstract: A compact system can use modular components to enhance the isolation or quality of signals that an antenna array produces. The system can comprise an array of input coupler modules and an array of output coupler modules respectively on the input and output sides of a signal routing device. Each input coupler module can receive a signal from a specific element in the antenna array and can divide or split that received signal into a multiple signal components, such as seven. The signal routing device can route each of those signal components to a different output coupler module in the array of output coupler modules. Thus, each output coupler module can receive and combine multiple signal components, such as seven, from different input coupler modules. The signal routing device can include a readily manufacturable phase trimming section to compensate for phase mismatches.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method of and for a microwave circulator. The apparatus, system, and method includes a non-reciprocal element for coupling microwaves from an input port to at least one output port, wherein the non-reciprocal element is capable of isolating at least one of the at least one output port, and a plurality of fillers, wherein each of the plurality of fillers is corresponded to a portion of the non-reciprocal element, and wherein each of the plurality of fillers is substantially adjacent to the corresponded portion of the non-reciprocal element and at least substantially fills a span between the corresponded portion of the non-reciprocal element and a proximate conductor surface.

Abstract: A high impedance bicone antenna system supporting ultra wideband operation. The antenna may comprise a reduced aperture size and reduced half-angles of the conductive cones forming the antenna. Reduction in cone angles may increase the impedance of the cones. An impedance matching mechanism for interfacing to the high impedance bicone may be positioned within one of the cones by a dielectric material. The impedance matching mechanism may be a flat conductive taper functioning as an impedance matching transmission line between an external feed line and the antenna. The conductive taper may function as a center conductor of a coaxial feed mechanism where the inside of the cone around the taper serves as the outside conductor, or return, of the tapered feed. The geometry of the cones may be modified to provide one or more end segments that are substantially cylindrical.

Abstract: A broadband omni-directional bicone antenna. The antenna can comprise conductive surfaces of conical voids provided within a solid dielectric structure. The outside surface of the solid structure can support a radio frequency (RF) lens geometry operable for beam forming. The beam forming can modify the elevation pattern of the electromagnetic radiation from the bicone antenna. The solid dielectric structure may be machined or molded from a single piece of material. The conical voids provided within the solid structure can be metallized to provide conductive bicone radiators. The outer surface beam shaping lenses can be zoned or continuous and can provide elevation patterns with increased gain, cosecant squared falloff, or various other patterns. The beam shaping lens may be formed from any low-loss dielectric. Alternatively, the lens may be formed from a less dense material such as dielectric foam that can support radial conductive beam forming vanes.

Abstract: A balun is a device for coupling together balanced and unbalanced electrical signals. An ultra-wide bandwidth balun can operate in a frequency band of more than 1.5 GHz to 26.5 GHz. The balun can be based upon a resistively loaded choke structure. The loading can be in the form of resistive cards or vanes. The vanes may be aligned with the electric field between the choke and an outer ground to prevent effective short circuits at points where the choke is half wavelength multiples in length. The resistive loading may also suppress higher order modes within the choke structure. The wideband balun can be very small to satisfy the tight space constraints of many modern communication applications. The balun may be fabricated using standard printed circuit board manufacturing techniques which may dramatically reduce production costs.

Abstract: An improved waveguide circulator that eliminates the need for quarter-wave dielectric transformers or impedance steps in the interface waveguide for broadband operation is described. The circulator designs in the prior art all require impedance matching elements outside of the ferrite element in order to achieve acceptable performance. Through the use of this new invention, broadband circulator performance can be achieved without the addition of impedance matching elements in order to minimize the cost, size, mass, and loss of the circulator.

Abstract: An improved waveguide isolator that eliminates the transitions to air-filled waveguides between ferrite elements and absorptive load elements is described. The waveguide isolator in accordance with the invention can be implemented in variations from a single ferrite to load transformer held in close proximity to an absorptive load element to any number of ferrite elements and absorptive load elements as required to achieve the desired isolation performance or to create a switch matrix with any combination of input and output ports. The waveguide isolator in accordance with the invention eliminates the transitions between ferrite to load transformers and absorptive load elements and thus reduces component size and mass.

Abstract: A method and system for increasing an isolation characteristic of a crossed dipole pair, dual polarized antenna can include a feedback system comprising a feedback element for generating a feedback signal in response to a transmitted RF signal produced by each radiating elements of a crossed dipole pair, dual polarized antenna. The feedback element may improve the isolation characteristic of RF signals between two different polarizations. The dimensions and spacing of the feedback element relative to an antenna may provide for optimal feedback signals. The feedback element can have a length, width, and thickness wherein the length and width are usually larger than the thickness dimension. A fastening mechanism of the inventive feedback system for coupling the feedback element to the antenna can include materials that allow for high speed production of antenna arrays using with the feedback system.

Abstract: An improved multi-junction waveguide circulator that eliminates the transitions to dielectric transformers and air-filled waveguides between ferrite elements is described. The waveguide circulator in accordance with the invention can be implemented in variations from a minimum of two ferrite circulator elements joined to one another to any number of conjoined ferrite elements as required to achieve the desired isolation performance or to create a switch matrix with any combination of input and output ports. The waveguide circulator in accordance with the invention eliminates the transitions between adjacent ferrite elements and thus reduces losses, component size, and mass.

Abstract: A wiper-type phase shifter with a cantilever shoe that ensures that the electrical contact on the wiper arm remains in electrical communication with the transmission trace located on the antenna backplane without relying to an element, such as a spring-loaded set screw, that passes through the backplane. The cantilever shoe thus provides a wiper hold-down mechanism without requiring holes or slots through the backplane, which could allow rain or other elements to get inside the antenna enclosure. A dual-polarization antenna that includes a wiper-type phase shifter for each polarization. The wiper arms define gear portions that engage each other, which allows a single actuator, typically located on the rear of the backplane opposite the location of the wiper arms, to drive both wiper arms in a coordinated manner. The antenna is suitable for use as a wireless base station antenna.

Abstract: A communication system can comprise an ordered arrangement or array of two sets, groups, or groups of antenna elements. The system can transmit or receive two bands or ranges of electromagnetic energy, signals, or radiation. The first set of the antenna elements can operate one of the bands, while the second set can operate the other band. The first set of antenna elements can be arranged or disposed to form a line or a column. The second set of antenna elements can be arranged or disposed on opposite sides of the line, with some of those elements on one side of the line and the remainder on the other side. The antenna elements that are on one side of the line can be staggered or longitudinally offset with respect to the antenna elements that are on the opposite side of the line.

Abstract: A system and method for searching a communication bus or network for one or more Antenna Line Devices using a divide-and-conquer approach can efficiently identify devices on the network in a short period of time. A divide-and-conquer search over the desired address space of network devices may be assisted by intelligently updating queries used in the search to reduce unnecessary queries. The state of devices present on a subset of the network may be determined by intelligently analyzing responses to queries with respect to possible collision of the query responses. Repeated queries may be used to interrogate a network for devices in a significantly more efficient manner than by explicitly querying each possible address in the address space.

Abstract: A hybrid antenna for use with satellite communications systems that may be mounted to a fuselage of an airframe and contain an electronic phased-array assembly to electronically steer the pitch of the antenna beam fore and aft of the airframe and mechanically roll the phased-array assembly to provide below-the-horizon coverage.

Abstract: A phased array antenna system operative to broadcast multiple beams that each include coded data for specific users located within the coverage area of the corresponding beam. An appropriate receiver then receives and decodes a particular beam to extract the specific data for a corresponding user. Multiple users may be assigned to each beam using frequency division or orthogonal code multiplexing, and the user data may be encoded into the beams using frequency shift key or phase shift key encoding. For each coding technique, the encoded antenna control signals are combined into a total gain and total phase shift control signal, which drives a single phase and gain control device for each antenna element. In addition, a single data modulator generates the coding parameters for the entire communication system.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a circuit assembly that includes an integrated circulator assembly. The circuit assembly has a first substrate, which contains a continuous circuit trace that includes a circulator component from the circulator assembly and at least one electrical component from the circuit assembly. A second substrate is disposed beneath the first substrate and includes a cladding on one surface. The second substrate contains an aperture that accepts a ferrite element, which is axially aligned with the circulator component of the circuit trace. A conductive material is placed across the ferrite element so that it forms a continuous ground plane with the cladding, which is common to the entire circuit trace. The circulator assembly also contains a magnet bonded to the ferrite element. The circulator assembly may also include a yoke disposed below the magnet to shield the circulator from external magnetic fields.

Abstract: An improved multi-junction waveguide circulator that eliminates the transitions to dielectric transformers and air-filled waveguides between ferrite elements is described. The elimination of the additional transformer sections between the ferrite elements allows for closer spacing of the ferrite elements. With the ferrite elements spaced in close proximity, it is feasible to run a single magnetizing winding through multiple ferrite elements without first exiting the conductive waveguide structure. This decreases the total number of magnetizing windings required for the assembly, resulting in a more efficient and lower cost manufacturing and assembly process.