Patents by Inventor Brent T. Toland
Brent T. Toland has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 6778145Abstract: An antenna array (10) comprises a plurality of antenna elements (20-32) creating a plurality of radio frequency waves. The central portion (185) of opposed edges of the waves are guided with conductive material. The waves are isolated from each other by non-conductive (cir or dielectric) spaces (189). The waves are guided by tapered surfaces (140, 141) having a predetermined thickness and emitted through a mouth having a mouth length (M). The ratio of the predetermined thickness to the mouth length is increased until there is no substantial increase in the high frequency limit of the array.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2002Date of Patent: August 17, 2004Assignee: Northrop Grumman CorporationInventors: Brent T. Toland, Kwok-Kee Chan
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Publication number: 20040004580Abstract: An antenna array (10) comprises a plurality of antenna elements (20-32) creating a plurality of radio frequency waves. The central portion (185) of opposed edges of the waves are guided with conductive material. The waves are isolated from each other by non-conductive (cir or dielectric) spaces (189). The waves are guided by tapered surfaces (140, 141) having a predetermined thickness and emitted through a mouth having a mouth length (M). The ratio of the predetermined thickness to the mouth length is increased until there is no substantial increase in the high frequency limit of the array.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 3, 2002Publication date: January 8, 2004Inventors: Brent T. Toland, Kwok-Kee Chan
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Patent number: 6504514Abstract: A satellite antenna system employing a dual-band feed horn and dual-band beam forming network. The feed horn provides a common aperture for both satellite uplink and downlink communications signal. The feed horn includes corrugations on an inside surface defining two sets of alternating channels having different depths to create circularly symmetric beams for the uplink and downlink signals. The antenna system includes at least one reflector, where the reflector shape, position, and the configuration of the feed horn, is determined so that the mainlobe of the lower frequency downlink feed signal illuminates the entire reflector, and the mainlobe of the higher frequency uplink feed signal illuminates an inner portion of the reflector. The first sidelobes of the higher frequency feed signal illuminate the outer portion of the reflector so that the uplink and downlink antenna signals have the same beamwidth, and thus cover the same cell size on the Earth.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2001Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Brent T. Toland, Youn H. Choung, Vrage Minassian, Ronald Y. Chan, James S. Hamada
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Publication number: 20020097190Abstract: A wideband matching surface (600) for a dielectric lens antenna (100) is formed from a first dielectric layer (602) (e.g., Rexolite™) characterized by a first refractive index and a second dielectric layer (604) characterized by a second refractive index supporting the first dielectric layer (602).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2000Publication date: July 25, 2002Inventors: Te-Kao Wu, David L. Brundrett, Andrew L. Roberts, Brent T. Toland, Kenneth A. Hummer
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Patent number: 6424308Abstract: A wideband matching surface (600) for a dielectric lens antenna (100) is formed from a first dielectric layer (602) (e.g., Rexolite™) characterized by a first refractive index and a second dielectric layer (604) characterized by a second refractive index supporting the first dielectric layer (602).Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2000Date of Patent: July 23, 2002Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Te-Kao Wu, David L. Brundrett, Andrew L. Roberts, Brent T. Toland, Kenneth A. Hummer
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Patent number: 6268835Abstract: A deployable phased-array-of-reflectors antenna includes individual reflectors and feed arrays. Each feed array is disposed above a corresponding individual reflector. The individual reflector antennas are preferably disposed adjacent to one another (e.g., on a hexagonal lattice) to form a phased array antenna using the individual reflectors antennas as elements. Phase and amplitude control electronics are coupled to each reflector antenna to provide steering for the signal energy coupled between the reflectors and the feed arrays. Switching electronics are coupled to the feed arrays and selectively activate and deactivate beam forming clusters of feeds in the feed arrays. A method for generating a steerable antenna pattern couples signal energy through a beamforming section to form steered signal energy. Next, the method couples the steered signal energy between a phased array of reflector antennas.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2000Date of Patent: July 31, 2001Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Brent T. Toland, L. Dwight Gilger, Ronald Y. Chan, Alon S. Barlevy, Shinobu J. Hamada
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Patent number: 6054967Abstract: A frequency selective medium that is adapted to receive an incident electromagnetic radiation at an angle of incidence of about 45.degree. has two arrays of conductive elements on opposite parallel surfaces (20, 22) of a dielectric substrate. In one embodiment, the conductive elements are cross-dipoles (6) each having a horizontal dipole (10) and a vertical dipole (8) of different lengths and widths. In another embodiment, the conductive elements comprise a plurality of conductive gridded rectangular loops (40). The frequency selective medium allows incident waves that are within a passband of transmit frequencies to transmit through the medium, and reflects waves at frequencies within a stopband adjacent the passband. In other embodiments, meanderline polarizers (28) are added to cross-dipole and gridded rectangular loop frequency selective media to circularly or dual-linearly polarize incident linearly polarized waves.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1999Date of Patent: April 25, 2000Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Te-Kao Wu, Brent T. Toland
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Patent number: 5959594Abstract: A frequency selective medium that is adapted to receive an incident electromagnetic radiation at an angle of incidence of about 45.degree. has two arrays of conductive elements on opposite parallel surfaces (20, 22) of a dielectric substrate. In one embodiment, the conductive elements are cross-dipoles (6) each having a horizontal dipole (10) and a vertical dipole (8) of different lengths and widths. In another embodiment, the conductive elements comprise a plurality of conductive gridded rectangular loops (40). The frequency selective medium allows incident waves that are within a passband of transmit frequencies to transmit through the medium, and reflects waves at frequencies within a stopband adjacent the passband. In other embodiments, meanderline polarizers (28) are added to cross-dipole and gridded rectangular loop frequency selective media to circularly or dual-linearly polarize incident linearly polarized waves.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 1997Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Te-Kao Wu, Brent T. Toland
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Patent number: 5859615Abstract: An omnidirectional isotropic antenna employing a tubular waveguide 12, a dielectric insert 18 which includes a lens 20 and a depending stem 22. The lens 20 is an elliptoid generated by rotating an elliptoid form about the longitudinal axis 42 of the tubular waveguide 12 with its foci 40 aligned with the longitudinal axis 42 and its major axis 38 lying in a zone of rotation 43 intersecting the horizontal plane 44 that is normal to the axis 42 and containing the foci 40. The stem 22 has integrally formed a polarizing element 36, and an impedance to matching element 21. There is provided a passband filter 50 and a modified tubular waveguide 60 that provides node differences for the RF signals.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 1997Date of Patent: January 12, 1999Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Brent T. Toland, Rork S. Brown, Robert L. Hart
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Patent number: 5673057Abstract: A beam waveguide type dual reflector (3, 4) type antenna, referred to as a Cassegrain antenna, is constructed with a beam waveguide (5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15), having three axes of rotation (X1, Y1, & Z1), the first (X1) and second axes (Y1) of rotation being perpendicular to each other and the second (Y1) and third (Z1) axes of rotation being perpendicular to each other and with the spacing between the first (X1) and third (Z1) axes being constant to achieve a greater field of view, while retaining the capability of handling simultaneously cross polarized microwave signals. Actuator singularities, defining forbidden regions, singularity associated with rotation about the first and second axes are avoided by switching to rotation about the first and third axes as the singularity is approached by the antenna, permitting the antenna to move through that singularity region.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1995Date of Patent: September 30, 1997Assignee: TRW Inc.Inventors: Brent T. Toland, William M. Hughes, Dan R. Johnson