Patents by Inventor Joel C. Roper

Joel C. Roper 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).

  • Patent number: 10847895
    Abstract: A passive frequency multiplexer includes a beam forming network lens including a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals; a transmission line for transmitting a signal to the beam forming lens; and a plurality of couplers arranged in series along the transmission line, each of the plurality of couplers comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, and a coupled output terminal, each of the coupled output terminals of the plurality of couplers being coupled to a respective one of the input terminals of the beam forming network lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Antony J. Kurth, Ethan Paul Hettwer, Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20190140360
    Abstract: A passive frequency multiplexer includes a beam forming network lens including a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals; a transmission line for transmitting a signal to the beam forming lens; and a plurality of couplers arranged in series along the transmission line, each of the plurality of couplers comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, and a coupled output terminal, each of the coupled output terminals of the plurality of couplers being coupled to a respective one of the input terminals of the beam forming network lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Antony J. Kurth, Ethan Paul Hettwer, Joel C. Roper
  • Patent number: 10199742
    Abstract: A passive frequency multiplexer includes a beam forming network lens including a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals; a transmission line for transmitting a signal to the beam forming lens; and a plurality of couplers arranged in series along the transmission line, each of the plurality of couplers comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, and a coupled output terminal, each of the coupled output terminals of the plurality of couplers being coupled to a respective one of the input terminals of the beam forming network lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Antony J Kurth, Ethan Hettwer, Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20170302394
    Abstract: A passive frequency multiplexer includes a beam forming network lens including a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals; a transmission line for transmitting a signal to the beam forming lens; and a plurality of couplers arranged in series along the transmission line, each of the plurality of couplers comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, and a coupled output terminal, each of the coupled output terminals of the plurality of couplers being coupled to a respective one of the input terminals of the beam forming network lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Antony J. Kurth, Ethan Hettwer, Joel C. Roper
  • Patent number: 9653799
    Abstract: A method of controlling sidelobe distribution in an active electronically steered array, including electronically reshaping the array aperture so as to reduce sidelobes over a selected region of a coverage volume of the array. In one example, reshaping of the aperture is achieved by electronically turning on and/or off selected radiators in the array to vary the angle of edge discontinuities of the aperture, and thereby move the main sidelobes off the principal plane(s) of operation of the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Jerome H. Pozgay, James McSpadden, Joel C. Roper, Fatemeh Tingley
  • Patent number: 9160072
    Abstract: An antenna system includes a main array and a guard array. The main array has an antenna pattern that includes a main beam and multiple side lobes that are concentrated in distinct side lobe regions. The guard array includes an antenna pattern that encompasses both the main beam and the side lobe regions of the main array. In addition, an outer boundary of the antenna pattern of the guard array roughly tracks an outer boundary of the distinct side lobe regions of the main array. In at least one embodiment, the main array is a rectangular or quasi-rectangular array having side lobes concentrated within two orthogonal ridges and the guard array comprises one of a cross-guard array, an L-guard array, and a T-guard array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Joel C. Roper
  • Patent number: 9041603
    Abstract: A lens-based switched beam antenna system including a beam-forming lens, and a beam port router coupled to the beam-forming lens, including a plurality of beam ports, and configured to transmit beams via corresponding ones of the beam ports, wherein a first group of the beam ports corresponds to a first signal, and wherein a second group of the beam ports corresponds to a second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Joel C. Roper, Kevin W. Ommodt, James D. Hill
  • Publication number: 20140132449
    Abstract: An antenna system includes a main array and a guard array. The main array has an antenna pattern that includes a main beam and multiple side lobes that are concentrated in distinct side lobe regions. The guard array includes an antenna pattern that encompasses both the main beam and the side lobe regions of the main array. In addition, an outer boundary of the antenna pattern of the guard array roughly tracks an outer boundary of the distinct side lobe regions of the main array. In at least one embodiment, the main array is a rectangular or quasi-rectangular array having side lobes concentrated within two orthogonal ridges and the guard array comprises one of a cross-guard array, an L-guard array, and a T-guard array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20130162478
    Abstract: A lens-based switched beam antenna system including a beam-forming lens, and a beam port router coupled to the beam-forming lens, including a plurality of beam ports, and configured to transmit beams via corresponding ones of the beam ports, wherein a first group of the beam ports corresponds to a first signal, and wherein a second group of the beam ports corresponds to a second signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Joel C. ROPER, Kevin W. OMMODT, James D. HILL
  • Patent number: 8334809
    Abstract: An electronically scanned array antenna. The novel antenna includes a first planar array of antenna elements and one or more side planar arrays of antenna elements, each side array adjacent to the first array and tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the first array. In an illustrative embodiment, the antenna also includes a plurality of transmit/receive modules, each module coupled to one antenna element. Each transmit/receive module includes phase shifters for varying the relative phases of the antenna elements to form a desired overall beam pattern, and a low noise amplifier and high power amplifier for amplifying signals received and transmitted by the antenna element, respectively. In an illustrative embodiment, a processor provides individual phase and channel enable control signals for independently controlling the phase shifters and amplifiers, respectively, of each module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, James S. Mason, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper, Raymond D. Eppich, Gustavo A. Burnum, Ike Chang
  • Publication number: 20120119952
    Abstract: A method of controlling sidelobe distribution in an active electronically steered array, including electronically reshaping the array aperture so as to reduce sidelobes over a selected region of a coverage volume of the array. In one example, reshaping of the aperture is achieved by electronically turning on and/or off selected radiators in the array to vary the angle of edge discontinuities of the aperture, and thereby move the main sidelobes off the principal plane(s) of operation of the array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Jerome H. Pozgay, James McSpadden, Joel C. Roper, Fatemeh Tingley
  • Patent number: 8089404
    Abstract: A partitioned aperture array antenna. The novel antenna includes a first subarray having a first number of antenna elements equipped with transmit functionality and a second subarray having a second number of antenna elements equipped with receive functionality, wherein the first and second numbers are not equal and the first and second subarrays have at least one common antenna element. In an illustrative embodiment, the first subarray includes a transmit circuit coupled to each antenna element in the first subarray for controlling a relative transmit phase of the antenna element to steer an overall antenna transmit beam, and the second subarray includes a receive circuit coupled to each antenna element in the second subarray for controlling a relative receive phase of the antenna element to steer an overall antenna receive beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, James S. Mason, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper, Raymond D. Eppich, Gustavo A. Burnum
  • Patent number: 7898476
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for controlling the direction of an antenna beam includes a location identifier, an orientation sensor, and an antenna beam controller. The location identifier determines a transmit antenna location indicating the location of a transmit antenna, where the transmit antenna produces an antenna beam. The orientation sensor determines a transmit antenna orientation indicating the orientation of the transmit antenna. The antenna beam: accesses target data describing a receive antenna of a target, the target data comprising a location of the receive antenna relative to the transmit antenna; calculates a deviation value from the transmit antenna location, the transmit antenna orientation, and the target data; and adjusts the direction of the antenna beam to reduce the deviation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20100099370
    Abstract: An electronically scanned array antenna. The novel antenna includes a first planar array of antenna elements and one or more side planar arrays of antenna elements, each side array adjacent to the first array and tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the first array. In an illustrative embodiment, the antenna also includes a plurality of transmit/receive modules, each module coupled to one antenna element. Each transmit/receive module includes phase shifters for varying the relative phases of the antenna elements to form a desired overall beam pattern, and a low noise amplifier and high power amplifier for amplifying signals received and transmitted by the antenna element, respectively. In an illustrative embodiment, a processor provides individual phase and channel enable control signals for independently controlling the phase shifters and amplifiers, respectively, of each module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, James S. Mason, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper, Raymond D. Eppich, Gustavo A. Burnum, Ike Chang
  • Publication number: 20100060517
    Abstract: A partitioned aperture array antenna. The novel antenna includes a first subarray having a first number of antenna elements equipped with transmit functionality and a second subarray having a second number of antenna elements equipped with receive functionality, wherein the first and second numbers are not equal and the first and second subarrays have at least one common antenna element. In an illustrative embodiment, the first subarray includes a transmit circuit coupled to each antenna element in the first subarray for controlling a relative transmit phase of the antenna element to steer an overall antenna transmit beam, and the second subarray includes a receive circuit coupled to each antenna element in the second subarray for controlling a relative receive phase of the antenna element to steer an overall antenna receive beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, James S. Mason, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper, Raymond D. Eppich, Gustavo A. Burnum
  • Publication number: 20080258971
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for controlling the direction of an antenna beam includes a location identifier, an orientation sensor, and an antenna beam controller. The location identifier determines a transmit antenna location indicating the location of a transmit antenna, where the transmit antenna produces an antenna beam. The orientation sensor determines a transmit antenna orientation indicating the orientation of the transmit antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Richard W. Nichols, Gilbert M. Shows, Joel C. Roper
  • Patent number: 7043270
    Abstract: A system for sharing a cellular tower among multiple service providers comprises an antenna having an array of elements operable to define multiple, individual beams for signals in a communication frequency band and converter circuitry to convert the communication frequency band to a digital band. Filtering and signal processing circuitry define digital band portions for each of the at least two service providers, and drive the antenna to define at least one individual beam for each individual service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Andrew Corporation
    Inventors: Mano D. Judd, Gregory A. Maca, Joel C. Roper
  • Patent number: 6885343
    Abstract: An antenna array having one or more multi-layer substrates each including top and bottom ground planes and an inner conductive layer, a plurality of proximity coupled cavity backed patch antenna elements formed by each multi-layer substrate, and distribution traces extending along the inner conductive layer of the substrates and coupling with the proximity coupled cavity backed patch antenna elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Andrew Corporation
    Inventor: Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20040061647
    Abstract: An antenna array having one or more multi-layer substrates each including top and bottom ground planes and an inner conductive layer, a plurality of proximity coupled cavity backed patch antenna elements formed by each multi-layer substrate, and distribution traces extending along the inner conductive layer of the substrates and coupling with the proximity coupled cavity backed patch antenna elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Applicant: Andrew Corporation
    Inventor: Joel C. Roper
  • Publication number: 20030227420
    Abstract: An antenna includes a substrate to which a plurality of dual polarized radiators, each including first and second radiators, are coupled and arranged into a plurality of rows and columns. The substrate has a stripline distribution network coupled to the plurality of dual polarized radiators, with the stripline distribution network including first and second corporate feed networks coupled to a first column of dual polarized radiators among the plurality of columns. The first corporate feed network is coupled to the first radiating elements of the dual polarized radiators in the first column and extends along a first side of the first column, and the second corporate feed network is coupled to the second radiating elements of the dual polarized radiators in the first column and extends generally along a second side of the first column. The substrate has a stripline calibration feed network coupled to the first and second corporate feed networks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Publication date: December 11, 2003
    Applicant: Andrew Corporation
    Inventors: Joel C. Roper, Michael D. Thomas