Abstract: The disclosed systems, structures, and methods are directed to an antenna comprising: a plurality of Composite Right Left Handed (CRLH) magneto-electric unit-cell based structures, each CRLH magneto-electric unit-cell based structure comprising: a ground electrode for common electrical contacts, a first coaxial connector and a second coaxial connector, a first ground surface and a second ground surface, the first ground surface connected to a second end of the first coaxial connector and the second ground surface connected to a second end of the second coaxial connector, a coaxial line included in the second coaxial connector, a microstrip feed line connected to the coaxial line and electromagnetically coupled with the first and the second ground surfaces, and a first non-resonant meta-surface patch and a second non-resonant meta-surface patch, each of the first and second non-resonant meta-surface patches placed above a series-capacitor gap between the first ground surface and the second ground surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides an integrated antenna and visual display apparatus, or one of an antenna apparatus and visual display apparatus which is integratable with the other. Apertures are formed in a visual display, such as an OLED display. The apertures when formed in a conductive layer operate as radiating bodies of an antenna array. A subset of sub-pixels of the visual display can be removed in line with the apertures. An optically transparent substrate is located over the visual display, and an array of further conductive elements, which may be optically transparent, is disposed on an exterior of this substrate. The further conductive elements operate to direct the antenna signals through the substrate, by coupling in an impedance-matched manner with the radiating apertures.

Abstract: The disclosed systems, structures, and methods are directed to an antenna comprising: a plurality of Composite Right Left Handed (CRLH) magneto-electric unit-cell based structures, each CRLH magneto-electric unit-cell based structure comprising: a ground electrode for common electrical contacts, a first coaxial connector and a second coaxial connector, a first ground surface and a second ground surface, the first ground surface connected to a second end of the first coaxial connector and the second ground surface connected to a second end of the second coaxial connector, a coaxial line included in the second coaxial connector, a microstrip feed line connected to the coaxial line and electromagnetically coupled with the first and the second ground surfaces, and a first non-resonant meta-surface patch and a second non-resonant meta-surface patch, each of the first and second non-resonant meta-surface patches placed above a series-capacitor gap between the first ground surface and the second ground surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a long-distance (e.g. satellite-to-ground) wireless communication method and apparatus. Two-dimensional antenna arrays are operated pairwise to produce interleaved groupings of beams which are elongated in one direction and aligned in another direction. These groupings of beams can be provided using fixed analog beamforming arrays. An active beamformer can be used to form beams which are directed within each grouping of beams. Different ports of the analog beamforming arrays can be operated to produce beams in different groupings, or different bi-sector beams within a same grouping. A simplified parametric-based channel state information precoding operation using direction of arrival for MIMO processing is also provided.

Abstract: A planar array antenna having a low-profile that provides a two dimensional, steerable, high-gain, low-sidelobe radiated RF beam patterns is presented. The antenna includes a metamaterial array of a plurality of first and second rows of unit cells, to propagate a radiation pattern along a first axis. The first rows operate in left-hand mode and the second rows operate in right-hand mode. Each of the unit cells include a volume of liquid crystal and a virtual ground connection capable of generating a potential difference for tuning the dielectric value of the liquid crystal. The antenna further includes a plurality of RF input ports disposed in a centralized location and a dual-channel center-feed network communicatively coupled to the plurality of paired first and second rows of unit cells and the plurality of RF input ports to form and control the direction of the radiated RF beam pattern.

Abstract: A dual vertical beam cellular array is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a cellular array includes discrete radiators coupled in pairs and arranged in-line. The radiators are connected to hybrid couplers configured to sum the output from the pairs of discrete radiators. A first power distribution network is configured to receive a first output from the hybrid couplers and produce a first beam, and a second power distribution network configured to receive a second output from the hybrid couplers and produce a second beam. According to some embodiments, the first beam is a main beam with high gain and the second beam is a coverage beam with a large coverage area.

Abstract: The present invention provides an integrated antenna and visual display apparatus, or one of an antenna apparatus and visual display apparatus which is integratable with the other. Apertures are formed in a visual display, such as an OLED display. The apertures when formed in a conductive layer operate as radiating bodies of an antenna array. A subset of sub-pixels of the visual display can be removed in line with the apertures. An optically transparent substrate is located over the visual display, and an array of further conductive elements, which may be optically transparent, is disposed on an exterior of this substrate. The further conductive elements operate to direct the antenna signals through the substrate, by coupling in an impedance-matched manner with the radiating apertures.

Abstract: An electronically beam-steerable full-duplex phased array antenna is described. The phased array antenna includes an array of a plurality of radiating elements. The array includes at least one column having a plurality of radiating elements, and the array is configured to generate a radiation field. The phased array antenna includes a metasurface over the array of radiating elements. The metasurface introduces a phase shift to the radiation field of the array, to cause a beam of the phased array antenna to be angularly offset from the radiation field of the array.

Abstract: An aperture-coupled patch antenna is described. The antenna includes at least one radiating patch. A first aperture couples a reception signal from the patch to first and second receive ports. A second orthogonal aperture couples a transmission signal from a transmit port to the patch. The transmit feed circuit is a single-ended feed circuit. The receive feed circuit is a differential-mode feed circuit. The receive feed circuit defines a difference port, where the electrical path lengths from the first receive port to the difference port and from the second receive port to the difference port differ by an odd integer multiple of half a signal wavelength. The receive feed circuit also defines a sum port, where the electrical path lengths from the first receive port to the sum port and from the second receive port to the sum port are equal in path length.

Abstract: Broadband slot-coupled stacked patch antenna elements are capable of continuous broadband operation between 1.71 GHz and 2.69 GHz. The broadband slot-coupled stacked patch antenna element includes a mid-band radiating patch, a high-band radiating patch, and a low-band resonator with coupling slots capable of resonating at low, mid, and high band frequencies. Additionally, a low-profile probe-fed patch element is provided for pattern enhancement of antenna arrays at high-band frequencies. This low-profile patch element features fan-shaped probes that have three degrees of tune-ability, namely a length, a width, and a spreading angle. Further aspects include 3-column and 4-column offset arrays of the broadband patch radiators and an interleaved array of the low-profile high-band patch radiators and the broadband radiating elements. A new type of azimuth beam forming network (ABFN) is also introduced for the beam forming of the 3-column and 4-column dual-beam arrays.

Abstract: A planar array antenna having a low-profile that provides a two dimensional, steerable, high-gain, low-sidelobe radiated RF beam patterns is presented. The antenna includes a metamaterial array of a plurality of first and second rows of unit cells, to propagate a radiation pattern along a first axis. The first rows operate in left-hand mode and the second rows operate in right-hand mode. Each of the unit cells include a volume of liquid crystal and a virtual ground connection capable of generating a potential difference for tuning the dielectric value of the liquid crystal. The antenna further includes a plurality of RF input ports disposed in a centralized location and a dual-channel center-feed network communicatively coupled to the plurality of paired first and second rows of unit cells and the plurality of RF input ports to form and control the direction of the radiated RF beam pattern.

Abstract: An electronically tunable metasurface whose reflective phase can be electronically reconfigured to allow effective antenna beam steering. First and second double sided substrates define an intermediate region between them containing liquid crystal in a nematic phase. A first microstrip patch array of the first substrate and a second microstrip patch array of the second substrate are aligned to form a two dimensional array of cells, Each cell comprises a microstrip patch of the first microstrip patch array arranged in spaced apart opposition to a microstrip patch of the second microstrip patch array with a volume of the liquid crystal located therebetween. Each control terminal to the microstrip patch of the second array permits a control voltage to be applied to the cell to control a dielectric value of the volume of the liquid crystal, thereby permitting a reflection phase of the cell to be selectively tuned.

Abstract: A high-gain, low-sidelobe, beam-steerable antenna includes a liquid-crystal loaded composite right- and left-handed (CRLH) metamaterial array. The metamaterial array includes a pair of first and second rows of unit cells, to propagate a radiation pattern along a first axis. One row can operate in left-hand mode, and the other row can operate in right-hand mode. Each unit cell in the metamaterial array includes a volume of liquid crystal and at least one isolated ground patch. The isolated ground patch being is as a virtual ground connection capable of generating a potential difference for tuning the dielectric value of the liquid crystal. The first and second rows are oriented end-to-end along the first axis and separated from each other by a first distance. The antenna includes a phase variable liquid-crystal loaded lens that is controllable to be phase variable along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis.

Abstract: A high-gain, low-sidelobe, beam-steerable antenna includes a liquid-crystal loaded composite right- and left-handed (CRLH) metamaterial array. The metamaterial array includes a pair of first and second rows of unit cells, to propagate a radiation pattern along a first axis. One row can operate in left-hand mode, and the other row can operate in right-hand mode. Each unit cell in the metamaterial array includes a volume of liquid crystal and at least one isolated ground patch. The isolated ground patch being is as a virtual ground connection capable of generating a potential difference for tuning the dielectric value of the liquid crystal. The first and second rows are oriented end-to-end along the first axis and separated from each other by a first distance. The antenna includes a phase variable liquid-crystal loaded lens that is controllable to be phase variable along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis.

Abstract: An aperture-coupled patch antenna is described. The antenna includes at least one radiating patch. A first aperture couples a reception signal from the patch to first and second receive ports. A second orthogonal aperture couples a transmission signal from a transmit port to the patch. The transmit feed circuit is a single-ended feed circuit. The receive feed circuit is a differential-mode feed circuit. The receive feed circuit defines a difference port, where the electrical path lengths from the first receive port to the difference port and from the second receive port to the difference port differ by an odd integer multiple of half a signal wavelength. The receive feed circuit also defines a sum port, where the electrical path lengths from the first receive port to the sum port and from the second receive port to the sum port are equal in path length.

Abstract: An electronically beam-steerable full-duplex phased array antenna is described. The phased array antenna includes an array of a plurality of radiating elements. The array includes at least one column having a plurality of radiating elements, and the array is configured to generate a radiation field. The phased array antenna includes a metasurface over the array of radiating elements. The metasurface introduces a phase shift to the radiation field of the array, to cause a beam of the phased array antenna to be angularly offset from the radiation field of the array.

Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring vital signs of one or more living subjects comprises a monitoring station and at least one sensor in communication with the monitoring station. The sensor comprises an antenna system, an ultra wideband radar system coupled to the antenna system, a signal processor and a communication system. The signal processor is connected to receive a signal from the ultra wideband radar system and configured to extract from the signal information about one or more vital signs of a person or animal in a sensing volume corresponding to the antenna system. The communication system is configured to transmit the information to the monitoring station.

Abstract: A reflector antenna that includes a feed for generating a radio frequency (RF) signal, and a metasurface reflector for reflecting the RF signal originating from the feed. The metasurface reflector includes an array of cells each having a volume of liquid crystal with a controllable dielectric value enabling a reflection phase of the cells to be selectively tuned to effect beam steering of the reflected RF signal.

Abstract: A phased array antenna comprising a two dimensional array of lens enhanced radiator units, each radiator unit comprising: a radiator for generating a radio frequency (RF) signal; and a two dimensional phase variable lens group defining an aperture in a transmission path of the RF signal, the lens group comprising a two dimensional array of individually controllable lens elements enabling a varying transmission phase to be applied to the RF signal across the aperture of the lens group. Also, a unit cell of a lens element in a metamaterial sheet, the unit cell comprising a stack of cell layers, each cell layer comprising a volume of nematic liquid crystal with a controllable dielectric value enabling each cell layer to function as tunable resonator.

Abstract: Methods and systems for Spatial Multiplexing Mu-MIMO radio communications are provided. An antenna array is controlled to establish plural radio beams which are mutually orthogonal in terms of excitation functions and which are differently spatially directed to cover a geographic area. The beams may be arranged in angular space in a pattern of rows, with adjacent rows being offset. To facilitate same, the antenna array may include elements which are offset from neighboring elements horizontally, vertically, or both. For each terminal, a subset of the radio beams may be selected for communication. The selection may prefer higher-power beams, where power is determined by summing contributions from eigen-channels. Subsets of radio beams may be grouped into orthogonal channels for use in servicing different sets of terminals in different geographic areas, and terminals sharing a channel may further share resources using multi-access techniques.