US 12,218,434 B2
Stack patch antenna assembly
Ersin Yetisir, Redmond, WA (US)
Assigned to Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA (US)
Filed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/367,140.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/063,209, filed on Aug. 7, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/048,174, filed on Jul. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0352636 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. H01Q 3/26 (2006.01); H01Q 1/48 (2006.01); H01Q 9/04 (2006.01); H01Q 21/06 (2006.01); H04B 17/12 (2015.01)
CPC H01Q 3/267 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/48 (2013.01); H01Q 9/0414 (2013.01); H01Q 9/045 (2013.01); H01Q 21/065 (2013.01); H04B 17/12 (2015.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An antenna assembly comprising:
a stack patch antenna assembly defining a plurality of antenna cells made from a plurality of patches, wherein the stack patch antenna assembly includes a first patch layer separated from a second patch layer by a spacer;
a beamformer lattice including one or more beamformers, wherein each beamformer corresponds to a subset of antenna cells of the plurality of antenna cells; and
a PCB assembly made up from a plurality of layers, the PCB assembly having a feed structure from the stack patch antenna assembly to the beamformer lattice disposed in the PCB assembly, wherein the stack patch antenna assembly is external to the PCB assembly, wherein a first layer of the PCB assembly is an antenna ground layer including a slot feed, and wherein an intermediate layer of the PCB assembly includes an antenna backing layer spaced from the first layer to define a cavity for the antenna assembly defined by the antenna ground layer, the antenna backing layer, and a plurality of ground vias extending between the first layer and the intermediate layer.