US 12,283,746 B2
Antenna embedded in a radome
Alan Mak, Boulder, CO (US); and Matthew J. Dufner, Elmhurst, IL (US)
Assigned to GOGO BUSINESS AVIATION LLC, Broomfield, CO (US)
Filed by GOGO BUSINESS AVIATION LLC, Broomfield, CO (US)
Filed on Oct. 7, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/065,210.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/913,539, filed on Oct. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0111485 A1, Apr. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. H01Q 1/42 (2006.01); H01Q 1/28 (2006.01); H01Q 1/40 (2006.01); H01Q 1/48 (2006.01); H01Q 3/36 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 1/42 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/28 (2013.01); H01Q 1/40 (2013.01); H01Q 1/48 (2013.01); H01Q 3/36 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage;
a pair of wings attached to the fuselage;
a vertical stabilizer; and
a mobile communicator for communicating with one or more satellites or base stations, the mobile communicator comprising one or more antenna elements embedded within a radome structure,
wherein the one or more antenna elements are configured to operate over one or more frequency bands, and wherein the radome structure mounts externally to a substrate, the substrate being one of the fuselage, at least one of the wings, or the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft, the radome structure including a radome shell having a non-flat geometry relative to the substrate such that a space is formed between the radome shell and the substrate, wherein the one or more antenna elements are embedded within the formed space in the radome structure to form a gap between the one or more antenna elements and the radome shell, such that the one or more antenna elements exhibit the non-flat geometry relative to the substrate to have a substantially constant distance from the radome shell and a varying distance from the substrate, wherein the gap is minimized via the one or more antenna elements being contoured according to the non-flat radome shell of the radome structure.