US 12,298,426 B2
Low swap aperture for direction finding across extreme wide band
Joshua A. Whorf, Marblehead, MA (US); Jacquelyn A. Vitaz, Medford, MA (US); Steven Carson, Washington, DC (US); Stephen Sekelsky, Princeton, NJ (US); and Chad Wangsvick, Tucson, AZ (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Apr. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/242,347.
Prior Publication US 2022/0349989 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/02 (2006.01); F41G 7/22 (2006.01); G01S 3/04 (2006.01); G01S 3/46 (2006.01); G01S 7/03 (2006.01); G01S 13/42 (2006.01); H01Q 1/28 (2006.01); H01Q 21/06 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/028 (2021.05) [F41G 7/2246 (2013.01); F41G 7/2253 (2013.01); F41G 7/2286 (2013.01); G01S 3/043 (2013.01); G01S 3/46 (2013.01); G01S 7/03 (2013.01); G01S 13/42 (2013.01); H01Q 1/286 (2013.01); H01Q 21/061 (2013.01); H01Q 21/067 (2013.01); F41G 7/226 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wideband direction-finding aperture, comprising:
an array having at least four antenna elements, an array center point, an x axis, a y axis, and a z axis, wherein the at least four antenna elements are end-fire antenna elements with beam patterns oriented along the y axis, wherein the at least four antenna elements comprise:
a first antenna element of a first size and having a first element center point;
a second antenna element of the first size and having a second element center point;
a third antenna element of the first size and having a third element center point; and
a fourth antenna element of a second size and having a fourth element center point, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size;
the array configured, for a signal reception of a wide frequency bandwidth to enable a direction finding (DF) of a target, wherein the at least four antenna elements are oriented in a pattern, the pattern configured to limit at least one ambiguity associated with the signal reception, wherein the pattern comprises:
the first element center point oriented a forward distance and a second right distance from the array center point;
the second element center point oriented a second aft distance and a first right distance from the array center point;
the third element center point oriented a first aft distance and a left distance from the array center point; and
the fourth element center point oriented the first aft distance and a third right distance from the array center point, wherein the first aft distance is less than the second aft distance, wherein the forward distance is larger than the first aft distance and smaller than the second aft distance, wherein the first right distance is less than the second right distance, wherein the second right distance is less than the third right distance, wherein the third right distance is larger than the left distance, wherein the array center point is coincident to the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis, wherein forward and aft are opposing directions along the y axis, wherein left and right are opposing directions along the x axis.