US 11,843,168 B2
Antenna apparatus having antenna spacer
David Milroy, Kirkland, WA (US); Duncan E. Adams, Redmond, WA (US); and 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 Oct. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/974,064.
Application 17/974,064 is a continuation of application No. 16/892,235, filed on Jun. 3, 2020, granted, now 11,509,048.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/856,730, filed on Jun. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0048947 A1, Feb. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. H01Q 1/42 (2006.01); H01Q 9/04 (2006.01); H01Q 1/02 (2006.01); H01Q 1/12 (2006.01); H01Q 1/22 (2006.01); H01Q 1/38 (2006.01); H01Q 23/00 (2006.01); H01Q 15/14 (2006.01); H01Q 21/06 (2006.01); H01Q 21/10 (2006.01); H01Q 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 1/428 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/02 (2013.01); H01Q 1/1207 (2013.01); H01Q 1/1228 (2013.01); H01Q 1/2283 (2013.01); H01Q 1/38 (2013.01); H01Q 1/42 (2013.01); H01Q 1/422 (2013.01); H01Q 9/0407 (2013.01); H01Q 9/0414 (2013.01); H01Q 15/144 (2013.01); H01Q 21/00 (2013.01); H01Q 21/065 (2013.01); H01Q 21/10 (2013.01); H01Q 23/00 (2013.01); H01Q 1/2291 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An antenna assembly, comprising:
a housing including a first housing portion and a second housing portion, wherein the first housing portion is a radome portion;
an antenna array disposed within the housing, the antenna array including an antenna layer having a plurality of antenna elements;
a first spacer disposed between the radome portion and the antenna array, wherein the first spacer includes a plurality of apertures defined by cell walls between adjacent apertures and wherein each aperture of the first spacer aligns with an antenna element from the antenna layer; and
a second spacer disposed between the antenna array and the second housing portion, wherein the second spacer includes a plurality of apertures defined by cell walls between adjacent apertures, wherein each aperture of the second spacer aligns with an antenna element from the antenna layer.