Patent ID: 11876280
Assignee: VIASAT INC.
Field: Telecommunications (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 13:
14. A method of stowing and deploying an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) antenna on an unmanned carrier, the method comprising:
stowing the AMC antenna in a retaining structure, wherein the AMC antenna comprises: (i) an antenna element layer; (ii) a ground plane comprising a frequency selective surface (FSS) layer, a base layer below the FSS layer and including a conductive base surface; (iii) a latch mechanism between the base layer and the FSS layer; and (iv) an inflatable bladder system between the base layer and the FSS layer;
during deployment of the AMC antenna:
removing the AMC antenna from the retaining structure using an actuator; and
inflating the inflatable bladder to produce a force sufficient to cause the latch mechanism to transition from an unlatched state to a latched state, wherein in the latched state, the conductive base surface is fixedly separated from the FSS at a predetermined distance.