Patent ID: 7109929
Filing Date: 2006-09-19
Classification: H01Q

Abstract:
1. A 14-inch diameter TM microstrip antenna comprising: (a) a first dielectric layer; (b) eight rectangular shaped antenna elements mounted on an upper surface of said first dielectric layer, said antenna elements being equally spaced apart, aligned with one another and fabricated from copper, said eight antenna elements being adapted to transmit RF carrier signals containing telemetry data at a frequency of approximately 2.25 GHz; (c) an antenna feed network mounted an upper surface of said first dielectric layer, said antenna feed network having a main transmission line connected to a centrally located signal input for said 14-inch diameter TM microstrip antenna, said antenna feed network having eight branch transmission lines, each one of said eight branch transmission lines having one end connected to said main transmission line and the other end connected to one antenna element of said eight antenna elements, said antenna feed network being configured to drive said eight antenna elements with equal phase and equal amplitude signals resulting in a linear polarization and an omni-directional radiation pattern being generated by said eight antenna elements of said 14-inch diameter TM microstrip antenna; and (d) a GPS band stop filter connected to the signal input for said 14-inch TM microstrip antenna, said GPS band stop filter being tuned at a GPS frequency band so that said GPS band stop filter substantially reduces noise from the RF carrier signals at a GPS frequency band of 1565 MHz to 1585 MHz; (e) a second dielectric layer positioned below said first dielectric layer in alignment with said first dielectric layer, said second dielectric layer having a solid copper ground plane affixed to a bottom surface of said second dielectric layer; and (f) a third dielectric layer positioned above said first dielectric layer in alignment with said first dielectric layer wherein said third dielectric layer functions as a dielectric protective layer for said 14-inch diameter TM microstrip antenna.