Patent ID: 7400299

Claim:
A TM microstrip antenna adapted for use on a projectile comprising: (a) first, second and third rectangular shaped 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements mounted on an outer surface of said projectile adjacent to one another, each of said first, second and third 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements including: (i) a first dielectric layer operating as a protective layer for each of said 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements; (ii) a second dielectric layer positioned below said first dielectric layer within each of said 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements, said second dielectric layer having an upper surface and a lower surface; (iii) a rectangular shaped copper quarter wavelength resonator mounted on the upper, surface of said second dielectric layer; (iv) a continuous gap formed around one edge and two sides of said quarter wavelength resonator, said continuous gap being configured so that said TM microstrip antenna operates as a quarter wavelength microstrip antenna; (v) a copper plated region formed outside of said gap on a remaining portion of the upper surface of said second dielectric layer, said copper plated region functioning as a ground for said quarter wavelength resonator; (vi) a plurality of aligned tuning tabs mounted on the bottom surface of said second dielectric layer, each of said tuning tabs having a plated through via which passes through said second dielectric layer to said quarter wavelength resonator to connect said tuning tab to said quarter wavelength resonator; (vii) a third dielectric layer positioned below said second dielectric layer within each of said 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements, said third dielectric layer having an upper surface and a lower surface; and (viii) a copper plated ground plane mounted on the bottom surface of said third dielectric layer wherein said copper plated ground plane is connected to the copper plated region of said second dielectric layer grounding the copper plated region of said second dielectric layer; and (b) said first, second and third 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements generating an omni-directional radiation pattern at the front and rear of said TM microstrip antenna at first and second operating frequencies; and (c) said first, second and third 120-degree TM microstrip antenna elements being driven by equal amplitude signals which are progressively phase shifted by one hundred twenty degrees to obtain circular polarization of the electromagnetic filed generated by said TM microstrip antenna.