Patent ID: 8395557

Claim:
A broadband antenna, comprising: a first antenna element having first and second ends spaced apart by a surface thereof; a second antenna element that is substantially co-planar with the first antenna element, the second antenna element having first and second ends spaced apart by a surface thereof, the first end of the second antenna element being spaced apart from the second end of the first antenna element by a first air gap; wherein the first antenna element and the second antenna element comprise substantially flat coplanar sheets of electrically conductive material separated by the first air gap; a conductive structure spaced apart from the first end of the first antenna element by a second air gap, the conductive structure being configured to provide for structural excitation of the antenna over a lower frequency range of an available broadband antenna bandwidth; a feed structure comprising: a first feed path coupled to the first antenna element for at least one of providing or receiving radio frequency power relative to a first port defined by the second air gap; and a second feed path coupled to the second antenna element for at least one of providing or receiving radio frequency power relative to a second port defined by the first air gap, each of the first feed path and the second feed being coupled to a combiner to provide a common port for at least one of transmitting or receiving radio frequency power relative to the antenna over a continuous operating bandwidth of the antenna; and a conductive tube attached to and extending from the first end of the first antenna element, the second feed path passing through an interior of the conductive tube.