Patent ID: 7940217

Claim:
A patch antenna comprising: a patch element for at least one of transmitting and receiving an electromagnetic signal; a first dielectric element disposed adjacent to the patch element; a ground plane spaced at a specified distance from the first dielectric element to form a space between the first dielectric element and the ground plane, the patch element being disposed outside of the space; a second dielectric element disposed in the space; a feedline for guiding the electromagnetic signal, the feedline extending through an opening in the ground plane, the second dielectric element, and the first dielectric element to the patch element, the feedline being electrically coupled to the patch element to guide an electromagnetic signal to or from the patch element; and an electromagnetic shield extending, at least partially, into the second dielectric element, the electromagnetic shield being electrically coupled to the ground plane and shielding at least a portion of the feedline from the electromagnetic radiation to control an impedance associated with the feedline in the second dielectic element, wherein the electromagnetic shield is bounded by the ground plane and the first dielectric so that the feedline is at least partially shielded through the second dielectric and is unshielded through the first dielectric.