MXPA99000192A - An antenna of dual frequency disposition pl - Google Patents

Abstract

A dual frequency array antenna having an essentially planar structure with electron beam steering capability in both the high and low frequency bands independently of each other, constructed, in statified formation, from an antenna unit of flat top arrangement operating in the low frequency band and a lower flat array antenna unit operating in the high frequency band. The upper planar array antenna is transparent at frequencies in the high frequency band

Description

A FLAT DUAL FREQUENCY DISPOSITION ANTENNA DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to flat antenna assemblies for use in general radio wave communications and mobile satellite communication systems in particular. The following is a list of references that are considered pertinent to the present invention: Andrasic G. and James J.R. (1987). "Investigation of Superimposed Dichroic Microstrip Antennas," 5th International Conference on Antenna and Propagation, ICAP 87, p. 485-488, March-April, York, UK. Andrasic G. and James J.R. (1988). "Microstrip Window Array", Electronic Letters, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp 96-97. Hiroyuki Inafuku, et al. (1989) "Mobile Receiving Antenna System of Direct Broadcast Systems for Train Applications," International Symposium of Antennas and Propagation, Tokyo, Japan, August. Lee S., et al. (1982). "Simple Formulas for Transmission Through Periodic Metal Grind.s or Pl tes," IEEE Transactions and Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-30, p. 904-909. U.S. Patent No. 5,043,738 U.S. Patent No. 5,262,791 The foregoing references shall be designated herein indicating, in parentheses, the name of the author or company and the year of publication, or the patent number, whichever the case may be. A primary requirement to achieve a satisfactory communication link between a ground station and a satellite is that the point of the antenna on the ground in the direction of the satellite, ie the maximum of the antenna beam pattern of the ground station is aligned along the line of sight between the ground station and the satellite. If the ground station is a mobile platform and / or the satellite orbit is a high earth orbit or geostationary mean, then the antenna has to track the satellite in order to continuously signal the direction of the satellite in order to maintain a communication link of reasonable quality. In the following description and claims reference is made to the Ku-band and L-band frequency ranges which are generally accepted as defined in the following manner: Ku-band: 10.70 - 12.75 GHz; L-Band: 1.49 - 1.71 GHz. Various approaches are known for the architecture of antenna assemblies for mobile and non-mobile communication systems. The most common of these is a two-axis mechanical tracking system. The antenna itself can be of a microstrip type or of another type, such as NEC systems (see for example, Hiroyuki Inafuku, et al. (1989)) or KVH (KVH Industries, Inc., Middletown, RI, USA) for, respectively, the transmissions in the L-band and in the Ku-band. In another mechanical approach, a single-axis mechanical tracking system is used, with Nippon Steel's single-layer slotted waveguide guidance system for Ku-band transmission (Nippon Steel Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) Another approach uses a combination of mechanical and electrical tracking, such as in the Ball communications system (Ball Telecommunication Products Division, Colorado, USA). Non-mechanical antenna assemblies for mobile communication systems are also known. One of such non-mechanical antennas described by CAL (CAL, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) employs phase control on one axis and fixed beams on the other, an electrically-directed two-axis antenna assembly employing control schemes of conventional phases has been described by TECOM (TECOM Industries, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, USA) All of these known antenna assemblies for communication systems n mobile suffer from the common drawback of operating in a frequency band individually. Consequently, if there were interest in having a mobile communication system that operates in two different frequency bands then two of the aforementioned antennas would have to be used, which obviously significantly increases the space requirements. If the two-band service is provided through two different satellites, a mechanical pedestal can not serve the two antennas. Likewise, the antennas of the first three groups-mentioned above suffer from the additional disadvantage of having mechanical tracking systems that tend to be slow and have discomfort, limited in their angular coverage, and that are not flat and have to protrude from the surface to which they apply. Therefore, if one of such antennas is mounted on a mobile platform such as the roof of a vehicle on the ground, this will alter the aerodynamics of the platform. Dual frequency flat antenna arrays are known in the art for example U.S. 5,043,738 and U.S. 5,262,791. Another flat antenna assembly for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation in two frequency bands (fH, f_. Where f_ <; f- is described by Andrasic G. and James J.R. in its publication (1988) "Superimposed Dichroic Microstrip Antenna Arrays", IEEE Proceedings H. Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation, vol. 135, no. 5, Par H, October, pages 304-312. The assembly comprises, in a specified formation, the first and second flat antenna units, the first flat antenna array (upper) operating in a low frequency band and the second flat array (lower) antenna unit that It works in a high frequency band. The first flat antenna unit comprises a dielectric plate having the front and rear faces, a flat area including a number of patches and a feeding arrangement with a plurality of supplies; each supply of the feeding arrangement is coupled to one of the respective patches of the flat arrangement of the patches; and each of the mentioned patches is resonant at frequencies in the low frequency band and transparent at frequencies in the high frequency band. The second flat antenna unit comprises a dielectric plate having the front and rear faces, a ground plane, a flat array of patches and a supply arrangement with a plurality of supply, wherein each supply is coupled to one of the patches respective. In addition, the insulation between the first and second flat antenna arrangement units is still far from perfect. Furthermore, none of the known antennas of this type is constructed from two independent flat antenna units each with its own ground plane and capable of operating independently in two frequency bands, h can be widely separated ( as used in satellite communications) without substantial interference between the two flat array antenna units. An object of the present invention is to provide a dual frequency array antenna with electronic beam direction capability in both frequency bands independently of each other, constructed of two independent antenna units each operating in a frequency band. separate frequency, h has an essentially flat structure and is suitable for mounting on another surface either of a fixed platform or of a mobile platform such as that of a vehicle on land, a maritime or air transport without significantly altering the profile and aerodynamic properties of such surface. A flat array antenna assembly according to the invention comprises a first and second flat array antenna units, arranged in a staged formation, for receiving and emitting two different frequency bands, each having at least one plate dielectric In the receiving operation mode, antenna assembly receives electromagnetic radiation from an external source e in the transmission operation mode the antenna assembly transmits electromagnetic radiation to an external receiver. The array antenna unit that is closest to the external source / receiver will be designated as the upper array antenna unit. The other arrangement antenna unit, h is in the statified formation of the antenna escape that will be furthest away from the external source / receiver, will be designated as the lower array antenna unit. The terms "upper" and "lower" as applied to the layout antenna units should not be misinterpreted as to fix the actual orientation of the flat array antenna assembly, h in practice may be horizontal, vertical or have any other required guidance. With respect to both the first and the second array antenna units the face of the toothed dielectric layer in the direction of an external source of electromagnetic radiation will be designated as the "front face" and the face oriented in the opposite direction as the "back face". The term "patch" as used herein means a partial or full area of conductive material applied to one face of a dielectric layer, for example by printing the conductive surfaces on a dielectric layer or by etching techniques (hereinafter referred to as printing, or etching on the dielectric layer I ^, respectively). In the following description and in the claims reference will be made to the supplies, power supply terminal lines. The length of the feeds and the location of the power line terminals have been chosen for convenience in illustration and should not be interpreted as necessarily indicative of any actual design. In fact, in most manufacturing processes the supplies (also known as microtiter lines) will end at, or near, the edge of the dielectric layer (also known as the feed substrate) on which they are disposed. However, the actual geometry of the supply network, formed by the supplies is not part of the invention and therefore only a small representative length of each supply is shown. Likewise, such well-known points, in the design of microtiter antennas, as the placement of the supply point to adjust the input impedance level are not discussed here. According to the present invention there is provided a flat antenna assembly for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation in two frequency bands, such a flat antenna assembly comprising, in a statified formation, the first and second flat antenna units, the first flat array antenna unit operates in a low frequency band and the second flat array antenna unit operates in a high frequency band, the first flat array antenna is the upper planar array antenna unit and the second flat array antenna unit. flat layout antenna is the flat bottom antenna unit; the first plane array antenna unit comprises at least one dielectric plate having front and rear face, at least one flat arrangement of parts having a plurality of parts, a feeding arrangement having a plurality of supplies and a plane to Earth; each supply of the feed arrangement is coupled to one of the respective patches of at least one flat arrangement of patches; each patch of at least one flat arrangement of the patches is resonant at frequencies in the low frequency band and transparent at frequencies in the high frequency band; the ground plane reflects frequency in the low frequency band and is transparent to frequencies in high frequency bands; the second flat array antenna unit comprises at least one dielectric plate having front and rear faces, a ground plane, at least one flat array of patches having a plurality of patches and a feeding arrangement having a plurality of supplies, each supply of the feed arrangement is coupled to one of the respective patches of at least one flat array of patches. The difference between the first flat array antenna unit and the second flat array antenna unit, apart from its operating frequencies, is that the patches and ground plane of the first flat array antenna unit are selective surfaces. at the frequency that are transparent to frequencies in the high frequency band which allows the second flat array antenna unit to transmit and receive the electromagnetic radiation band despite the presence of the first flat array antenna unit placed between the second plane array antenna unit and the external body. In addition, the ground plane of the first plane array antenna unit reflects frequencies in the low frequency band and therefore the electromagnetic radiation with frequency is within the low frequency band does not interact with the second antenna antenna arrangement flat Due to the fact that there are a number of embodiments of the first planar array antenna unit and the second planar array antenna unit which are common in terms of their structure, a "setup antenna unit" will be referred to below. flat "to be used as the generic term for both the first flat array antenna unit and the second flat array antenna unit. Similarly, the terms flat layout of patches, patches, feed arrangement, ground plane and power supply will be used in the description of the following embodiments as generic terms both the first and the second flat array antenna units. According to a first aspect of the invention, the flat array antenna unit comprises a first dielectric plate and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the first flat array of patches and the feeding arrangement are disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate electrically coupling each supply of the feed arrangement to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches and the plane to ground being disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate. This defines a first or second plane array antenna unit with patches electrically coupled (directly). If it is desired that the flat array antenna unit further comprises a second dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches disposed-on the front face of the second dielectric plate, the rear face of the second dielectric plate facing the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the first flat array of patches will substantially align with a respective patch of the patches of the second flat array of patches. This defines a first double stack or second plane array antenna unit with electrically coupled patches. According to a second aspect of the invention, the flat array antenna unit comprises in the first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches, the first flat array of patches is disposed on the front face "of the first plate dielectric and the supply arrangement is disposed on the back face of the first dielectric plate with each supply of the feed arrangement being electromagnetically coupled to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches, the ground plane is disposed on the rear face of the second dielectric plate, and the front face of the second dielectric plate faces the rear face of the first dielectric face. This defines a first or second plane array antenna unit with electromagnetically coupled patches. According to a third aspect of the invention, the flat array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the first flat array of patches being disposed on the front face. of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane has a plurality of openings, the front face of the second dielectric plate faces the rear face of the first dielectric face and the supply arrangement is disposed on the rear face of the second dielectric plate by electromagnetically coupling each supply of the supply arrangement to one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches through one of the respective openings in the grounded plane, such openings are resonant at frequencies within the frequency band operational antenna of the flat array antenna unit. Where the operating frequency band is the low (high) frequency band if the flat disposed antenna unit is the first (second) planar array antenna unit. This defines a first or second plane array antenna unit with patches coupled to the openings. If the flat array antenna unit according to either the second or the third aspect of the invention is desired, it will further comprise a third dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat arrangement of patches are placed on the front face of the third dielectric plate, the rear face of the third dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the second flat array of patches is substantially aligned with one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches. This defines a first or second flat stack antenna array unit with, according to a second aspect of the invention, electromagnetically coupled patches or, according to the third aspect of the invention, patches coupled through the openings. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the first plane array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate, the first dielectric plate is separated from the second dielectric plate in order to form an antenna chamber, the supply arrangement is placed on the rear face of the second dielectric plate electrically coupling each supply of the feed arrangement to one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches by a plurality of feed probes and the second antenna array of flat arrangement is located within the antenna camera. This defines a first flat array antenna unit with patches fed by probe. If the first flat array antenna unit according to the fourth aspect of the invention is desired, it will further comprise a third dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches will be arranged on the front face of the third dielectric plate, the rear face of the third dielectric plate will face the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the second flat array of patches will be substantially aligned with one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches. This defines a flat stack probe array antenna unit with probe-fed patches. According to the present invention, the flat antenna assembly can be constructed from all combinations of the modalities of the first flat array antenna unit defined in the foregoing taken together with all combinations of the modalities of the second flat antenna unit. flat layout antenna defined. That is to say, the flat antenna assembly can be constructed of: (a) a first flat array antenna unit with any electrically coupled patches of: (2a) a first dual stack flat array antenna unit with electrically coupled patches, (3a) a first plane array antenna unit with electromagnetically coupled patches, (4a) a first antenna array unit of double stack with electromagnetically coupled patches, (5a) a first flat array antenna unit with patches coupled through openings, ( 6a) a first antenna unit of double stack flat arrangement with patches coupled by openings, (7a) a first flat-array antenna unit with probe-fed patches, or (8a) a first dual-stack flat array antenna with patches fed by probe; taken in conjunction with any of: (lb) a second flat array antenna unit with electrically coupled patches, (2b) a second flat stack antenna array unit with electrically coupled patches, (3b) a second antenna array unit, flat arrangement with electromagnetically coupled patches, (4b) a second flat stack antenna array unit with electromagnetically coupled patches, (5b) a second flat array antenna unit with patches coupled through openings, (6b) a second antenna unit antenna of flat arrangement of double pile with patches coupled by openings. The first and second flat array antenna units can be designed for the reception and transmission of linear or circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation. When designing the first flat array antenna unit for receiving and transmitting circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation, this is characterized in that: at least one arrangement of the patches of the first flat array antenna unit is grouped into 2 × 2 sub-arrangements patches each having first, second, third and fourth members of sequence sub-arrangement in the clockwise direction or in the counter-clockwise direction; such supplies of the feed arrangement of the first flat array antenna unit are grouped into 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangements each having first, second third and fourth sequence sub-arrangement members clockwise or counter-clockwise. in the opposite direction to the clock hands; each member of a given feed sub-arrangement is coordinated with a member of a given sub-arrangement of patches, the supplies and the patches in a given coordinated sub-arrangement are rotated 90 ° with respect to a preceding subdivision member in sequence. Each of the members of the first power supply is linked to a suitable electronic system known per se as containing a phase control device. By properly adjusting the phase control device, the currents flowing in the individual members of each 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangement can be delayed in their phases by 0o, 90 °, 180 ° and 270 ° and in a sequence in the clockwise (or optionally in the counterclockwise direction to replace circular polarization from right to left). When the second plane array antenna unit is designed for receiving and transmitting circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation it is characterized in that: at least one arrangement of the patches of the second plane array antenna unit is grouped into 2 × 2 sub-arrangements patches each having first, second, third and fourth member sub-arrangement of sequence in the clockwise direction or in the counterclockwise direction; such supplies of the feed arrangement of the second planar array antenna unit are grouped into 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangements each having first, second third and fourth sequence sub-arrangement members in the direction of the handles of the clock or in the opposite direction to the clockwise; each member of a given feed sub-arrangement is coordinated with a member of a given sub-arrangement of patches, the supplies and patches in a given coordinated sub-arrangement are rotated 90 ° with respect to a preceding subdivision member in sequence. Each one of the. members of the second power arrangement is linked to a suitable electronic system known to be-for being to contain a phase control device. By properly adjusting the phase control device, the currents flowing in the individual members of each 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangement can be delayed by 0o, 90 °, 180 ° and 270 ° and in a sequence in the clockwise direction (or optionally in the counterclockwise direction to replace the circular polarization from right to left). Clearly, the first flat array antenna unit and the second flat array antenna unit can be designed to operate either in the circular polarization mode, or one in the circular polarization mode and the other in the linear polarization mode . The patches of the first plane array antenna unit can be of any suitable shape eg circular, polygonal or square, and the like. In accordance with the present invention, the patches of the first flat array antenna unit are frequency selective surfaces comprising a periodic array of openings in each patch. Optionally, the patches are frequency-selective surfaces that comprise a grid of conductive lines with a uniform mesh. Further in accordance with the present invention, the ground plane of the first planar array antenna unit is a frequency selective surface comprising a periodic array of openings in the ground plane. Optionally, the ground plane is a surface selective to the frequency comprising a grid of conductive lines with a uniform mesh. The patches of the second plane array antenna unit can be of any suitable shape eg circular, polygonal or square, and the like. There is no need for the shape of the patches of the second flat array antenna unit to match that of the first flat array antenna unit. If desired, the ground plane of the first planar array antenna unit can be designed as a frequency selective surface by forming therein openings that match the shape of the patches of the second planar array antenna unit. According to this embodiment, each opening in the ground plane is located or placed on a patch of the second plane layout antenna unit. A flat antenna assembly according to the invention and each of its flat array antenna units is designed to operate in both the transmit and receive modes. During the transmission mode, the electronic system associated with a transmission antenna unit feeds each of the members of the power supply arrangement thereof with electrical power that varies with time whereby the antenna unit is energized to radiate a beam to the surrounding atmosphere. During the reception mode, the external electromagnetic radiation that impinges on the flat array antenna units from the surrounding atmosphere excites the patches, thereby producing an output signal in the supplies. Each supply is equipped with a power line terminal to which power line can be connected to link the supplies to the appropriate electronic systems containing the phase control devices. It should be noted that, the first and second antenna units operate completely independently of one another. Consequently, either of them can transmit or receive while the other is at rest. Also, although the first antenna unit transmits the second one it may be receiving, and vice versa. In one embodiment of the invention, the low frequency band to which the first antenna unit operates is the L-band and the high-frequency band to which the second antenna unit operates is the Ku-band. Preferably, a flat antenna assembly according to the invention is mounted inside a suitable envelope of material resistant to environmental conditions. Such a wrap protects the sides of the flat antenna assembly, but does not cover-its front face. Preferably, a rotating antenna dome transparent to electromagnetic radiation with frequencies both within the first and the second frequency bands, it is mounted on the first flat antenna unit in order to cover the front face thereof. The rotating antenna dome serves to protect the entire flat antenna assembly from climatic adversities and other external influences such as rain, ice, heat, sunlight, sand storms, salt water, etc. In a very general way, the dielectric plates of the flat antenna assembly can be constructed of a plurality of dielectric plates of differing electrical properties. However, it should be noted that a dielectric plate that supports on any of its faces any structure (i.e., patches, supplies or a ground plane) and only serves to separate between the different layers in the flat antenna assembly of the invention they can be replaced by an air space, provided some form of support is applied to the edges of the separated layers in order to maintain their separation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to better understand the invention it will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a side view with its schematic detached patches of the flat antenna assembly of the invention and an external source of electromagnetic radiation; Figure 2 shows a side elevational view of part of a first embodiment of a first plane array antenna unit; Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of a part of a first embodiment of a second plane array antenna unit; Figure 4 shows a side elevation view of a part of a first embodiment of a flat antenna assembly of the invention; Figure 5 shows a plan view of the flat array antenna unit illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 6 shows a flat view of the flat array antenna unit illustrated in Figure 3; Figure 7 shows a plan view of a plane-to-ground mode selective to the frequency of a first planar array antenna unit; Figure 8 shows another flat view of a modality of a ground plane selective at the frequency of. a first plane array antenna unit; Figure 9 shows a side elevational view of an antenna unit of a first plane array antenna unit with part electrically coupled (or directly); Figure 10 shows a side elevational view of an antenna unit of a second plane array antenna unit with patches electrically coupled (or directly); Figure .11 shows a side elevational view of an antenna unit with an electric double-stack coupled patch; Figure 12 shows a side elevational view of one. antenna unit with an electromagnetically coupled patch; Figure 13 shows a side elevation view of an antenna unit with an electromagnetically coupled double stack patch; Figure 14 shows a side elevation view of an antenna unit with a patch coupled by opening, part of the antenna unit is cut to show an opening in the plane to ground; Figure 15 shows a side elevational view of an antenna unit with a patch coupled by double stack opening, part of the antenna unit is cut to show an opening in the plane to ground; Figure 16 shows a side elevational view with its schematic detached portions of a portion of a flat antenna assembly of the invention with a first flat array antenna unit having patches fed by probe, part of the assembly is cut away to show a terminal of feeding part and holes for the non-contact passage of the feeding probes; Figure 17 shows a side elevation view with its schematic detached portions of a flat antenna assembly of the invention with a first double stack flat antenna unit having patches fed by a probe; Figure 18 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with patches electrically coupled (directly), for a flat polarization operation mode; Figure 19 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with patches electrically coupled (directly), for a circular polarization mode of operation; Figure 20 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with electromagnetically coupled patches, for a polarization-flat operation mode; Figure 21 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with electromagnetically coupled patches, for a circular polarization operation mode; Figure 22 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with patches coupled by openings, for a flat polarization operation mode; Figure 23 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with patches coupled by openings, for a circular polarization mode of operation; Figure 24 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat-antenna antenna unit, with patches fed by probe, for a flat polarization mode of operation; and Figure 25 shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with patches fed by a probe, for a circular polarization mode of operation. Attention is drawn first to Figure 1 which shows a side view with its schematic detached parts of the flat antenna assembly 1 of the invention, comprising three parts, a first flat antenna unit 2, a dielectric plate 4 and a second plane unit 6 of flat arrangement. An external source 8 of electromagnetic radiation 10 is also shown. The "front face" and the "back face" of any part of the flat antenna assembly, and the flat antenna assembly itself, are defined relative to the external source 8. Therefore, the front face 12 of the first planar array antenna unit 2 is that face oriented in the direction of the external source 8, while its rear face 13 is oriented in the opposite direction. Thus, the electromagnetic radiation clearly impacts the first flat antenna unit 2 from the external source 8 which will impinge on the front face 12 and then pass through the first flat antenna unit 2 that will come out from its rear face 13. Similarly, the dielectric plate has the front face 14 and a rear face 15 and the second flat antenna unit 6 has a front face 16 and a rear face 17. According to this terminology in assembly 1 of flat antenna has a front face 12 and a rear face 17. The first flat antenna antenna unit 2 is designed to operate in a low frequency band and the second flat array antenna unit 6 is designed to operate in a band high frequency. The two flat array antenna units 2 and 6 are arranged in a staged formation with the first flat array antenna unit 2 being between the second flat array antenna unit 6 and the external source 8. The dielectric plate 4 serving to separate between the first and second plane array antenna units can be replaced by an air gap provided some form of support is applied to preserve the flat antenna assembly 1 intact. Although the first flat array antenna unit 2 is placed between the second flat antenna unit 6 and the external source 8, it can not be prevented that the second flat array antenna unit 6 receives electromagnetic radiation with frequencies in the high frequency band already that the first flat array antenna unit 2 is designed to be transparent at frequencies in the high frequency band.

Although the basic construction and operation of the dual frequency flat antenna assembly of the invention has been illustrated for the antenna operating in a reception mode, the illustration for the antenna operating in a transmission mode with the source can also be illustrated. external replaced by an external receiver. Various embodiments will now be described for the two flat array antenna units 2 and 6 and the construction of the flat antenna assembly of the invention will be illustrated therefrom. In the Figures that illustrate these modalities all dimensions of the dielectric plates, ground planes, patches, supplies and openings are shown exaggerated for illustration purposes only. The patches and the supplies are shown with different heights in order to differentiate them from one another, but in practice they are actually printed or engraved on the dielectric plates and have the same height. Attention is drawn first to Figure 2 which shows a side elevational view of part of a first flat-array antenna unit 20 according to a first embodiment. The patches 21 and the supplies 22, which are coupled together electrically (or directly), are arranged on the front face of dielectric plate 24. Each patch is designed to be resonant at frequencies in the low frequency and transparent band at frequencies in the high frequency band. Each supply 22 is equipped with a power line terminal 23 to which the power lines can be connected to link the supplies to the appropriate electronic systems containing the phase control devices. The ground plane 25 is arranged on the rear face-of the dielectric plate 24 and is designed to be frequency selective, reflect frequencies in the low frequency band and transmit frequencies in the high frequency band. Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of a part of a second flat array antenna unit 30, according to a first embodiment. The patches 31 and the supplies 32, which are electrically coupled per se, are disposed on the front face of the dielectric plate 34. The patches 31 are designed to be resonant at frequencies in the second frequency band. Each supply 32 is equipped with a power line terminal 33 to which the power lines can be connected to link the supplies to the appropriate electronic systems containing the phase control devices. The ground plane 35 is disposed on the rear face of the dielectric plate 34. Although the flat array antenna units 20 and 30 have similar structure there is a number of basic differences between them. First and foremost, the patches 31 and the ground plane 35 are simply conductive surfaces, as compared to the patches 21 and the ground plane 25 that are frequency selective. Also, the dimensions of patches 21 and 31 will usually be different. In so many that the patches 21 operate in a low frequency band and the patches 31 in a high frequency band, the patches 31 will be smaller than the patches 21. Therefore, for a gain of the given flat antenna array unit , there will be more patches 31 than patches 21. In addition, the height and properties of the dielectric plate 24 are not necessarily the same as those of the dielectric plate 34. Figure 4 shows a side elevation view of a part of the antenna assembly of the invention according to a first embodiment. This embodiment comprises a first plane array antenna unit according to Figure 2 and a second plane array antenna unit according to Figure 3. A dielectric plate 38 makes the separation between the two plane array antenna units. With respect to Figures 5 and 6 the planar views of the flat array antenna units 20 and 30 are shown., respectively. The patches 21 are frequency selective surfaces, designed to be transparent to frequencies in the high frequency band by any of the techniques known per se. In the particular illustration shown in Figure 5 the patches 21 are conductive surfaces with a periodic array of openings 26 in each patch. The dimensions of the patches 21 are chosen to be resonant at frequencies in the low frequency band. Supplies 22 are also shown together with their power line terminals 23. As shown, the supplies 22 are electrically (or directly) coupled to the patches 21. The patches 31 of the second flat-array antenna unit 30 are perfect conductors, with their dimensions chosen to be resonant at frequency in the band. high frequency. Supplies 32 are also shown together with their power line terminals 33. Once again the supplies 32 are electrically coupled to the patches 31. Figure 7 shows a flat view of the plane 25 to ground selective to the frequency according to one embodiment. The openings 23 in the plane 25 to ground are arranged periodically and designed so that the ground plane 25 - reflects frequencies in the low frequency band and is transparent to frequencies in the high frequency band. The patches and the ground plane 25 are illustrated in Figures 5 and 7 and have the identical openings 26 and 27, respectively, with identical spacings between the openings. However, it should be noted that this is not necessarily the case, and although circular openings may be used, it will be understood that they are representative of any opening in an appropriate manner. Typical examples of acceptable shapes for the openings, as are known in the art, are: a rectangular slot, a cross, a Jerusalem cross, a disk and an annular ring. The actual dimensions of the patches in Figures 5 and 6 will depend on the lesson of the frequency bands required for an application and therefore the patches 21, in some applications may be much larger than the patches 31. In such applications, the plane 25 to ground selective to the frequency may take another form as shown in Figure 8. According to this embodiment the openings 28 in the plane 25 to ground may be, but not necessarily, in the same way as the patches 31 and each opening 28 is substantially aligned with an individual patch 31. They will now be described for various embodiments of the antenna units of. flat arrangement a number of other embodiments of the antenna assembly of the invention. For this purpose it is noted that the first flat array antenna unit 20, shown in Figure 2, can be specified by the "first antenna unit" 20 'shown in Figure 9, which comprises a patch 21, the supply 22 with terminal 23, dielectric plate 24 and ground plane 25. This antenna unit is designated as an antenna unit with an electrically coupled patch (or directly). The first flat array antenna unit 20, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, is constructed from the first antenna unit 20 'forming a flat periodic array of the first antenna units 20'. Similarly, the second flat array antenna unit 30, shown in FIG. 3, can be specified by the "second antenna unit" 30 'shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, instead of describing the different embodiments of the antenna unit 30, it is shown in FIG. For different antenna arrangements, different modalities for the antenna units will be described, it being understood that those antenna units are basic building blocks from which the corresponding flat array antenna units can be constructed. Also, when comparing Figures 9 and 10 it is evident that one of the figures will be sufficient to describe both antenna units, wherein the patch and the ground plane will be selective to the frequency for the first antenna unit and perfectly conductive in the case of the second antenna unit. With this in mind, only a generic antenna unit will be illustrated in the following description.

Attention is drawn to Figure 11 which shows a dual stack antenna unit with an electrically coupled patch 40 which is constructed from an electrically coupled antenna unit comprising a patch 41, the supply 42 and the line terminal 43 of supply, arranged on the front face of a dielectric plate 44 and a ground plane 45 disposed on its rear face and an additional dielectric plate 46 adjacent to the front face of the dielectric plate 44. The dielectric plate 46 supports on its front face a patch 47 substantially aligned with the patch 41. Clearly the two patches 41 and 47 are electromagnetically coupled. The presence of patch 47 serves to increase the bandwidth of the electrically coupled antenna unit. It will be noted that a completely equivalent structure can be formed by depositing patch 41, supply 42 and feed line terminal 43 on the back face of dielectric plate 46 instead of on the front face of dielectric plate 44. This comment should be taken as a general comment for all modalities in which a patch or supply is to be arranged on the front or rear face of the two adjacent dielectric plates. That is, the patch or the supply can also be arranged on the adjacent face of the other dielectric plate.

Figure 12 shows an antenna unit in which the patch 51 and the supply 52 are electromagnetically coupled. The patch 51 and the supply 52 together with its feed line terminal 53 are disposed on the opposite sides of the dielectric plate 54. The front face of a second dielectric plate 56 is adjacent to the back face of the dielectric plate 54, and a ground plane 55 is disposed on the back face of the dielectric plate 56. In Figure 13 there is shown a unit 60 of electromagnetically coupled dual-stack antenna, and are obtained from the antenna unit with a patch 50 electromagnetically coupled by depositing a dielectric plate 57, which supports a patch 58 on its front face, on the front face of the dielectric plate 54. The patches 51 and 58 are substantially aligned with each other. Figure 14 shows an antenna unit 70 with a patch coupled by aperture. The antenna unit comprises a patch 71, a supply 72 with the feed line terminal 73, two dielectric plates 74, 75 and a ground plane 76 having an opening 77. The patch 71 and the ground plane 76 are arranged on the opposite sides of the dielectric plate 74 and the supply 72 is disposed on the rear face of the dielectric plate 75. The patch 71 and the supply 72 are electromagnetically coupled through the opening 77 in the ground plane 76. In the Figure 15 shows a patch 80 coupled by opening to the dual-stack antenna unit, and is obtained from the antenna unit with a patch 70 coupled by aperture by depositing a dielectric plate 78, which supports a patch 79 on its front face, on the front face of the dielectric plate 74. The patches 71 and 79 are substantially aligned with each other. As described above, the flat array antenna units can be constructed from the antenna units illustrated therein to form a flat periodic array of antenna units. From the flat array antenna units constructed, flat antenna assemblies can be constructed using the modular approach illustrated in Figure 1. The first flat antenna unit 2 can be constructed from any of the antenna units 20 ', 40 , 50, 60, 70 and 80 (wherein the patches and the ground planes are selective surfaces of the frequency as described above) and similarly the second flat antenna unit 6 can be constructed from any of the antenna units (30 ', 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 (where the patches and the ground planes are perfect conductors). In all the flat antenna assemblies described in the foregoing any of the supplies are in the same plane as the patches and are electrically coupled to them or they may be in a different plane and electromagnetically coupled to those. Figure 16 shows a side view with its schematic detached portions of a flat antenna assembly 90 in which the patches 91 of the first planar array antenna unit are in a different plane from that of their supplies 92. The supplies 92 are equipped with two terminals, the power line terminals 93 to which the power lines can be connected to link the supplies to the appropriate electronic systems containing the phase control devices and the probe terminals 94 '. of power to which the feeding probes 95 are connected. The electrical connection between the supplies 92 and the patches 91 is made through the feeding probes 95, connected at one end to the feed probe terminals 94 'at the other end to the terminals 94"of the probe terminals of the Each patch 91 is equipped with a 9-4"patch probe terminal. The patches 91 of the first flat array antenna unit are disposed on the front face of the dielectric plate 96 and the ground plane 97 of the first flat array antenna unit is disposed on the rear face of the dielectric plate 96. The supplies 92 of the first plane array antenna unit are disposed on the rear face of the dielectric plate 98. The dielectric plates 96 and 98 of the first plane array antenna unit ^ form an antenna chamber with the second unit 99. of flat array antenna located inside the antenna chamber. The ground plane 97 of the first plane array antenna unit is fitted with the holes 102 of the non-contact passage of the feed probes 95. For the sake of illustration the second flat-array antenna unit 99 has been chosen to be the second flat-array antenna unit shown in Figure 3, however, it may well be any of the flat-array antenna units that may be formed from the antenna units 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80. The holes 104 and 105 in the patches and the ground plane, respectively, of the second flat array antenna unit 99, are for the non-contacting passage. of the feeding probes through them. The embodiment of the antenna assembly of the invention, with a first flat array antenna unit having the probe feeding patches, as shown in Figure 16, can be extended to an antenna assembly with a first flat antenna unit of double stack probe feeding, when depositing on the front face of the flat antenna assembly 90 a dielectric plate that supports the patches on its front face. Figure 17 shows a side view with its parts detached systematically from part of a flat antenna assembly 100 with a first antenna unit of flat arrangement of double stacks with the patches fed by probe. A dielectric plate 110, which supports on its front face the patches 112 is disposed on the front face 114 of the flat antenna assembly 90, having a first flat antenna array antenna unit powered by a probe. The patches 112 and 91, of the flat antenna assembly 90 (shown in Figure 16), are substantially aligned with each other. The first and second flat array antenna units comprising the flat antenna assembly of the invention can operate in a polarization operation mode either flat or circular. The flat views of the flat array antenna units 20 and 30 shown in Figures 5 and 6, respectively, illustrate a flat polarization operation mode. While the geometrical aspect dictating the operating polarization mode of the flat array antenna units is the relative orientation of the patches and supplies, clearly Figures 5 and 6 can be replaced by a figure without reference so the patch is selective to the frequency or not and without reference to the operating frequency band. Also, a sub-arrangement of 2 x 2 is sufficient to demonstrate the circular polarization mode and therefore will also be used to demonstrate the flat polarization mode of operation. Attention was drawn to Figure 18 which shows a flat view of a 2 × 2 sub-arrangement of a flat array antenna unit, with the patches electrically coupled (directly), for a flat polarization operation mode (this is the figure generic for Figures 5 and 6). The sub-arrangement 200 comprises the patches 202, electrically connected to the supplies 204, the supplies being equipped with the power line terminals 206. The patches 202 and the supplies 204 are disposed on a dielectric plate 208. Attention is drawn to Figure 19 which shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 220 of 2 x 2 of a flat array antenna unit, with patches electrically coupled, for a circular polarization operation mode. As shown, each patch 222 together with its supply 224 is rotated in sequence at 90 ° in the clockwise direction (or optionally in the counterclockwise direction to replace the right circular polarization by left) . The sequence rotation of the patches and supplies for a circular polarization mode of operation is known per se and is well documented in the literature (see for example J. Huang (1986) and T. Teshirogi (1985)).

In the case of an electromagnetically coupled patch, as shown for example in Figure 12, the patches and supplies are on opposite sides of a dielectric plate, but the principle is the same. Figure 20 shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 204 of 2 x 2 of a flat array antenna unit, with the patches electromagnetically coupled, for a flat polarization operation mode. The patches 242 are disposed on the front face of the dielectric plate 244, while the supplies 246 (together with their feed line terminals) are disposed on their back face. The supplies 246 are drawn with dotted lines to imply that they are not in the same plane as the patches 24. Figure 21 shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 260 of 2 x 2 of a flat antenna unit, with patches electromagnetically coupled for a circular polarization operation mode. Each patch 262 together with its supply 264 is rotated in sequence 90 °. Attention is drawn to Figure 22 which shows a flat view of a 2 x 2 sub-arrangement 280 of a flat array antenna unit, with patches coupled by aperture, for a flat polarization mode of operation. In Figure 14 a side view of an antenna unit for a patch coupled by aperture is shown.

As can be seen from Figure 14 there are two dielectric plates involved and the patch, the opening and the supply are located in three different planes. In order to illustrate the relative position and orientation of the patch, the opening and the supply with respect to one another the patches 282 are drawn with continuous lines, the supplies 284 are drawn with dashed lines and the openings 286 are drawn with dotted lines, meaning which are located in three different planes, as indicated in Figure 14. Figure 23 shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 290 of 2 x 2 of a flat antenna unit, with patches coupled by aperture, for the mode of operation of circular polarization. Each patch 292 together with its supply 294 is rotated in sequence 90 °. The openings 296 do not necessarily undergo sequence rotation. Attention is now drawn to Figure 24 which shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 300 of 2 x 2 of the patches 91 (a, b, c, d) disposed on the dielectric plate 97 of the first flat array antenna unit of the flat antenna assembly 90 shown in Figure 16. A planar view of the corresponding 2 x 2 sub-arrangement 310 of the supplies 92 (a, b, c, d) of the patches 91 (a, b, c) is also shown. , d) fed by means of a probe, arranged on the dielectric plate 99. The supplies have been drawn with dashed lines in order to illustrate that they are arranged on the back face of the dielectric plate 99. The supplies 92 (a, b, c, d) are connected through the feeding probe 95 (shown in Figure 16) to the patches 91 (a, b, c, d) from the four terminals 94 '(a , b, c, d) of feeding probe to the four corresponding patch probe terminals 94"(a, b, c, d) Figure 24 illustrates a patch and supply arrangement for a flat polarization operation mode Attention is now drawn to Figure 25 which shows a flat view of a sub-arrangement 300 of 2 x 2 of the patches 91 (a, b, c, d) disposed on the dielectric plate 97 of the first arrangement antenna unit flat of the flat antenna assembly 90 shown in Figure 16 for a circular polarization operation mode In the sub-arrangement 300 the patches 91a, 91b, 91c and 91d differ from each other in that each of the patches is rotated, in sequence in the clockwise direction, around an axis perpendicular to its center. This has the effect that patches 91a, 91b, 91c and 91d differ from each other by the location of terminals 94"(a, b, c, d) of patch probe of the patches that are in sequence in an equal clockwise direction such that each of the terminals 94"a, 94" b, 94"c and 94"d is angularly offset 90 ° from the preceding one in the frequency as reflected in Figure 24 by means of the angular orientation of the patches with respect to each other including the relative location of each patch probe terminal within the patch. The feed probe terminals are not shown, but their arrangement is similar to that shown in Figure 24, except that they will be shifted slightly so that each feed probe terminal will substantially align with its corresponding angularly offset feed patch terminal. . For the transmission of the circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation phase delays of 90 °, 180 ° and 270 ° are applied to the currents flowing in the feed probe terminals 94 'b, 94' c and 9 'd to the terminal 94 'b, respectively.

Claims (28)

1. REVINDICATIONS 1. A flat antenna assembly for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation in two frequency bands, the flat antenna assembly comprising, in a staged formation, the first and second flat array antenna units, the first antenna unit of flat arrangement operates in a low frequency band and the second flat array antenna unit operates in a high frequency band, the first flat array antenna unit is the upper planar array antenna unit and the second antenna array unit is flat lay is the lower planar array antenna unit; the first flat array antenna unit comprises a dielectric plate having front and rear faces, a flat array of patches having a plurality of patches and a feeding arrangement having a plurality of supplies; each supply of the feeding arrangement is coupled to one of the respective patches of a flat arrangement of the patches; each patch of at least one flat arrangement of the patches is resonant at frequencies in the low frequency band and transparent at frequencies in the high frequency band; the second flat array antenna unit comprises a dielectric plate having front and rear faces, a ground plane, a flat arrangement of patches having a plurality of patches and a feeding arrangement having a plurality of supplies, each supply the feeding arrangement is coupled to one of the respective patches of at least one flat arrangement of patches; The flat antenna assembly is characterized in that the first planar array antenna unit comprises a ground plane that reflects frequencies in the low frequency band and is transparent to frequencies in the high frequency band.
2. 2. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first flat array antenna unit comprises a first dielectric plate and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the first flat array of patches and the feeding arrangement is disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate with each supply of the power supply being electrically coupled to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches and the plane to ground being disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate.
3. 3. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a second dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the second dielectric plate, the back face of the second dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the first flat array of patches is substantially aligned with a respective patch of the patches of the second flat array of patches.
4. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first flat array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches, the first flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate and the supply arrangement is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate by electromagnetically coupling each supply of the feed arrangement to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches, the ground plane being arranged on the rear face of the second dielectric plate, and the front face of the second dielectric plate facing the rear face of the first dielectric face.
5. 5. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first plane array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches, having a plurality of patches, the first flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane has a plurality of openings, the front face of the second dielectric plate faces the rear face of the first dielectric plate and the supply arrangement is arranged on the rear face of the second dielectric plate with each supply arrangement electromagnetically coupled to one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches through one of the respective openings in the plane to ground, the openings being resonant at frequencies in the low frequency band.
6. 6. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that it further comprises a third dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the third dielectric plate, the rear face of the third dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the second flat array of patches is substantially aligned with a respective patch of the patches of the first flat arrangement of patches.
7. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first flat array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the flat array of patches being arranged on the front face of the first dielectric plate, the first dielectric plate is separated from the second dielectric plate so as to form an antenna chamber, the supply arrangement is disposed on the rear face of the second dielectric plate by electrically coupling each supply of the feeding arrangement to one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches by a plurality of feeding probes and the second flat antenna unit is located within the antenna chamber.
8. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a third dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the third Dielectric plate, the rear face of the third dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the second flat array of patches is substantially aligned with one of the respective patches of the first flat array of. patches 9.
9. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the second plane array antenna unit comprises a first dielectric plate and a first flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the first flat array of patches and the feeding arrangement are arranged on the front face of the first dielectric plate with each feed of the feed arrangement electrically coupling to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches and the plane to ground being arranged on the rear face of the first dielectric plate.
10. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a second dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the second dielectric plate, the back face of the second dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the first flat array of patches is substantially aligned with a respective patch of the patches of the second flat array of patches.
11. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the second plane array antenna unit comprises first and second dielectric plates and a first flat array of patches, the first flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate and the supply arrangement is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate with each supply of the power supply electromagnetically coupled to a respective patch of the patches of the first flat array of patches, the ground plane being arranged on the rear face of the second dielectric plate, and the front face of "the second dielectric plate facing the rear face of the first dielectric face 12.
12. The flat antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the second unit of flat layout antenna comprises prim was and second dielectric plates and a first flat arrangement of patches, having a plurality of patches, the first flat arrangement of patches is disposed on the front face of the first dielectric plate, the plane to ground is disposed on the rear face of the first dielectric plate, the ground plane has a plurality of openings, the front face of the second dielectric plate faces the rear face of the first dielectric plate and the supply arrangement is disposed on the rear face of the second dielectric plate with each feeding the supply arrangement electromagnetically coupling to one of the respective patches of the first flat array of patches through one of the respective openings in the plane to ground, the openings being resonant at frequencies in the high frequency band.
13. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that it further comprises a third dielectric plate and a second flat array of patches having a plurality of patches, the second flat array of patches being disposed on the front face of the third dielectric plate, the rear face of the third dielectric plate faces the front face of the first dielectric plate and each patch of the second flat array of patches is substantially aligned with a respective patch of the patches of the first arrangement flat patches.
14. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 9 and the first and second flat antenna units are separated by a dielectric plate with faces front and rear, the front and rear faces of the dielectric plate face the first - and second plane antenna units respectively.
15. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 10 and the first and second flat antenna units are separated by a dielectric plate with faces front and rear, the front and rear faces of the dielectric plate face the first and second flat antenna units respectively.
16. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 11 and the first and second flat antenna units are separated by a dielectric plate with front and rear faces, the front and rear faces of the dielectric plate face the first and second flat antenna units respectively.
17. 17. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 12 and the first and second planar antenna units are separated by a dielectric plate with front and rear faces, the front and rear faces of the dielectric plate face the first and second flat antenna units respectively.
18. 18. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 13 and the first and second flat antenna units are separated by a dielectric plate with faces front and rear, the front and rear faces of the dielectric plate face the first and second flat antenna units respectively.
19. 19. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with the. claim 9 and is located within the antenna chamber, with a dielectric plate interposed between the second antenna unit and the ground plane of the first antenna unit.
20. 20. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 10 and is located inside the antenna chamber, with a dielectric plate interposed between the second antenna unit and the ground plane of the first antenna unit.
21. 21. The flat antenna assembly "according to any of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 11 and is located within the antenna chamber, with an interposed dielectric plate. between the second antenna unit and the ground plane of the first antenna unit
22. 22. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with the claim 12 and is located within the antenna chamber, with a dielectric plate interposed between the second antenna unit and the ground plane of the first antenna unit
23. 23. The flat antenna assembly according to any of the claims 7 u 8, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is in accordance with claim 13 and is located inside the antenna chamber, with an interp dielectric plate. between the second antenna unit and the ground plane of the first antenna unit.
24. 24. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the first flat antenna unit is designed for the reception and transmission of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation and is characterized in that: at least one patch arrangement of the first flat array antenna unit is grouped into subdivisions of 2 x 2 patches each having first, second, third and fourth sub-arrangement members in sequence in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction of the hands of the clock; the supplies of the feed arrangement of the first flat array antenna unit are grouped into 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangements each having first, second, third and fourth sub-arrangement members in sequence in the clockwise direction or in the opposite direction to the clock hands; each member of a given feed sub-arrangement is coordinated with a member of a given patch sub-arrangement, the supplies and patches in a given coordinated sub-arrangement are rotated 90 ° with respect to the member of the preceding sub-arrangement in sequence.
25. 25. The flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the second flat antenna unit is designed for the reception and transmission of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation and is characterized in that: at least one arrangement of patches of the first flat array antenna unit is grouped into subdivisions of 2 x 2 patches each having first, second, third and fourth sub-arrangement members in sequence in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction of the hands of the clock; the supplies of the feed arrangement of the first flat array antenna unit are grouped into 2 x 2 feed sub-arrangements each having first, second, third and fourth sub-arrangement members in sequence in the clockwise direction or in the opposite direction to the clock hands; each member of a given feed sub-arrangement is coordinated with a member of a given patch sub-arrangement, the supplies and patches in a given coordinated sub-arrangement are rotated 90 ° with respect to the member of the preceding sub-arrangement in sequence.
26. 26. A flat antenna assembly according to any of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the first antenna unit is in accordance with claim 24 and the second antenna unit is in accordance with claim 25.
27. 27. A flat antenna assembly according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the band of The low frequency at which the first antenna unit operates is the L band and the high frequency band on which the second antenna unit operates is the Ku band.
28. 28. A flat antenna assembly according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also comprises a rotating antenna dome.