A radiation direction control method includes obtaining a relative position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relative to a control terminal communicating with the UAV, and driving an antenna of the UAV to move based on the relative position to cause a maximum-radiation direction of the antenna to face toward the control terminal.

Provided are stacks including CMC structures and capping layers deposited on surfaces of these CMC structures. Also provided are methods for hermetically sealing the surfaces of the CMC structures with the capping layers. These stacks may be used to construct walls of radomes that enclose antennas and other equipment of aerospace vehicles. The capping layers may form smooth external surfaces of the radomes and may hermetically seal the underlying CMC structures. The dielectric properties of these stacks may be configured to minimize interference with operations of the antennas and other equipment deposited within the radome.

A broadband stacked multi-spiral antenna array comprising two or more spiral antennas with a dielectric layer having a generally uniform thickness positioned between each pair of stacked antennas, which are all center-fed and in-phase. The antenna array may be embedded in a non-conductive material, such as fiberglass embedded in a resin, a honeycomb core sandwich, or structural foam, that may be used to form a structural element of a mobile platform. The structural element may include a via providing a pathway for coaxial cables. If two structural elements are hatch covers on the port and the starboard sides of an aircraft, the use of a stacked multi-spiral antenna array in each structural element provides two roughly hemispherical coverage patterns which together provide an omni-directional coverage pattern. The stacked multi-spiral antenna array may also include a reflecting cavity placed at the bottom of one of the spiral antennas.

The present invention relates to a tile structure of a shape-adaptive phased array antenna, and more specifically to a tile structure of a shape-adaptive phased array antenna configured to improve drag and low-observable properties of an airplane, and minimize a structural interference between adjacent tiles of the phased array antenna.

The described features include a scalable waveguide architecture for a waveguide device. The waveguide device may be split into one or more waveguide blocks instead of manufacturing increasingly larger single-piece waveguide devices. Described techniques provide for a radio-frequency (RF) seal between such waveguide blocks that may facilitate greater manufacturing tolerances while maintaining an effective RF seal at the junction of the waveguide blocks. The described techniques include channels within one or more waveguide blocks opening to the dielectric gap between the waveguide blocks. The channels may, for each of multiple waveguides joined at the interface between waveguide blocks, be included in one or both waveguide blocks and may be in a single waveguide dimension relative to the multiple waveguides, or extend for more than one waveguide dimensions.

The invention is directed to an antenna structure for producing a horizontally polarized beam. In one embodiment, the antenna structure includes a first quarter-wave patch antenna and a second quarter-wave patch antenna that are positioned such that the ground planes of the patch antennas or a ground plane shared by the patch antennas is disposed between the patches of the two antennas and the shorting structures associated with the antennas are substantially aligned. In operation, the antenna structure is capable of processing an omni-directional, horizontally polarized beam.

A system for transferring data between an on-board server and an off-board server of a vehicle is provided. The system comprises: a light mounted to an exterior of a vehicle; an external network comprising an external wireless access point comprising a first antenna positioned on the exterior of the vehicle at the location of the light, the external network configured to automatically connect to an off-board server, the off-board server located outside the vehicle; an internal network comprising internal wireless access point comprising a second antenna, the second antenna positioned on the interior of the vehicle at the location of the light, the internal network configured to automatically connect to an on-board server, the on-board server internal to the vehicle; and a circuit coupled to the external access point and to the internal access point, the circuit configured to transfer data bi-directionally between the off-board server and the on-board server.

A radio frequency sensor module adapted for mounting a vehicle exhaust system structure. A bracket on the module includes a first mounting ear defining a first through aperture. A printed circuit board is coupled to the bracket. A cover defines an opening and an interior cavity in communication with the opening. The bracket and the cover are coupled together in a relationship with the printed circuit board extending through the opening in the cover and into the interior cavity of the cover and the first and second mounting ears in an abutting and overlying relationship. A mounting bolt extends through the respective first and second through apertures in the respective first and second mounting ears for securing the radio frequency module to the housing of a vehicle exhaust system.

Circularly polarized directional antennas and methods of fabrication are provided. An antenna comprises conductive elements above a conductive reflector. The conducting elements are spaced radially outward from the center axis. The elements may be spaced equidistantly about each other or may be spaced between 10 and 80 degrees apart. The elements may be straight or curved. The elements may be a parallel to the reflector or may curve away or toward the reflector. The lengths and widths of each conductive element are adjusted to create or receive a circularly polarized wave of particular rotation based on the location in the element system. The elements are located within a printed circuit board that is bonded to a coaxial cable feedline placed above a metallic reflector. Each conducting element comprises a metallic wire.

Provided are stacks including CMC structures and capping layers deposited on surfaces of these CMC structures. Also provided are methods for hermetically sealing the surfaces of the CMC structures with the capping layers. These stacks may be used to construct walls of radomes that enclose antennas and other equipment of aerospace vehicles. The capping layers may form smooth external surfaces of the radomes and may hermetically seal the underlying CMC structures. The dielectric properties of these stacks may be configured to minimize interference with operations of the antennas and other equipment deposited within the radome.