Deployable helical antenna for nano-satellites
US8970447B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 1, 2012 |
| Grant date | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 12, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q11/086
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A helical antenna operable to be stowed on and deployed from a cubesat. The antenna includes two helical elements wound in opposite directions and defining an antenna column, where one of the helical elements is a conductive antenna element. The antenna also includes a plurality of circumferentially disposed vertical stiffeners extending along a length of the column and being coupled to the helical elements at each location where the vertical stiffeners and the helical elements cross. The helical elements and the vertical stiffeners are formed of a flexible material, such as a fiber glass, so that the antenna can be collapsed and stowed into a relatively small space. To position the antenna in the stowed configuration, the vertical stiffeners are folded on each other in a radial direction, and then the folded antenna is rolled in an axial direction from one end of the column to the other end.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.