Antenne med et jordplan

An antenna (10) incorporating a slot (12) and a plurality of ear-like dipole elements (13a,b). The antenna comprises a ground plane (11) having a slot (12) disposed therein, and a plurality of ear-like elements (13a,b) attached to one side of the ground plane along the elongated edges of the slot (12). The ear-like elements (13a,b) are oriented orthogonal to the ground plane (11) in the same direction. Typically, the plurality of ear-like elements are disposed in a symmetrically opposed relationship along the elongated edges of the slot. The plurality of ear-like elements typically comprise two generally quadrant-shaped elements having the centers of the respective quadrant-shaped elements are disposed at or near the outer edges of the slot and the outer edge of the elements extend to about the middle of the slot. The ear-like elements may be rotated with respect to the slot in order to fine tune the polarization direction. In a typical antenna, a plurality of slots are employed, and the present invention permits the use of randomly oriented or regularly spaced slots that are fed by means of conventional rectangular waveguides or boxed stripline. An polarized radiation field having a controlled arbitrary polarization is selectively produced by controlling the relative positions of the slot and ear-like elements. Typically, if all the energy radiates from the ear-like elements, then tile antenna is polarized along the slot. If all the energy radiates from the slot, then the antenna is polarized across the slot. When both the slot and ear-like elements radiate energy, then the antenna is linearly polarized if both the slot and ear-like elements radiate in phase, circularly polarized if both the slot and ear-like elements radiate with equal amplitude and the phase difference between them is +/-90 degrees, and elliptically polarized if the excitation amplitude and phase associated with the slot and ear-like elements are not the same.