Multiple-beam electronic scanning antenna

Details Multiple-beam electronic scanning antenna Multiple-beam electronic scanning antenna

1999-04-23

2001-03-06

Blum, Theodore M. (Department: 3662)

Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,

Directive

Including a steerable array

C342S376000, C342S157000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06198433

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple-beam electronic scanning antenna. It can be applied especially to uniquely phase-controlled antennas for example in the context of satellite or terrestrial communications requiring simultaneous communications with several variable sites.
2. Discussion of the Background
Telecommunication requirements are constantly on the increase. Furthermore, military, civilian, professional and private users are demanding ever lower costs. To meet these demands, telecommunication equipment has to be very economical. To this end, it is worthwhile to use multiple-beam antennas which enable simultaneous transmission and reception in several different directions which, furthermore, are not fixed in advance. Thus, it is advantageous for a communications satellite to be capable of communicating simultaneously, by means of one and the same antenna, with several stations that are variable in number and position. This is also the case with terrestrial radiocommunications for example where several mobile sites belonging to one and the same network can communicate with one another simultaneously.
There are known ways of making multiple-beam electronic scanning antennas, but these antennas are active, i.e. they comprise not just phase-shifters but active modules that can be controlled in phase but also in amplitude modulation, more particularly in modulation of the power emitted per module. Now, an active module antenna is costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention enables the making of a multiple-beam electronic scanning antenna not provided with active modules, i.e. a uniquely phase-controlled antenna, as an antenna of this kind is more economical. To this end, an object of the invention is an electronic scanning antenna comprising an array of phase-shifters D
ij
wherein N simultaneous beams are obtained in N independent directions by a law of excitation f
ij
applied to each phase-shifter D
ij
that is computed by summing the phase laws &psgr;
1
, &psgr;
2
, . . . &psgr;
k
, . . . &psgr;
N
associated respectively with each 1, 2, . . . k, . . . N order direction according to the relationship:
f
ij
=e
j&PSgr;
1
+e
j&PSgr;
2
. . . +e
j&PSgr;
k
. . . +e
j&PSgr;
N
=&rgr;
ij
e
j&PSgr;t
ij
and by applying the resultant phase-shift &psgr;t
ij
to the phase-shifter, without applying the resultant amplitude modulation &rgr;
ij
.
The main advantages of the invention are that it can be adapted to already constructed antennas, is applicable to all types of electronic scanning antennas, enables the creation of a large number of beams simultaneously for one and the same antenna and is simple to implement.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4314250 (1982-02-01), Hanell et al.
patent: 4612547 (1986-09-01), Itoh
patent: 4980691 (1990-12-01), Rigg et al.
patent: 5706012 (1998-01-01), Kay
Y. J. Guo, et al., IEEE Proceedings: Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, vol. 142, No. 2, pp. 115-120, “Phase Efficiency of the Reflective Array Antenna”, Apr. 1, 1995.
E. Hecht, pp. 493-494, “Optics”, 1987.
Shiban K. Koul, Artech House, vol. 1, pp. 47-53, “Microwave and Millimeter Wave Phase Shifters”, 1991.
Bernard Grob, Mc Graw Hill, pp. 592-593, “Grob Basic Electronics”, 1992.
R. D. Javor, et al., vol. 2, pp. 956-959, “Beam Steering of Microstrip Flat Reflectarray Antenna”, Jun. 19, 1994.

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