A system having a platform upon which several phased antenna arrays are mounted and which can communicate with satellites. The system includes a switch that can connect any of the phased array antennas to any of available modems. The system further includes a router that can connect any of the modems to any available computing devices. Based on parameters such as data rates, signal strength, and account information, one or more communication paths are selected for a computing device requesting to communicate with a satellite. Each communication path is established by operating the switch to connect a selected antenna to a selected modem, and operating the router to transfer data between the computing device and the selected modem.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/0456 - Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices for antenna weighting
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
A system and method for selecting antenna panels for communicating with satellites. The receive panels directed towards a location in the sky where the satellite is expected to be. When the signal from the satellite is received by the panels, parameters of the signals are checked against a threshold. All the panels having the parameters above the threshold are grouped together as a receive group. The parameters of the signals at the receive groups are compared to determine the best receive panel, and the transmit panel associate with the receive panel is selected as the transmit panel.
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
A system having a platform upon which several phased antenna arrays are mounted and which can communicate with satellites. The system includes a switch that can connect any of the phased array antennas to any of available modems. The system further includes a router that can connect any of the modems to any available computing devices. Based on parameters such as data rates, signal strength, and account information, one or more communication paths are selected for a computing device requesting to communicate with a satellite. Each communication path is established by operating the switch to connect a selected antenna to a selected modem, and operating the router to transfer data between the computing device and the selected modem.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/0456 - Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices for antenna weighting
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
A system and method for selecting antenna panels for communicating with satellites. The receive panels directed towards a location in the sky where the satellite is expected to be. When the signal from the satellite is received by the panels, parameters of the signals are checked against a threshold. All the panels having the parameters above the threshold are grouped together as a receive group. The parameters of the signals at the receive groups are compared to determine the best receive panel, and the transmit panel associate with the receive panel is selected as the transmit panel.
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
A system and method for selecting antenna panels for communicating with satellites. The receive panels directed towards a location in the sky where the satellite is expected to be. When the signal from the satellite is received by the panels, parameters of the signals are checked against a threshold. All the panels having the parameters above the threshold are grouped together as a receive group. The parameters of the signals at the receive groups are compared to determine the best receive panel, and the transmit panel associate with the receive panel is selected as the transmit panel.
H01Q 3/12 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system using mechanical relative movement between primary active elements and secondary devices of antennas or antenna systems
H01Q 3/02 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole
H04B 7/02 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
An array antenna is provided with a plurality of radiating patches, wherein each of the patches, operates in one frequency band along one direction and in a different frequency band along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The signals from each radiating patch are coupled to two delay lines, which traverse over a variable dielectric constant plate. A voltage potential is controllably applied to each delay line to change the dielectric constant of the VDC plate in the vicinity of that delay line, thereby introducing delay in signal travel. In order to isolate the voltage potential from the two orthogonal delay lines applied to each radiating patch, at least one of the delay lines is connected to a coupling patch, which capacitively couples the RF energy to the radiating patch.
A system having a platform upon which several phased antenna arrays are mounted and which can communicate with satellites. The system includes a switch that can connect any of the phased array antennas to any of available modems. The system further includes a router that can connect any of the modems to any available computing devices. Based on parameters such as data rates, signal strength, and account information, one or more communication paths are selected for a computing device requesting to communicate with a satellite. Each communication path is established by operating the switch to connect a selected antenna to a selected modem, and operating the router to transfer data between the computing device and the selected modem.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/0456 - Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices for antenna weighting
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
Receive diversity combining uses signals received at multiple antennas and combine them to obtain a higher overall signal to noise ratio. Multi-level ranking is employed to determine the weight assigned to each channel and, once the channels are weighted the weighted signals are added together. In a two-level example the first level ranks the signals according to fidelity of the signal. This is done by calculating cross correlation coefficients, where highest coefficient indicates best fidelity. The second level ranks the channels according to peak to average power ratio. The lowest value indicates the best channel. The two rankings are combined to generate the weight coefficient for each channel prior to combining the signals from all the channels.
H04L 1/02 - Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by diversity reception
H04B 7/02 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/0456 - Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices for antenna weighting
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
A multi-layer software controlled antenna. A radiating patch is provided over a variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate. Variable DC potential is applied across the VDC plate to control the effective dielectric constant at various locations of the VDC plate. RF signal is coupled between a feed patch and a delay line, and the delay line couples the RF signal to the radiating patch. The radiating patch, VDC plate, delay line, and feed patch are each provided at a different layer of the antenna, so as to decouple the RF and DC signal paths. A controller executes a software program to thereby control the variable DC potential applied across the VDC plate, thereby controlling the operational characteristics of the antenna.
H01Q 21/28 - Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
H01Q 1/50 - Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
H04L 27/18 - Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying
H01Q 3/24 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
H01Q 9/14 - Length of element or elements adjustable
An antenna array is steered electronically by controlling the transmission speed of the RF signal in feed line of each radiator in the array. The transmission speed is controlled using phase shifters, that include variable dielectric constant (VDC) material causing the change in transmission speed. The control signal applied to the VDC material generates the required phase shift. The control signal is calculated for each phase shifter in real time for each control cycle, so as to enable the main beam to track a target, such as a satellite. The control signal is a square wave signal, and each control signal has a specifically calculated duty cycle or frequency to generate the required phase shift.
G01S 19/00 - Satellite radio beacon positioning systemsDetermining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems
G01S 19/26 - Acquisition or tracking of signals transmitted by the system involving a sensor measurement for aiding acquisition or tracking
H01Q 3/26 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H01Q 3/44 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
An antenna array is steered electronically by controlling the transmission speed of the RF signal in feed line of each radiator in the array. The transmission speed is controlled using phase shifters, that include variable dielectric constant (VDC) material causing the change in transmission speed. The control signal applied to the VDC material generates the required phase shift. The control signal is calculated for each phase shifter in real time for each control cycle, so as to enable the main beam to track a target, such as a satellite. The control signal is a square wave signal, and each control signal has a specifically calculated duty cycle or frequency to generate the required phase shift.
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
H01Q 3/38 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters the phase-shifters being digital
H01Q 21/22 - Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array
H01Q 1/38 - Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support
H04L 25/49 - Transmitting circuitsReceiving circuits using code conversion at the transmitterTransmitting circuitsReceiving circuits using predistortionTransmitting circuitsReceiving circuits using insertion of idle bits for obtaining a desired frequency spectrumTransmitting circuitsReceiving circuits using three or more amplitude levels
H01Q 1/28 - Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
12.
LOW COST DIELECTRIC FOR ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION AND ANTENNA USING SAME
A transmission conduit for RF signal, comprising: a dielectric plate; a conductive circuit positioned on one surface of the dielectric plate; a conductive ground positioned on opposite surface of the dielectric plate; wherein the dielectric plate comprises a sandwich of at least one high-dielectric constant layer and one foam plate. The dielectric plate can be made of a sandwich of glass and foam plate, such as Rohacell®. The glass and foam plates have thickness calculated to give the sandwich the required overall dialectic constant.
H01Q 1/38 - Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
A transmission conduit for RF signal, comprising: a dielectric plate; a conductive circuit positioned on one surface of the dielectric plate; a conductive ground positioned on opposite surface of the dielectric plate; wherein the dielectric plate comprises a sandwich of at least one high-dielectric constant layer and one foam plate. The dielectric plate can be made of a sandwich of glass and foam plate, such as Rohacell®. The glass and foam plates have thickness calculated to give the sandwich the required overall dialectic constant.
A transmission conduit for RF signal, comprising: a dielectric plate; a conductive circuit positioned on one surface of the dielectric plate; a conductive ground positioned on opposite surface of the dielectric plate; wherein the dielectric plate comprises a sandwich of at least one high-dielectric constant layer and one foam plate. The dielectric plate can be made of a sandwich of glass and foam plate, such as Rohacell®. The glass and foam plates have thickness calculated to give the sandwich the required overall dialectic constant.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
15.
Multi-layered software defined antenna and method of manufacture
A multi-layer software controlled antenna. A radiating patch is provided over a variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate. Variable DC potential is applied across the VDC plate to control the effective dielectric constant at various locations of the VDC plate. RF signal is coupled between a feed patch and a delay line, and the delay line couples the RF signal to the radiating patch. The radiating patch, VDC plate, delay line, and feed patch are each provided at a different layer of the antenna, so as to decouple the RF and DC signal paths. A controller executes a software program to thereby control the variable DC potential applied across the VDC plate, thereby controlling the operational characteristics of the antenna.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
H04L 27/18 - Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying
H01Q 21/28 - Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
H01Q 9/14 - Length of element or elements adjustable
H01Q 3/24 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
H01Q 1/50 - Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
A multi-layer antenna having radiation layer including radiating elements; transmission layer including delay lines for coupling the RF signal to the radiating elements; control layer comprising variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate; RF coupling layer including arrangements for coupling RF signal to each of the delay lines; ground layer functioning as ground for the RF signal. The ground layer may also function as ground for the VDC control signal. The ground plane may comprise a plurality of conductive ground patches, each conductive ground patch separated from a neighboring conductive ground patch by a distance that appears as a break for a square wave signal of up to 400 Hz, but appears as a short for the RF signal. It is beneficial to make the separation not larger than a tenth of the wavelength of the RF signal.
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
H01Q 3/44 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
H01Q 1/38 - Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
An antenna comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer; a plurality of radiating patches provided over the VDC layer; a plurality of signal lines, each terminating in alignment below one of the radiating patches; a plurality of control lines, each corresponding to one of the signal lines; a ground plane; wherein the VDC layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal sublayers stacked on each other.
An antenna comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer; a plurality of radiating patches provided over the VDC layer; a plurality of signal lines, each terminating in alignment below one of the radiating patches; a plurality of control lines, each corresponding to one of the signal lines; a ground plane; wherein the VDC layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal sublayers stacked on each other.
An antenna comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer; a plurality of radiating patches provided over the VDC layer; a plurality of signal lines, each terminating in alignment below one of the radiating patches; a plurality of control lines, each corresponding to one of the signal lines; a ground plane; wherein the VDC layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal sublayers stacked on each other.
H01Q 3/44 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
An antenna comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer; a plurality of radiating patches provided over the VDC layer; a plurality of signal lines, each terminating in alignment below one of the radiating patches; a plurality of control lines, each corresponding to one of the signal lines; a ground plane; wherein the VDC layer comprises: a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer or a PDLC layer in a polymerized and sheared state.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
An antenna comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer; a plurality of radiating patches provided over the VDC layer; a plurality of signal lines, each terminating in alignment below one of the radiating patches; a plurality of control lines, each corresponding to one of the signal lines; a ground plane; wherein the VDC layer comprises: a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer or a PDLC layer in a polymerized and sheared state.
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
A multi-state variable dielectric antenna, comprising: a top dielectric; a bottom dielectric; a variable dielectric plate between the top dielectric and the bottom dielectric; a plurality of conductive devices provided over the variable dielectric plate; an RF feed provided below the bottom dielectric; wherein the variable dielectric plate comprises: a top binder; a bottom binder; variable dielectric constant material provided between the top binder and bottom binder, the variable dielectric constant material divided into pixels, each pixel located below a corresponding conductive device and having a plurality of electrodes; a plurality of conductive lines, each conductive line connected independently to one of the electrodes and to a controller, such that each of the plurality of electrodes of a single pixel independently receives an activation signal from the controller.
H01Q 1/38 - Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support
H01Q 3/24 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
A multi-state variable dielectric antenna, comprising: a top dielectric; a bottom dielectric; a variable dielectric plate between the top dielectric and the bottom dielectric; a plurality of conductive devices provided over the variable dielectric plate; an RF feed provided below the bottom dielectric; wherein the variable dielectric plate comprises: a top binder; a bottom binder; variable dielectric constant material provided between the top binder and bottom binder, the variable dielectric constant material divided into pixels, each pixel located below a corresponding conductive device and having a plurality of electrodes; a plurality of conductive lines, each conductive line connected independently to one of the electrodes and to a controller, such that each of the plurality of electrodes of a single pixel independently receives an activation signal from the controller.
H01Q 3/44 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
G09G 3/36 - Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix by control of light from an independent source using liquid crystals
H01Q 1/44 - Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna
A multi-layer antenna having radiation layer including radiating elements; transmission layer including delay lines for coupling the RF signal to the radiating elements; control layer comprising variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate; RF coupling layer including arrangements for coupling RF signal to each of the delay lines; ground layer functioning as ground for the RF signal. The ground layer may also function as ground for the VDC control signal. The ground plane may comprise a plurality of conductive ground patches, each conductive ground patch separated from a neighboring conductive ground patch by a distance that appears as a break for a square wave signal of up to 400Hz, but appears as a short for the RF signal. It is beneficial to make the separation not larger than a tenth of the wavelength of the RF signal.
A multi-layer antenna having radiation layer including radiating elements; transmission layer including delay lines for coupling the RF signal to the radiating elements; control layer comprising variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate; RF coupling layer including arrangements for coupling RF signal to each of the delay lines; ground layer functioning as ground for the RF signal. The ground layer may also function as ground for the VDC control signal. The ground plane may comprise a plurality of conductive ground patches, each conductive ground patch separated from a neighboring conductive ground patch by a distance that appears as a break for a square wave signal of up to 400Hz, but appears as a short for the RF signal. It is beneficial to make the separation not larger than a tenth of the wavelength of the RF signal.
An electro-magnetic transmission line system having very low loss, which includes a low dielectric material proximate to a conductor on one side, a conductor on the opposite side and a substrate to which at least one of the conductors are attached. Also an antenna is provided, which incorporate the electro-magnetic transmission line system to transmit the radiation energy.
A multi-layer antenna having radiation layer including radiating elements; transmission layer including delay lines for coupling the RF signal to the radiating elements; control layer comprising variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate; RF coupling layer including arrangements for coupling RF signal to each of the delay lines; ground layer functioning as ground for the RF signal. The ground layer may also function as ground for the VDC control signal. The ground plane may comprise a plurality of conductive ground patches, each conductive ground patch separated from a neighboring conductive ground patch by a distance that appears as a break for a square wave signal of up to 400 Hz, but appears as a short for the RF signal. It is beneficial to make the separation not larger than a tenth of the wavelength of the RF signal.
H01Q 1/38 - Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
H01Q 3/44 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
Electrical devices having variable electrical properties. The variable electrical characteristics or operation of the devices are based on the potential applied to a variable-dielectric constant sector associated with the device. The electronic devices or component may include bends, power splitters, filters, ports, phase shifters, frequency shifters, attenuators, couplers, capacitors, inductors, diplexers, hybrids of beam forming networks.
An antenna is fabricated by: passing first dielectric strip through metallization station and forming a plurality of radiating patches on top surface of the first dielectric strip and a plurality of delay lines on bottom surface of the first dielectric strip; passing a second dielectric strip through metallization station and forming a common ground on top surface of the second dielectric strip and a plurality of feed lines on bottom surface of the second dielectric strip; passing the first and second dielectric strips through an alignment material deposition station and depositing an alignment layer; depositing spacers; depositing liquid crystal material over the top surface of the second dielectric strip or over the bottom surface of the first dielectric strip; adhering the first and second dielectric strips together to form a multi-layer strip; cutting the multi-layer strip into individual antennas.
H01Q 3/26 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
A multi-layer software controlled antenna. A radiating patch is provided over a variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate. Variable DC potential is applied across the VDC plate to control the effective dielectric constant at various locations of the VDC plate. RF signal is coupled between a feed patch and a delay line, and the delay line couples the RF signal to the radiating patch. The radiating patch, VDC plate, delay line, and feed patch are each provided at a different layer of the antenna, so as to decouple the RF and DC signal paths. A controller executes a software program to thereby control the variable DC potential applied across the VDC plate, thereby controlling the operational characteristics of the antenna.
H01Q 1/24 - SupportsMounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
H01Q 25/00 - Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns
H04B 7/06 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station
An antenna array having radiating elements and delay lines provided over a sandwich of layers that includes variable dielectric-constant material. The value of the variable dielectric-constant material at various points over the antenna is controlled via software, hence changing the operational characteristics of the antenna using software. The sandwich of layers may be a standard flat panel display, wherein images depicted on the flat panel display are software controlled with a program designed to change the dielectric constant, thus providing scanning and tuning ability to the array. That is, different images are programmed according to specifically desired change in the dielectric property of different pixels under different patches or feed-lines of the array, thereby controlling the frequency and/or directivity of the array.
H01P 5/12 - Coupling devices having more than two ports
G02F 1/13 - Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulatingNon-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
H01P 11/00 - Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
32.
Multi-layered software defined antenna and method of manufacture
A multi-layer software controlled antenna. A radiating patch is provided over a variable dielectric constant (VDC) plate. Variable DC potential is applied across the VDC plate to control the effective dielectric constant at various locations of the VDC plate. RF signal is coupled between a feed patch and a delay line, and the delay line couples the RF signal to the radiating patch. The radiating patch, VDC plate, delay line, and feed patch are each provided at a different layer of the antenna, so as to decouple the RF and DC signal paths. A controller executes a software program to thereby control the variable DC potential applied across the VDC plate, thereby controlling the operational characteristics of the antenna.
H01Q 1/50 - Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
H04L 27/18 - Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying
H01Q 3/24 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
H01Q 9/14 - Length of element or elements adjustable
H01Q 21/28 - Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
33.
Method of manufacturing software controlled antenna
An antenna is fabricated by: passing first dielectric strip through metallization station and forming a plurality of radiating patches on top surface of the first dielectric strip and a plurality of delay lines on bottom surface of the first dielectric strip; passing a second dielectric strip through metallization station and forming a common ground on top surface of the second dielectric strip and a plurality of feed lines on bottom surface of the second dielectric strip; passing the first and second dielectric strips through an alignment material deposition station and depositing an alignment layer; depositing spacers; depositing liquid crystal material over the top surface of the second dielectric strip or over the bottom surface of the first dielectric strip; adhering the first and second dielectric strips together to form a multi-layer strip; cutting the multi-layer strip into individual antennas.
An antenna array having radiating elements and delay lines provided over a sandwich of layers that includes variable dielectric-constant material. The value of the variable dielectric-constant material at various points over the antenna is controlled via software, hence changing the operational characteristics of the antenna using software. The sandwich of layers may be a standard flat panel display, wherein images depicted on the flat panel display are software controlled with a program designed to change the dielectric constant, thus providing scanning and tuning ability to the array. That is, different images are programmed according to specifically desired change in the dielectric property of different pixels under different patches or feed-lines of the array, thereby controlling the frequency and/or directivity of the array.
H01Q 1/50 - Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
H01Q 3/36 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elementsArrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the phase by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
H01Q 21/24 - Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
H04B 7/08 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the receiving station
H04L 27/18 - Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying
H01Q 3/24 - Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
H01Q 9/14 - Length of element or elements adjustable
H01Q 21/28 - Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
H01Q 21/06 - Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
35.
Variable dielectric constant-based antenna and array
An antenna and antenna array are provided. A radiating elements and corresponding feed lines are provided over a variable dielectric constant material sandwiched between two panels. The sandwich may be in the form of an LCD. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the conductive line can be varied to control the phase of the radiating element. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the radiating element can be varied to control the resonance frequency of the radiating element. The dielectric constant in a selected area under the conductive line can be varied to also control the polarization of the radiating element.