Optical implementation of a space fed antenna
US5164735A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 6, 1991 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 6, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q3/2676
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
To eliminate bulkiness associated with the conventional transmission of control signals to a phase array, and to overcome the precise requirements needed to coherently control a phase array in the prior art, the present invention uses incoherent light to provide optical synchronization of the phase array. For the system of the present invention, incoherent light, in the form of different optical signals having multiplexed thereon a local oscillator signal and a command signal including a plurality of control signals, are summed by a wavelength division multiplexer and sent, over an air path, to each TR module of the phase array. On receipt, each TR array separates from the summed optical signal the oscillator signal and a control signal which is recognizable and to be used only by that TR module. The separated oscillator signal is next fed to a mixer, for modulating a radar signal. The separated control signal provides weighting to the amplitude and phase of the modulated radar signal, relative to the other modulated radar signals from the other TR modules of the array. When all of the modulated radar signals are transmitted from the array, a coherently synchronized radar wave fron…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.