Spacecraft with modular communication payload
US5870063A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Feb 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S343/02
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A spacecraft of a set of spacecraft has an antenna support frame defining square apertures, which are the same size in all spacecraft of the set of spacecraft. The set also includes a plurality of radiating tiles for various operating frequencies. The tiles all have the same dimensions, so that any combination of tiles may be mounted in the apertures of the frames of any spacecraft to form antenna arrays of various sizes, depending upon the customer's requirements. Each tile includes plural beamformers and power amplifiers, and remotely controllable phase shifters and level controls, for ready reconfiguration of the antennas while the spacecraft is in operation. The preferred dimension of each radiating tile is a one-foot square.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.