Reconfigurable zonal beam forming system for an antenna on a satellite in orbit and method of optimizing reconfiguration
US5929804A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 24, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 27, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 24, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B7/18515
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A reconfigurable zonal beam forming system for an antenna on a satellite in orbit includes, in cascade, a signal splitter applying signals of equal amplitude to each channel, first variable phase-shifters and amplifiers and a Butler matrix the outputs of which are connected via second variable phase-shifters to the radiating source elements of the antenna. Varying the phase-shifts introduced by the first and second phase-shifters reconfigures the transmitted beam optimally. A preferred variant of the system further includes variable attenuators. A control device is used to apply optimization parameters. A method of optimizing the resulting configuration uses a gradient search algorithm.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.