Combined mechanical scanning and digital beamforming antenna

US6169522A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Motorola, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Stephen Ma · Austin, US
• Keith Warble · Chandler, US
• A. David Munger · Mesa, US
• Richard S. Torkington · Mesa, US
• David W. Corman · Gilbert, US
• Deborah Sue Dendy · Tempe, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 3, 1999
• Grant date: Jan 2, 2001
• Expiry date: Sep 3, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01Q25/007
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A mechanical scanning and digital beamforming antenna (20, FIG. 2) uses a receive and transmit digital beamforming network (FIG. 3, 410, 320) to provide communications beam scanning in a first plane. In a second plane, a reflective surface (FIG. 2, 240) is used to focus and scan the communications beam. Through proper orientation of the reflective surface (240), a communications satellite (FIG. 1, 10) can be tracked by way of electronic scanning by way of the transmit or receive digital beamforming network (FIG. 3, 320, 410). Thus, the complexity of the digital beamforming network is reduced as is the wear on the mechanical components of the antenna. The mechanical scanning and digital beamforming antenna (20, FIG. 20) makes use of a second digital beamforming network (FIG. 3, 415, 325) and reflective surface (FIG. 3, 250) to ensure that two communications satellites can be simultaneously tracked.