Low cost beam steering planar array antenna
US6184827A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 26, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 26, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q3/36
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A planar array antenna for use with an earth-based subscriber unit generates receive or transmit communications beams through the use of digital beamforming networks (210, 211) which provide beam steering in a first dimension. In another dimension, the communications beams are synthesized by way of a waveguide structure (300, FIG. 3) which is repeated for each row of the antenna array. The waveguide outputs are weighted due to the positioning of coupling slots (350) or coupling probes (450) which transfer carrier signals to and from each waveguide. The slots or coupling probes from the waveguides are coupled to a group of barium strontium titanate (BST) (360, FIG. 3) or micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switch (460, FIG. 4) phase shift elements which are under the control of a control network (221, 222, FIG. 2). The resulting signals are radiated by the antenna elements of the planar antenna array (310, FIG. 3) to form a communications beam.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.