Beam-forming antenna with amplitude-controlled antenna elements
US7456787B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 2005 |
| Grant date | Nov 25, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 18, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q21/22
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A beam-forming antenna for transmission and/or reception of an electromagnetic signal having a given wavelength in a surrounding medium includes a transmission line electromagnetically coupled to an array of individually controllable antenna elements, each of which is oscillated by the signal with a controllable amplitude. The antenna elements are arranged in a linear array and are spaced from each other by a distance that does not exceed one-third the signal's wavelength in the surrounding medium. The oscillation amplitude of each of the individual antenna elements is controlled by an amplitude controlling device, such as a switch, a gain-controlled amplifier, or a gain-controlled attenuator. The amplitude controlling devices, in turn, are controlled by a computer that receives as its input the desired beamshape, and that is programmed to operate the amplitude controlling devices in accordance with a set of stored amplitude values derived empirically for a set of desired beamshapes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.