EP0442562A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Antenna system with adjustable beam width and beam orientation
Assignee: Thales Nederland BV
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Filing: 1991-02-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-02-05
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to an antenna system provided with at least one radiation source (1), a reflective surface (12) positioned in the radiation generated by the active radiation source (1) and light-generating means (13, 14). The reflective surface (12) is provided with semiconductor surfaces (2.i.j) and the light of the light-generating means (13, 14) is used to illuminate the semiconductor surfaces (2.i.j) such that, after reflection of the radiation generated by the active radiation source (1) at the reflecting semiconductor surfaces (2.i.j), a radiation beam is obtained.
Inventors
- 👤 Bernard Jozef Reits
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 08:29
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q3/00; H01Q3/44; H01Q3/46; H01Q15/00; H01Q15/0006; H01Q15/0013; H01Q15/0033; H01Q3/26; H01Q3/2676
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
Antenna system provided with at least one active radiation source and a reflective surface which is positioned in at least a part of the radiation generated by the active radiation source, characterised in that the reflective surface is provided with semiconductor surfaces and the antenna system is provided with light-generating means, which light is used to illuminate the semiconductor surfaces such that, after reflection of the radiation generated by the active radiation source at the reflecting semiconductor surfaces, at least one radiation beam is obtained.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a number of substantially contiguously semiconductor surfaces constitute the reflective surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 1, where the reflective surface is provided with waveguides, characterised in that the semiconductor surfaces are fitted in the waveguides.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
75 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterised in that substantially a first half of the semiconductor surfaces are positioned in a first plane and the remaining semiconductor surfaces are positioned in a second plane and in that the distance between the first and the second plane is λ/8 + k.λ/2, k = 0, 1, 2, ..., λ being the wavelength of the radiation generated by the radiation source at the semiconductor surfaces.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that a semiconductor surface is provided with two layers of semiconducting material and a spacer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the distance between the two layers of semiconducting material is λ/4 + k.λ/2, k = 0, 1, 2, ..., λ being the wavelength of the radiation generated by the radiation source in the spacer substance.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that the semiconducting material is silicon.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the claims 1-3, characterised in that a semiconductor surface is provided with three layers of semiconducting material and two spacers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the distance between two successive layers of semiconducting material is λ/6 + k.λ/2, k = 0, 1, 2, ..., λ being the wavelength of the radiation generated by the radiation source in the spacer substance.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that the semiconducting material is provided with an anti-reflection coating for the light from the means for generating light.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that the light-generating means are provided with at least one laser.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the laser is a Nd-Yag laser.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
Antenna system as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the laser is a semiconductor laser.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
Antenna system as claimed in claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the light-generating means are provided with at least one light-emitting diode.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that the light from the light-generating means is passed to the semiconductor surfaces via fiber optics.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, characterised in that the radiation generated by the active radiation source substantially consists of microwave energy.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
Antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, that the light-generating means only generate infrared radiation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
Radar apparatus provided with an antenna system as claimed in one of the above claims, whereby a computer controls the light-generating means such that the reflections at the semiconductor surfaces of at least a part of the radiation generated by the active radiation source produces at least one radar beam with adjustable beam orientation and adjustable beam width.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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