Steerable antenna array

Claim 1

A STEERABLE ANTENNA SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ANTENNA ELEMENTS LINEARLY SPACED ALONG A PRESCRIBED GROUND PLANE WITH RESPECT TO A REFERENCE ANTENNA ELEMENT SUCH THAT A WAVE FRONT OF HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO ENERGY AT AN ANTENNA ELEMENT IS AT A PRESCRIBED TIME PHASE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE WAVE FRONT OF SAID HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO ENERGY AT SAID REFERENCE ANTANNA, MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL VOLTAGE HAVING A MAGNITUDE PROPORTIONAL TO THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF THE WAVE FRONT OF SAID HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO ENERGY, DISCRETE PHASE SHIFTERS IN CIRCUIT WITH RESPECTIVE ANTENNA ELEMENTS EXCEPT SAID REFERENCE ANTENNA ELEMENT, DISCRETE MEANS RESPECTIVELY TO SAID SIGNAL VOLTAGE FOR SHIFTERS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL VOLTAGE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY GENERATING RESPECTIVE PAIRS OF SIGNALS 90* OUT OF PHASE BUT FUNCTIONALLY RELATED TO THE TIME PHASE ANGLE AT THE ASSOCIATED ANTENNA ELEMENT, SAID RESPECTIVE PHASE SHIFTERS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO ENERGY DERIVED FROM THE ASSOCIATED ANTENNA ELEMENT AND ITS ASSOCIATED SIGNAL PAIR GENERATING MEANS SUCH THAT THE HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO ENERGY AT RESPECTIVE PHASE SHIFTERS IS SHIFTED IN PHASE BY AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO SAID TIME PHASE ANGLE.