US3680113A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Antenna system for satellites
Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engines SAS
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Filing: 1969-10-14
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Granted: 1972-07-25
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Expires: 1989-10-14
Abstract
Abstract In a set of n antennas arranged along a circle, say on a satellite, only m antennas, say those facing Earth are operative at a time and are switched in as they pass into the operative area. The radiating lobes are constrained to be directed permanently towards a substantially unvarying area and the phaseshifting required is obtained by means of digital phase-shifters which operate stepwise, so as to make up for variations of the length of the path between an antenna as it revolves and Earth.
Inventors
- 👤 Bernard Louis Marcel Dorier
- 👤 Denis Jacques Laedlein
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 13:41
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q3/00; H01Q3/24; H01Q3/242; H01Q3/26; H01Q3/30; H01Q3/34; H01Q3/36; H01Q3/38; H01Q3/385
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A rotary antenna system radiating toward a stationary area comprising a set of n elementary sources distributed along a closed line substantially perpendicular to said area and of which a group of a reduced number m is selectively operative at any same time, means selectively feeding said group of m elementary sources to operate them exclusively of the other sources, means applying a stepwise switching of the sources to cut out the source at one end of the group considered in a predetermined direction and to incorporate with the group at the other end thereof the next elementary source with a view to producing a stepwise progression, within the set, of the group of elementary sources fed by said feeding means, digital phase-shifters operating with discrete phase-shifting values compensating the modifications in the distance between the rotary operative sources and the stationary area, and means for cutting out systematically the modifications affecting simultaneously any two digital phase-shifters during the progression of a bit modifying program constituted by a stepwise change in condition of the various phase-shifters.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
176 words
A rotary antenna system radiating toward a stationary area comprising a set of n elementary sources distributed along a closed line substantially perpendicular to said area and of which a group of a reduced number m is selectively operative at any same time, means selectively feeding said group of m elementary sources to operate them exclusively of the other sources, means applying a stepwise switching of the sources to cut out the source at one end of the group considered in a predetermined direction and to incorporate with the group at the other end thereof the next elementary source with a view to producing a stepwise progression, within the set, of the group of elementary sources fed by said feeding means, digital phase-shifters operating with discrete phase-shifting values compensating the modifications in the distance between the rotary operative sources and the stationary area, and means for cutting out systematically the modifications affecting simultaneously any two digital phase-shifters during the progression of a bit modifying program constituted by a stepwise change in condition of the various phase-shifters.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
An antenna system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the information data defining the phase shifting to be controlled are stocked in a memory constituted by a decoding matrix associated with a controlled clock.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein synchronization in operation of successive phase-shifters is cut out by acting on the duration of maintenance of each of their conditions before their change of condition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the phase shiftings are executed at different moments separated by equal time intervals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein all the phase-shifters operate with the same discrete phase shifting values.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the progression of the phase shiftings is always performed in the same direction during the succession of phase shifting operations without any reverse shifting.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein phase shifting is obtained by phase shifting modifications equal to the modifications of the bit of the lowest weight in A phase-shifter.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3531803A
Cited
US3403401A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-07-25 | 1976-01-24 | 1976-07-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-07-25 | 1980-01-24 | 1980-07-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-07-25 | 1984-01-24 | 1984-07-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |