Electrically controlled dielectric panel lens

Claim 2

A lens apparatus for phase shifting a wave transmitted by a microwave radiating source, comprising at least one dielectric panel interposed across the path of the beam of microwave energy, said at leAst one dielectric panel including at least one network of conductive leads imbedded therein, throughout the panel, and located in planes parallel to the electric field vector of the incident wave, and switches mounted on each said conductive lead and spaced apart thereon by a distance no more than twice the wavelength, in the dielectric material, of the radiated incident energy, allowing the conductive leads to be either divided in sections or not divided along the whole length of the panel, said dielectric panel having a thickness which is a multiple of a half wavelength, in the dielectric material, of the radiated microwave energy, to prevent any reflection of the incident wave.

Claim 3

A lens apparatus for phase shifting a wave transmitted by a microwave radiating source, comprising at least one dielectric panel interposed across the path of the beam of microwave energy, said at least one dielectric panel including at least one network of conductive leads imbedded therein, throughout the panel, and located in planes parallel to the electric field vector of the incident wave, and switches mounted on each said conductive lead and spaced apart thereon by a distance no more than twice the wavelength, in the dielectric material, of the radiated incident energy, allowing the conductive leads to be either divided in sections or not divided along the whole length of the panel, said switches including diodes controlled by a control voltage to render such diodes conductive, said control voltage being supplied to the diodes through said conductive leads, there being a plurality of said dielectric panels placed behind one another across the path of the beam, said control voltage being selectively applied to each conductive lead to vary the phase shifting of said wave from 0* to 360*.

Claim 4

A lens apparatus for phase shifting a wave transmitted by a microwave radiating source, comprising at least one dielectric panel interposed across the path of the beam of microwave energy, said at least one dielectric panel including at least one network of conductive leads imbedded therein, throughout the panel, and located in planes parallel to the electric field vector of the incident wave, and switches mounted on each said conductive lead and spaced apart thereon by a distance no more than twice the wavelength, in the dielectric material, of the radiated incident energy, allowing the conductive leads to be either divided in sections or not divided along the whole length of the panel, said switches including diodes controlled by a control voltage to render such diodes conductive, said control voltage being supplied to the diodes through said conductive leads, there being a plurality of said dielectric panels placed behind one another across the path of the beam, said control voltage being selectively applied to each conductive lead to vary the phase shifting of said wave from 0* to 360*.

Claim 5

A lens apparatus as claimed in claim 2, which includes a first set of said dielectric panels arranged behind one another across the path of the incident beam, a polarization device operating to rotate through 90* the plane of polarization of the wave and a second set of dielectric panels arranged behind one another across the path of the beam, the conductive leads of said second set of panels being orthogonal to the conductive leads of the first set of panels.