Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Raytheon Company

Other

Rosemount Aerospace Limited

Hughes Aircraft Company, Hughes Electronics

Juan F Lam

Robert Y Loo

Tsung-Yuan Hsu

Joseph L Pikulski

Jar Jar Lee

Gregory L Tangonan

Adele E Schmitz

Julia J Brown

Greg Tangonan

Daniel J Hyman

Brett Warneke

Jonathan James Lynch

Debabani Choudhury

Lawrence Everett Anderson

Stan W Livingston

Jesse N Matossian

John Robert Beattie

Darren E Atkinson

Julius Hyman, Jr

Owen K Wu

Daniel Yap

Mehran Mehregany

Ronald I Wolfson

Ronald Regis Stephens

Richard L Abrams

Huan-Wun Yen

James A Foschaar

Thomas C Hasenberg

Jerome I Glaser

Theofanis Mavromatis

Robert E Shuman

Scott D Whittle

Vince L Jones

Min S Hong

Charles F Kaminski

Harold B Rounds

Daniel D Gee

Jae Lee

A system and a method for operating a radar system in a continuous wave mode for communicating information are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for operating a radar system, having an antenna including a plurality of active array elements, in a continuous wave mode to communicate information, the method including receiving an instruction to enter the continuous wave mode, loading a plurality of tables, where each table includes information indicative of a primary group of the active array elements to be activated and a secondary group of elements to be deactivated, receiving a communication signal to be transmitted, and providing, repeatedly, the communication signal, for a preselected period of time, to the primary group of elements of each of the plurality of tables.

System and method for operating a radar system in a continuous wave mode for data communication

Provided is a bistatic and multistatic system for detecting and identifying a target in close proximity to an orbiting satellite. An electromagnetic fence is established to surround the satellite, using a ground-based communication uplink from a gateway antenna. A contact or breach of the electromagnetic fence by the target is detected by the satellite, or at other sensor locations, and an exact position, range and ISAR image of the target is calculated using scattered RF energy from the fence. Identification data is transmitted to satellite system monitors, whereby the data is used to decide on a corrective course of action.

Bistatic and multistatic system for space situational awareness

An optically controlled micro-electromechanical (MEM) switch is described which desirably utilizes photoconductive properties of a semiconductive substrate upon which MEM switches are fabricated. In one embodiment the bias voltage provided for actuation of the switch is altered by illuminating an optoelectric portion of the switch to deactivate the switch. In an alternative embodiment, a photovoltaic device provides voltage to actuate the switch without any bias lines at all. Due to the hysteresis of the electromechanical switching as a function of applied voltage, only modest variation of voltage applied to the switch is necessary to cause the switch to open or close sharply under optical control.

Optically controlled MEM switches

A method and apparatus for comparing a force to a signal, or comparing two signals, through mechanical movement of capacitive plates in a transducer. The transducer plates are separated by d, which in one embodiment is preferably a linear function of a pressure or force F. In that embodiment, application of a signal i(t&plus;&tgr;) to the plates will cause a voltage representing a correlation between F and i to appear between the plates. In another embodiment, instead of an external mechanical force or pressure, an electrical signal V related to a signal S may drive the transducer plates to achieve a voltage indicating a correlation between S and the signal input i(t&plus;&tgr;). Transducers to practice the invention may be microelectromechanical devices fabricated using integrated circuit techniques to permit small size and low cost.

Microelectromechanical correlation device and method

A method and system for transmitting, and a signal comprising multiple frequency bands from a single slot antenna are disclosed. The system comprises a slot antenna and a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) switch, coupled to the slot antenna. The MEM switch is opened and closed, thereby changing the resonant frequency of the slot antenna. The slot antenna transmits a first frequency when the MEM switch is open and a second frequency when the MEM switch is closed. The method for transmitting a first frequency and a second frequency from a slot antenna comprises the steps of transmitting the first frequency from the slot antenna, closing a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) switch coupled across the slot antenna, therein changing the resonant frequency of the slot antenna, and transmitting the second frequency from the slot antenna after the MEM switch is closed. A signal comprising a first and second frequency in accordance with the present invention is transmitted by an array of antennas, wherein the array of antennas comprises at least one slot, the slot being reconfigurable through a RF MEM switch coupled to the slot, by performing the steps of transmitting the first frequency from the slot antenna, closing a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) switch coupled across the slot antenna, therein changing the resonant frequency of the slot antenna, and transmitting the second frequency from the slot antenna after the MEM switch is closed.

Multiband antenna system using RF micro-electro-mechanical switches, method for transmitting multiband signals, and signal produced therefrom

A multiband millimeterwave antenna system for communicating signals in multiple frequency bands is disclosed. A main antenna body is connected to antenna extensions by micro-electro-mechanical switches. By opening and closing the switches, the length of the antenna can be altered. The antenna is coupled to a microstrip feed line by an aperture. A series of matching stubs match the impedance of the feed line for the various signal frequencies.

Multiband millimeterwave reconfigurable antenna using RF mem switches

Methods for the design and fabrication of micro-electro-mechanical switches are disclosed. Two different switch designs with three different switch fabrication techniques are presented for a total of six switch structures. Each switch has a multiple-layer armature with a suspended biasing electrode and a conducting transmission line affixed to the structural layer of the armature. A conducting dimple is connected to the conducting line to provide a reliable region of contact for the switch. The switch is fabricated using silicon nitride as the armature structural layer and silicon dioxide as the sacrificial layer supporting the armature during fabrication. Hydrofluoric acid is used to remove the silicon dioxide layer with post-processing in a critical point dryer to increase yield.

Design and fabrication of broadband surface-micromachined

A reconfigurable filter system designed using micro-elecro-mechanical (MEM) switches is disclosed. The filter comprises a transmission line with one or more filter stubs coupled to the transmission line by MEM switches. The impedance of the filter system is altered by selectively opening and closing the MEM switches, which alters the filter characteristics of the filter system. Alternatively, the characteristics of the filter system are altered by using the MEM switches to selectively alter the length of filter stubs attached to the transmission line.

Reconfigurable millimeterwave filter using stubs and stub extensions

A display includes a plurality of light-emitting devices arranged as a matrix of pixels and an addressing circuit coupled to each respective light-emitting device. The addressing circuit includes a plurality of micromachined electromechanical (MEM) switches operable to control the plurality of light-emitting devices. Each MEM switch includes a cantilever beam and a control electrode spaced therefrom to deflect the cantilever beam electrostatically in order to close or open the switch.

Matrix-addressed display having micromachined electromechanical switches

Mixing and modulating methods are described for nonlinear optical amplifiers (30) which can generate intermodulation products of radio-frequency signals in an optical carrier signal (26) without the penalty of an optical conversion loss and without the need for radio-frequency mixers, electro-optic modulators and expensive polarization-maintaining optical fibers. The radio-frequency signals can be applied to either a bias port (36) or an optical input port (32) of the optical amplifier and are used to upconvert and downconvert signals in phased-array antenna and remote antenna embodiments of the invention.

Mixing and modulating methods and structures using nonlinear optical

A phased array radar system employs programmable microelectromechanical (MEM) switches and transmission lines to provide true time delays or phase shifts in order to steer the array beam. The array includes an excitation signal source, a power division network for dividing the excitation signal into a plurality of excitation signal components, a plurality of programmable time delay/phase shift circuits including the transmission lines and MEM switches, and a plurality of radiating elements. An adaptive controller provides the control signals to set the MEM switches and select the time delay/phase shift through each time delay/phase shift circuit, thereby steering the array beam to a desired direction.

Ultrabroadband, adaptive phased array antenna systems using

A diamond matrix metallic mesh suppresses RF energy, and particularly side lobe energy, in a phased array antenna, while passing main beam energy. The metal mesh emulates the structure of the bond segments joining the carbon atoms in a diamond structure. The wire diamond lattice structure is placed above an array of radiating elements to absorb side lobe energy. The wire lattice structure is fabricated through use of complementary forms which compress a wire into a required unit shape. Many unit shaped wires are placed in a form which hold the wires in the proper position. Other unit shaped wires are rotated 90 degrees and attached in place to the held wires. Additional unit shaped wires are added to form the basic interlocking cube structure of the diamond lattice.

Wire diamond lattice structure for phased array side lobe suppression

Growing community of inventors

Agoura Hills, CA, United States of America

Juan F Lam