The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 06, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 07, 2023
Hughes Network Systems, Llc, Germantown, MD (US);
Jaime Londono, Germantown, MD (US);
Hughes Network Systems, LLC, Germantown, MD (US);
Abstract
An expandable phased-array antenna assembly is described herein for mounting on a communication satellite. Embodiments include an expander carriage configured electromechanically to transition between a retracted configuration (e.g., during launch and initial deployment) and an expanded configuration (e.g., during operational ground communications) along an expansion direction. Embodiments include zigzag-shaped struts coupled with the expander carriage and having phased-array radiating elements (REs) mounted thereon. The expander carriage operate so that the struts are spaced at a smaller inter-strut spacing in the retracted configuration and at a larger inter-strut spacing in the expanded configuration. The struts and REs are arranged so that, in the expanded configuration, the REs form an operational phased-array lattice pattern. In some embodiments, the physical area of the phased-array antenna is at least forty percent smaller in the retracted configuration than in the expanded configuration.