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:
Nov. 16, 1993
Filed:
Jun. 12, 1992
Gerard Cachier, Bures S/Yvette, FR;
Thomson - CSF, Puteaux, FR;
Abstract
The antenna is provided with an array of optically controlled elementary reflectors with phase-shifters. The array of elementary reflectors comprises a substrate made of a dielectrical material with low microwave losses, transparent to light, the substrate being coated, on the side exposed to the microwaves, with a layer of photoconductive elements distributed in an array and, on the opposite side, with a conductive electrode transparent to light. An optical system for the selective illumination of the photoconductive elements are used to make these elements go from an electrically insulating state to a conductive state and vice versa to modify the path of the microwave within the reflectors and enable the formation of the beam. The array of photoconductive elements forms a lattice of smaller meshes sub-dividing the lattice of the array of elementary reflectors. Thus, each elementary reflector brings together several photoconductor elements, a varyingly large proportion of which may be illuminated, thus giving it different possible phase states.