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:
Mar. 15, 1994
Filed:
Jan. 11, 1993
Gary G Sanford, Boulder, CO (US);
Patrick M Westfeldt, Jr, Boulder, CO (US);
Ball Corporation, Muncie, IN (US);
Abstract
An electronically reconfigurable antenna includes individual antenna elements which can be reconfigured as active or parasitic elements in the process of variable mode operation. In the antenna, an active subset of antenna elements excites a wave on a parasitic subset of antenna elements, which are controlled by a plurality of electronically variable reactances. The plurality of electronically variable reactances is used to provide the reconfigurable array, which may operate in a plurality of modes of wave propagation. Furthermore, the plurality of variable reactances allow compensation for the inherently narrow operating bandwidth of the high-gain surface wave antennas.