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. 02, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 07, 1997
Edgar W Matthews, Mountain View, CA (US);
Space Systems/Loral, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for a multibeam phased array antenna transmission based on heterodyning to produce the RF transmission signals with appropriate phase shift and thereby reducing the effect of certain space constraints in the confined area of the transmitter as higher and higher frequencies of transmission are employed. In the present invention, RF signals at an intermediate frequency, not the ultimate frequency of transmission, comprise the signal frequencies of a beam forming network which provides input to a multiplexed power divider. The power divider outputs the phase shifted signals to an input at each of a number of multiplexed combiners. The output of each combiner is fed to a mixing device which then shifts the input frequency to a higher frequency, using an appropriate local oscillator signal. The mixer outputs are coupled to separate power amplifiers, whose outputs are fed to the elemental radiators. The use of a lower primary frequency in the power divider and the combiner stages permits the use of conventionally sized components, rather than miniature elements normally associated with millimeter-wave circuitry.