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:
Jun. 27, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 06, 1998
William C Pittman, Huntsville, AL (US);
Paul R Ashley, Toney, AL (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A space-fed phased array radar utilizes a network of improved Mach-Zehnder nterferometers to provide a space-fed, optically controlled millimeter wave/microwave antenna array that is capable of either one-way or two-way transmission. In the two-way communication relay mode, both ends of the relay link can remotely switch from a transmit to a receive mode and vice versa while, at the same time, steering the outgoing radiation beams on both sides of the relay so as to achieve maximum signal-to-noise ratio between the two terminals (i.e. signal stations) of the communication link. The improvements include receiving antenna with beam-scanning capability to receive millimeter or microwave signals from a first signal station, amplifiers to amplify outgoing signals prior to being radiated outwardly by transmitting antenna and a means to render the same antenna array capable of being used in a two-way transmit and receive mode. Controlling in a prescribed manner the voltage or current that is applied to the optical signal determines the shape and direction of the outgoing signal radiated into space.