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:
Jul. 31, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 29, 1999
Dean Paschen, Lafayette, CO (US);
Dan Becker, Broomfield, CO (US);
Gary Rait, Boulder, CO (US);
Paul Burlingame, La Jolla, CA (US);
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for carrying signals having different frequencies in a space-deployed antenna system. When the antenna system is in a first mode, DC power, command information and RF signals (,) are multiplexed via a multiplexer, (,) propagate along a RF transmission line and (,) are appropriately demultiplexed by a demultiplexer associated with each T/R module. Similarly, when the antenna system is in a second mode, telemetry data and RF signals (,) are multiplexed via a multiplexer, (,) propagate along the RF transmission line and (,) are appropriately demultiplexed by a demultiplexer at a driver stage. By using the RF transmission lines associated with each T/R module to deliver (,) DC power, (,) command data and (,) RF signals in the first mode and to deliver (,) telemetry data and (,) RF signals in the second mode, the DC power and command/telemetry wire harnesses (and their respective conductors) may be eliminated. Thus, the overall weight of the antenna system may be reduced. Furthermore, deployment risks may be reduced. Finally, the overall cost of the antenna system may be reduced.