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:
Dec. 30, 2003
Filed:
May. 28, 2002
Claude Chekroun, Gif S/Yvette, FR;
Jean-Paul Largent, Epinay S/Seine, FR;
Thales, Paris, FR;
Abstract
An active electronic scan microwave reflector, capable of being illuminated by a microwave source to form an antenna. The reflector includes a set of elementary cells arranged side by side on a surface, each cell including a phase-shifting microwave circuit and a conductor plate arranged substantially parallel to the microwave circuit, the phase-shifting circuit including at least two half-phase-shifters. One half-phase-shifter includes at least a dielectric support, at least two electrically conductive wires substantially parallel to a given direction, arranged on the support and bearing at least a two-state semiconductor element, the conductors being substantially normal to the wires, and two conductor zones arranged towards the periphery of the cell, substantially parallel to the control conductors. The control conductors can be at least three in number in each half-phase-shifter and can be electrically insulated from one half-phase-shifter to the next to control the state of all the semiconductor elements independently from one another. The geometrical and electrical characteristics of the half-phase-shifters are such that each of the states of the semiconductor elements corresponds to a given phase-shifting value of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the cell. The reflector further includes an electronic circuit controlling the state of the semiconductor elements.