PLASMA SWITCHED ARRAY ANTENNA
First Claim
1. A reconfigurable antenna, comprising:
- a plurality of antenna feed elements;
a plurality of plasma switches respectively associated with the antenna feed elements; and
control circuitry for independently operating the plasma switches to selectively activate and deactivate the antenna feed elements.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A reconfigurable antenna comprises a plurality of antenna feed elements, a plurality of plasma switches respectively associated with the antenna feed elements, and control circuitry for independently operating the plasma switches to selectively activate and deactivate the antenna feed elements. Each plasma switch may comprise a volume of inert gas, and a pair of electrodes spanning the respective volume of inert gas. The reconfigurable antenna may comprise a power supply for supplying a voltage to the pair of electrodes of each of plasma switch sufficient to ignite the respective inert gas volume into a plasma field to deactivate the respective antenna feed element. Each plasma switch may optionally be operated to attenuate each antenna feed element.
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Citations
67 Claims
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1. A reconfigurable antenna, comprising:
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a plurality of antenna feed elements; a plurality of plasma switches respectively associated with the antenna feed elements; and control circuitry for independently operating the plasma switches to selectively activate and deactivate the antenna feed elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 15, 17, 18, 19)
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5. (canceled)
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9-14. -14. (canceled)
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16. (canceled)
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20-24. -24. (canceled)
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25. An antenna, comprising:
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at least one antenna feed element; at least one plasma switch respectively associated with the at least one antenna feed element, wherein each of the at least one plasma switch comprises a volume of inert gas, and a pair of electrodes spanning the respective volume of inert gas; and a power supply for supplying a voltage to the pair of electrodes of each of the at least one plasma switch sufficient to ignite the respective inert gas volume into a plasma field. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 33, 34)
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29. (canceled)
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32. (canceled)
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35-61. -61. (canceled)
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62. A method of operating an antenna comprising a focusing element having a focal plane, a plurality of antenna feed elements located on the focal plane, a plurality of plasma switches respectively associated with the antenna feed elements, and a radio frequency (RF) combiner coupled to the antenna feed elements via the plasma switches, the method comprising:
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(a) conveying RF energy between the focusing element and the RF combiner; (b) selecting a subset of the antenna feed elements; (c) independently operating the plasma switches to activate the subset of the antenna feed elements, thereby passing the RF energy through the corresponding subset of the plasma switches, and to deactivate remaining ones of the antenna feed elements, thereby blocking the RF energy through the corresponding remaining ones of the plasma switches, such that the antenna generates at least one RF beam having a characteristic; (d) selecting a different subset of the antenna feed elements; (e) repeating step (c) with the different subset of antenna feed elements, such that the characteristic of the at least one RF beam is modified. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66)
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63. (canceled)
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67-84. -84. (canceled)
Specification