Flat antenna for satellite communication
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An antenna comprising:
- a plurality of antenna elements disposed in an antenna plane; and
a plurality of lenses disposed adjacent the antenna elements, wherein an optical axis of each of the lenses is oriented at a particular angle of incidence with respect to a normal to the antenna plane, said angle of incidence being other than substantially perpendicular to said antenna plane, said lenses thereby being able to collect and focus radiation impinging on the lenses at the particular angle of incidence and onto associated antenna elements.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A low profile receiving and/or transmitting antenna includes an array of lenses that focuses millimeter wave or other radiation onto a plurality of conventional patch antenna elements. The lenses and antenna elements are physically configured so that radiation at a tuning wavelength impinging on the antenna at a particular angle of incidence is collected by the lenses and focused onto the antenna elements in-phase. Two rotatable prisms may be disposed above the lenses to alter the angle of incidence of incoming or outgoing radiation to match the particular angle of incidence.
95 Citations
29 Claims
-
1. An antenna comprising:
-
a plurality of antenna elements disposed in an antenna plane; and a plurality of lenses disposed adjacent the antenna elements, wherein an optical axis of each of the lenses is oriented at a particular angle of incidence with respect to a normal to the antenna plane, said angle of incidence being other than substantially perpendicular to said antenna plane, said lenses thereby being able to collect and focus radiation impinging on the lenses at the particular angle of incidence and onto associated antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method of receiving a signal, comprising the steps of:
-
disposing an array of lenses with respect to an array of antenna elements such that an optical axis of each of said lenses points in a direction which is at a first angle of incidence to the array of said antenna elements, said first angle of incidence being other than substantially perpendicular to an antenna plane in which said antenna elements are disposed; using said lenses to focus radiation of a particular wavelength arriving at said lenses at said first angle of incidence and onto the array of said antenna elements; and summing the radiation of said wavelength collected by said antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. An antenna designed to receive radiation at a particular wavelength, comprising:
-
a plurality of antenna elements disposed in an antenna plane; and a plurality of lenses that have at least one set of two adjacent lenses disposed apart from one another by a lens-to-lens recess of approximately an integer multiple of said wavelength, said lenses being disposed adjacent said antenna elements such that each of the lenses is oriented at a particular angle of incidence with respect to said antenna plane so as to collect and focus radiation impinging on said lenses at the particular angle of incidence and onto associated antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A method of receiving a signal at a particular wavelength, comprising the steps of:
-
disposing an array of lenses with respect to an array of antenna elements such that each of said lenses points in a direction which is at a first angle of incidence to the array of said antenna elements, the step of disposing including the step of spacing two adjacent lenses apart at a lens-to-lens recess that is approximately equal to an integer multiple of said wavelength; using said lenses to focus radiation of said wavelength arriving at said lenses at said first angle of incidence and onto the array of said antenna elements; and summing the radiation of said wavelength collected by said antenna elements. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
-
Specification