CA2121675A1 - Terrestrial antennas for satellite communication system - Google Patents
Terrestrial antennas for satellite communication systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA2121675A1 CA2121675A1 CA002121675A CA2121675A CA2121675A1 CA 2121675 A1 CA2121675 A1 CA 2121675A1 CA 002121675 A CA002121675 A CA 002121675A CA 2121675 A CA2121675 A CA 2121675A CA 2121675 A1 CA2121675 A1 CA 2121675A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- elements
- antenna
- layer
- conductive
- patch
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
- H01Q21/061—Two dimensional planar arrays
- H01Q21/065—Patch antenna array
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
- H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
- H01Q1/24—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
- H01Q1/241—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM
- H01Q1/242—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
- H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
- H01Q1/24—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
- H01Q1/241—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM
- H01Q1/242—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use
- H01Q1/243—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use with built-in antennas
- H01Q1/244—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for hand-held use with built-in antennas extendable from a housing along a given path
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
- H01Q21/20—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path
- H01Q21/205—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path providing an omnidirectional coverage
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/14—Relay systems
- H04B7/15—Active relay systems
- H04B7/185—Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systems
- H04B7/1853—Satellite systems for providing telephony service to a mobile station, i.e. mobile satellite service
- H04B7/18569—Arrangements for system physical machines management, i.e. for construction operations control, administration, maintenance
- H04B7/18571—Arrangements for system physical machines management, i.e. for construction operations control, administration, maintenance for satellites; for fixed or mobile stations
Abstract
Terrestrial antennas (10A, 10B and 10C) which are capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals directly to and from satellites in low Earth orbit are disclosed. The preferred embodiments of the invention employ printed circuit antenna elements (18) measuring only a fraction of an inch (less than 2 cm) in diameter.
One embodiment (10A) includes an elevation array residing on a circular surface (14) and an azimuth array residing on a conical surface (12). This first embodiment (10A) resembles a flattened pyramid. Both the top and the curved exterior of the pyramid support circular, slotted, printed circuit patches (18). Other embodiment of the invention employ hemispherical (10B) or cylindrical (10C) configurations.
One embodiment (10A) includes an elevation array residing on a circular surface (14) and an azimuth array residing on a conical surface (12). This first embodiment (10A) resembles a flattened pyramid. Both the top and the curved exterior of the pyramid support circular, slotted, printed circuit patches (18). Other embodiment of the invention employ hemispherical (10B) or cylindrical (10C) configurations.
Description
WO 93/09~77 2 1 2 1 6 7 5 PCI/US92/U9286 DESC~ION OF T~E INV~ON
7EC~NICAL FIELD
Ihe present inventbn relates to the field of satellite communicasions. More particularly, this iDveati~ provides a c~mpact, elec~ronicaDy steerable, phased-array anten~a 5 . for use with a portable,~ ba~d-heid telephone.
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BACK~;ROUND ART
While cellular pho~es DOW offer coDveDien~ sennce for mob~e and punable lelcpho~es t~at ~vas unoommon onh~ a decade ~go, current~r a~able cellulsr ser~ice is limited i~ ~ope, ~Dd is often unreliable and subject to interfere~ce and interruption.
:10~ Co~ve~ltioD21 ~ula~ systerns utilize: a~ network of land-based aDteDna towers ~alled "cell es~W wh~ch ~Dd and receive m~crowaYe sig~als that link c~omers using mobile pbones in the~véhicksor hand-held pona~le units. Since cell sites are only fouDd in de~se~ populated aroas, cell~lar ~ervice~is severe~y limi~ed. Communication li~ks m this De~ork are freque~t~
~aired when a cuxtomer l~raY~ls from one geographical cell to another, or ~h¢n hiL~is or 15 ~ buil~s occhd~ the~ e-of-sight path~vay of th~ =ave radiation which ~rnes the Rece~atlempts to Qveroomc these ~noncomi~gs of w3de~y-avsilable celluhr sen~ice havo met with ~ results.~ Elaborate and hcavy tr~nsporuble phone systems ~vhich include hrge sate11ito dish~for communicatio~ direct~ with geo.ynchro~ous satellites have r~cent~
`~ 20~ become~a~ ie~l~avaaablo. lhese~ystemsareb~y,requ~e~argepowers~pplies,:and No~;~gb public~co~t10ns Detworl~ is preseat~r capsble of offering co~tinuous world~e~ serdce~to:- = r usmg a mobile ~or po*ab}e phoae without the ll~e of cost~
sd~ e~nà~ tems.~ ~he OVelWhelDDDg~m~iql of oommeraal spa~aft and ~poDd~rs which~lFo =~r operating do not ~e~eralb po$sess ~the pow capacin~r to icate directb vnth~ ~ ha~d-held telephone unless it is attached ~ an antenna dish thae measures~ from one~ to several feet~in diameter. Th~ problcm of providi~g a~ nomically :via~le world wide~c~ork for voice, :dats, and vid~ :which c~n: b:e used ~y mobile and portable phoDes ~ith~ anten~as that are matched in praclical proportion to Ihe si~e of the 30 ~ i ~p~one has presen~ed a ma)or chal}eDge to the a~mmunications business. :: lbe development of an easy-to-use, hand-held telephone having its~owll~power supp~r aad: a practical antenna , .
suitable ~or dirc~ ~unica~io~ to a satellite net~ork would o~nstitute a maj0r ~; ~ technologica1 advance-a~d would satisfy a long felt Ileed within the el~ron~ nd telephone industries.
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212167~
The article "IEEE International ConferenCe on Communications Bostonicc", 1989, Vol. 1 June 1989, pp 216-222, Estabrook et al. discloses in Fig. 4 a switchable hemispherical antenna array of elements operating in the 20/30 GHz range, and mounted on a helmet. Fig. 5 shows a hand-held planar array.
The article "Phased Array Antennas", A.A. Oliner and G.H. Knittel, e`ds., "Basic Theoretical Aspects of Spherical Phased Arrays", June 1~70, H.E. Schrank, pp 323 to 327, discloses in Fig. 1 truncated cone and cylindrical arrays with elements on the curved surfaces.
The article "Land Vehicle Antennas for Satel'ite Mobile Communications'i, Globecom '85 IEEE GloDal Telecommunicat1ons~ Conference, Vol~ 3, December 1985, pp 72-~1176~, ~addad et al., discloses in ~ig. 2 inter alia truncated ~cone~and cylindrical arra~s with elements on ;the~;curved~ ~surfaces, the arrays being mounted on veh1c1es~.~ This~ document corresponds ge~erall~ to the in~roductory portion of claim 1. ~ ~
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accord~ing to~ a first aspect~ of the present invention there`is~pro~ided~an antenna apparatus capable of ~or~unicàting directly with a ~satellite in earth orbit, comprising a substantially flat first surface surrounded by~a~second surface at an angle thereto, and a plurality ~of phased-ar~ay ~antenna elementsf characterised in that the apparatus is for use in a p~rtable~, hand-held telephone, and in that the elements are located on~both the first and second ~surfaces, the elements on the first surface being capa~le of steering ; radio beams in an ele~ation dimension and ~he elements on the second surface being capable vf steerin~ radio '~
AMENut~ S~Et~
`` 212167~
3a beams ~n an azimuth dimension.
Accord:ing to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an antenna apparatus for use with a portable hand-held telephone comprising an antenna surface capable of transmitting and receiving radio beams to and from a satellite in earth orbit and capable of steering~radio beams in azimuth and elevation dimensions, and with a:plurality of phased-array antenna elements located on said surface, characterised in that the elements~are dual frequency elements each comprising an upper conductive layer separated by an insulating layer from a lower conductive layer, the lower conductive layer ~eing separated by further insulation from a conductive ground plane.
The Jcn~ Anlcnn0 tischsed a~d claimed m this pale~t sppLcatio~ ~olve thc proble~ e~cou~tered ~ ~re~ious ~nempts ~o ~us~rua reli~ble and effe~tr~e ha~d~held telcpho~es~s~g bu~i-~, practical a~le~nas ~ha~ rnmunieate direct~ vvith spaeecraft ~n orbit;.~ e p r~scnt;~eDlioD ~co~npnses a ~ eL c~pa~ multi~lemen~ elec~roDic2Liy steerabk~ phas~d alTay a~te3na. lbc various em~ents of thc inventio~ u~ilize 2e~nre hascd~a~Tay:des~:~hi~h~use pnnlcd arcui~ ante~a ~d MMIC techDoio~y. These desig~s .
m~loy arcuhrly~ poi s zcd,:~ dual-lreque~q pr~ed ~circuit ~Dtem~a eleme~ts ~easuring OQ~
8 fraaion of ~ a~ inch ~i~ :d;amcser. One of the ca~oodimon~ of the~ cludes a~
:elevl#t~n llrray a3d~2~ azimut~ a~ay which both re:~idc o~ ~ trap~oid~ ca~i bousiDg tha~resembles ~a~ tencd:p~mid Bc~sh the ~op aDd ~he curvet e~cnor of the pyra~it~ppon ir~ one~ pnnted:o~it p~tchcs on tbc~ ~hD~ w~h bslt~d i~dual nte~Q~ela~en~ Sil~eetheeatire ~te~a is on~ ~I fcwi~chcsindi~mcter~ndless ~an~ ~ch hi~ tha~o~).it~ ~ m~t~ u an mtc ~ elcme~tofthe phoneorG~:~ D~uDsedal ~ecntof~retr~bb ~L ChhcreFbo~enu oflbe mv~at~ em~by ~em~ber~or~ rat~r~ ~ a~u~quca~te~r~ ~r~ut ~mmunxat~n~ ~te~t~ tD bw E2nho~i~u~ng ~e ~ and ~ GHk ~equcD~
bands. ~c a~tenn~ a~d its ~xu~ed Q~itry ~Ire ~ tly p~we~ul to pro~de tepoDda~le ~ nrtuall~f ~nywhcre oa laDd~ ~ea or in the air. The prese~t iD~reDSK)n also include~ ~oYel prmtcd rcuit bv -hss delay li~ hat ~re cmphyed to providc required phase shi~ to ~teer the t~cam~ radi~t~d b~ the haDd-held ~nsenn~.
rrT
2l2167J
3b The prcse~t invcDtion is a n~l elcmeDt of ~ ~ovel Sas~ c Comm Ln~c~non System, which is referred to ~above. lhc ~a~ cnn~ l cl~ablc hand-bcld telcpho2e desigDers ~o ovcrcomc tbe diffi01ties which plag~e cs~ventional oellular p~o~e~ The prese~t inve~tion will offer an enlire~ ~e~ class of mob~e a~d portable c~mmun~ation that w~l revolutioni:ze the tclephone illdusuy.
ppraa2~ion o~ o~hcr aims and objear~es of tbc present i~vention and a more complctc a~d a~mprehcnsrve uDdcrstanding of this invcntion ma~ be achiwed by ~udying the fo~6 desnptio~ of a prefes~et embo~iment and by referring to the aco~mpa~ying B~IEF DESCRIP170~ OF T~IE I)~A WI~GS
Figure 1 is perspecti~e~ ~iew of a ha~t-held portable pbone ~at iDciudes Ihe preseDt ~verltio~ one of ~the preferred embodime~ bemispheri~ ~ucrowave anten~a C~nCDdS
om the bo~ of the pho~e o~ a coll~pslbk mast.
Flgures 2 a~d 3 supp~ top ~IDd side ne~fs f ~ ten~ trapczoid~ conical embodi~c~t~of the m~
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~hflFNDED SltEET
WO g3/09577 2 1 2 1 ~i 7 ~ PCI/US92/09Z86 Figures 4 and 5 present top and side views of a hemispherical embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective ~ew of an embodiment of the invention which ~akes the shape of a nght circular cylinder.
Figures 7 and 8 provide enlarged illustrations of one of the circular antenna elements.
E;igure 7 is a top view and Figure 8 is a cross sectional ~riew.
Figure 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are schematic representations oî a series of a five bit, time delay phase shUter.
F4~ures 14 and 15 are sido and top views of an altornate embodiment of thc invention which inoorpsratcs dual frequency antenna elements.
Figures 16 and ;l7 aro top and cross sectional views of one of the do~l frequency antenna clements. ~ `
Figures 18 and 19 show enluged side and top views of one of the alternative embodiments ;of ~be dual frequency aDtennas.
Figures 20 and 21 depict enlarged top and cross-sectional vie~s of one of the dual frcquency antenna elements. ~ ~
Figures 22 and 23 reveal schematic dia8rams of the ~eceive and transmit circuitsutilized in~ono~of tho seYeral em~ents of the nventio~.
Figures 24 and 25~ depict elevational and plan ~ews of one of the embodiments of the imrentio~ which;incorporates a b~gonal lattice of r~adiating elements.
Fqplres 26 a~ld 27 show plan and soctional views oL dual-frequen~y, stacked element, n~icro~rip~pnnted~arcNit antennas. ~ ~
Figures~ d~ show plan~ ant sectional Yiews of dual-freq~ency, co-located, interle~ mi~ostrip printed arcuit antennas. ~ ~
Figures~ nd~31 show cross-sectionsl and pla~iews of 20130 GHz, 61-element, ebrtroniolly steerable, phased array anlen~as incorporating a he~agonal lattiee.
:BEST~ODE~ FOR C,4RRYING OUT TH~ INV~ON
;F4nre~1 illustratcs~hand-hcld potulbb phone that: includes a ~To7~r~1.4ntennafor n Sa~ C~municatwn ~Sys~m. In one of the ~preferret cmbodi~ents, a hemispherical 30 ~ millimeter wave antenna 10 u used in conJunaion with a ponable telephone T that includes an L~ display screen L~a; keypad K, and a banery pack BP. In this version of a compact band-held transceber T, tbe~antenna lO is mountéd on a collapsible mast CM, which is shown in both the e~tended and sto~ed positions, EX and ST.
F~res 2 and 3~ e~ it top and side views ;of lhe invention 10A,~ hich inco~orates~ a general~y trapezoidal housing. An inclined e~enor surface 12 iacludes a~ upper and a bwer pon1oD 12A and 12B. Ihis slanled ring lZ is attached to botb a top circular surface 14 and a bottom circular surface 16. Both the slde and ~op surfaces 12 and 14 provide WO 93/Og~77 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCr/USg2/0~286 . ~ 5 suppon for a ~um~r of generaLly circular ante~a elements 18. nle patches 18 on the side 12 of the antcnna 10A form an a~imuth array, v~hile thotc situa~ed on the top 14 beloDg to an elevation a~Tay. lhcse elements 18 utilize a conductivc patch 20 bearing a cross slol 22 that is fonned from ~vo i~idual pe~pe~dicular slots 22A and 22B. In one embodimenl that is designed for use with the 20 Ghz band, the diameter of the top surface 14 is 1.5 incbes (3.8 em). lhe side surface 12 is 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) bigh, aDd the bottom surface 16 $ 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide. The nomi~al gain of Ihis embodiment is appro~nate~ 20 dB. For the 30 GHz band, the diameter of the radia~iDg patches shrink to about seveny pescent of the larger 20 GHz antenna patch. For a trapezoidal geomet~y where the ratio of the bottom 16 aDd top 14 wrfaces is 5/3, beams e~manated by this cmbodimcDt are capable of being steered electronicalb over 360 degrees in tbe azimuth plane and plus or n~inus 60 d~rees in the elcvation planc. P.ctive and pasme m crowsve oomponents are bcated vithin the housing attached to a ground;plaDe. When used in this dcscriplion snd in thc claims, the terms "a~muth" and relevation~ refer to the t~vo dimensions in which bearns are steered. The .
elevation dimension defines an angle EA measured from the local horizon from zero to ninety degrees. Ihe azimuth dimension delineates the angle AA in the plane which is tangent to the surface of the Earth at tbe bcatiorl of the antenna. lhe range of the azimuth angle is zero to three bundred -nd s~ degrees.
Figures 4 and 5 tepict another embodiment of the mvention 10B, which makes use of dual-îreque~cy ra~iating elements hcated OD a hemispherical or dome-shaped surface. A
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hcmisphencal~ surface 24, which is mated to a bottom circular surface 26, is coYered ~y antenna e1ements 18. Ibe preferred ombodiment of this conffguration lOB utilizes a dome having a diamel~of about 25 ~i~ches (~ cm). lbe nominal gain of the he~uspherical antenna about 20 dB over the de~ired range ol sca~ angles. ~The radiating elements, along with their 2 5 in~egrated phase shifter, provide beam steering over 360 degrees in the azimu~h plane and plus or millus 60 degroes m the elevation phne. A variatio~ of the dome embodiment 10B
is charscleraed ~y~ a natteDed or truncated surface at the top of the dome.
Figure 6 shows~ a per~ective view of an embodimen~ of the i~vention lOC that takes the shapc of a right cucular cylinde~ ba~ing a culvet glindri~l surface 28, a top circlllar surfaoe 30, and a bottom circular surface 32. Like the hemisphere 10B, the cyLindrical antenna 10C has a nominal gain of 20 dB, and offers beam steering over 360 degrees in the azimuth plane ~and~ plus ~or; minus 7~ degrees in the elevation plane. ~or 20 GHz operation, this antenna is des1gned to measure three inches (7.6 cm) across and one ioch (2.S cm) high.
A reduction of thirq to ~for~ per cent can be achieved if the 30 GHz frequçncy is utili2ed.
Figures 7 and 8 supply detailed renditions of ooe of the circular antenna elements 18.
; Figure 7 is a top view which includès a conductive patch layer 2û that has been milled, molded, or etched so that it bears two intersecting slots 22A and 22B. The resu1ting cross slol 22 comprises two pespendicul~r slots which do not have equal lengths. ~he dissimilar lengths WO 93/09~77 2 1 2 1 6 7 5 PCI/US92/09286 6 ~ .
illsure thal ~he radiation emitled from the antenna 10 will be circular}y polanzed. Figure 8 ponrays a ~oss-~ection of element 18. A copper patch 20 that includes cross-slot 2~ shs a~op a nonconductive substrate layer 34, which residcs above a ground pbnc layer 36. Each conductive patch 20 is 233 ~ils in diameter and rom 0.25 to 1.00 mil thick.
Figures 9, 1~, 11,12 and 13 suppb schematie diagrams of a five bit, time delay phase shifter 38. Each printed circuit delay line 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 provides the necessary phase shift dependtng on the line le~gth. In one embodiment of the inYention, these lines 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 provide pbase sbifts of 1}.25, 22.50, 45.00, 90.C0, and 180.00 degrees, : : rcspective~y. Ihe present invention utilizes these contuctive pathways to sclect the appropriate dclay for steering tho antenna beams Each ante~na elemcnt 18 is ooupled to its vn phase shifter 38.~ The series-resonant printed circuit pateh arrays are formed by nDecting tows of pstches through high impedance microstrip lines. 'Ihe r;adiatmg patch elemeDts are e3ccited ~y 1Ow-bss microstnp lincs arranged pelpend~cular to the resonant alrays. ~ Each feed lino~ e~cite all tbe resonant arrays, for~g a pencil beam n the broadside direction. lhe direction of the beam is steered ~y the low-hss, phase shifting elemonts wnth solid state switches located in the feed line. ~he present invention combines the phased arny;section and USillg a oommon aperturc beamfo;mer into a compact, low-loss, Iowpro~loantenna str~cture. ~ ~ ;
F~urcs 14 aDd 15 revcal side and top views of an alter~ate embodiment of the ~t10n~50 which~moorporatès a he~berical structure 52 ooYerd ~y dual frequency anlçnna olements~54. F~res~16~and 17 show top nd cross-sectional v;ews of one of the dual frequen~- anter~as 54. Figurcs 18 and 19 sho~v enlarged side and top vieus of one of the altetnatDe embodiments of ~he dud ~équency antennas. lbe edge of bwer circular~surface S3~is ~ble iD~ F:~e 18.~ ures 20 and 21 show enlarged top and cross-sectional views of one~of~the~dual &requen~y ~ienna elements 54 which inc1udes an upper oonductm layer 56, a~lo~ coff l~or 58, a~d two oonductive ~ias 59 and 60. lhe cross sectiona1 vieYv in F4u e~21 ~ depias a foam 1ayer 6~, a dieiectric layer 64, and a~ground planc layer 66. lhe ting eloments are printed on a high performance ~rate. ~he feed neh~orlcs and di~ w~iu~aro p,r~ed o~ the buer side of th~e~substr te. The active microwave 30 ~ ~ oom~onts arc ~bcated~be}o~ the dielectric subs~rate. lhe entire antenna structure is secured ~o tho grou~d~plate~
igures22 and 23 reveal schematicblock~diagrams of the recers~e and transn~i~ cucuits 68 snd 97 utilized in one of the s¢veral embo~eDis of the inve~tion. The receive circuit 68 comprises a 20 G~ prin~ed circuit~ four; element~ suba~ y 70 whicb includes feeds 72. lhe 35~ feeds 72 convey s~gnals to a~first radio frequency (RF) amplifier 74, a ~lrst band pass filter (BP~) 76, a second~ amplifler 78, aDd a m~er 8~. lhe mD~er 80 combines the ou~put of he s~cond ~ amplifier ?8 aDd a source~ 82, ~which, i~ turn, receives the output of a nthes~r 84. Ibe outpu~ of the m~er 80 is fed to a third RF amplifier 86 and to an ~:
WO93/Og577 2121~7 '3 PCI/US92~09286 inlermediate frcquenc3~ (IF) baDd pass f~ter (BP~:) 90, an aDalog-to-digital (A/D) s~nverter 92, a digital band pass fùter (DBP) 94, and a threshold detector 96. A deooder 88 is oonnected to tho output lead of RF amplifier 86. The Iraosmit circuit 97 shown in Figure 23 oontalns a 30 (iHz pnnted circuit four eleme~t subarray 98 which has feeds 100 ooupled to S an amplifier 102, an en~coder 104, an RF source 106 and a synthesuer 108.
Figures 24 aud 25 depict side and top views of another embodim~nt 110 of the m~iaturized antenna that is cbaracterized ~y a top element 112, rsdiating elements 114, a soft ubstrate 115, ~ groundplane 116 ant a dummy element 117. 'rhe radiating elements 114 are arran~et in a be~agon-l htttce pattern and are separated by ~Ippro~imatdy 0.07S inches (0.19 cm).
Figures 26, 27, 28 and 29 are plan and sectional views of dual frcque~cy antenDas.
Figuse 26 e~bits a top ~ r 118 of a 30 GHz printed circuit patch elemcnt 120 above a 20 GHz patch element 12 2 Figure 27 shows the same har~rare ~ a cross ~ectional side view 126 that teveals the substrate layer 12~ that uparates the 20 G~ and 30 GHz elements 12û
and 122, as ~ell -s a layer of foam 128 and a ground plane 130 Figure 28 shows a series of 20 and 30~ GHz patch elcments 120 and læ residing together on a portion of an antenna Figures 28 aDd 29 ponray a~n alternative arrangement in which t~e active patches 120 aDd læ
are situated on oither side of ~the substrate 124, as opposed to havmg element 122 embedded within subslr te l24~ as shown~ ~ Figure 27 ~~ Figures 30 a~d 31 show ~cross-sectional aDd plan views o~ an aDtenna with a he~agonal bttice Figure 30 corltprises a ;o~cdonal ~ 132 tb-1 includes a radome l34 ~covenng a ~dummy~element 135,~du-1~;frequency printed circuit ~elements 136 and 137, a n~icrowave strate~138, feed nenvorks and idistn~ut~n ~its l~ act~e r~ave ~mponeDts l42, ~d~a ground plan~ ~aDd ~rt structure 144, ~e top~riew shown in Figure 31 reveals an 25 ~ array~of 20~and 30:GH~palches 136 and 137 deployed in a he%agonal lattiee with the dummy clelDeDt 135~ at~its ~cn~r ~
lhe~ l~s~restsial~AnteDnas disclosed ;above may be used for voiee or data ` ~ oommunicstions ~ 'Iho ~ble transcer er unit T ~hat inc~rporates ~he prcsent io tention lO
~I prrMdc a:&oct gr~und~to satellite link ~GSL) to a conste~atio~:c>f 840 spacecraft in lo~
~; 3Q Earth orbit lhe oompaa antennas 10 are designed to send and rèceive signals to satellites that are within a c~ne~ ha~ring a venical a~is that point to~ard the~ zeni~h which measures 8û
degrees across ~1be angle~ ~from the tern~inal to the ~satellite, called the ~mask ande," is sufficient~ wide to~insure~that there are always at least~two satellites in the constellatioD f~ing overhead to service ~ponable units, but is also high enough abc~e the hosizon to vir~ually 35~ nate ou~ulta~ion by iersain, buildings or tsees The 40 degree mask angle also ~ litS the yath length of the Sigll91, protects link margins and thus reduees power requirements Ihe constellatioll of spacecraft will be capable oE offering oon~inuous coveragebetween 70 degrccs N and 70 degrees 5 btitude Evesy sateLlite emanates 256 simultaneous .
W~ 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 5 PC~/U~g~/09286 ,., .~
b¢ams which are mul~iple~ed to 4,096 pOtitiOllS. Regions on the ground which are~luminated ~y tbe rad;.o beams from the satellite ar~ caUed the "~ootpri~es" or ~cells" that haYe he~ago~al outlines and measure appro~malely 1400~m by 1400km. Each individual beam illuminates a ground track of 20km by 20km a~d carries a pilot tone which identif1es the S source of each beam tbat enables the terrestrial transceiver lo initiate contact with the orbiting network. Signal p~sing components residing in the spacecraf~ are responsible for electronieally steering active aDtenna arrays on board each satellite. Eve~y satellite controls the assignment of channels to tern~inals requesting serviccs. When a terminal has more than one satellite in view, the satellitcs monitor the signal quality and ~loct which one is best 10 suited to handle the caLI to tho terminal. Satellites measure the time delay and Doppler shift for each subscribcr s~al to detern~ine the bcation of the ground unit within the beam footp~ t. lbc reccive beam lrom the ground terminal bgs the transmit beam emitted from the satellite by a fD~ed mteTval. The tern~inil Ira~smits its data to the satelli~e at a delay y the satellito in its preccdiDg scan. lhis method is used to compensate ~or delay 15 differences caused by ~ariashns in path le~gths. The scan pattern amocg beams is coordinaled to insure that all cells being scanned at one irlstant are separated by suf~lcient distance to elimi~te iaterferen~ce and aoss taDc among custcPmers using similar hand-held equipmeDt. `: ~
Because the satellite~snlennas operate at a rehtiveb hi~h gain, the footprints on the 2 ~ ground~are~relatNeb small. The small cell sizes, combinet ~ith the rapid motion of t~e satellile footpnnt over Ihe Earth's surface, means that a termiDal remains in the same cell for anly~ s ~few seoo~ To avoid the rapid handoff fron~ satellite to satellite every few seconds, a~innovativ~ hysical cell mapping scheme is~ut~ized. For det~ils about this novel l~ique, please refer~ to the copendi~qg palem applicatioD l~y Patterson and Stuna entitled B~ Com~ t~ J~forSa~ c ~nunication Systcm, which is cross-noted above.
For~ ~ptimal perfonr~nce,~ the wnical a~s of the~ antènna 10 should point at the zenithj but the~eam~slcerin& capabililies of~lhe~an~enDa~10 can ovclcome the effects of using the er ~T~t~different a~gles, as bDg ~S the sig~lal ~om the pQnable phone remams p~ted~ someP~Derc~ ~vithi~ the~ mask angb. If tbe orie~lbD of the s~enDa 10 presents a 30 ~ problem for the subscnber, the hand-held unit can b~ nected to an e%teroal antenna which is mouat~d at a fi%ed angle or which is more sensitive.~ The low power desig~ of the presen~
invention~substantial~y eli~inates~any radiation hazards.
lhe~number of elements 18 which are deployed on the antennas 10 is directly proportional to the total gain achieved lr~ the array. The number, N, for a he~agonal lattice 3S ~s given by ~he e~;pression: ~ ~
N~(l.S# ))2 where D is the apenure~aDd A is the wavelength at the highest frequency. nlis expression - ~:
WO 93~09577 PCI`/USg2/09286 212:167~ `
g i~dicates that about 61 elements having ~wo inch (5.1 cm~ aperture should be used for a ~cquen~y of 30 G~ The appropriale phase shift, ~, that is electro~l~y selected to steer the beams using the Yarious n~icrost~ pbase delay lines is deter~ined ~y the ~ollovring equatioll:
2~1 .
dt d - .
S where ~ is the scan angle.
: ~ llhe desig~ choices for the selec~ion of materials is largeb determi~ed by the performance requ~rcnnen~s ~hat~are eDcountered using the 20 GHz the 30 C;Hz frequency ~; bands. Three oo~DmerciaLly available materials would be suitable for the su~nrstes for the preseDt i~ention. These include Rohacell rigid styTofoam maserisl ~d Roger RT/5870 and ` RT/S~0 matena}s, ~which are~bo~h glass microfiber-reinfo~d PIFE oomposite subs~ra~es.
While~Teflon fib~r~ass is a~ e~ctreme~ rigid matenal, which is a desirable proper~ for the ; ~ ~ substra~e, its cost is nearh,r twicé ~hat of s~rofoam. lhe dielectric constant, e" for each of these subs~rates~raDges ~rom 135~to 25S. Although s~rofoam is the least e~pensive materi~l, it is far less rigid than either R~T/5870 or RT/5880. One quaner ounce (8 grams) copper is used for the psintéd circ~i~ antenna eleme~ts. lhe housing enclosure ca~ be fabricated from a lightweigh~ aluminum alloy.
COr.lCLUSION ~ :~
Although~he preseDt mveDtion has been described in de~ail with reference to a p~tt~lal~preferred cm~ent,~ pewDs possessing ordinsry skill~in the an to which this 20 ~ ~nYentlon~perta~ns~ apprec~a~e that various modifica~ions and enha~cemenls may be made withollt~`dep~ n the spirit and SGope of the claims that fs)llow. Ihe various orbital parameters and~tellite populatioD andconfiguratio~ s~atistic~ that have b~en disclosed above re u~t~ded to~ e the~rcader about one prefetred em~odime~t, and are not intendedto~cons~run~the~ of tho mvention or the scope`of~the ~laims. ~ The Iist of Reference ¢haracte~s~ which~ follnws~ te~ded to provite the reader wi~h - oon~.renient means of identi~ying eleme~ts; o~; the imre~tion in the ~thn and drawings. Ihis list is nos te~ded to deli~eàte or Darrow the soope of the claims.
l~DUS~1,4L APPLICAB~LlTY
The TfflAnt~snasforSa~ellite Communicatu~n 5ystem descn~ed above ~ill help to oYer~ tbe~limits that cirwn~be the performance and potential of e~ ing telepnone ?ste~ns. The present invention is capable of offering CODtinUoUS ~?oice, data a~d video service : :
to custome s aaoss the globe on the land? on the sea? or in Ihe air~ Instead of ~erely impro~ing upo~ or expaDding e~isting land-based systems, the present i~Yention ~passes cen~ralized terrestna1 suntching hardu?are by placing ~1 ~he intelligence of the De~ork in WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCr/US92/09286 I' '~
10 ' orbit. Unli~e cooventional hierarchical systems, wDich sre linked together by a comple~ web of wires, cables, ghss fibets, and microwave repcatcrs that are ~/ery e~pensive to build and :~ maintain, the present mventioo hberates the true communications poteotial of e~sting had-bascd Denvorks by routiog sig~als through spacecraft io bw Earth orbit. Tne present illvention will rcvolutionize the tele~ommunicatioDs industry, and offer a wide spectrum of sen~ices and industrial opportunities;around ~he world.
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:
LIST OF REFERENCE CH~RACTEf~S
10 Terrestrial A~telmas lOA Trapezoidal embodimeot of antenna ~
lOB Hemispherical:nbodiment of antenns CyL~ calembodbnent of antenna 2 ~ CODK~al sur~ace~
:
12A Upperportion of concal surface 12B : :~w, er ponion of coni~al surface 14 ~ Top:circular surface 16 ~ ~t~om ar~:ular surface~
18~ Circlllar~ aotcDna~;e1ement Cooducti~ré:~patch~
:24 :~ He~hericsl~surf`ac~
26 ~ ~tt 30: :, :Top~c~cubrsurface~ :, ::::
NoncoDductn~e~ t~ layer ;36 ~ ~ Ground pl~e,l~yer:~
38 Five bit, timé~:delay phasè shifter 40 ~ deF~e ~ line 42 22~0: degree ~delay li~e :; 45.00 degree dèhy 1ine 46 ~ 90.00~degree~;delay 1ine 48 ~ 180.00 degreo delày line 50 Hemi~hencal,configuralioowi~h dual frequenc~ antenna eleme~ts 52 Upper hen~ispherical surface :
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.. , , _ . , . .. , .. . _ . . .. . ... . ...
WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ P~/US92/09286 53 Lower ~rcular surface 54 Dua3 frequency an~enna elemen 56 Upper ooJlduct~e layer S8 ~ower o~nductrve layer 59 Conductive via 60 CoDductrve via 62 Foam layer 64 I:)ielectnc layer 66 Ground plane layer 68 Recei~e circ~it 70 Pnnted circuit four elemen~ subarray 72 Fceds ?4 Fir~t radio ~equeDs~y~smplificr 76 First ba~dpassfilter 78 Second radio f~equen~ amplifier 80 MD~er 2 Source ~ :
put of ~tbesizel lhird~radL~ equenq ~mplifier O
88 ; Decoder ~ : :
~; IDtermedi~te frequenc~1 baDd pass filler 92 A~ab~to digital~ verter Digital band pass f~ter:
96 Threshoid~d~tector ~
9~ tedcircuh ~our elemen~ subarrag :102 ~ A~plifior - E~coder~
106 Radio &equen~y sourse 108 Synthesizer ~
110 ~Iternate embodimeDt of rninia~ureed antenna 112 Top ~lement 114 ~adiatirlg elemeDt ~
115 Softsubstrate~ :
116 Ground plane 117 Dummy elemen 118 Top new .
WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCI/US92/09286 120 3Q GHz plinted eircuit palch element 122 ~ GHz patch element 124 Subsarate layer 126 Cross sectional s~de~t~iew 128 Foam layer 130 Ground plaDe 132 C~ioss-sectional view 134 Radome 135 Dum~ element 136 Pnoted dual frequenc y pri~ted circuit eleme~ts 137 Prioted:dual frequeocy printed circuit ehments . ~ ~
138 Microwaw substra~e 140 Feed networks and distn~ution circuits 142 ~ tnicrt~wave components ~
144 Ground plaDe and soppor~ st~cture ~ . -iDah 9D~1O ~ :
BP : Batte~y:pac k : :
Collaps~bie mast EA : Elevalion~aDgles : ~
EX Retrsctablè~ a~teoo~ mast in fu~y e~eoded position K ~ K~e~ad L ~ L~display screen ST ~ Rra-ble~antç~à~mast i~ stowed ~dtion T ~;~ ;Telephone~
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~:
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7EC~NICAL FIELD
Ihe present inventbn relates to the field of satellite communicasions. More particularly, this iDveati~ provides a c~mpact, elec~ronicaDy steerable, phased-array anten~a 5 . for use with a portable,~ ba~d-heid telephone.
.
BACK~;ROUND ART
While cellular pho~es DOW offer coDveDien~ sennce for mob~e and punable lelcpho~es t~at ~vas unoommon onh~ a decade ~go, current~r a~able cellulsr ser~ice is limited i~ ~ope, ~Dd is often unreliable and subject to interfere~ce and interruption.
:10~ Co~ve~ltioD21 ~ula~ systerns utilize: a~ network of land-based aDteDna towers ~alled "cell es~W wh~ch ~Dd and receive m~crowaYe sig~als that link c~omers using mobile pbones in the~véhicksor hand-held pona~le units. Since cell sites are only fouDd in de~se~ populated aroas, cell~lar ~ervice~is severe~y limi~ed. Communication li~ks m this De~ork are freque~t~
~aired when a cuxtomer l~raY~ls from one geographical cell to another, or ~h¢n hiL~is or 15 ~ buil~s occhd~ the~ e-of-sight path~vay of th~ =ave radiation which ~rnes the Rece~atlempts to Qveroomc these ~noncomi~gs of w3de~y-avsilable celluhr sen~ice havo met with ~ results.~ Elaborate and hcavy tr~nsporuble phone systems ~vhich include hrge sate11ito dish~for communicatio~ direct~ with geo.ynchro~ous satellites have r~cent~
`~ 20~ become~a~ ie~l~avaaablo. lhese~ystemsareb~y,requ~e~argepowers~pplies,:and No~;~gb public~co~t10ns Detworl~ is preseat~r capsble of offering co~tinuous world~e~ serdce~to:- = r usmg a mobile ~or po*ab}e phoae without the ll~e of cost~
sd~ e~nà~ tems.~ ~he OVelWhelDDDg~m~iql of oommeraal spa~aft and ~poDd~rs which~lFo =~r operating do not ~e~eralb po$sess ~the pow capacin~r to icate directb vnth~ ~ ha~d-held telephone unless it is attached ~ an antenna dish thae measures~ from one~ to several feet~in diameter. Th~ problcm of providi~g a~ nomically :via~le world wide~c~ork for voice, :dats, and vid~ :which c~n: b:e used ~y mobile and portable phoDes ~ith~ anten~as that are matched in praclical proportion to Ihe si~e of the 30 ~ i ~p~one has presen~ed a ma)or chal}eDge to the a~mmunications business. :: lbe development of an easy-to-use, hand-held telephone having its~owll~power supp~r aad: a practical antenna , .
suitable ~or dirc~ ~unica~io~ to a satellite net~ork would o~nstitute a maj0r ~; ~ technologica1 advance-a~d would satisfy a long felt Ileed within the el~ron~ nd telephone industries.
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212167~
The article "IEEE International ConferenCe on Communications Bostonicc", 1989, Vol. 1 June 1989, pp 216-222, Estabrook et al. discloses in Fig. 4 a switchable hemispherical antenna array of elements operating in the 20/30 GHz range, and mounted on a helmet. Fig. 5 shows a hand-held planar array.
The article "Phased Array Antennas", A.A. Oliner and G.H. Knittel, e`ds., "Basic Theoretical Aspects of Spherical Phased Arrays", June 1~70, H.E. Schrank, pp 323 to 327, discloses in Fig. 1 truncated cone and cylindrical arrays with elements on the curved surfaces.
The article "Land Vehicle Antennas for Satel'ite Mobile Communications'i, Globecom '85 IEEE GloDal Telecommunicat1ons~ Conference, Vol~ 3, December 1985, pp 72-~1176~, ~addad et al., discloses in ~ig. 2 inter alia truncated ~cone~and cylindrical arra~s with elements on ;the~;curved~ ~surfaces, the arrays being mounted on veh1c1es~.~ This~ document corresponds ge~erall~ to the in~roductory portion of claim 1. ~ ~
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accord~ing to~ a first aspect~ of the present invention there`is~pro~ided~an antenna apparatus capable of ~or~unicàting directly with a ~satellite in earth orbit, comprising a substantially flat first surface surrounded by~a~second surface at an angle thereto, and a plurality ~of phased-ar~ay ~antenna elementsf characterised in that the apparatus is for use in a p~rtable~, hand-held telephone, and in that the elements are located on~both the first and second ~surfaces, the elements on the first surface being capa~le of steering ; radio beams in an ele~ation dimension and ~he elements on the second surface being capable vf steerin~ radio '~
AMENut~ S~Et~
`` 212167~
3a beams ~n an azimuth dimension.
Accord:ing to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an antenna apparatus for use with a portable hand-held telephone comprising an antenna surface capable of transmitting and receiving radio beams to and from a satellite in earth orbit and capable of steering~radio beams in azimuth and elevation dimensions, and with a:plurality of phased-array antenna elements located on said surface, characterised in that the elements~are dual frequency elements each comprising an upper conductive layer separated by an insulating layer from a lower conductive layer, the lower conductive layer ~eing separated by further insulation from a conductive ground plane.
The Jcn~ Anlcnn0 tischsed a~d claimed m this pale~t sppLcatio~ ~olve thc proble~ e~cou~tered ~ ~re~ious ~nempts ~o ~us~rua reli~ble and effe~tr~e ha~d~held telcpho~es~s~g bu~i-~, practical a~le~nas ~ha~ rnmunieate direct~ vvith spaeecraft ~n orbit;.~ e p r~scnt;~eDlioD ~co~npnses a ~ eL c~pa~ multi~lemen~ elec~roDic2Liy steerabk~ phas~d alTay a~te3na. lbc various em~ents of thc inventio~ u~ilize 2e~nre hascd~a~Tay:des~:~hi~h~use pnnlcd arcui~ ante~a ~d MMIC techDoio~y. These desig~s .
m~loy arcuhrly~ poi s zcd,:~ dual-lreque~q pr~ed ~circuit ~Dtem~a eleme~ts ~easuring OQ~
8 fraaion of ~ a~ inch ~i~ :d;amcser. One of the ca~oodimon~ of the~ cludes a~
:elevl#t~n llrray a3d~2~ azimut~ a~ay which both re:~idc o~ ~ trap~oid~ ca~i bousiDg tha~resembles ~a~ tencd:p~mid Bc~sh the ~op aDd ~he curvet e~cnor of the pyra~it~ppon ir~ one~ pnnted:o~it p~tchcs on tbc~ ~hD~ w~h bslt~d i~dual nte~Q~ela~en~ Sil~eetheeatire ~te~a is on~ ~I fcwi~chcsindi~mcter~ndless ~an~ ~ch hi~ tha~o~).it~ ~ m~t~ u an mtc ~ elcme~tofthe phoneorG~:~ D~uDsedal ~ecntof~retr~bb ~L ChhcreFbo~enu oflbe mv~at~ em~by ~em~ber~or~ rat~r~ ~ a~u~quca~te~r~ ~r~ut ~mmunxat~n~ ~te~t~ tD bw E2nho~i~u~ng ~e ~ and ~ GHk ~equcD~
bands. ~c a~tenn~ a~d its ~xu~ed Q~itry ~Ire ~ tly p~we~ul to pro~de tepoDda~le ~ nrtuall~f ~nywhcre oa laDd~ ~ea or in the air. The prese~t iD~reDSK)n also include~ ~oYel prmtcd rcuit bv -hss delay li~ hat ~re cmphyed to providc required phase shi~ to ~teer the t~cam~ radi~t~d b~ the haDd-held ~nsenn~.
rrT
2l2167J
3b The prcse~t invcDtion is a n~l elcmeDt of ~ ~ovel Sas~ c Comm Ln~c~non System, which is referred to ~above. lhc ~a~ cnn~ l cl~ablc hand-bcld telcpho2e desigDers ~o ovcrcomc tbe diffi01ties which plag~e cs~ventional oellular p~o~e~ The prese~t inve~tion will offer an enlire~ ~e~ class of mob~e a~d portable c~mmun~ation that w~l revolutioni:ze the tclephone illdusuy.
ppraa2~ion o~ o~hcr aims and objear~es of tbc present i~vention and a more complctc a~d a~mprehcnsrve uDdcrstanding of this invcntion ma~ be achiwed by ~udying the fo~6 desnptio~ of a prefes~et embo~iment and by referring to the aco~mpa~ying B~IEF DESCRIP170~ OF T~IE I)~A WI~GS
Figure 1 is perspecti~e~ ~iew of a ha~t-held portable pbone ~at iDciudes Ihe preseDt ~verltio~ one of ~the preferred embodime~ bemispheri~ ~ucrowave anten~a C~nCDdS
om the bo~ of the pho~e o~ a coll~pslbk mast.
Flgures 2 a~d 3 supp~ top ~IDd side ne~fs f ~ ten~ trapczoid~ conical embodi~c~t~of the m~
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~hflFNDED SltEET
WO g3/09577 2 1 2 1 ~i 7 ~ PCI/US92/09Z86 Figures 4 and 5 present top and side views of a hemispherical embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective ~ew of an embodiment of the invention which ~akes the shape of a nght circular cylinder.
Figures 7 and 8 provide enlarged illustrations of one of the circular antenna elements.
E;igure 7 is a top view and Figure 8 is a cross sectional ~riew.
Figure 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are schematic representations oî a series of a five bit, time delay phase shUter.
F4~ures 14 and 15 are sido and top views of an altornate embodiment of thc invention which inoorpsratcs dual frequency antenna elements.
Figures 16 and ;l7 aro top and cross sectional views of one of the do~l frequency antenna clements. ~ `
Figures 18 and 19 show enluged side and top views of one of the alternative embodiments ;of ~be dual frequency aDtennas.
Figures 20 and 21 depict enlarged top and cross-sectional vie~s of one of the dual frcquency antenna elements. ~ ~
Figures 22 and 23 reveal schematic dia8rams of the ~eceive and transmit circuitsutilized in~ono~of tho seYeral em~ents of the nventio~.
Figures 24 and 25~ depict elevational and plan ~ews of one of the embodiments of the imrentio~ which;incorporates a b~gonal lattice of r~adiating elements.
Fqplres 26 a~ld 27 show plan and soctional views oL dual-frequen~y, stacked element, n~icro~rip~pnnted~arcNit antennas. ~ ~
Figures~ d~ show plan~ ant sectional Yiews of dual-freq~ency, co-located, interle~ mi~ostrip printed arcuit antennas. ~ ~
Figures~ nd~31 show cross-sectionsl and pla~iews of 20130 GHz, 61-element, ebrtroniolly steerable, phased array anlen~as incorporating a he~agonal lattiee.
:BEST~ODE~ FOR C,4RRYING OUT TH~ INV~ON
;F4nre~1 illustratcs~hand-hcld potulbb phone that: includes a ~To7~r~1.4ntennafor n Sa~ C~municatwn ~Sys~m. In one of the ~preferret cmbodi~ents, a hemispherical 30 ~ millimeter wave antenna 10 u used in conJunaion with a ponable telephone T that includes an L~ display screen L~a; keypad K, and a banery pack BP. In this version of a compact band-held transceber T, tbe~antenna lO is mountéd on a collapsible mast CM, which is shown in both the e~tended and sto~ed positions, EX and ST.
F~res 2 and 3~ e~ it top and side views ;of lhe invention 10A,~ hich inco~orates~ a general~y trapezoidal housing. An inclined e~enor surface 12 iacludes a~ upper and a bwer pon1oD 12A and 12B. Ihis slanled ring lZ is attached to botb a top circular surface 14 and a bottom circular surface 16. Both the slde and ~op surfaces 12 and 14 provide WO 93/Og~77 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCr/USg2/0~286 . ~ 5 suppon for a ~um~r of generaLly circular ante~a elements 18. nle patches 18 on the side 12 of the antcnna 10A form an a~imuth array, v~hile thotc situa~ed on the top 14 beloDg to an elevation a~Tay. lhcse elements 18 utilize a conductivc patch 20 bearing a cross slol 22 that is fonned from ~vo i~idual pe~pe~dicular slots 22A and 22B. In one embodimenl that is designed for use with the 20 Ghz band, the diameter of the top surface 14 is 1.5 incbes (3.8 em). lhe side surface 12 is 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) bigh, aDd the bottom surface 16 $ 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide. The nomi~al gain of Ihis embodiment is appro~nate~ 20 dB. For the 30 GHz band, the diameter of the radia~iDg patches shrink to about seveny pescent of the larger 20 GHz antenna patch. For a trapezoidal geomet~y where the ratio of the bottom 16 aDd top 14 wrfaces is 5/3, beams e~manated by this cmbodimcDt are capable of being steered electronicalb over 360 degrees in tbe azimuth plane and plus or n~inus 60 d~rees in the elcvation planc. P.ctive and pasme m crowsve oomponents are bcated vithin the housing attached to a ground;plaDe. When used in this dcscriplion snd in thc claims, the terms "a~muth" and relevation~ refer to the t~vo dimensions in which bearns are steered. The .
elevation dimension defines an angle EA measured from the local horizon from zero to ninety degrees. Ihe azimuth dimension delineates the angle AA in the plane which is tangent to the surface of the Earth at tbe bcatiorl of the antenna. lhe range of the azimuth angle is zero to three bundred -nd s~ degrees.
Figures 4 and 5 tepict another embodiment of the mvention 10B, which makes use of dual-îreque~cy ra~iating elements hcated OD a hemispherical or dome-shaped surface. A
: ~
hcmisphencal~ surface 24, which is mated to a bottom circular surface 26, is coYered ~y antenna e1ements 18. Ibe preferred ombodiment of this conffguration lOB utilizes a dome having a diamel~of about 25 ~i~ches (~ cm). lbe nominal gain of the he~uspherical antenna about 20 dB over the de~ired range ol sca~ angles. ~The radiating elements, along with their 2 5 in~egrated phase shifter, provide beam steering over 360 degrees in the azimu~h plane and plus or millus 60 degroes m the elevation phne. A variatio~ of the dome embodiment 10B
is charscleraed ~y~ a natteDed or truncated surface at the top of the dome.
Figure 6 shows~ a per~ective view of an embodimen~ of the i~vention lOC that takes the shapc of a right cucular cylinde~ ba~ing a culvet glindri~l surface 28, a top circlllar surfaoe 30, and a bottom circular surface 32. Like the hemisphere 10B, the cyLindrical antenna 10C has a nominal gain of 20 dB, and offers beam steering over 360 degrees in the azimuth plane ~and~ plus ~or; minus 7~ degrees in the elevation plane. ~or 20 GHz operation, this antenna is des1gned to measure three inches (7.6 cm) across and one ioch (2.S cm) high.
A reduction of thirq to ~for~ per cent can be achieved if the 30 GHz frequçncy is utili2ed.
Figures 7 and 8 supply detailed renditions of ooe of the circular antenna elements 18.
; Figure 7 is a top view which includès a conductive patch layer 2û that has been milled, molded, or etched so that it bears two intersecting slots 22A and 22B. The resu1ting cross slol 22 comprises two pespendicul~r slots which do not have equal lengths. ~he dissimilar lengths WO 93/09~77 2 1 2 1 6 7 5 PCI/US92/09286 6 ~ .
illsure thal ~he radiation emitled from the antenna 10 will be circular}y polanzed. Figure 8 ponrays a ~oss-~ection of element 18. A copper patch 20 that includes cross-slot 2~ shs a~op a nonconductive substrate layer 34, which residcs above a ground pbnc layer 36. Each conductive patch 20 is 233 ~ils in diameter and rom 0.25 to 1.00 mil thick.
Figures 9, 1~, 11,12 and 13 suppb schematie diagrams of a five bit, time delay phase shifter 38. Each printed circuit delay line 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 provides the necessary phase shift dependtng on the line le~gth. In one embodiment of the inYention, these lines 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 provide pbase sbifts of 1}.25, 22.50, 45.00, 90.C0, and 180.00 degrees, : : rcspective~y. Ihe present invention utilizes these contuctive pathways to sclect the appropriate dclay for steering tho antenna beams Each ante~na elemcnt 18 is ooupled to its vn phase shifter 38.~ The series-resonant printed circuit pateh arrays are formed by nDecting tows of pstches through high impedance microstrip lines. 'Ihe r;adiatmg patch elemeDts are e3ccited ~y 1Ow-bss microstnp lincs arranged pelpend~cular to the resonant alrays. ~ Each feed lino~ e~cite all tbe resonant arrays, for~g a pencil beam n the broadside direction. lhe direction of the beam is steered ~y the low-hss, phase shifting elemonts wnth solid state switches located in the feed line. ~he present invention combines the phased arny;section and USillg a oommon aperturc beamfo;mer into a compact, low-loss, Iowpro~loantenna str~cture. ~ ~ ;
F~urcs 14 aDd 15 revcal side and top views of an alter~ate embodiment of the ~t10n~50 which~moorporatès a he~berical structure 52 ooYerd ~y dual frequency anlçnna olements~54. F~res~16~and 17 show top nd cross-sectional v;ews of one of the dual frequen~- anter~as 54. Figurcs 18 and 19 sho~v enlarged side and top vieus of one of the altetnatDe embodiments of ~he dud ~équency antennas. lbe edge of bwer circular~surface S3~is ~ble iD~ F:~e 18.~ ures 20 and 21 show enlarged top and cross-sectional views of one~of~the~dual &requen~y ~ienna elements 54 which inc1udes an upper oonductm layer 56, a~lo~ coff l~or 58, a~d two oonductive ~ias 59 and 60. lhe cross sectiona1 vieYv in F4u e~21 ~ depias a foam 1ayer 6~, a dieiectric layer 64, and a~ground planc layer 66. lhe ting eloments are printed on a high performance ~rate. ~he feed neh~orlcs and di~ w~iu~aro p,r~ed o~ the buer side of th~e~substr te. The active microwave 30 ~ ~ oom~onts arc ~bcated~be}o~ the dielectric subs~rate. lhe entire antenna structure is secured ~o tho grou~d~plate~
igures22 and 23 reveal schematicblock~diagrams of the recers~e and transn~i~ cucuits 68 snd 97 utilized in one of the s¢veral embo~eDis of the inve~tion. The receive circuit 68 comprises a 20 G~ prin~ed circuit~ four; element~ suba~ y 70 whicb includes feeds 72. lhe 35~ feeds 72 convey s~gnals to a~first radio frequency (RF) amplifier 74, a ~lrst band pass filter (BP~) 76, a second~ amplifler 78, aDd a m~er 8~. lhe mD~er 80 combines the ou~put of he s~cond ~ amplifier ?8 aDd a source~ 82, ~which, i~ turn, receives the output of a nthes~r 84. Ibe outpu~ of the m~er 80 is fed to a third RF amplifier 86 and to an ~:
WO93/Og577 2121~7 '3 PCI/US92~09286 inlermediate frcquenc3~ (IF) baDd pass f~ter (BP~:) 90, an aDalog-to-digital (A/D) s~nverter 92, a digital band pass fùter (DBP) 94, and a threshold detector 96. A deooder 88 is oonnected to tho output lead of RF amplifier 86. The Iraosmit circuit 97 shown in Figure 23 oontalns a 30 (iHz pnnted circuit four eleme~t subarray 98 which has feeds 100 ooupled to S an amplifier 102, an en~coder 104, an RF source 106 and a synthesuer 108.
Figures 24 aud 25 depict side and top views of another embodim~nt 110 of the m~iaturized antenna that is cbaracterized ~y a top element 112, rsdiating elements 114, a soft ubstrate 115, ~ groundplane 116 ant a dummy element 117. 'rhe radiating elements 114 are arran~et in a be~agon-l htttce pattern and are separated by ~Ippro~imatdy 0.07S inches (0.19 cm).
Figures 26, 27, 28 and 29 are plan and sectional views of dual frcque~cy antenDas.
Figuse 26 e~bits a top ~ r 118 of a 30 GHz printed circuit patch elemcnt 120 above a 20 GHz patch element 12 2 Figure 27 shows the same har~rare ~ a cross ~ectional side view 126 that teveals the substrate layer 12~ that uparates the 20 G~ and 30 GHz elements 12û
and 122, as ~ell -s a layer of foam 128 and a ground plane 130 Figure 28 shows a series of 20 and 30~ GHz patch elcments 120 and læ residing together on a portion of an antenna Figures 28 aDd 29 ponray a~n alternative arrangement in which t~e active patches 120 aDd læ
are situated on oither side of ~the substrate 124, as opposed to havmg element 122 embedded within subslr te l24~ as shown~ ~ Figure 27 ~~ Figures 30 a~d 31 show ~cross-sectional aDd plan views o~ an aDtenna with a he~agonal bttice Figure 30 corltprises a ;o~cdonal ~ 132 tb-1 includes a radome l34 ~covenng a ~dummy~element 135,~du-1~;frequency printed circuit ~elements 136 and 137, a n~icrowave strate~138, feed nenvorks and idistn~ut~n ~its l~ act~e r~ave ~mponeDts l42, ~d~a ground plan~ ~aDd ~rt structure 144, ~e top~riew shown in Figure 31 reveals an 25 ~ array~of 20~and 30:GH~palches 136 and 137 deployed in a he%agonal lattiee with the dummy clelDeDt 135~ at~its ~cn~r ~
lhe~ l~s~restsial~AnteDnas disclosed ;above may be used for voiee or data ` ~ oommunicstions ~ 'Iho ~ble transcer er unit T ~hat inc~rporates ~he prcsent io tention lO
~I prrMdc a:&oct gr~und~to satellite link ~GSL) to a conste~atio~:c>f 840 spacecraft in lo~
~; 3Q Earth orbit lhe oompaa antennas 10 are designed to send and rèceive signals to satellites that are within a c~ne~ ha~ring a venical a~is that point to~ard the~ zeni~h which measures 8û
degrees across ~1be angle~ ~from the tern~inal to the ~satellite, called the ~mask ande," is sufficient~ wide to~insure~that there are always at least~two satellites in the constellatioD f~ing overhead to service ~ponable units, but is also high enough abc~e the hosizon to vir~ually 35~ nate ou~ulta~ion by iersain, buildings or tsees The 40 degree mask angle also ~ litS the yath length of the Sigll91, protects link margins and thus reduees power requirements Ihe constellatioll of spacecraft will be capable oE offering oon~inuous coveragebetween 70 degrccs N and 70 degrees 5 btitude Evesy sateLlite emanates 256 simultaneous .
W~ 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 5 PC~/U~g~/09286 ,., .~
b¢ams which are mul~iple~ed to 4,096 pOtitiOllS. Regions on the ground which are~luminated ~y tbe rad;.o beams from the satellite ar~ caUed the "~ootpri~es" or ~cells" that haYe he~ago~al outlines and measure appro~malely 1400~m by 1400km. Each individual beam illuminates a ground track of 20km by 20km a~d carries a pilot tone which identif1es the S source of each beam tbat enables the terrestrial transceiver lo initiate contact with the orbiting network. Signal p~sing components residing in the spacecraf~ are responsible for electronieally steering active aDtenna arrays on board each satellite. Eve~y satellite controls the assignment of channels to tern~inals requesting serviccs. When a terminal has more than one satellite in view, the satellitcs monitor the signal quality and ~loct which one is best 10 suited to handle the caLI to tho terminal. Satellites measure the time delay and Doppler shift for each subscribcr s~al to detern~ine the bcation of the ground unit within the beam footp~ t. lbc reccive beam lrom the ground terminal bgs the transmit beam emitted from the satellite by a fD~ed mteTval. The tern~inil Ira~smits its data to the satelli~e at a delay y the satellito in its preccdiDg scan. lhis method is used to compensate ~or delay 15 differences caused by ~ariashns in path le~gths. The scan pattern amocg beams is coordinaled to insure that all cells being scanned at one irlstant are separated by suf~lcient distance to elimi~te iaterferen~ce and aoss taDc among custcPmers using similar hand-held equipmeDt. `: ~
Because the satellite~snlennas operate at a rehtiveb hi~h gain, the footprints on the 2 ~ ground~are~relatNeb small. The small cell sizes, combinet ~ith the rapid motion of t~e satellile footpnnt over Ihe Earth's surface, means that a termiDal remains in the same cell for anly~ s ~few seoo~ To avoid the rapid handoff fron~ satellite to satellite every few seconds, a~innovativ~ hysical cell mapping scheme is~ut~ized. For det~ils about this novel l~ique, please refer~ to the copendi~qg palem applicatioD l~y Patterson and Stuna entitled B~ Com~ t~ J~forSa~ c ~nunication Systcm, which is cross-noted above.
For~ ~ptimal perfonr~nce,~ the wnical a~s of the~ antènna 10 should point at the zenithj but the~eam~slcerin& capabililies of~lhe~an~enDa~10 can ovclcome the effects of using the er ~T~t~different a~gles, as bDg ~S the sig~lal ~om the pQnable phone remams p~ted~ someP~Derc~ ~vithi~ the~ mask angb. If tbe orie~lbD of the s~enDa 10 presents a 30 ~ problem for the subscnber, the hand-held unit can b~ nected to an e%teroal antenna which is mouat~d at a fi%ed angle or which is more sensitive.~ The low power desig~ of the presen~
invention~substantial~y eli~inates~any radiation hazards.
lhe~number of elements 18 which are deployed on the antennas 10 is directly proportional to the total gain achieved lr~ the array. The number, N, for a he~agonal lattice 3S ~s given by ~he e~;pression: ~ ~
N~(l.S# ))2 where D is the apenure~aDd A is the wavelength at the highest frequency. nlis expression - ~:
WO 93~09577 PCI`/USg2/09286 212:167~ `
g i~dicates that about 61 elements having ~wo inch (5.1 cm~ aperture should be used for a ~cquen~y of 30 G~ The appropriale phase shift, ~, that is electro~l~y selected to steer the beams using the Yarious n~icrost~ pbase delay lines is deter~ined ~y the ~ollovring equatioll:
2~1 .
dt d - .
S where ~ is the scan angle.
: ~ llhe desig~ choices for the selec~ion of materials is largeb determi~ed by the performance requ~rcnnen~s ~hat~are eDcountered using the 20 GHz the 30 C;Hz frequency ~; bands. Three oo~DmerciaLly available materials would be suitable for the su~nrstes for the preseDt i~ention. These include Rohacell rigid styTofoam maserisl ~d Roger RT/5870 and ` RT/S~0 matena}s, ~which are~bo~h glass microfiber-reinfo~d PIFE oomposite subs~ra~es.
While~Teflon fib~r~ass is a~ e~ctreme~ rigid matenal, which is a desirable proper~ for the ; ~ ~ substra~e, its cost is nearh,r twicé ~hat of s~rofoam. lhe dielectric constant, e" for each of these subs~rates~raDges ~rom 135~to 25S. Although s~rofoam is the least e~pensive materi~l, it is far less rigid than either R~T/5870 or RT/5880. One quaner ounce (8 grams) copper is used for the psintéd circ~i~ antenna eleme~ts. lhe housing enclosure ca~ be fabricated from a lightweigh~ aluminum alloy.
COr.lCLUSION ~ :~
Although~he preseDt mveDtion has been described in de~ail with reference to a p~tt~lal~preferred cm~ent,~ pewDs possessing ordinsry skill~in the an to which this 20 ~ ~nYentlon~perta~ns~ apprec~a~e that various modifica~ions and enha~cemenls may be made withollt~`dep~ n the spirit and SGope of the claims that fs)llow. Ihe various orbital parameters and~tellite populatioD andconfiguratio~ s~atistic~ that have b~en disclosed above re u~t~ded to~ e the~rcader about one prefetred em~odime~t, and are not intendedto~cons~run~the~ of tho mvention or the scope`of~the ~laims. ~ The Iist of Reference ¢haracte~s~ which~ follnws~ te~ded to provite the reader wi~h - oon~.renient means of identi~ying eleme~ts; o~; the imre~tion in the ~thn and drawings. Ihis list is nos te~ded to deli~eàte or Darrow the soope of the claims.
l~DUS~1,4L APPLICAB~LlTY
The TfflAnt~snasforSa~ellite Communicatu~n 5ystem descn~ed above ~ill help to oYer~ tbe~limits that cirwn~be the performance and potential of e~ ing telepnone ?ste~ns. The present invention is capable of offering CODtinUoUS ~?oice, data a~d video service : :
to custome s aaoss the globe on the land? on the sea? or in Ihe air~ Instead of ~erely impro~ing upo~ or expaDding e~isting land-based systems, the present i~Yention ~passes cen~ralized terrestna1 suntching hardu?are by placing ~1 ~he intelligence of the De~ork in WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCr/US92/09286 I' '~
10 ' orbit. Unli~e cooventional hierarchical systems, wDich sre linked together by a comple~ web of wires, cables, ghss fibets, and microwave repcatcrs that are ~/ery e~pensive to build and :~ maintain, the present mventioo hberates the true communications poteotial of e~sting had-bascd Denvorks by routiog sig~als through spacecraft io bw Earth orbit. Tne present illvention will rcvolutionize the tele~ommunicatioDs industry, and offer a wide spectrum of sen~ices and industrial opportunities;around ~he world.
:
:
LIST OF REFERENCE CH~RACTEf~S
10 Terrestrial A~telmas lOA Trapezoidal embodimeot of antenna ~
lOB Hemispherical:nbodiment of antenns CyL~ calembodbnent of antenna 2 ~ CODK~al sur~ace~
:
12A Upperportion of concal surface 12B : :~w, er ponion of coni~al surface 14 ~ Top:circular surface 16 ~ ~t~om ar~:ular surface~
18~ Circlllar~ aotcDna~;e1ement Cooducti~ré:~patch~
:24 :~ He~hericsl~surf`ac~
26 ~ ~tt 30: :, :Top~c~cubrsurface~ :, ::::
NoncoDductn~e~ t~ layer ;36 ~ ~ Ground pl~e,l~yer:~
38 Five bit, timé~:delay phasè shifter 40 ~ deF~e ~ line 42 22~0: degree ~delay li~e :; 45.00 degree dèhy 1ine 46 ~ 90.00~degree~;delay 1ine 48 ~ 180.00 degreo delày line 50 Hemi~hencal,configuralioowi~h dual frequenc~ antenna eleme~ts 52 Upper hen~ispherical surface :
: :: ~ : :
.. , , _ . , . .. , .. . _ . . .. . ... . ...
WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ P~/US92/09286 53 Lower ~rcular surface 54 Dua3 frequency an~enna elemen 56 Upper ooJlduct~e layer S8 ~ower o~nductrve layer 59 Conductive via 60 CoDductrve via 62 Foam layer 64 I:)ielectnc layer 66 Ground plane layer 68 Recei~e circ~it 70 Pnnted circuit four elemen~ subarray 72 Fceds ?4 Fir~t radio ~equeDs~y~smplificr 76 First ba~dpassfilter 78 Second radio f~equen~ amplifier 80 MD~er 2 Source ~ :
put of ~tbesizel lhird~radL~ equenq ~mplifier O
88 ; Decoder ~ : :
~; IDtermedi~te frequenc~1 baDd pass filler 92 A~ab~to digital~ verter Digital band pass f~ter:
96 Threshoid~d~tector ~
9~ tedcircuh ~our elemen~ subarrag :102 ~ A~plifior - E~coder~
106 Radio &equen~y sourse 108 Synthesizer ~
110 ~Iternate embodimeDt of rninia~ureed antenna 112 Top ~lement 114 ~adiatirlg elemeDt ~
115 Softsubstrate~ :
116 Ground plane 117 Dummy elemen 118 Top new .
WO 93/09577 2 1 2 1 6 7 ~ PCI/US92/09286 120 3Q GHz plinted eircuit palch element 122 ~ GHz patch element 124 Subsarate layer 126 Cross sectional s~de~t~iew 128 Foam layer 130 Ground plaDe 132 C~ioss-sectional view 134 Radome 135 Dum~ element 136 Pnoted dual frequenc y pri~ted circuit eleme~ts 137 Prioted:dual frequeocy printed circuit ehments . ~ ~
138 Microwaw substra~e 140 Feed networks and distn~ution circuits 142 ~ tnicrt~wave components ~
144 Ground plaDe and soppor~ st~cture ~ . -iDah 9D~1O ~ :
BP : Batte~y:pac k : :
Collaps~bie mast EA : Elevalion~aDgles : ~
EX Retrsctablè~ a~teoo~ mast in fu~y e~eoded position K ~ K~e~ad L ~ L~display screen ST ~ Rra-ble~antç~à~mast i~ stowed ~dtion T ~;~ ;Telephone~
,: :
~,- ;:
~:
:
::
::
Claims (10)
1. An antenna apparatus (10A, 10C) capable of communicating directly with a satellite in earth orbit, comprising a substantially flat first surface (14, 30) surrounded by a second surface (12, 28) at an angle thereto, and a plurality of phased-array antenna elements (18), characterised in that the apparatus is for use in a portable, hand-held telephone (T), and in that the elements (18) are located on both the first and second surfaces, the elements on the first surface (14, 30) being capable of steering radio beams in an elevation dimension and the elements on the second surface (12, 28) being capable of steering radio beams in an azimuth dimension.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said plurality of phased-array of antenna elements (18) include an upper conductive patch layer (20); said upper conductive patch layer (20) having a first slot (22A) and a second slot (22B) cut in said upper conductive patch layer (20); said first and said second slots (22A
& 22B) being arranged perpendicular to each other; said first and said second slots (22A & 22B) also being unequal in length; a conductive ground plane layer (36);
and a nonconductive substrate layer (34); said nonconductive substrate layer (34) being located adjacent to both said upper conductive patch layer (20) and said conductive ground plane layer (36).
& 22B) being arranged perpendicular to each other; said first and said second slots (22A & 22B) also being unequal in length; a conductive ground plane layer (36);
and a nonconductive substrate layer (34); said nonconductive substrate layer (34) being located adjacent to both said upper conductive patch layer (20) and said conductive ground plane layer (36).
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said antenna surfaces (14, 12; 30, 28) are used to transmit and to receive radio beams in the twenty and thirty GHz frequency bands.
4. An apparatus according to any preceding claim in the form of a truncated cone, wherein said first surface (14) is a generally circular, planar surface surrounded by a second part conical surface (12).
5. An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3 in the form of a cylinder, wherein said first surface (30) is a generally circular, planar surface surrounded by a second cylindrical surface (28).
6. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: a plurality of five bit, time delay phase shifters (38); each of said plurality of five bit, time delay phase shifters (38) including a first conductive pathway (40), a second conductive pathway (42), a third conductive pathway (44), a fourth conductive pathway (46), and a fifth conductive pathway (48); each of said conductive pathways (40, 42, 44, 46, 48) being twice as long as its previous neighbour; and each of said plurality of five bit, time delay phase shifters (38) being coupled to one of said antenna elements (18) in a one-to-one correspondence configuration.
7. An antenna apparatus (50) for use with a portable hand-held telephone (T) comprising an antenna surface capable; of transmitting and receiving radio beams to and from a satellite in earth orbit and capable of steering radio beams in azimuth and elevation dimensions, and with a plurality of phased-array antenna elements (54) located on said surface, characterised in that the elements (54) are dual frequency elements each comprising an upper conductive layer (56, 120) separated by an insulating layer (62,124) from a lower conductive layer (58, 122), the lower conductive layer being separated by further insulation (64, 128) from a conductive ground plane (66, 130).
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the upper conductive layer (120) comprises printed circuit patch elements for a first frequency, and the lower conductive layer (122) comprises patch elements for a second, lower frequency.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the patch elements are circular and the first frequency patch elements are located concentrically of the second frequency patch elements.
10. An apparatus for use with a portable, hand-held telephone (T) which is capable of communicating directly with a satellite in earth orbit comprising: an antenna surface (24) capable of transmitting and receiving radio beams to and from said satellite in earth orbit; said antenna surface (24) being capable of steering radio beams in an azimuth dimension; said antenna surface (24) being capable of steering radio beams in an elevation dimension; and a plurality of phased-array antenna elements (18); said plurality of phased-array antenna elements being located on said antenna surface (24).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US79027391A | 1991-11-08 | 1991-11-08 | |
| US790,273 | 1991-11-08 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2121675A1 true CA2121675A1 (en) | 1993-05-13 |
Family
ID=25150178
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002121675A Abandoned CA2121675A1 (en) | 1991-11-08 | 1992-11-05 | Terrestrial antennas for satellite communication system |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (2) | US5650788A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0611490B1 (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE172060T1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU3123793A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2121675A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69227254T2 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1993009577A1 (en) |
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| US4101895A (en) * | 1977-02-14 | 1978-07-18 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Multifrequency antenna system integrated into a radome |
| US4162499A (en) * | 1977-10-26 | 1979-07-24 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Flush-mounted piggyback microstrip antenna |
| ES482033A1 (en) * | 1979-06-28 | 1980-04-01 | Tolsa Sa | Process for obtaining silane derivatives of sepiolite by reaction with alkoxy-silanes to improve their reinforcing capacity in polymers |
| US4792808A (en) * | 1982-12-14 | 1988-12-20 | Harris Corp. | Ellipsoid distribution of antenna array elements for obtaining hemispheric coverage |
| US4605932A (en) * | 1984-06-06 | 1986-08-12 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Nested microstrip arrays |
| FR2583226B1 (en) * | 1985-06-10 | 1988-03-25 | France Etat | OMNIDIRECTIONAL CYLINDRICAL ANTENNA |
| US4771291A (en) * | 1985-08-30 | 1988-09-13 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force | Dual frequency microstrip antenna |
| EP0295003A3 (en) * | 1987-06-09 | 1990-08-29 | THORN EMI plc | Antenna |
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| US4972808A (en) * | 1989-04-03 | 1990-11-27 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Arrangement of cooling system for transversely mounted internal combustion engine |
| US5153601A (en) * | 1991-04-04 | 1992-10-06 | Her Majesty The Queen In Right Of Canada, As Represented By The Minister Of Communications | Microwave polarizing lens structure |
| FR2676310B1 (en) * | 1991-05-06 | 1993-11-05 | Alcatel Espace | LOBE SHAPED AND LARGE GAIN ANTENNA. |
| DE69222464T2 (en) * | 1991-05-30 | 1998-02-26 | Toshiba Kawasaki Kk | Microstrip antenna |
| CA2071715A1 (en) * | 1991-07-15 | 1993-01-16 | Gary George Sanford | Directional scanning circular phased array antenna |
| WO1993009577A1 (en) * | 1991-11-08 | 1993-05-13 | Calling Communications Corporation | Terrestrial antennas for satellite communication system |
-
1992
- 1992-11-05 WO PCT/US1992/009286 patent/WO1993009577A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1992-11-05 AT AT92925034T patent/ATE172060T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1992-11-05 DE DE69227254T patent/DE69227254T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1992-11-05 CA CA002121675A patent/CA2121675A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1992-11-05 AU AU31237/93A patent/AU3123793A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1992-11-05 EP EP92925034A patent/EP0611490B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1992-12-02 US US07/984,609 patent/US5650788A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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1997
- 1997-07-07 US US08/889,409 patent/US5905466A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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|---|---|
| DE69227254T2 (en) | 1999-03-25 |
| DE69227254D1 (en) | 1998-11-12 |
| EP0611490A1 (en) | 1994-08-24 |
| US5905466A (en) | 1999-05-18 |
| US5650788A (en) | 1997-07-22 |
| EP0611490B1 (en) | 1998-10-07 |
| AU3123793A (en) | 1993-06-07 |
| ATE172060T1 (en) | 1998-10-15 |
| WO1993009577A1 (en) | 1993-05-13 |
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