US 11,749,887 B2
Modular antenna systems and related methods of manufacture
Shouyuan Shi, Newark, DE (US); and Dennis Prather, Newark, DE (US)
Assigned to Phase Sensitive Innovations, Inc., Newark, DE (US)
Filed by Phase Sensitive Innovations, Inc., Newark, DE (US)
Filed on May 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/324,582.
Application 17/324,582 is a continuation of application No. 16/198,670, filed on Nov. 21, 2018, granted, now 11,031,690.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/590,066, filed on Nov. 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/589,534, filed on Nov. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0273329 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01Q 3/26 (2006.01); H04B 10/2575 (2013.01); H04B 10/40 (2013.01); H01Q 21/00 (2006.01); H04B 10/00 (2013.01)
CPC H01Q 3/2676 (2013.01) [H01Q 21/0025 (2013.01); H04B 10/00 (2013.01); H04B 10/2575 (2013.01); H04B 10/40 (2013.01); H04B 2210/006 (2013.01)] 35 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular radio frequency (RF) transmitter comprising: an optical processing engine including an optical processor including a plurality of electro-optical modulators to generate a plurality of combined modulated light beam pairs, each light beam pair being modulated in at least one of phase and amplitude, and an opto-electrical downconversion module including a plurality of photodiodes, each photodiode being driven by a corresponding light beam pair to generate a corresponding RF electrical signal; a set of RF connectors; and an RF antenna array module detachably connected to the optical processing engine by the set of RF connectors, the RF antenna array module comprising a plurality of antenna elements each in communication with a corresponding photodiode to receive the corresponding RF electrical signal generated by the photodiode via a corresponding one of the RF connectors to control the antenna element.
 
12. A modular radio frequency (RF) transmitter kit comprising: an optical processing engine including an optical processor including a plurality of electro-optical modulators to generate a plurality of combined modulated light beam pairs, each light beam pair being modulated in at least one of phase and amplitude, and an opto-electrical downconversion module including a plurality of photodiodes, each photodiode being driven by a corresponding light beam pair to generate a corresponding RF electrical signal; a set of RF connectors; and a plurality of RF antenna array modules, each RF antenna array module being detachably connectable to the optical processing engine by the set of RF connectors, each of the RF antenna array modules comprising a plurality of antenna elements to communicate with a corresponding photodiode of the opto-electrical downconversion module to receive the corresponding RF electrical signal generated by the photodiode via a corresponding one of the RF connectors to control the antenna element, wherein each of the RF antenna array modules are configured to operate at a different RF carrier frequency band.
 
19. A modular radio frequency (RF) receiver comprising: an RF antenna array module including a plurality of antenna elements; a set of RF connectors; and an optical processing engine including an electro-optical upconversion module detachably connected to the optical processing engine via the set of RF connectors, the electro-optical upconversion module comprising a plurality of electro-optic modulators, each configured to receive a corresponding RF electrical signal from a corresponding one of the antenna elements of the RF antenna array via a corresponding one of the RF connectors to generate a corresponding optical signal, and an optical processor configured to extract encoded data from the optical signals generated by the electro-optic modulators of the electro-optical upconversion module.
 
30. A modular radio frequency (RF) receiver kit comprising: a plurality of RF antenna array modules, each RF antenna array module including a plurality of antenna elements and each RF antenna array modules being configured to operate at a different RF carrier frequency band; a set of RF connectors; and an optical processing engine including an electro-optical upconversion module detachably connectable to each of the RF antenna array modules via the set of RF connectors, the electro-optical upconversion module comprising a plurality of electro-optic modulators to receive a corresponding RF electrical signal from a corresponding one of the antenna elements of the RF antenna array via a corresponding one of the RF connectors to generate a corresponding optical signal, and an optical processor configured to extract encoded data from the optical signals generated by the electro-optic modulators of the electro-optical upconversion module.