# US 10,502,825 B2 · Radioelectric device for transmitting and receiving radioelectric waves and associated radio altimetry system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,825 B2 - Document ID: US10502825B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/216,530 - Filed: 2016-07-21 - Published: 2017-08-10 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-22 - Assignees: Thales - Applicants: Thales - Inventors: Sébastien Lys; Friedman Tchoffo-Talom - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502825B2 ## CPC - G01S 13/882: {for altimeters (measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06)} - G01S 13/32: using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated - G01S 13/343: {using sawtooth modulation} - H01Q 3/01: varying the shape of the antenna or antenna system - H01Q 21/30: Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system - H01Q 25/002: {providing at least two patterns of different beamwidth; Variable beamwidth antennas} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract A radioelectric device is provided for transmitting and receiving radio waves including a radio wave generator generating radio waves that are frequency-modulated by a predetermined modulation signal and a transceiver antenna system, having a transmission-reception angle with an associated antenna aperture value, able to transmit said transmitted radio wave and receive a radio wave, and an associated radio altimetry system. The antenna system includes a first array of radiating elements able to radiate in a first frequency band and at least one second array of radiating elements able to radiate in a second frequency band being made up of a regular pad of radiating elements or elementary patches, The radioelectric device also includes a plurality of activation elements able to activate and/or deactivate the first array and second array of radiating elements, and a control module able to control the activation elements based on a selected antenna aperture value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radioelectric device for transmitting and receiving radio waves including a radio wave generator generating radio waves that are frequency-modulated by a predetermined modulation signal and a transceiver antenna system, having a transmission-reception angle with an associated antenna aperture value, able to transmit said transmitted radio wave and receive a radio wave, the antenna system comprising a first array of radiating elements able to radiate in a first frequency band and at least one second array of radiating elements able to radiate in a second frequency band, each second array of radiating elements being made up of a regular pad of radiating elements or elementary patches, a plurality of activation elements able to activate and/or deactivate each of the first array and second array of radiating elements, each second array of radiating elements being able to be activated or deactivated individually via a said activation element, and a control module able to control the activation elements based on a selected antenna aperture value selected from among a discrete set of antenna aperture values, each antenna aperture value of said discrete set corresponding to an activation/deactivation configuration of said first and second arrays of radiating elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The radioelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising a module for obtaining a selected antenna aperture value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The radioelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna system comprises a plurality of second arrays of radiating elements, arranged in a matrix of second arrays of radiating elements, each second array of radiating elements having its own power supply point. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The radioelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the activation elements are switches, and wherein the device comprises a plurality of switches arranged so as to produce a plurality of activation/deactivation configurations of said first and second arrays of radiating elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The radioelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising a memory module, and wherein the discrete set of antenna aperture values, as well as, for each antenna aperture value, the associated activation/deactivation configuration of said first and second arrays of radiating elements, are stored. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method for transmitting-receiving radio waves carried out by a radioelectric device for transmitting-receiving radio waves according to claim 1, comprising, in transmission or reception mode: obtaining a selected antenna aperture value, controlling a plurality of activation/deactivation elements of the first and second arrays of radiating elements based on the selected antenna aperture value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising, in transmission mode, generating at least one radio wave frequency-modulated by a predetermined modulation signal in a first frequency band. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising, in transmission mode: comparing the selected antenna aperture value to a maximum antenna aperture value, and if the comparison is negative, transposing the generated radio waves in a second frequency band. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein in reception mode, the method further comprises: comparing the selected antenna aperture value to a maximum antenna aperture value, and if the comparison is negative, transposing the received radio waves in the first frequency band. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A radio altimeter system suitable for being fastened to an airborne system and providing a distance of said airborne system relative to a surface, comprising a radioelectric device for transmitting-receiving radio waves according to claim 1, able to transmit said radio wave and to receive a radio wave reflected by said surface, the radio altimeter system further including a processing module able to compute said distance as a function of the transmitted and reflected radio waves.