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US 11,522,297 B2Granted
Deployable cylindrical parabolic antenna
AssigneeM.M.A. Design, LLC
InventorLyn Eric Ruhl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deployable antenna structure is provided that, in one embodiment, implements an offset feed, cylindrical parabolic antenna. The antenna structure employs a semi-rigid panel that can transition from a stowed state characterized by the retention of substantial strain energy to a deployed state characterized by less strain energy than in the stowed state but more than if the panel were in a strain-free state and a portion of the panel having a shape that closely conforms to a cylindrical parabolic shape.
Claims12
A deployable cylindrical parabolic antenna comprising:
- a reflector including a sheet of material, the reflector capable of being deformed from a first shape in which the sheet of material has a first amount of strain energy to a second shape in which the sheet of material has a second amount of strain energy that is greater than the first amount of strain energy;
- a deployment system configured to maintain the reflector in the second shape and selectively allow the reflector to transition, by motive force provided by strain energy stored in the sheet of material, from the second shape towards the first shape but prevent the reflector from reaching the first shape such that the reflector has a third shape in which at least a portion of the reflector has a cylindrical parabolic shape;
- and
- a feed antenna located to receive an electromagnetic signal reflected by the at least a portion of the reflector having a cylindrical parabolic shape.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.