US 12,126,379 B2Granted

Swivelling mechanism for communication units

AssigneeTesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsTobias Janocha, Andreas Scheffel, Daniel Reicherter

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An optical communication unit for sending and receiving optical communication signals is described. The optical communication unit includes an optical unit, an elevation drive and an azimuth drive. The optical unit emits and/or receives optical communication signals. The elevation drive is coupled with the optical unit by way of an elevation bearing and swivels the optical unit about an elevation axis. The azimuth drive is coupled with the optical unit and the elevation drive and turns the optical unit together with the elevation drive about an azimuth axis. The elevation axis is arranged eccentrically with respect to the azimuth axis, so that the elevation axis is offset with respect to the azimuth axis by a lateral offset. This allows the optical unit to be swiveled to alongside the azimuth drive, so that a swiveling range of the optical unit is increased.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A communication unit for sending and receiving communication signals, comprising:

a sending/receiving unit configured to emit and/or to receive communication signals;
an elevation drive coupled with the sending/receiving unit by way of an elevation bearing and configured to swivel the sending/receiving unit about an elevation axis of the elevation bearing;
an azimuth drive coupled with the sending/receiving unit and the elevation drive and configured to turn the sending/receiving unit together with the elevation drive about an azimuth axis;
wherein the elevation axis is arranged eccentrically with respect to the azimuth axis, so that the elevation axis is offset in relation to the azimuth axis by a lateral offset,
wherein the azimuth drive has a supporting area, with which the elevation drive and the sending/receiving unit are coupled;
wherein the azimuth drive is configured to turn the supporting area about the azimuth axis during the turning movement, and
wherein the elevation axis is laterally offset from the azimuth axis to such an extent that the elevation axis is arranged laterally outside the supporting area.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/575,979Filed 14 Jan 2022
Priority: DE 10 2021 101 423.922 Jan 2021
Published: US 2022/0239372 A128 Jul 2022
Granted: 22 Oct 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H01Q 3/08
Using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole: for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
H04B 10/118
Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum: specially adapted for satellite communication
G02B 23/165
Housings; Caps; Mountings; Supports, e.g. with counterweight: equatorial mounts
H04B 10/1123
Line-of-sight transmission over an extended range: bidirectional transmission