Chester R Phillips

US Patent:

60379081, Mar 14, 2000

Filed:

Nov 26, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/756756

Inventors:

Chester C. Phillips - San Diego CA
John Lovberg - San Diego CA
Randall Olsen - Carlsbad CA
Ri-Chee Chou - San Diego CA

Assignee:

Thermotrex Corporation - San Diego CA

International Classification:

H01Q 1908

US Classification:

343753

Abstract:

A low cost microwave antenna. Microwaves are radiated from or collected by a thin layer radiating-collecting microwave guide section in which a dielectric slab is sandwiched between a metallic bottom plate and a metallic radiating-collecting cover plate. The cover plate contains a large number of slots spaced to produce outgoing or define incoming microwaves beams having directions determined: (1) by the directions of propagation of microwave radiation within the radiating-collecting microwave section and (2) by the frequency of the radiation. In a collection mode, a microwave lens focuses microwave radiation propagating in the waveguide section at focal locations which are dependent on the direction of propagation of the radiation in the waveguide. Alternatively, in a radiation mode, the lens converts microwave energy broadcast from said focal locations into parallel beams propagating in the radiating-collecting microwave guide section.

US Patent:

51211246, Jun 9, 1992

Filed:

May 1, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/694098

Inventors:

Brett A. Spivey - Encinitas CA
Paul A. Johnson - San Diego CA
Alex Shek - San Diego CA
Chester Phillips - Columbia MD

Assignee:

Thermo Electron Technologies Corp. - San Diego CA

International Classification:

G01S 302

US Classification:

342179

Abstract:

A camera system in which microwave radiation from objects in a field-of-view is collected by an antenna having a beam direction which is a function of the beam frequency. The collected radiation is analyzed to produce an image of the objects in the field-of-view. In a simple embodiment of the invention a one dimensional image is produced. This one dimensional image can be converted to a two dimensional image by rotating the camera system or mounting the camera on a moving platform. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the microwave radiation collected by the antenna is converted into electronic acoustic signals which sets up a diffraction pattern in a Bragg cell to diffract a laser beam which is focused on a television camera to produce one dimensional image of the field-of-view. The antenna can be scanned to produce a two dimensional image. In another preferred embodiment an array of antennas and a multi-channel Bragg cell is used to produce a two dimensional real time image.