Patent News
Interferometric microwave radiometer
Mr. Mañuel Martin Neira and Mr. Juan Font
Rossello, of ESTEC, have invented an interferometric
radiometry system, which comprises a spaceborne
antenna flown in an Earth orbit. The antenna, which
is a planar array with elements arranged in
sub-arrays, is rotated about the nadir axis in order
to achieve a non-final scan of the beam. The system
allows obtaining high spatial resolution, high
sensitivity, large swath and continuous coverage
through aperture synthesis.
CDMA detector
Mr. Riccardo de Gaudenzi and Mr. Javier Romero
Garcia, of ESTEC, have invented a direct sequence
code division multiplex (DS-CDMA) receiver
comprising an adaptive blind detector, together
with Messrs. Filippo Giannetti and Marco Luise
of the University of Pisa. The invention results
in an asynchronous DS-CDMA detector which is
insensitive to multi-user interference and does
not require training sequences, and is adapted
to realisation as an application-specific integrated
circuit. Applications are in fixed and mobile
satellite communications networks, positioning
systems using CDMA and terrestrial CDMA networks.
Modular electric power conditions
Mr. Philippe Pérol of ESTEC has invented
a power conditioner for providing fully regulated
power to a bus, which comprises at least one
converter module processing power from a current
and from a voltage source. The power conditioner
is modular and can provide to a bus a similar
amount of power alternately or simultaneously
from a current source, such as a solar array,
and a voltage source, such as a battery, each
module combining the functions of shunt regulation
and of battery discharge regulation.
Doppler LIDAR receiver
Mr. Alessandru Popescu of ESTEC and Mr. Peter
Winzer of the Technical University of
Vienna have invented a technique for substantially
enhancing a Doppler LIDAR receiver. The receiver,
which has an edge filter, process both the
transmitted and reflected signals at the filter,
and the LIDAR system employs an array of small
subtelescopes for receiving backscattered signals.
More about ESA patent applications can be found
in the catalogue of ESA patents (ESA-SP-1131, rev.nbsp3).
For information on patent matters, please contact:
Mr. P.A. Kallenbach,
Legal Affairs,
ESA Head Office,
8-10, rue Mario Nikis,
F-75738 PARIS Cedex 15,
France
Preparing for the Future Vol. 9 No. 2
Published September 1999.