US 11626659 B2 / Apr 11, 2023

Antenna unit with phase-shifting modulator, and related antenna, subsystem, system, and method

An embodiment an antenna unit of an antenna array includes a signal coupler, a phase-shifting modulator, and an antenna element. The signal coupler has a first input-output port, a second input-output port, and a coupled port. The phase-shifting modulator is coupled to the coupled port of the signal coupler, and the antenna element is coupled to the phase-shifting modulator via a connection remote from the signal coupler, or via an isolated port of the signal coupler. The phase-shifting modulator is configured for both relatively low signal loss and relatively low power consumption such that the antenna array can have significantly lower C-SWAP metrics than a conventional phased array while retaining the higher performance metrics of a conventional phased array.