Patent ID: 8284101

Claim:
A retrodirective antenna system for receiving an incoming signal from an object and directing an outgoing signal back to the object, comprising: two or more transceiver cells, each of which receives a part of the incoming signal, produces a phase conjugate output signal, which output signals from the cells combine to form an outgoing signal directed back to the object; wherein each transceiver cell comprises: an antenna component which detects the part of the incoming signal; a processor which receives the part of the incoming signal and produces first and second same-side, sideband (SB) signals of the part of the incoming signal; a phase shift system comprising a first phase element which receives the first SB signal and outputs a SB signal having a first phase, and a second phase element which receives the second SB signal and outputs a SB signal having a second phase which is in quadrature with the first phase; and an IQ modulator comprising an I input port, a Q input port and a phase adjuster, which receives the SB signal having the first phase on the I input port and the SB signal having the second phase on the Q input port, or receives the SB signal having the first phase on the Q input port and the SB signal having the second phase on the I input port, and phase adjusts the SB signals to produce an output signal which is the phase conjugate of the part of the incoming signal.