Patent ID: 7605768

Claim:
A multi-beam antenna, comprising: a. an electromagnetic lens, wherein said electromagnetic lens comprises a plurality of lens elements in a discrete lens array, wherein each lens element of said plurality of lens elements comprises: i. a first broadside antenna element on a first side of the electromagnetic lens; ii. a first dielectric substrate adjacent to said first broadside antenna element; iii. a second broadside antenna element on a second side of the electromagnetic lens; iv. a second dielectric substrate adjacent to said second broadside antenna element; v. a conductive layer between said first and second dielectric substrates, wherein said conductive layer is adapted with at least one coupling slot therein in cooperation with said first and second broadside antenna elements so as to provide for a corresponding at least one delay element operative between said first and second broadside antenna elements; b. a third dielectric substrate in a cooperative relationship with said electromagnetic lens; and c. a plurality of antenna feed elements on said third dielectric substrate at a corresponding plurality of locations and oriented in a corresponding plurality of directions, wherein at least two of said plurality of antenna feed elements are located at a corresponding at least two different locations, said at least two of said plurality of antenna feed elements are each adapted to act along a corresponding at least two different directions, said first side of said electromagnetic lens is adapted to be in electromagnetic wave communication with said plurality of antenna feed elements, said corresponding at least one delay element operative between said first and second broadside antenna elements delays a propagation of an electromagnetic wave between said first and second broadside antenna elements by a delay period, and said delay period of at least one of said electromagnetic lens elements is different from a delay period of at least another of said electromagnetic lens elements so as to provide for a nominal focal surface of said electromagnetic lens, and said corresponding at least two different directions and said corresponding at least two different locations are adapted in relation to said nominal focal surface so as to provide for at least one of transmitting and receiving a plurality of different electromagnetic beams in or from a plurality of different said directions in cooperation with said electromagnetic lens.