Patent ID: 7298329

Claim:
An antenna system, comprising: an array of radiating elements having a top side and a bottom side; a control system for generating differential-mode voltages or differential-mode currents for exciting the radiating elements; a device for feeding the differential-mode voltages or differential-mode currents to the radiating elements, wherein the differential-mode voltages or differential-mode currents are applied to the radiating elements to generate a radiation beam that utilizes and exploits mutual coupling among the radiating elements in the array, wherein the device comprises: at least one probe for feeding one of the radiating elements with one of the voltages or currents, wherein the one of the radiating elements has an aperture through which a top end of the at least one probe passes from the bottom side of the one of the radiating elements to the top side of the one of the radiating elements such that a top end of the probe extends above the aperture to generate the mutual coupling of the radiating elements from the top side of the radiating elements.