Patent ID: 7557675

Claim:
A broad band mechanical phase shifter, among those used to obtain a dynamic control by electromechanical means of the beam radiated by an antenna array, achieving various pointing angles, having: one or several concentric lines; a common feed element that runs along the lines ranged radially with respect to said lines; transmission lines connected to the ends of each line, on which signals out of phase to each other are transmitted; an external transmission line that feeds the phase shifter; and the broad band mechanical phase shifter comprises: the concentric lines used have an L-shaped cross section, so that they have a protrusion perpendicular to the greater length of the line on its external perimeter; the phase shifter is provided with protrusions or elements that act as capacitors or short- circuits, suppressing the higher modes generated in the L-shaped cross section lines and partly preventing the mutual coupling between said L-shaped cross section lines, in order to increase the range of variation of the pointing angle for the antenna array; and the L-shaped cross section lines are supported by their ends and on the recess defined in the common feed element.