US 6,982,681 B2
Apparatus for detecting electromagnetic radiation, in particular for radio astronomic applications
Alessandro Orfei, Bologna (Italy); Juri Roda, Monghidoro (Italy); Giampaolo Zacchiroli, Medicina (Italy); Giuseppe Maccaferri, Castel d'Argile (Italy); and Marco Morsiani, Medicina (Italy)
Assigned to C.N.R. Consiglio Nazionale Delle Richerche, Rome (Italy)
Appl. No. 10/495,477
PCT Filed Jan. 09, 2003, PCT No. PCT/IB03/00045
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 13, 2004,
PCT Pub. No. WO03/058761, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 17, 2003.
Claims priority of application No. BO2002A0012 (IT), filed on Jan. 11, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2005/0017913 A1, Jan. 27, 2005
Int. Cl. H01Q 15/20 (2006.01); H01Q 21/24 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 343—915 35 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for detecting electromagnetic radiation (300), in particular for radio astronomic applications, comprising:
a receiving element (10) designed to detect the electromagnetic radiation (300) of defined frequency and to generate as output corresponding signals addressed to a reception and processing centre;
a plurality of reflecting elements (20) which are associated with each other in such a way as to form the surface (30) designed to receive the electromagnetic radiation (300) and to direct it at the receiving element (10);
a plurality of actuators (40), each one positioned close to at least one of the reflecting elements (20) and operating on at least one reflecting element (20) in such a way as to vary the latter's position, each of the actuators (40) being equipped with:
a drive unit (41);
mechanical transmission means (42), connected to the drive unit (41) and to the respective reflecting element (20) in order to transmit to the reflecting element (20) the motion generated by the drive unit (41), the mechanical transmission means (42) being mobile between a plurality of working positions, each of which corresponds to at least one predetermined position of the respective reflecting element (20);
a processing unit (50) connected to the actuators (40) and designed to send to the actuators (40) control signals (100) enabling the drive units (41) of the actuators (40) to move the transmission means (42) connected to the drive units (41) between said working positions, each of the control signals (100) containing at least one positioning parameter (100a) defining a working position of the transmission means (42) of a target actuator;
the apparatus being characterised in that it further comprises a plurality of smart circuit blocks (60), each connected to a corresponding actuator (40) and located between the processing unit (50) and the drive unit (41) of the corresponding actuator (40), each of the smart circuit blocks (60) being designed to receive as input a control signal (100) from the processing unit (50) and to generate as output a corresponding displacement parameter (101) addressed to the drive unit (41) of the corresponding actuator (40) to position at least one reflecting element (20) connected to it.