Patent · US Expired

Scanned antenna system and method

US5652596A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
1References
54Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 22, 1995
Grant dateJul 29, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 22, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01Q13/28
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A compact scanned antenna which includes a radiator, a rotatable tube and a line source. The radiator is formed by plating a shaped dielectric core. It generates an antenna beam at an output aperture in response to a microwave signal at an input port. The line source generates a radiation sheet which is directed across a signal plane to the input pot. The tube has a cylindrical wall which is positioned across the signal plane. As the tube rotates, refractive or diffractive transmission structures pass through the signal plane. The refractive structures include linear segments which refract the wavefront of the radiation sheet. Because the wavefront slope at the radiator's aperture is a function of the wavefront slope at its input port, the antenna beam is scanned. The linear contour segments have the same inclination but are not colinear. This arrangement reduces the thickness of the tube wall. Phase coherence is achieved by an appropriate radial spacing of adjacent ends of contour segments. The diffractive structures are arranged to vary the spacing of diffraction rings as they pass through the signal plane. This produces scanned, first-order antenna beams. The line source is adap…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.