Dielectric lens with changeable focal length using fluidic dielectrics

• US 20040160382A1
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North South Holdings Incorporated (Spherix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rawnick, James J., Brown, Stephen B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,894,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/909
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/02 Refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens, prism
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/08 for modifying the radiation pattern of a radiating horn in which it is located corrugated horns H01Q13/0208; producing a circular polarisation H01Q13/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/44 varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/46 Active lenses or reflecting arrays

Abstract

A dielectric lens antenna (100) includes a dielectric lens unit (101) having a plurality of cavities (106) and at least one fluidic dielectric having a permittivity and a permeability. The antenna further includes at least one composition processor (104) adapted for dynamically changing a composition of the fluidic dielectric to vary at least one of among the permittivity and the permeability in any of the plurality of cavities and a controller (102) for controlling the composition processor to selectively vary at least one of the permittivity and the permeability in at least one of the plurality of cavities in response to a control signal (105).

Claims

1. A dielectric lens antenna, comprising:

a dielectric lens unit having a plurality of cavities;

at least one fluidic dielectric having a permittivity and a permeability;

at least one composition processor adapted for dynamically changing a composition of said fluidic dielectric to vary at least one of said permittivity and said permeability in any of the plurality of cavities; and

a controller for controlling said composition processor to selectively vary at least one of said permittivity and said permeability in at least one of said plurality of cavities in response to a control signal.

2. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens having a plurality of concentric tubes and spaced apart from a radiator.

3. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens having a plurality of concentric tubes and a dielectric member provided between the dielectric lens and a radiator.

4. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric member having a plurality of concentric tubes provided between a dielectric lens and a radiator.

5. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens and a dielectric member having a plurality of concentric tubes and wherein the dielectric member is provided between the dielectric lens and a radiator.

6. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 3, wherein the dielectric member is a solid dielectric substrate.

7. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 4, wherein the dielectric lens is a solid dielectric substrate.

8. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cavities comprises a plurality of concentric tubes comprised of quartz capillary tubes.

9. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 1, wherein each of said at least one composition processor is independently operable for adding and removing said fluidic dielectric from each of said plurality of cavities.

10. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 1, wherein said fluidic dielectric is comprised of an industrial solvent.

11. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 10, wherein said fluidic dielectric is comprised of an industrial solvent that has a suspension of magnetic particles contained therein.

12. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 11, wherein said magnetic particles are formed of a material selected from the group consisting of ferrite, metallic salts, and organo-metallic particles.

13. A dielectric lens antenna, comprising:

a dielectric lens unit having a plurality cavities;

at least one fluidic dielectric having a permittivity and a permeability;

at least one fluidic pump unit, said fluidic pump unit comprising a fluidic dielectric coupled to at least one of said plurality of cavities for adding and removing said fluid dielectric to said at least one of said plurality of cavities in response to a control signal.

wherein energy shaping of a radiated signal is selectively varied by at least one of adding and removing said fluid dielectric from at least one of the plurality of cavities.

14. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 13, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens having a plurality of concentric tubes and spaced apart from a radiator.

15. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 14, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens having a plurality of concentric tubes and a dielectric member provided between the dielectric lens and a radiator.

16. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 14, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric member having a plurality of concentric tubes provided between a dielectric lens and a radiator.

17. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 14, wherein the dielectric lens unit comprises a dielectric lens and a dielectric member having a plurality of concentric tubes and wherein the dielectric member is provided between the dielectric lens and a radiator.

18. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 15, wherein the dielectric member is a solid dielectric substrate.

19. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 16, wherein the dielectric lens is a solid dielectric substrate.

20. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 13, wherein the plurality of cavities comprises a plurality of concentric tubes comprised of quartz capillary tubes.

21. The dielectric lens antenna of claim 13, wherein each of said at least one composition processor is independently operable for adding and removing said fluidic dielectric from each of said plurality of cavities.

22. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 13, wherein said fluidic dielectric is comprised of an industrial solvent.

23. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 22, wherein said fluidic dielectric is comprised of an industrial solvent that has a suspension of magnetic particles contained therein.

24. The dielectric lens antenna according to claim 23, wherein said magnetic particles are formed of a material selected from the group consisting of ferrite, metallic salts, and organo-metallic particles.

25. A method for energy shaping an RF signal, comprising the steps of:

propagating the RF signal through a dielectric lens antenna;

dynamically adding and removing a fluidic dielectric to at least one cavity within the dielectric lens antenna to vary a propagation delay of said RF signal.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of selectively adding and removing a fluidic dielectric from selected ones of a plurality of said cavities of the dielectric lens antenna in response to a control signal.

27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of selecting a permeability and a permittivity for said fluidic dielectric for maintaining a constant characteristic impedance along an entire length of said at least one cavity.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of dynamically adding and removing a fluidic dielectric comprises the step of mixing fluidic dielectric to obtain a desired permeability and permittivity.