Reflector Array and Antenna Comprising Such a Reflector Array

• US 20100085272A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Girard, Etienne, Bresciani, Danièle, Chiniard, Renaud, Legay, Hervé
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/913
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/002 said selective devices being reconfigurable or tunable, e.g. using switches or diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/104 using a substantially flat reflector for deflecting the radiated beam, e.g. periscopic antennas periscopic fed Cassegrain antennas H01Q19/191; passive relays H04B7/145
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/46 Active lenses or reflecting arrays

Abstract

A reflector array comprises a plurality of individual radiating elements forming a reflecting surface with no abrupt transitions wherein each radiating element of the reflecting surface is selected from a set of predetermined consecutive radiating elements, called the pattern, the first and last elements of the pattern correspond to one and the same phase, modulo 360°, and are identical, and the radiating elements of the pattern have a radiating structure, of metal patch type and/or of radiating aperture type, that progressively changes from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element, the change in the radiating structure comprising a succession of progressive growths of at least one metal patch and/or at least one aperture and appearances of at least one metal patch in an aperture and/or at least one aperture in a metal patch.

Claims

1. A reflector array comprising a plurality of individual radiating elements arranged alongside one another and forming a reflecting surface with no abrupt transitions and capable of reflecting incident waves with a phase variation law selected to provide a given coverage, wherein:

the individual radiating elements are produced using planar technology,

each radiating element of the reflecting surface is selected from a set of predetermined consecutive radiating elements, being a pattern, the pattern being capable of creating a progressive phase variation of at least 360°

between a first element and a last element of the pattern,

the first and last elements of the pattern correspond to one and the same phase, modulo 360°

, and are identical,

the radiating elements of the pattern have a radiating structure, of metal patch type or of radiating aperture type, that progressively changes from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element, the change in the radiating structure comprising a succession of progressive growths of at least one metal patch or at least one aperture and appearances of at least one metal patch in an aperture or at least one aperture in a metal patch.

2. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein said at least one aperture is an annular slot having an electrical length that increases progressively from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element.

5. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the pattern also comprises at least one radiating element comprising at least one metal patch and two concentric annular slots formed in the metal patch.

6. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the pattern also comprises several radiating elements comprising a metal patch and several concentric annular slots formed in the metal patch and wherein at least one annular slot of a radiating element has an electrical length that changes relative to another adjacent radiating element.

7. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises a radiating element comprising a complete metal patch and several consecutive radiating elements comprising a metal patch and several concentric annular slots formed in the metal patch, and wherein the annular slots have a length that changes independently or simultaneously from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element.

8. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein at least one radiating element includes an annular slot or several concentric annular slots and at least one short circuit means or capacitive means placed in at least one annular slot, the short circuit means or the capacitive means causing the electrical length of the slot to vary.

9. The reflector array according to claim 8, wherein the short circuit means is a metallization that divides up the slot at a point and over a length that are predetermined.

10. The reflector array according to claim 9, wherein the short circuit means is a micro-switch.

11. The reflector array according to claim 10, wherein each radiating element of the pattern includes at least one micro-switch and in that each micro-switch is positioned in an annular slot at a predetermined point and in a selected open or closed state, all the annular slots having the same width.

12. The reflector array according to claim 11, wherein the pattern comprises several consecutive radiating elements, each radiating element including several concentric annular slots, all the radiating elements comprising the same number of micro-switches positioned at the same points in the annular slots, the micro-switches of all the radiating elements of the pattern being configured in different states, and the states of the micro-switches varying progressively from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element.

13. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the radiating elements have a geometrical shape selected from a hexagon shape or a cross shape with two perpendicular branches.

14. A reflector array antenna, comprising at least one reflector array according to claim 1.

15. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the radiating elements of the pattern have a radiating structure, of metal patch type and of radiating aperture type.

16. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the succession of progressive growths is of at least one metal patch and at least one aperture.

17. The reflector array according to claim 1, wherein the appearances of at least one metal patch are in an aperture and at least one aperture in a metal patch.

3. The reflector array according to claim 3, wherein said at least one metal patch is a metal ring having a width that changes from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element.

4. The reflector array according to claim 3, wherein the pattern comprises:

several consecutive first radiating elements comprising a metal ring delimiting an internal aperture in which the width of the metal ring increases progressively from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element until obtaining a complete metal patch, and

several second consecutive elements comprising an internal metal patch and at least one annular slot in which the width of the annular slot increases progressively from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element until the internal metal patch disappears and a metal ring is obtained.

18. A reflector array comprising a plurality of individual radiating elements arranged alongside one another and forming a reflecting surface with no abrupt transitions and capable of reflecting incident waves with a phase variation law selected to provide a given coverage, wherein:

the individual radiating elements are produced using planar technology,

each radiating element of the reflecting surface is selected from a set of predetermined consecutive radiating elements, being a pattern, the pattern being capable of creating a progressive phase variation of at least 360°

between a first element and a last element of the pattern,

the first and last elements of the pattern correspond to one and the same phase, modulo 360°

, and are identical,

the radiating elements of the pattern have a radiating structure, of metal patch type and of radiating aperture type, that progressively changes from one radiating element to another adjacent radiating element, the change in the radiating structure comprising a succession of progressive growths of at least one metal patch and at least one aperture and appearances of at least one metal patch in an aperture and at least one aperture in a metal patch.