LENS FED ANTENNA ARRAY SYSTEM

• US 3,852,761 A
• Filed: 04/23/1973
• Issued: 12/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bruce Fredric Bogner
• Original Assignee: Bruce Fredric Bogner
• Inventors: Bogner, Bruce Fredric
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieberman, Eli
• Application Number:
  US05/353,421
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 343/753,754,854,755,853
• US Class Current: 343/754
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0012 Radial guide fed arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/242 Circumferential scanning

Abstract

A circular phased array system is described which utilizes a lens feed to simplify the problem of commutating the RF distribution system through 360* of steering of the antenna beam. The lens feed consists of a circular parallel plate radial transmission line with a central set of probes and a ring of peripheral probes. The peripheral probes are coupled to an array of radiating elements arranged in a circle. The central set of probes can be energized and phased to produce electromagnetic energy with an amplitude distribution within the parallel-plate line in any given direction. By selective settings of phase and amplitude of the energy coupled to the central set of probes, any sector of the peripheral probes is excited with the proper amplitude distribution necessary to produce a directive antenna pattern with low sidelobes.

Claims

1. An antenna array system comprising:

an enclosed transmission line including a pair of parallel conductive plates spaced from each other with a dielectric medium therebetween and a conductive ring-like band about the periphery thereof, a first plurality of probes spaced in a ring-like pattern coaxial with the conductive band and that extends near the periphery of the enclosed transmission line, each of said first plurality of probes extending through one of said plates in a coupling manner with said transmission line, a second plurality of probes being arranged in a pattern clustered near the center of the enclosed transmission line, said second plurality of probes extending through one of said plates in a coupling manner to said transmission line formed between said plates, a plurality of radiating elements, means coupling each one of said radiating elements to a selected one of said first plurality of probes, means coupled to said second plurality of probes for exciting said second plurality of probes in a manner to produce a given electromagnetic wave energy distribution within said transmission line with maximum power emanating from the center of said enclosed transmission line in only selected radial directions in a plane substantially parallel to said plates, said first plurality of probes being disposed in a radial direction from said second plurality of probes a distance to cause only selected probes of said first plurality of probes to be appreciably excited in response to said given electromagnetic wave energy distribution and thereby produce a given radiated pattern from said radiating elements and means for changing said given electromagnetic wave energy distribution to control the radiated pattern from said radiating elements.

2. The combination in claim 1 wherein said radiating elements are arranged in a ring-like fashion.

3. The combination in claim 1 including collimating means coupled between said first plurality of probes and said radiating elements.

4. The combination in claim 3 wherein said collimating means includes phase shifters coupled between each one of said radiating elements and each one of said first plurality of probes.

5. The combination in claim 3 wherein said first plurality of probes are arranged in a circle and are equally spaced from each other.

6. The combination in claim 1 wherein each of said first plurality of probes are coaxial probes with an outer conductor connected to one of said parallel conductive plates and the inner conductor is coupled in insulative manner through a parallel conductive plate into said dielectric medium between said plates.

7. The combination in claim 6 wherein said second plurality of probes are coaxial probes with the outer conductor connected to one of said parallel conductive plates and the inner conductor passing in insulative manner through one of said conductive plates into said dielectric medium between said plates.

8. The combination in claim 1 wherein said means for exciting said second plurality of probes is a power distribution network including phasing means and power dividing means sufficient to produce a directive pattern as well as a monopulse difference pattern.

9. The combination in claim 1 wherein said radiating elements are arranged in a circle to form a circular array.

10. An antenna array system comprising:

an enclosed transmission line including a pair of parallel conductive plates spaced from each other with a dielectric medium therebetween and with a conductive ring-like band about the periphery thereof, a first plurality of coupling members in communication with and clustered near the center of the enclosed transmission line, means coupled to said first plurality of coupling members for exciting said first plurality of coupling members to produce a given electromagnetic wave energy distribution within saiD line with maximum power emanating from the center of said enclosed transmission line in only selected radial directions in a plane substantially parallel to said plates, a second plurality of coupling members in communication with said enclosed transmission line and spaced radially from and in a ring-like pattern about said first plurality of coupling members, said second plurality of coupling members being disposed in a radial direction from said first plurality of coupling members a distance to cause only selected coupling members of said second plurality of coupling members to be appreciably excited in response to said given electromagnetic wave energy distribution, a plurality of radiating elements, means coupling each one of said radiating elements to a selected one of said second plurality of coupling members whereby in response to said given electromagnetic wave energy distribution a given radiated pattern from said radiating elements is excited and means for changing said given electromagnetic energy distribution to change the radiated pattern from said radiating elements.