Deterministic thinned aperture phased antenna array
First Claim
1. An improved antenna array of the type having a thinned aperture defined by a plurality of radio frequency radiating elements operable over a preselected bandwidth and having a desired gain, said antenna array producing a main lobe signal and side lobe signals within said bandwidth, wherein the improvement comprises:
- the radiating elements being arranged in at least first, second and third groups thereof concentrically disposed about a reference point, said first, second and third groups being respectively spaced at successively greater distances from said reference point with said second group positioned between said first and third groups, the radiating sizes of the elements in said first and third groups being smaller than those of the elements in said second group, whereby to increase the amplitude and directivity of said main lobe signal and minimize the amplitude of said side lobe signals relative to said main lobe signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A phased array antenna (10) includes a plurality of radiating elements (14) arranged in concentric rings (11, 12) to form a deterministically thinned antenna aperture which facilitates heat removal from the array, while minimizing side lobe signals and thereby increasing directively of the antenna for a preselected antenna gain. The radiating elements (14) in any one of the rings (11, 12) are the same radiating size, and the spacing (L, L'"'"') between elements in the same ring and between elements in adjacent rings (S, S'"'"') is determined by the number of elements in each ring. The rings may be any of several shapes, including circular or polygonal.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An improved antenna array of the type having a thinned aperture defined by a plurality of radio frequency radiating elements operable over a preselected bandwidth and having a desired gain, said antenna array producing a main lobe signal and side lobe signals within said bandwidth, wherein the improvement comprises:
the radiating elements being arranged in at least first, second and third groups thereof concentrically disposed about a reference point, said first, second and third groups being respectively spaced at successively greater distances from said reference point with said second group positioned between said first and third groups, the radiating sizes of the elements in said first and third groups being smaller than those of the elements in said second group, whereby to increase the amplitude and directivity of said main lobe signal and minimize the amplitude of said side lobe signals relative to said main lobe signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An improved antenna array of the type including a plurality of excitable radiating elements producing a main lobe signal having a desired gain and side lobe signals within the operating frequency of said antenna array, the improvement comprising:
the radiating elements being of differing radiating sizes and arranged concentrically around a reference point, the sizes of said radiating elements decreasing in magnitude with increasing radial distance from said reference point along at least a first portion of a radius emanating from said reference point. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
Specification