Electromagnetic antenna collimator
First Claim
1. A horn antenna comprising:
- a) an antenna body having a plurality of regions coaxially aligned along a longitudinal body axis and including a first region having a forward aperture which tapers inward to a cylindrical region and from an inner end of which cylindrical region a second region tapers inward to an aft aperture; and
b) dielectric means for focusing electromagnetic radiation to the longitudinal body axis and including (1) a first section mounted in the first region and a second section mounted aft of the first region wherein a dielectric constant of the first section is greater than a dielectric constant of the second section, and (2) dielectric interface means for interfacing with at least one of said first and second sections having a third dielectric constant between the first and second dielectric constants and a thickness which progressively increases with increasing radial distance from the longitudinal body axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dielectric inset mountable within a conical horn antenna for focusing an impinging electromagnetic wave front as a planar wave front at an attached wave guide. In one construction a homogeneous inset having an ellipsoidal forward surface and conical aft surface is fitted into a double flared conical antenna including a cylindrical, hybrid mode matching section. In various alternative compound constructions, materials of differing dielectric constants and geometrical shapes are arranged to facilitate a size and weight reduction of the inset and focus the incident wave front relative to the wave guide. In other embodiments, still lower density materials, including suspended metallic particulates are used.
248 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A horn antenna comprising:
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a) an antenna body having a plurality of regions coaxially aligned along a longitudinal body axis and including a first region having a forward aperture which tapers inward to a cylindrical region and from an inner end of which cylindrical region a second region tapers inward to an aft aperture; and b) dielectric means for focusing electromagnetic radiation to the longitudinal body axis and including (1) a first section mounted in the first region and a second section mounted aft of the first region wherein a dielectric constant of the first section is greater than a dielectric constant of the second section, and (2) dielectric interface means for interfacing with at least one of said first and second sections having a third dielectric constant between the first and second dielectric constants and a thickness which progressively increases with increasing radial distance from the longitudinal body axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. Apparatus for a horn antenna having a forward aperture and an aft aperture disposed along a longitudinal body axis comprising:
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a) dielectric means supported in coaxial relation to the antenna body for focusing electromagnetic radiation to the longitudinal body axis and including first and second sections made from respective first and second dielectric materials and disposed along a longitudinal dielectric axis, wherein said second section is positioned aft of said first section and a dielectric constant of said first section is greater than a dielectric constant of said second section; and b) a plurality of dielectric layers each having a dielectric constant determined in a range between said first and second dielectric constants, wherein individual ones of the plurality of dielectric layers couple with selected forward and an aft surfaces of said first and second sections and wherein the thickness of at least one of said layers increases with increasing radial distance from the longitudinal dielectric axis. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. Antenna apparatus comprising dielectric means for focusing electromagnetic radiation and hybrid modes thereof produced within electrically conductive interior walls of an antenna body toward an aft aperture including (1) first and second sections made from respective first and second dielectric materials having first and second dielectric constants, wherein the dielectric constant of the first section is greater than the dielectric constant of the second section, and (2) dielectric interface means for interfacing with at least one of the first and second sections having a third dielectric constant and a thickness which progressively increase with increasing radial distance from a longitudinal body axis;
- and wherein said antenna body comprises a first region having a forward aperture which conically tapers inward to a cylindrical region and from an inner end of which cylindrical region a second region conically tapers inward to the aft aperture, wherein each of the first, second and cylindrical regions are co-axial with the longitudinal body axis, wherein the first region exhibits a flare angle greater than a flare angle of the second region and wherein the first dielectric section mounts within the first region and the second dielectric section mounts aft of the first section and extends from the second region.
- View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. Antenna apparatus comprising dielectric means for focusing electromagnetic radiation and hybrid modes thereof produced within electrically conductive interior walls of an antenna body toward an aft aperture including (1) first and second sections made from respective first and second dielectric materials having first and second dielectric constants, wherein the dielectric constant of the first section is greater than the dielectric constant of the second section, and (2) dielectric interface means for interfacing with at least one of the first and second sections having a third dielectric constant and a thickness which progressively increases with increasing radial distance from a longitudinal body axis;
- and wherein said antenna body comprises a first region having a forward aperture which conically tapers inward to a cylindrical region and from an inner end of which cylindrical region a second region conically tapers inward to the aft aperture, wherein each of the first, second and cylindrical regions are co-axial with the longitudinal body axis, wherein the first region exhibits a flare angle greater than a flare angle of the second region and wherein the first dielectric section mounts within the first region and the second dielectric section mounts aft of the first section and extends from the second region and further including a cover transparent to impinging radiation secured to the forward aperture.
Specification