Spherical lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam
First Claim
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1. A lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam, comprising:
- a lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to the lens;
at least one phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array pattern, wherein selected elements in said plurality of antenna elements have an electronically controllable phasing means associated with them for use in steering a primary beam associated with said at least one phased array antenna; and
focusing means composed of at least a first material and located between said lens and said at least one phased array antenna for use in focusing said primary beam from said at least one phased array antenna on said focal surface of said lens to create a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said lens, said focusing means having refractive properties in which said refractive properties are used to focus said primary beam on said focal surface of said lens and with said refractive properties being based on at least said first material;
wherein said secondary beam may be steered by adjusting said electronically-controllable phasing means associated with said phased array antenna.
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Abstract
The invention relates to an antenna system which is capable of producing multiple, high-gain, independently steerable antenna beams from a single antenna aperture. The system accomplishes this, in part, by utilizing a separate phased array antenna as the feed element of a spherical lens for each desired beam. In this fashion, the beam(s) produced by the antenna system can each be electronically steered (independently of the other beams, if any) and physical movement of the feed element(s) is not required. The invention may also use multiple spherical lenses, wherein each lens includes at least one phased array feed.
81 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam, comprising:
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a lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to the lens; at least one phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array pattern, wherein selected elements in said plurality of antenna elements have an electronically controllable phasing means associated with them for use in steering a primary beam associated with said at least one phased array antenna; and focusing means composed of at least a first material and located between said lens and said at least one phased array antenna for use in focusing said primary beam from said at least one phased array antenna on said focal surface of said lens to create a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said lens, said focusing means having refractive properties in which said refractive properties are used to focus said primary beam on said focal surface of said lens and with said refractive properties being based on at least said first material; wherein said secondary beam may be steered by adjusting said electronically-controllable phasing means associated with said phased array antenna. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam, comprising:
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a lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to the lens; at least one phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array pattern, wherein selected elements in said plurality of antenna elements have an electronically controllable phasing means associated with them for use in steering a primary beam associated with said at least one phased array antenna; and focusing means located between said lens and said at least one phased array antenna for use in focusing said primary beam from said at least one phased array antenna on said focal surface of said lens to create a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said lens, said focusing means including a waveguide lens; wherein said secondary beam may be steered by adjusting said electronically-controllable phasing means associated with said phased array antenna. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam, comprising:
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a lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to the lens; at least one phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array pattern, wherein selected elements in said plurality of antenna elements have an electronically-controllable phasing means associated with them for use in steering a primary beam associated with said at least one phased array antenna; and focusing means located between said lens and said at least one phased array antenna for use in focusing said primary beam from said at least one phased array antenna on said focal surface of said lens to create a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said lens, said focusing means including a dielectric lens; wherein said secondary beam may be steered by adjusting said electronically controllable phasing means associated with said phased array antenna.
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19. A multiple beam antenna system, comprising:
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a plurality of spherical lenses, each said lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to each said lens; at least one phased array antenna associated with each of said spherical lenses for creating an electronically-steerable primary beam which is coupled to said spherical lens to produce a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said spherical lens; and focusing means composed of at least a first material and located between said at least one phased array antenna and an associated spherical lens of said plurality of spherical lenses for focusing an electronically steerable primary beam on said focal surface of said associated spherical lens, said focusing means having refractive properties in which said refractive properties are used to focus said primary beam on said focal surface of said associated spherical lens and with said refractive properties being based on at least said first material of said focusing means. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A lens antenna having an electronically steerable beam, comprising:
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a lens capable of collimating a beam focused on a focal surface adjacent to the lens; at least one phased array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array pattern, wherein selected elements in said plurality of antenna elements have an electronically controllable phasing means associated with them for use in steering a primary beam associated with said at least one phased array antenna; and focusing means located between said lens and said at least one phased array antenna for use in focusing said primary beam from said at least one phased array antenna on said focal surface of said lens to create a relatively high gain secondary beam on an opposite side of said lens, wherein a majority of said primary beam is coupled from said focusing means to said lens using a communication medium different from conductive lines; wherein said secondary beam may be steered by adjusting said electronically controllable phasing means associated with said phased array antenna. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification