Monopulse antenna apparatus

• US 6,281,855 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US09/396,431
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 343/786, 343/840, 343/785, 343/772, 333/21.A, 333/126, 333/135
• US Class Current: 343/786
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/08 for modifying the radiation pattern of a radiating horn in which it is located corrugated horns H01Q13/0208; producing a circular polarisation H01Q13/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/02 providing sum and difference patterns H01Q25/04 takes precedence

Abstract

A monopulse antenna apparatus and antenna structure comprising a single horn having four dielectric bars which are internally inserted into the horn and symmetrically positioned along the axis of the horn. Each one end of the bars are fixed to the end wall of a rectangular waveguide and the other end is extending outwardly along the axis of the rectangular waveguide, thus these four dielectric bars are excited by externally applied electromagnetic waves. The four dielectric bars respectively cause the electric field to converge on the bars, and the single horn with four internally inserted dielectric bars acts as if it is partitioned into four horns.

Claims

1. A monopulse antenna apparatus using a single horn comprising:

a waveguide for generating an electromagnetic field inside of said single horn; and

four dielectric lines which are symmetrically arranged along the axis of said horn and separated with each other in the angle of 90 degrees, said dielectric lines being excited by said waveguide, for causing polarization of distributions of said electromagnetic field to at least four locations which are symmetrical about the axis of said horn;

further comprising means for deriving an angular error signal, based on horizontally polarized waves and/or vertically polarized waves generated by said dielectric lines.

2. A monopulse antenna apparatus using a single horn comprising:

waveguide means for generating an electromagnetic field inside of said single horn; and

four dielectric lines which are symmetrically arranged along the axis of said horn and separated from each other by an angle of 90 degrees, said dielectric lines being selectively excited by said waveguide means, for causing polarization of distributions of said electromagnetic field to a selected one of at least four locations which are symmetrical about the axis of said horn.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said single horn is a conical horn.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said single horn is a pyramidal horn.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said waveguide is a rectangular waveguide.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said waveguide is a circular waveguide.

7. A monopulse antenna apparatus having a single horn which comprises a main waveguide and at least four subwaveguides, wherein said single horn has at least four openings in its wall which are symmetrically arranged in the circumferential direction of the horn, and each of said subwaveguides is placed on the outer surface of the horn to cover each of said openings, whereby said four subwaveguides and said main waveguide are spatially communicated with each other through said openings, and an angular error signal is obtained based on a signal derived from said subwaveguides.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said main waveguide is connected to a reference signal detector from which a reference signal is derived, whereby a phase detection is performed on said angular error signal based on said reference signal.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said four subwaveguides and said openings are symmetrically arranged along the axis of said horn and separated with each other in the angle of 90 degrees.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said phase detection is performed in the angles of 0°

, 90°

, 180° and

270°

with respect to said reference signal.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said openings are slot-type openings extending in the circumferential direction of the horn.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said subwaveguides are rectangular waveguides, and each of said rectangular waveguides is coupled with said horn in the H plane.

13. An antenna structure using a single horn comprising:

at least four electromagnetic field generation members arranged in the inner side of said single horn to be symmetrical about the axis of said horn;

electromagnetic field polarization members, one end of which is fixed on the end wall of said electromagnetic field generation member located in its axis direction, while the other end is extending along the axis of said electromagnetic field generation member in a predetermined length, said electromagnetic field polarization members being symmetrically arranged about the axis of said horn; and

a member for inputting a signal into corresponding inner cavity of said electromagnetic field polarization members.