Hybrid-mode horn antenna with selective gain
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A horn antenna, comprising:
- a conducting horn;
a first dielectric layer lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn;
a second dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the first dielectric layer; and
a third dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the second dielectric layer;
wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the third dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the first dielectric layer.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a new class of hybrid-mode horn antennas. The present invention facilitates the design of boundary conditions between soft and hard, supporting modes under balanced hybrid condition with uniform as well as tapered aperture distribution. In one embodiment, the horn antenna (100) is relatively simple mechanically, has a reasonably large bandwidth, supports linear as well as circular polarization, and is designed for a wide range of aperture sizes.
276 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A horn antenna, comprising:
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a conducting horn; a first dielectric layer lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn; a second dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the first dielectric layer; and a third dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the second dielectric layer; wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the third dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the first dielectric layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A horn antenna, comprising:
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a conducting horn; and a dielectric core coupled to the conducting horn by a plurality of spacers to define a gap between the horn and core; wherein the dielectric core comprises an outer portion lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn, and an inner portion, the outer and inner portions each comprising a dielectric material, with the outer portion dielectric material having a greater dielectric constant than the dielectric constant of the inner portion dielectric material. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A reflector antenna comprising:
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a reflective dish; and at least one horn antenna, the horn antenna comprising; a conducting horn; and a dielectric core coupled to the conducting horn by a plurality of spacers to define a gap between the horn and core; the dielectric core comprising an outer portion lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn, and an inner portion having different dielectric constants, with the outer portion dielectric constant being greater than the inner portion dielectric constant; and wherein the at least one horn antenna is adapted to direct a signal towards the reflective dish. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. An antenna array system, comprising:
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at least two horn antennas, each horn antenna comprising; a conducting horn; and a dielectric core coupled to the conducting horn by a plurality of spacers to define a gap between the horn and core; wherein the dielectric core comprises an outer portion lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn, and an inner portion, the outer and inner portions each comprising a dielectric material, with the outer portion dielectric material having a greater dielectric constant than the dielectric constant of the inner portion dielectric material.
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23. A spacecraft, comprising:
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a spacecraft bus; and a horn antenna coupled to the bus, the antenna comprising; a conducting horn; and a dielectric core coupled to the conducting horn by a plurality of spacers to define a gap between the horn and core; the dielectric core comprising an outer portion lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn, and an inner portion having different dielectric constants, with the outer portion dielectric constant being greater than the inner portion dielectric constant.
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24. A spacecraft, comprising:
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a spacecraft bus; and a horn antenna coupled to the bus, the antenna comprising; a conducting horn; a first dielectric layer lining substantially the entire inner wall of said conducting horn; a second dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the first dielectric layer; and a third dielectric layer disposed over at least a portion of the second dielectric layer; wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the third dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer comprises a higher dielectric constant than the first dielectric layer.
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Specification