Antenna device and transmitting/receiving device

• US 7,064,726 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Nagai, Tomohiro, Kitamori, Nobumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/526,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 343/771, 343/786, 333/21, 333/107, 333/108
• US Class Current: 343/771
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/062 the relative movement being a rotation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/04 for varying one co-ordinate of the orientation

Abstract

An antenna apparatus includes two circular waveguides including a fixed-side circular waveguide and a rotation-side circular waveguide, each having a propagation mode in a TM01 mode, and being arranged coaxially with each other while a waveguide-side choke is provided between the two waveguides. A rectangular waveguide is connected to the fixed-side circular waveguide. Thereby, the high-frequency signal fed from the rectangular waveguide to the fixed-side circular waveguide can be radiated from a primary radiator to which the rotation-side circular waveguide is connected. While the circular waveguides and the waveguide-side choke can constitute a rotary joint, by rotating the primary radiator together with the rotation-side circular waveguide, scanning can be carried out with a high-frequency signal radiated from the primary radiator.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a fixed-side transmission line having an electric field distribution or a magnetic field distribution that is axially symmetrical in a propagating direction;

a rotation-side transmission line, having an axially symmetrical electric field distribution or magnetic field distribution, arranged coaxially with the fixed-side transmission line so as to be rotatable about an axis of the fixed-side transmission line;

a transmission-line side choke disposed between the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line and arranged to cause a short-circuit between the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line at a high frequency; and

a primary radiator disposed in the rotation-side transmission line so as to be rotatable together with the rotation-side transmission line for radiating high-frequency signals that have passed through the rotation-side transmission line in a direction that is different from that of a rotation axis of the rotation-side transmission line.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the primary radiators are provided in the rotation-side transmission line, and the plurality of the primary radiators are arranged to direct themselves in directions that are different from each other.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a casing arranged around the plurality of the primary radiators so as to surround the plurality of primary radiators, wherein the casing includes a radiator opening formed thereon and arranged such that any one of the plurality of rotating primary radiators can be sequentially connected to the radiator opening.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a radiator-side choke disposed between the plurality of primary radiators and the casing, wherein when one of the primary radiators is connected to the radiator opening, the other primary radiators and the casing are shorted therebetween by the radiator-side choke at high frequency.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a secondary radiator arranged on the line of the radiating direction of the primary radiator, the secondary radiator changing an outgoing radiation direction in accordance with an incident position of high-frequency signals.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line includes a circular waveguide having a propagation mode in a TM01 mode as the magnetic field distribution that is axially symmetrical about the propagating direction.

7. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 6.

8. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 5.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line includes a circular waveguide having a propagation mode in a TM01 mode as the magnetic field distribution that is axially symmetrical about the propagating direction.

10. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 1.

11. An antenna apparatus comprising:

a fixed-side transmission line having an electric field distribution or a magnetic field distribution that is axially symmetrical in a propagating direction;

a rotation-side transmission line, having an axially symmetrical electric field distribution or magnetic field distribution, arranged coaxially with the fixed-side transmission line so as to be rotatable about an axis of the fixed-side transmission line;

a transmission-line side choke disposed between the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line and arranged to cause a short-circuit between the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line at a high frequency; and

a primary radiator disposed in the rotation-side transmission line so as to be rotatable together with the rotation-side transmission line for radiating high-frequency signals that have passed through the rotation-side transmission line in parallel with a rotation axis of the rotation-side transmission line in a manner that is not coaxial with the rotation axis.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a secondary radiator arranged on the line of the radiating direction of the primary radiator, the secondary radiator changing an outgoing radiation direction in accordance with an incident position of high-frequency signals.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line includes a circular waveguide having a propagation mode in a TM01 mode as the magnetic field distribution axially symmetrical about the propagating direction.

14. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 12.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the fixed-side transmission line and the rotation-side transmission line includes a circular waveguide having a propagation mode in a TM01 mode as the magnetic field distribution axially symmetrical about the propagating direction.

16. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 15.

17. A transmitter/receiver including the antenna apparatus according to claim 11.