Multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed

• US 7,102,581 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: West, James B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shih-Chao
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, MINH D
• Application Number:
  US10/882,976
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 343/840, 343/762, 343/764, 343/772, 343/775, 343/786, 343/787, 333/21.A, 333/21.R, 333/107, 333/114, 333/115, 333/206, 333/248
• US Class Current: 343/762
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/127 with a circular, elliptic, or parabolic cross-section

Abstract

A multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed comprises waveguide feeds in a concentric architecture. A waveguide feed is located in the center and coaxial waveguide feeds are disposed around the center feed. The waveguide feeds may be all-metallic with the center feed operating in a TE₁₁ mode and the coaxial feeds operating in a coaxial TE₁₁ mode. The waveguide feeds may have electromagnetic band gap (EBG) surfaces on waveguide surfaces. The center waveguide feed may have an EBG outer conductor surface and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode. The coaxial waveguide feeds may have EBG inner and outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode. The coaxial feeds may have EBG inner conductors and near perfect electrical conductor (PEC) outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide-like TE₁₁ mode or may comprise EBG outer conductors and PEC inner conductors and operate in a quasi-TEM waveguide mode.

Claims

1. A multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed comprising a plurality of circular waveguide feeds disposed in a concentric architecture said plurality of waveguide feeds comprising:

a band 1 waveguide feed disposed in a center of the multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed;

a band 2 waveguide feed disposed in a concentric ring around the band 1 waveguide feed and operating as a coaxial waveguide with an outer surface of the band 1 waveguide feed as a band 2 inner conductor;

a band 3 waveguide feed disposed in a concentric ring around the band 2 waveguide feed and operating as a coaxial waveguide with an outer surface of the band 2 waveguide feed as a band 3 inner conductor; and

a band 4 waveguide feed disposed in a concentric around the band 3 waveguide feed and operating as a coaxial waveguide feed with an outer surface of the band 3 waveguide feed as a band 4 inner conductor.

2. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 1 wherein the plurality of circular waveguide feeds comprises all-metallic waveguides.

3. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 2 wherein the all-metallic waveguides comprise approximations of perfect electrical conductor (PEC) surfaces.

4. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 2 wherein the band 1 waveguide feed operates in a TE₁₁ mode.

5. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 2 wherein the band 2, 3, and 4 waveguide feeds operate in a coaxial TE₁₁ mode.

6. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of circular waveguide feeds comprises electromagnetic band gap (EBG) waveguide surfaces.

7. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 6 wherein the band 1 waveguide feed comprises an EBG surface on a band 1 outer conductor and operates in a circular waveguide TEM mode.

8. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 6 wherein the band 2 waveguide feed, the band 3 waveguide feed, and the band 4 waveguide feed comprise EBG surfaces on band 2, band 3, and band 4 inner and outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode.

9. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 6 wherein the band 2 waveguide feed, the band 3 waveguide feed, or the band 4 waveguide feed comprise band 2, band 3, and band 4 outer conductors that approximate perfect electrical conductor (PEC) and band 2, band 3, and band 4 inner conductors with EBG surfaces and operate in a circular waveguide-like TE₁₁ mode.

10. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 6 wherein the band 2 waveguide feed, the band 3 waveguide feed, or the band 4 waveguide feed comprise EBG surface band 2, band 3, and band 4 outer conductors and band 2, band 3, and band 4 inner conductors that approximate perfect electrical conductor (PEC) and operate in a quasi-TEM waveguide mode.

11. A multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed comprising a plurality of waveguide feeds disposed in a concentric architecture said plurality of waveguide feeds comprising:

a center waveguide feed disposed in a center of the multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed; and

one or more coaxial waveguide feeds disposed around the center waveguide feed wherein an adjacent inner waveguide feed to the one or more coaxial waveguide feed acts as an inner conductor for the one or more coaxial waveguide feeds;

wherein one or more of the plurality of waveguide feeds comprise electromagnetic band gap (EBG) surfaces on inner conductor waveguide surfaces.

12. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 11 wherein one or more of the plurality of waveguide feeds comprises all-metallic waveguides.

13. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 12 wherein the all-metallic waveguides comprise approximations of perfect electrical conductor (PEC) surfaces.

14. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 12 wherein the center waveguide feed operates in a TE₁₁ mode.

15. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 12 wherein the one or more coaxial waveguide feeds operate in a coaxial TE₁₁ mode.

16. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 11 wherein the center waveguide feed comprises an EBG outer conductor and operates in a circular waveguide TEM mode.

17. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 11 wherein one or more of the coaxial waveguide feeds comprise EBG inner conductors and outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode.

18. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 11 wherein one or more of the coaxial waveguide feeds comprise EBG inner conductors and PEC outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide-like TE₁₁ mode.

19. The multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed of claim 11 wherein one or more of the coaxial waveguide feeds comprise EBG outer conductors and PEC inner conductors and operate in a quasi-TEM waveguide mode.