Heptagonal antenna array system

• US 7,710,346 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Inventors: Bloss, Walter L., Hall, Eric K. II, McKay, James P., Ksienski, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Tho G
• Application Number:
  US11/821,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 343/844, 343/853, 342/368
• US Class Current: 343/844
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2682 Time delay steered arrays

Abstract

An antenna system includes a heptagonal antenna array having one center antenna element and seven circumferentially surrounding antenna elements offering improved near and far sidelobe rejection, which is well suited for mechanically-gimbaled and time delayed electrical steering antenna applications.

Claims

1. A system for projecting an antenna pattern, the antenna pattern having a main beam, having a nearest sidelobe beam, and having furthest sidelobe beams, the system comprising,

one center antenna element,

seven outer antenna elements surrounding the center antenna element, the one center antenna element and the seven outer antenna elements total eight antenna elements,

a communications transceiver for communicating signals through the eight antenna elements,

gimbal motors for mechanically steering the eight antenna elements, and

a gimbal controller for providing the gimbal motors with gimbal control signals for pointing the eight antenna in a first direction.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising,

time delays for electrically steering the eight antenna elements in the same first direction.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising,

time delays for electrically steering the eight antenna elements in a second direction.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein,

time delays for electrically steering the eight antenna elements in a second direction, the mechanical and electrical steering being different causing asymmetrical sidelobe rejection.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein,

the one center antenna element and the seven antenna elements are identical.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein,

the seven outer elements are equiangularly disposed about the center antenna elements.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein,

the seven outer elements are equiangularly disposed about the center antenna elements,

the eight antenna elements being identical, and

the spacing between the seven outer elements and the one center antenna element being interelemental spacing.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein,

the eight antenna elements are reflector dishes with respective feed horns.