Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

The Boeing Company

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Other

Sudhakar Rao

Arun Bhattacharyya

Arun K Bhattacharyya

Sudhakar K Rao

Thomas Henry Hand

Alan Cha

Alan Cherrette

David Bressler

Elie Germain Tianang

Gregory P Krishmar-Junker

Jonathan James Bennett

Philip W Hon

Daniel H Roper

Dah-Weih Duan

Erik Lier

Jason Stewart Wrigley

Steven S Chan

Joseph M Torres

James F Mulvey

Timothy Patrick Wink

James P McKay

Guy Goyette

Andrew Jason Kee

Shih-En Shih

Loc B Chau

Juan Rivera

Te Kao Wu

Richmond D Bruno

David I Stones

Scott Alan Lundgren

Philip L Metzen

Adam Matthew Koontz

Konrad J Gojara

James Sor

Grayeme Everett Platt

Phillip L Metzen

A multisegment array-fed reflector antenna includes a feed array consisting of a number of subarrays and a multisegment reflector to reflect multiple beams of the feed array into a number of elevation angles. A support structure couples the multisegment reflector to the feed array. The multisegment reflector includes two or more ring-focus parabolic segments, and each ring-focus parabolic segment is a parabolic surface extending along a circle around the support structure.

Multisegment reflector antenna directing beams

Multisegment array-fed ring-focus reflector antenna for wide-angle scanning

Systems and methods are provided for wide scan phased array fed reflector systems using ring-focus optics to significantly improve the scan volume of such systems. The subject system includes a reflector having a focal plane and a parabolic curvature configured to receive electromagnetic radiation having a first gain and provide reflected electromagnetic radiation having a second gain greater than the first gain that collimates into a focal ring. The subject system includes a feed array having feed elements positioned about the focal ring, in which each feed element is configured to receive the reflected electromagnetic radiation from the reflector and collimate the reflected electromagnetic radiation into a scanned beam for scanning an annular region. In some aspects, the feed array is centered on the focal ring such that at least one feed element overlaps with the focal ring and remaining feed elements are non-overlapping with the focal ring.

Wide scan phased array fed reflector systems

An antenna system includes an antenna array including a number of antenna elements disposed on a substrate. Each antenna element includes a radiation layer, a ground plane layer, a feed layer and an additional ground plane layer. The ground plane layer includes a ground plane conductive layer that has a number of slots. The feed layer includes a feed structure to excite the slots. A dual polarization feature of the antenna array is realized via the slots, and the slots are separated by the ground plane conductive layer.

Dual-polarized aperture-coupled patch antenna array with high isolation

An antenna array includes multiple array modules. Each array module includes at least on antenna element including a horn antenna coupled to a polarizer, and a two-piece waveguide filter. The two-piece waveguide filter includes a folded-back waveguide coupled to the horn antenna at one end and to a circuit layer at the other end. The horn antenna includes a multi-mode horn antenna. The two-piece waveguide filter includes a first piece and a second piece that are separately molded. A footprint of the two-piece waveguide filter is within a footprint of an aperture of the horn antenna.

Waveguide aperture design for geo satellites

A horn having folded axial corrugations is provided. The horn includes folded axial corrugations for a compact, low-profile, high-efficiency, and high power handling performance. The folded axial corrugations may include a plurality of grooves that are symmetric about a central axis, each groove including an axial portion that extends in a direction parallel to the central axis and a radial portion that extends from an end of the axial portion in a direction perpendicular to the central axis.

Folded horn for high power antenna element

A phased array antenna system including a front-end circuit having a plurality of antenna channels, each including a front antenna element and a rear antenna element, that provides a spatially combined beam. Each antenna channel includes a beam scan phase shifter and a true time delay phase shifter through which the receive signals or the transmit signals propagate. The system further includes a back-end circuit spaced from the front-end circuit and including an antenna receiving the receive signals from the rear elements or transmitting the transmit signals to the rear elements. The back-end circuit further includes an ortho-mode transducer that separates the transmit signal or the receive signal into orthogonally polarized signals, and a pair of couplers and a pair of polarization phase shifters that combine to adjust the polarization of the transmit signal or the receive signal. The spatially combined beam is reconfigurable in beam shape and its location.

Low cost space-fed reconfigurable phased array for spacecraft and aircraft applications

A multiple beam integrated antenna system for a satellite including a support structure having an alignment plate. The antenna system further includes a plurality of feed horns mounted to the alignment plate, where each feed horn includes a plurality of tapered sections that support propagation modes for both up-link signals and down-link signals. A septum polarizer is mounted to an input end of each feed horn that converts linearly polarized signals to circularly polarized signals for the up-link signals and converts circularly polarized signals to linearly polarized signals for the down-link signals. A Y-shaped waveguide is coupled to each of the polarizers and includes separate receive reject and transmit reject filters so as to keep the up-link signals and the down-link signals from interfering with each other. Flex waveguides couple the transmit leg and the receive leg of each Y-shaped waveguide to RF modules.

Low-cost diplexed multiple beam integrated antenna system for LEO satellite constellation

A flared feed horn including a plurality of signal lines deposited on a bottom surface of a substrate and forming part of a TEsum mode launcher, a ground plane deposited a top surface of the substrate, and an outer conductor electrically coupled to the ground plane and having an internal chamber, where the conductor includes a flared portion and a cylindrical portion. The outer conductor includes an opening opposite to the substrate defining an aperture of the feed horn. The feed horn also includes an embedded conductor positioned within the chamber and being coaxial with the outer conductor, where the embedded conductor is in electrical contact with the plurality of signal lines. The feed horn also includes a TEdifference mode launcher electrically coupled to the outer conductor proximate the aperture.

Compact wide band, flared horn antenna with launchers for generating circular polarized sum and difference patterns

A coaxial feed horn including a dielectric substrate having at least one microstrip feed line deposited on a bottom surface of the substrate and a ground plane deposited on a top surface of the substrate. A cylindrical outer conductor is electrically coupled to the ground plane and an embedded conductor is coaxially positioned within the outer conductor, where the embedded conductor is in electrical contact with the microstrip line. A dielectric member is positioned within the outer conductor and includes a tapered portion extending out of the outer conductor at the aperture. In one embodiment, the dielectric member is a plurality of dielectric layers each having a different dielectric constant, where a first dielectric layer allows for propagation of a TEsum mode and a last dielectric layer is positioned proximate the antenna aperture and allows for propagation of a TEdifference mode.

Excitation method of coaxial horn for wide bandwidth and circular polarization

One embodiment is a ring-slot radiator having: at least one radiating element having a characteristic of dual resonance, double-tuned in which an open ended strip and a cavity are structured to resonate at at least two different frequencies. Another embodiment may have: a ring-slot structure having at least one ring-slot opening on an infinite ground plane that forms a radiating element; a probe-fed strip structure that excites the slot; another ground plane underneath the strip; and a plurality of suppression elements around the ring slot to suppress parallel plate and surface wave modes.

Ring-slot radiator for broad-band operation

A dual-band multiple beam antenna system for a communications satellite sharing a set of reflector antennas for the transmit and receive frequencies. One set of reflectors is common to both the downlink and uplink frequencies. The feed horns are diplexed and exhibit frequency-dependent radiation patterns that separate the phase centers over the downlink and uplink frequency bands to obtain dual-band performance. The focal point of the reflector is in close proximity to the phase center corresponding to the downlink frequency band. The phase center for the uplink frequency band is spaced a predetermined distance from the phase center of the downlink frequency band. According to the present invention, the uplink frequencies are defocused and the downlink frequencies are focused thereby creating identical radiation patterns at both frequency bands and over the coverage region of the communications satellite.

Dual-band multiple beam antenna system for communication satellites

An antenna horn having multiple flared sections with their slopes and lengths selected to enhance desirable electromagnetic modes and to suppress undesirable modes at the horn aperture, thereby increasing the aperture efficiency and antenna gain.

Multiple flared antenna horn with enhanced aperture efficiency

A phased array antenna structure capable of operation at millimeter-wave frequencies and having multiple ring slot radiator elements (). The RF feed structure for each radiator element includes a feed via () extending part-way through a multi-layer structure () on which the radiator elements () are formed and a strip line feed probe () extending from the via () toward the radiator element. A key feature facilitating high-frequency operation is the inclusion of multiple mode suppressors () surrounding the via () and providing a smooth transition from a coaxial mode of RF transmission to a strip line mode of RF transmission. The feed probe () is tailored to provide either a narrow-band or a wideband frequency characteristic.

Millimeter wave phased array systems with ring slot radiator element

Growing community of inventors

El Segundo, CA, United States of America

Arun K Bhattacharyya