Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Thomas A Bockrath

Parthasarathy Ramanujam

Charles P Rubin

Eng-Chong Ha

A pair of dual-gridded shaped reflectors (10) and (20) are arranged one behind the other for transmitting and receiving orthogonally polarized energy waves. A front reflector (10) has a first shaped reflective surface (12) formed on a first body surface (14) for providing a first shaped beam coverage. A rear reflector (20) has a second reflective surface (22) formed on a second body surface (24) for providing a second shaped beam coverage. The first and second reflective surfaces (12) and (22) have substantially identical surface contours and include reflective grids (13) and (23). The reflective grids (13) and (23) are orthogonal with respect to each other so as to handle orthogonally polarized energy. The first and second shaped reflective surfaces (12) and (22) are arranged offset and tandem from each other so as to provide first and second focal points (16) and (26) separate from each other while providing substantially identical first and second shaped beam coverages (15) and (25). As a result, the front and rear reflectors (10) and (20) may be fabricated with a single mandrel (30).

Identical surface shaped reflectors in semi-tandem arrangement

Two reflecting surfaces (102, 104) pass through each other at an intersection line (450) lying in a plane of symmetry (106). The two surfaces share a common aperture (101) and the surface contours of the two surfaces are preferably mirror images of each other and are arranged such that the respective two foci (110, 120) of the two surfaces are equidistant (108) from the center of the shared aperture and offset from each other in equal and opposite directions (109a, 109b) from the plane of symmetry.

Intersecting shared aperture antenna reflectors

A non-furlable paraboloidal radio frequency reflector (10) is formed of a mesh-like flexible reflective surface (18) supported by a central hub (12) and a peripheral rim (14). The hub and rim are interconnected by flexible spoke-like structural cables (16, 24) acting in tension to establish the desired spatial relationship. Reflector surface-positioning cables (20, 26) are secured at their ends to the hub, rim or structural cables and are further secured to the reflector surface at points of intersection (22) therewith intermediate their ends to thereby establish an approximation of the desired curved shape of the reflector surface.

Hub and rim reflector

A polarization selective screen allowing only electromagnetic waves having a desired linear polarization to pass therethrough, the screen includes an array of relatively thin, parallel and evenly spaced conductive flat ribbons supported between end portions of a frame structure, the broad surface of the ribbons being orthogonal to the plane of the screen and being supported and maintained in place under a predetermined tensional force by tension means such as spring-loaded ribbon hangers.

Growing community of inventors

Hawthorne, CA, United States of America

Thomas A Bockrath