Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics U.s.a., Inc.

Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc.

Terrastar, Inc.

Tohru Takagi

Bruce B Lusignan

Arthur Karp

Kazuo Hosono

An antenna feed horn assembly includes a circular feed horn having an electrically conductive wall with an edge defining a circular aperture. The antenna feed horn assembly further includes a circular waveguide mounted to the base of the circular feed horn and including an endplate. An cylindrical rod extends from the center of the endplate towards the center of the feed horn aperture along a longitudinal axis of the antenna feed horn assembly to minimize undesired reflections produced by transitions between electrically conductive material and non-electrically conductive material or dielectric within the antenna feed horn assembly. An antenna feed horn assembly can also include a splash plate opposite the endplate, the center from which another cylindrical rod extends towards the center of the endplate along the longitudinal axis of the antenna feed horn assembly to further minimize undesired reflections.

Antenna feed having centerline conductor

A receiving antenna includes a parabolic reflector and a feed horn. The feed horn includes an electrically conductive wall with an edge forming an aperture. The feed horn further includes a plurality of electrical conductors that extend from the edge to the center of the feed horn in a substantially coplanar relationship with the aperture. Each of the electrical conductors differentially affect a first polarized electrical field perpendicular to the edge adjacent the electrical conductor and a second polarized electrical field parallel to the edge adjacent the electrical conductor. In this manner, the electrical conductors can be configured to reduce the effective aperture of the feed horn in a plane, so that a first polarized horn radiation pattern produced by the feed horn can be circularized. The electrical conductors with respect to a vertical plane preferably match the electrical conductors with respect to a horizontal plane, so that first and second polarized horn radiation patterns produced by the feed horn can be simultaneously circularized. Another receiving antenna includes a splash plate and a feed horn that respectively include opposing edges that form an annular aperture. The feed horn further includes a plurality of electrical conductors that extend from the feed horn edge towards the splash plate edge in a coplanar relationship with the aperture. Again, the electrical conductors can be configured to reduce the effective width of the annular aperture in a plane, so that a first polarized horn radiation pattern produced by the feed horn can be circularized, while at the same time a second polarized horn radiation pattern produced by the feed horn can be circularized.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Tohru Takagi