Pattern synthesis of the offset reflector antenna system with lesscomplicated phased array feed

The performance degradation of an offset reflector antenna with off-axis scanning feed and distorted reflector surface can be improved by using a phased array feed. Generally, both analog attenuators and phase shifters are used in phased array feed. Yet, it seems to make the feed system very complicated. In this paper, a phase-only gradient search (POGS) algorithm is developed to optimize the performance of offset reflector antenna systems using phased array feed that is equipped with phase shifters only. This technique not only can greatly simplify the complexity of phased array feed, but also can provide the reflector antenna with better antenna gain and sidelobe level control capability. Simulation and experimental results are presented to illustrate the excellent performance of offset reflector, with limited beam scanning capability, can be obtained by using this less complicated phased array feed     

A scanning reflector using an off-axis space-fed phased-array feed

An architecture for a scanning reflector antenna that supports wide-angle scanning, multioctave tunable bandwidths, transmit and receive operation, and monopulse processing is presented. It consists of a parabolic dish with an offset phased array. The array is actually a feed-through lens fed from a small feed array in the back of the lens. Beam steering is accomplished by using the feed array to illuminate clusters of elements within the lens that correspond to far-field beam positions. The evolution of the architecture and a computer model is described. Simulated and measured performance results are reported. Off-axis scanning of 10° to 15° appears to be possible while still supporting gain magnifications of four to five     

Radiation characteristics of a waveguide-excited short backfire-fedparabolic reflector operating in Q-band

Presents measured results at 31-38 GHz of the radiation characteristics of a 0.252 m diameter parabolic dish fed at the prime focus by a short backfire antenna. The feed consists of an experimentally optimised design of a short backfire antenna, having a conical main reflector of 15° slant angle. The measured radiation patterns of the reflector system generally agree quite well with the prediction based on aperture field integration     

A scattering matrix-based beamformer for wide-angle scanning in hybrid antennas

This paper presents a new approach to beamforming in hybrid antennas. Using a scattering matrix model for the hybrid antenna system, a bidirectional transformation is developed that relates the signals at the hybrid system feed to the signals that would be present in a planar array at the location of the reflector aperture. For example, the received fields at the feed of a hybrid antenna system may be transformed into the fields at the reflector aperture, and these reflector aperture fields may then be processed as if they were received by a planar or linear array. Similarly, the desired field or current distribution across the reflector aperture when transmitting may be transformed into the required field or current distribution at the hybrid system feed. This method allows standard linear or planar array analysis and synthesis techniques to be used with the hybrid system. Examples are provided for transmit and receive weight synthesis.     

A microstrip array feed for land mobile satellite reflectorantennas

A circularly polarized feed array for a spacecraft reflector antenna is described that was constructed by using linearly polarized microstrip elements. The array has seven subarrays which form a single cluster as part of a large overlapping cluster reflector feed array. Each of the seven subarrays consists of four linearly polarized microstrip elements. The array achieved a better than 0.8-dB axial ratio at the array pattern peak and better then 3 dB antenna gain to 20° from the peak, across a 7.5% frequency bandwidth. A teardrop-shaped feed probe was used to achieve wideband input impedance matching for the relatively thick microstrip substrate. The low impedance and axial ratio bandwidths were achieved using a relatively thick honeycomb substrate with the impedance-matching feed probes     

A low-blockage dipole array reflector antenna feed for the lower microwave frequencies

An antenna is described which was devised as a feed for a small axisymmetrical paraboloid reflector at an operational frequency of just over 1 GHz. The antenna consists of a broadside array of two dipoles on a printed circuit board (PCB), joined by a common transmission line. Each dipole is backed by a small strip reflector. With this simple array, which has one central feed point, theH-plane radiation pattern can be varied independently of theE-plane pattern. In addition, the aperture blockage of the feed is small.     

Fan beam generated by a linear-array fed parabolic reflector

The theoretical background and the results of computer simulations and experimental studies for a parabolic reflector fed by a linear array are detailed. The concept of using a parabolic reflector antenna fed by a small linear array to generate fan-beam patterns is validated. Large angle scan along the broad-beam direction of the fan beam can be achieved by offsetting the linear array laterally. It is both empirically and numerically demonstrated that the array feed must be displaced in the reflector's axial direction to an optimum location from the focal plane in order to achieve the best antenna gain performance. As a result, the linear-array fed parabolic reflector can be used in place of a long planar array in a multifunctional reflector antenna system     

A retrodirective microstrip antenna array

A Van Atta retrodirective reflector was designed and developed, using an aperture-coupled microstrip antenna array. This reflector possesses the advantage of reflecting high fields to the source point over a wide range of incidence angles and, owing to the low cost and conformability of the structure, is suitable for applications in intelligent vehicle highway systems (IVHS). An approximate theory associated with the reradiation and scattering principles of the reflector is presented for the purpose of understanding and designing the reflector. The utility of the retrodirective reflector was demonstrated by comparison with a plate reflector and a microstrip antenna array without a feed structure. Finally, a reflector with switches in the middle of the microstrip feed lines was investigated for possible applications in communications and remote identification     

Subreflectarrays for Reflector Surface Distortion Compensation

With the increasing interest in the applications of large deployable reflector antennas operating at high frequencies, the requirement on the reflector surface accuracy becomes more demanding. Thermal effects inevitably cause certain reflector surface distortions, thus degrading the overall antenna performance. This paper introduces a novel reflector surface distortion compensation technique using a subreflectarray and presents detailed discussions. A microstrip reflectarray is used as a subreflector, illuminated by a primary feed. By properly adjusting the additional phase shift provided by the subreflectarray, the aperture phase errors caused by the main reflector surface distortions are compensated, resulting in a considerably improved antenna performance. As an example, a distorted 20-m offset parabolic reflector antenna operating at X-band is successfully compensated by a subreflectarray, and the simulation results are compared with those obtained by array feed and shaped subreflector compensation techniques. The microstrip subreflectarray is low-profile, lightweight, and cost-effective. Only one primary feed is required, and a reconfigurable design can be achieved if electronically reconfigurable reflectarray elements are adopted.      

Effect of feed array configuration on the Field-of-View of radio telescope antenna

Phased Array Feed (PAF) is a small two-dimensional phased array antenna, playing a role as the multi-beam feed for the reflector antenna. The prominent capability of large continuous Field-of-View (FoV) coverage and fast survey speed makes PAF the promising feed for radio telescopes. In this paper, the effect of feed array of PAF on the gain fluctuations over FoV is analyzed on a simplified model of the Five-hundred-meter Spherical Aperture radio Telescope (FAST), including illumination pattern edge taper, element spacing, element arrangement and element amount. And the differences between rectangular and hexagonal array arrangements are compared. The relationship between the FoV and array configuration are concluded at last.     

The development of radial line slot array antenna for direct broadcast satellite reception

Microwave antennas are extensively used in communications systems such as satellite, television and high-speed data transmission due to their wide and absolute bandwidth. Among the variety of microwave antennas, satellite communication commonly adopts an antenna of parabolic dish type, despite some drawbacks. In a primary fed design, there is considerable aperture blockage. An offset parabolic antenna design, which then eliminates the blockage, is susceptible to physical damage as its feed is significantly exposed from the body of reflector. The radial line slot array (RLSA) type antenna is thus designed to cope with the problems encountered in parabolic antennas. RLSA is a planar antenna suitable for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) reception, with advantages including high radiation efficiency (high gain), low profile, low cost and feed rear-mounted. The prototype development started with the selection of the cavity's dielectric material and construction of the feeding structure of coaxial-to-waveguide transition. Within the frequency band of interest, between 10.95 and 11.7?GHz, results, is showed a lower than ?10?dB of return loss. A DBS receiver test-bed had been developed to test the constructed antenna prototypes and it revealed that the prototype has the capability of receiving TV programs from DBS.     

An array-compensated spherical reflector antenna for a very large number of scanned beams

There are many stringent demands imposed on the applications of spaceborne antenna systems. One of the most challenging demands is the generation of multiple beams with the ability to scan a very large number of beamwidths. Since the parabolic reflectors have limitations in this application, a 35-m spherical reflector antenna is proposed for a geostationary radar antenna at Ka-band (35.6 GHz) due to its inherent capability of scanning the beams to very large number of beamwidths. The utility of using planar array feeds for correcting spherical phase aberrations is investigated to overcome the performance degradation effects. Two different methodologies are developed for the array excitation coefficients determination based on phase conjugate matching and the results are compared. Using the compensating feed array, the radiation characteristics of the compensated spherical reflector are simulated for no scan and large scan cases and the results are compared with the uncompensated case to show performance improvement. In order to demonstrate the technological readiness of the concept a 1.5-m breadboard model is designed to be built for experimental measurements. Some important mechanical design tolerances and realistic array feed topologies are investigated. The antenna concept developed in this paper is advocated to be used in the next generation of geostationary satellite antenna systems for remote sensing radar applications.     

反射面天线焦面场采样研究与相控阵馈源设计

为了设计高性能的相控阵馈源(phased array feed,PAF),通过反射面天线焦面场最优采样的研究,给出了PAF参数与天线口径效率之间的关系,总结了PAF的最优采样范围和单元间距,导出了PAF单元数量的计算公式.给出了一个9 m天线的PAF设计实例和性能分析,在4～7 GHz频率范围内,扫描范围为±3°时,天...     

A high-performance line source feed for the AIO spherical reflector

An aberration-correcting line source feed has been designed, modeled, constructed, and tested in the Arecibo reflector. The feed is a linearly polarized flat wavegnide 40-foot-long array illuminating 700 feet of the 1000-foot-diameter spherical reflector at 318 MHz. The antenna, illuminated by the new feed, yields an aperture efficiency of 70 percent with a peak gain near 56 dB, half-power beamwidth of 16.2 minutes of arc, and sidelobe levels below 4 percent of the on-axis gain. Vignetting losses are approximately 30 percent at the highest zenith angle.     

A figure of merit for signal processing reflector antennas

In recent years a new class of reflector antennas utilizing array feeds has been receiving attention. An example of this type of antenna is a reflector utilizing a moveable array feed for beam steering. Due to the circuitry required to adjust the weights for the various feed array elements, an appreciable amount of loss can be introduced into the antenna system. One technique to overcome this possible deficiency is to place low noise amplifiers with sufficient gain to overcome the weighting function losses just after each of the feed elements. In the evaluation of signal processing antennas that employ amplifiers the standard antenna gain measurement will not be indicative of the antenna system's performance. In fact, by making only a signal measurement, the antenna gain can be made any arbitrary value by changing the gains of the amplifiers used. In addition, the IEEE Standard Test Procedures for Antennas does not cover the class of antennas where the amplifier becomes part of the antenna system. There exists a need to establish a standard of merit or worth for multi-element antenna systems that involve the use of amplifiers. A proposed figure of merit for evaluating such antenna systems is presented.     

Ka 波段EBG 天线阵列的仿真与分析

电磁带隙(EBG)天线是一种可以提高天线辐射口径及增益的新型天线,本文首先以FSS 结构作为EBG 反射面,角 锥喇叭作为辐射源,设计了一种可以工作在29.7-30.2GHz,最大增益为23dB 的EBG 天线;其次,研究了7 个喇叭构成六 边形阵列时的阵列特性;最后,将EBG 天线用作单反射面多波束天线的馈源研究了波束的覆盖特性,结果表明,当波束 大小为1.12°时,多波束天线的峰值增益为44.5dB,边缘交叠电平为40.4dB,载干比大于12dB。证明了这种EBG 天线 具有良好的工作性能,为将来小型化反射面多波束天线的设计提供了一种新的思路。     

Diffraction corrections to the cylindrical wave radiated by a linear array feed of a cylindrical reflector antenna

A phase-steered linear array feed for a parabolic cylindrical reflector antenna is considered. The nearly cylindrical wave radiated from this line feed in the Fresnel zone is expressed in terms of the isolated-element pattern. The correction to this wave due to diffraction from the endpoints of the line feed and from the grating formed by the array elements is also derived.     

一种天线馈源用宽带孔径耦合层叠微带贴片阵的设计

介绍了一种宽带孔径耦合层叠微带辐射单元的工作原理,着重分析了该辐射单元主要结构尺寸对其阻抗带宽的影响。该辐射单元阻抗带宽（VSWR≤2：1）在S波段达到了30％以上。作为某抛物反射面天线的馈源,由4个该辐射单元组成四单元微带贴片天线阵后,其性能满足天线系统要求。     

Multibeam-operational mode at the RATAN-600 radio telescope

The main requirements for the feed array designed for the RATAN-600 radio telescope, which are intended to improve observational possibilities, are presented. The experimental eight-element feed-array assembly and its measured characteristics are described. The first antenna measurements, made in the AC operational mode, shown that the combination of the reflector with the feed array may increase the reflector's facility. The equipment described could be used for radio-astronomical observations at the RATAN-600, but it is clear that the best results will be achieved with the use of a 32-element feed array     

Array-fed reconfigurable reflector for spacecraft systems

The authors describe a new type of reconfigurable reflector antenna for spacecraft applications in which both the reflector shape and the excitation of a small array feed combine to offer maximum coverage flexibility. To create a reconfigurable continental coverage the array is excited to produce a suitably tapered circularly symmetric pattern and the shape of the mesh reflector adjusted to yield the appropriate secondary radiation pattern. When spot beams are required within the coverage region, the mesh reflector is configured as a paraboloid and individual elements or local clusters excited within the array