Waveguide radiator, array antenna radiator and synthetic aperture radar system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10651560-B2
Application number	US-201414340077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2014
Priority date	Jul 25, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A waveguide radiator includes a slotted waveguide with a plurality of transverse or longitudinal slots provided in the waveguide and an additional inner conductor provided in the waveguide. The inner conductor is formed, depending on the alignment of the slots in such a manner that the result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all slots of the waveguide can be excited with identical phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A waveguide radiator, comprising
a slotted waveguide having a plurality of longitudinal slots provided in the slotted waveguide; and
an additional inner conductor arranged in the slotted waveguide, wherein the additional inner conductor is configured, depending on the alignment of the slots, in such a manner that a result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all slots of the waveguide are excited with identical phase,
wherein the slotted waveguide is partially filled with a dielectric material on which the additional inner conductor is arranged, and wherein the additional inner conductor comprises more than two straight conductor sections, which are spaced apart from each other by respective twisted sections, and which, with respect to the twisted sections, have a reduced conductor width and act as transformation lines,
wherein a height of the dielectric material longitudinally along the waveguide varies at least in certain sections, thereby influencing an amplitude occupancy of the slots along the waveguide such that power remaining at an outermost slot of the plurality of longitudinal slots corresponds to power coupled at a remaining of the plurality of longitudinal slots,
wherein the additional inner conductor has a feed point which, in a longitudinal direction of the slotted waveguide, is arranged in a geometric center, and
wherein the slotted waveguide with the additional inner conductor is formed mirror-symmetrically around the feed point.

2. The waveguide radiator of claim 1 , wherein the additional inner conductor is formed from alternately arranged straight and twisted conductor sections.

3. The waveguide radiator of claim 1 , wherein the additional inner conductor is composed of repetitive line sections along the slotted waveguide, wherein a length of the repetitive line sections is identical to a spacing of adjacent slots along the slotted waveguide.

4. The waveguide radiator of claim 1 , wherein the additional inner conductor has a straight section as open stub in a region of ends of the slotted waveguide.

5. The waveguide radiator of claim 1 , wherein the slotted waveguide has transverse slots, and wherein a feed point of the slotted waveguide is shifted with respect to a geometric center of the slotted waveguide in a longitudinal direction.

6. The waveguide radiator of claim 1 , wherein the slotted waveguide has transverse slots, and wherein a feed point of the slotted waveguide is arranged in the slotted waveguide in such a manner that an electric phase at positions of all slots is identical at center frequency.

7. An array antenna radiator, comprising:
one or more first slotted waveguides, including:
a plurality of transverse slots provided in the first slotted waveguides; and
an additional first inner conductor arranged in the first slotted waveguides, wherein the additional first inner conductor is configured, depending on alignment of the transverse slots, in such a manner that a result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all transverse slots of the one or more first waveguides are excited with identical phase; and

one or more second slotted waveguides, including:
a plurality of longitudinal slots provided in the second slotted waveguides; and
an additional second inner conductor arranged in the second slotted waveguides, wherein the additional second inner conductor is configured, depending on alignment of the longitudinal slots, in such a manner that a result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all longitudinal slots of the one or more second waveguides are excited with identical phase,

wherein the first and second slotted waveguides are each partially filled with a dielectric material on which the respective additional inner conductor is arranged,
wherein a height of the dielectric material longitudinally along the respective waveguide varies at least in certain sections, thereby influencing an amplitude occupancy of the slots along the respective waveguide such that power remaining at an outermost slot of the plurality of respective transversal or longitudinal slots corresponds to power coupled at a remaining of the plurality of respective transversal or longitudinal slots,
wherein each of the additional first and second inner conductors comprises more than two conductor sections which are spaced apart from each other by respective intermediate sections and which, with respect to the intermediate sections, have a reduced conductor width and act as transformation lines,
wherein each additional inner conductor has a feed point which, in a longitudinal direction of the respective slotted waveguide, is arranged in a geometric center, and
wherein each slotted waveguide with the respective additional inner conductor is formed mirror-symmetrically around the feed point.

8. The array antenna radiator of claim 7 , wherein the one or more first and second slotted waveguides are arranged side-by-side in a transverse direction, wherein a waveguide having transverse slots and a waveguide having longitudinal slots lie alternately next to one another.

9. The array antenna radiator of claim 7 , wherein the one or more first and second slotted waveguides have identical lengths.

10. The array antenna radiator of 7 , wherein the one or more first waveguides are offset upwards with respect to the one or more second waveguides to form a step-like structure of the array antenna radiator.

11. A high-resolution synthetic aperture radar system, comprising:
an array antenna radiator, which comprises:
one or more first slotted waveguides, including:
a plurality of transverse slots provided in the first slotted waveguides; and
an additional first inner conductor arranged in the first slotted waveguides, wherein the additional first inner conductor is configured, depending on alignment of the transverse slots, in such a manner that a result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all transverse slots of the one or more first waveguides are excited with identical phase; and

one or more second slotted waveguides, including:
a plurality of longitudinal slots provided in the second slotted waveguides; and
an additional second inner conductor arranged in the second slotted waveguides, wherein the additional second inner conductor is configured, depending on alignment of the longitudinal slots, in such a manner that a result is a feed according to the traveling wave principle, wherein all longitudinal slots of the one or more second waveguides are excited with identical phase,

wherein the first and second slotted waveguides are each partially filled with a dielectric material on which the respective additional inner conductor is arranged,
wherein a height of the dielectric material longitudinally along the respective waveguide varies at least in certain sections, thereby influencing an amplitude occupancy of the slots along the waveguide such that power remaining at an outermost slot of the plurality of respective transversal or longitudinal slots corresponds to power coupled at a remaining of the plurality of transversal or longitudinal slots,
wherein each of the additional first and second inner conductors comprises more than two conductor sections which are spaced apart from each other by respective intermediate sections and which, with respect to the intermediate sections, have a reduced conductor width and act as transformation lines,
wherein each additional inner conductor has a feed point which, in a longitudinal direction of the respective slotted waveguide, is arranged in a geometric center, and
wherein each slotted waveguide with the respective additional

Assignees

• Astrium Gmbh
• Airbus Ds Gmbh

Inventors

• Roemer Christian
• Herschlein Alexander

Classifications

• H01Q13/18 Primary

  the slot being backed by, or formed in boundary wall of, a resonant cavity (longitudinally slotted cylinder H01Q13/12 ){; Open cavity antennas} · CPC title

• H01Q21/005

  Slotted waveguides arrays · CPC title

• H01Q1/50

  Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors · CPC title

• H01Q13/203 Primary

  Leaky coaxial lines · CPC title