Antenna feed for a direct radiating array antenna, radiating panel and antenna comprising several antenna feeds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12046791-B2
Application number	US-202117545923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2021
Priority date	Dec 10, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

An antenna feed includes a waveguide having a main part in hollow straight cylinder form extending in a direction, a radiating element, comprising ridges extending inwards and several treads along the direction, the number, the heights and the thicknesses of the treads being configured to allow a variation of impedance of the radiating element, a polarizer comprising two inputs separated by an internal leaf extending in the direction, and an output corresponding to the input of the radiating element, the internal leaf comprising several levels configured to transform a circularly polarized electromagnetic field into linear polarization, the polarizer comprising ridges extending inwards, the radiating element and the polarizer being made of a single piece, and disposed end-to-end in the direction, and a third portion comprising a filter, the internal leaf being prolonged in or part all of the third portion, the filter comprising a set of frequency filtration posts disposed inside the third portion and on one and the same surface of the internal leaf, the output of the filter corresponding to one of the two inputs of the polarizer, the third portion further comprising third ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of the third portion, the third ridges and the internal leaf being regularly distributed around the perimeter of the third portion; the radiating element, the polarizer and the filter being made of a single piece, preferably produced by an additive manufacturing technique, and the polarizer and the filter being disposed end-to-end in the longitudinal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An antenna feed for a direct radiating array antenna, for the transmission and the reception of microwaves, said feed comprising a waveguide having at least one main part in hollow straight cylinder form extending in a longitudinal direction, a base of said hollow straight cylinder having at least one axis of symmetry in its plane and the outer transverse dimensions of said main part being constant in the longitudinal direction;
the main part of the waveguide comprising, in said longitudinal direction:
a first portion forming a radiating element, or the major part of said radiating element, said radiating element comprising first ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said radiating element, said first ridges being regularly distributed around the perimeter of said radiating element and each having several treads along the longitudinal direction, the number, the heights and the thicknesses of said treads being configured to allow a given variation, preferably an increase, of impedance between an input and an output of the radiating element;
a second portion forming a polarizer, said polarizer comprising two inputs separated by an internal leaf extending in the longitudinal direction, and an output corresponding to the input of the radiating element, the internal leaf comprising several levels along the longitudinal direction, said levels being configured to transform a circularly polarized electromagnetic field at the input into a linearly polarized electromagnetic field at the output, and, in reverse, to transform a linearly polarized electromagnetic field at the output into a circularly polarized electromagnetic field at the input, the polarizer further comprising second ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said polarizer, said second ridges and said internal leaf being regularly distributed around the perimeter of said polarizer;
a third portion comprising a filter, the internal leaf being prolonged in all or part of said third portion, the filter comprising a set of frequency filtration posts disposed inside the third portion and on one and the same surface of the internal leaf, the output of the filter corresponding to one of the two inputs of the polarizer, said third portion further comprising third ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said third portion, said third ridges and the internal leaf being regularly distributed around the perimeter of said third portion;

the radiating element, the polarizer and the filter being made of a single piece, preferably produced by an additive manufacturing technique, and the polarizer and the filter being disposed end-to-end in the longitudinal direction.

2. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , the waveguide having a constant thickness over all of its length.

3. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , a number of said first ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said radiating element and/or of said second ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said polarizer being an even number, preferably both at the input and at the output of the radiating element and/or of the polarizer.

4. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , the base of the hollow straight cylinder being a regular polygon of even order, preferably a hexagon.

5. The antenna feed according to claim 4 , the internal leaf and all or part of the first ridges and/or of the second ridges being disposed at the vertices of the polygonal straight cylinder.

6. The antenna feed according to claim 4 , the internal leaf and all or part of the first ridges and/or of the second ridges being disposed on the internal lateral surfaces of the polygonal straight cylinder.

7. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , the base of the straight cylinder being a circle.

8. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , a number of said third ridges extending inwards and over all or part of the length of said third portion being an even number, preferably both at the input and at the output of the filter.

9. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , the waveguide being entirely in said hollow straight cylinder form over all of its length.

10. The antenna feed according to claim 1 , the waveguide comprising the main part in said hollow straight cylinder form and a complementary part, said complementary part being able to be in cone or truncated pyramid form at the output of the radiating element, the most flared part being disposed at the output of the radiating element, the complementary part being free of grooves.

11. A radiating panel for a direct radiating array antenna comprising:
a plurality of antenna feeds chosen according to claim 1 ;
said radiating panel being made of a single piece, preferably produced by an additive manufacturing technique.

12. A direct radiating array antenna comprising:
a radiating panel for a direct radiating array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna feeds chosen according to claim 1 ; said radiating panel being made of a single piece, preferably produced by an additive manufacturing technique; and
at least one amplifier and/or one load connected to the radiating panel, at the input of at least one of each said filter of one of said plurality of antenna feeds.

13. The array antenna according to claim 12 , the radiating panel being connected to the at least one amplifier and/or the at least one load via at least one Vivaldi antipodal transition, and preferably via at least one transition/adaptation designed to change the position, the dimensions and/or the form of said second ridges or said third ridges of the waveguide at the input of the feed so as to be able to position the Vivaldi transition in said waveguide.

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Girard Thierry
• Etcharren Maïder
• Cot� Alexandre

Classifications

• H01Q21/064

  using horn or slot aerials (slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005) · CPC title

• H01Q13/06

  Waveguide mouths (horns H01Q13/02) · CPC title

• H01P1/171

  using a corrugated or ridged waveguide section · CPC title

• H01P5/107

  Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions · CPC title

• H01P1/207 Primary

  Hollow waveguide filters (H01P1/212, H01P1/213, H01P1/215, H01P1/219 take precedence) · CPC title