Two-dimensional multi-beam former, antenna comprising such a multi-beam former and satellite telecommunication system comprising such an antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627779-B2
Application number	US-201314374855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2013
Priority date	Jan 27, 2012
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

The multi-beam former comprises: two stages connected together and intended to synthesize beams focused along two directions in space; each stage comprises at least two multi-layer plane structures (P 11 , P 1 Ny), (P 21 , P 2 Mx), superposed one above the other; each multi-layer structure (P 11 , P 1 Ny, P 21 , P 2 Mx) comprises an internal reflector, at least two first internal sources disposed in front of the internal reflector and linked to two input/output ports (27, 26) aligned along an axis (V, V′), at least two second internal sources disposed in a focal plane of the internal reflector and linked to two second input/output ports (25, 28) aligned along an axis (U, U′) perpendicular to the axis (V, V′); the two second internal sources of the same multi-layer structure (P 11 ) of the first stage are respectively linked to two first internal sources of two different multi-layer structures (P 21 ), (P 2 Mx) of the second stage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A two-dimensional multi-beam former, comprising:
a first beamforming stage intended to synthesize beams focused along a first direction X in space and a second beamforming stage intended to focus the beams formed by the first stage along a second direction Y in space, the two beamforming stages being connected together,
each stage comprises at least two multi-layer plane structures superposed one above the other,
each multi-layer structure of the first and of the second stage comprises an internal reflector extending transversely to the plane of the multi-layer structure, at least two first internal sources disposed in front of the internal reflector and respectively linked to two first input/output ports aligned along a first axis of the multi-layer structure, at least two second internal sources disposed in a focal plane of the internal reflector and respectively linked to two second input/output ports aligned along a second axis of the multi-layer structure perpendicular to the first axis,
the two second internal sources of the same multi-layer structure, respectively, of the first beamforming stage being respectively linked to two first internal sources of two different multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage by way of the input/output ports, called linking ports, to which are respectively connected the second internal sources and the first internal sources, wherein:
the at least two first internal sources of each multi-layer structure are disposed in a first substrate layer inserted between an upper metallic plane and an intermediate metallic plane, the second sources are disposed in a second substrate layer inserted between the intermediate metallic plane and a lower metallic plane,
the first and second substrate layers are coupled by the internal reflector extending from the lower metallic plane to the upper metallic plane and by way of an aperture or of coupling slots extending along the internal reflector and made in the intermediate metallic plane separating the first and second substrate layers,
each multi-layer structure furthermore comprises first waveguides disposed in the second substrate layer, each first waveguide comprising a first guide part extending along a longitudinal axis of the multi-layer structure and connected to the second internal sources and a second bent guide part extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and linked to a second input/output port.

2. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 1 , wherein: the first beamforming stage comprises Ny plane multi-layer structures superposed one above the other, each multi-layer structure of the first stage comprising Nx first internal sources disposed in front of the internal reflector of a corresponding multi-layer structure and connected to Nx input/output ports aligned parallel to an axis V and Mx second sources disposed in the focal plane of a corresponding internal reflector and connected to Mx linking ports aligned parallel to an axis U perpendicular to the axis V, the second beamforming stage comprises Mx plane multi-layer structures superposed one above the other, each multi-layer structure of the second beamforming stage comprising Ny first internal sources disposed in front of the internal reflector of the corresponding multi-layer structure and connected to Ny linking ports aligned parallel to an axis V′ and My second sources disposed in the focal plane of the corresponding internal reflector and connected to My input/output ports ligned parallel to an axis U′ perpendicular to the axis V′,
the Ny multi-layer structures of the first stage comprise Ny*Mx linking ports connected respectively to Mx*Ny corresponding linking ports of the Mx multi-layer structures of the second stage, Nx, Ny, Mx, My being integer numbers greater than 1, the linking ports of one and the same multi-layer structure of the first beamforming stage being respectively connected to different multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage.

3. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each linking port of an Nkth multi-layer structure of the first beamforming stage is connected to the Nkth linking port of one of the corresponding multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage, Nk being an integer number lying between 1 and Ny inclusive.

4. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second beamforming stage comprises Mx first multi-layer structures and at least Mx second multi-layer structures and in that each linking port of an Nkth multi-layer structure of the first beamforming stage is connected to an Nkth linking port of one of the corresponding first multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage and to the Nkth linking port of one of the corresponding second multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage, Nk being an integer number lying between 1 and Ny inclusive.

5. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the Mx second multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage comprise first internal sources linearly shifted with respect to the first internal sources of the Mx first multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage, the linear shift corresponding to a translation of all the first internal sources by one and the same distance T of less than a distance between centers of two first consecutive internal sources.

6. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the Mx second multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage comprise an internal reflector having an orientation shifted with respect to the internal reflector of the Mx first multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage.

7. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first beamforming stage comprises Ny first and Ny second multi-layer structures and in that the at least two first internal sources of the Ny second multi-layer structures are linked to the at least two first internal sources of the Ny first multi-layer structures, the Ny second multi-layer structures of the first beamforming stage comprising first internal sources linearly shifted with respect to the first internal sources of the Ny first multi-layer structures of the first beamforming stage.

8. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first beamforming stage comprises Ny first and Ny second multi-layer structures and in that the at least two first internal sources of the Ny second multi-layer structures of the first stage are linked to the at least two first internal sources of the Ny first multi-layer structures of the first stage, the Ny second multi-layer structures of the first beamforming stage comprising an internal reflector having an orientation shifted with respect to the internal reflector of the Ny first multi-layer structures of the first beamforming stage.

9. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second substrate layers of each multi-layer structure comprise a dielectric material.

10. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the dielectric material is a dielectric lens placed between the internal reflector and the at least two first internal sources and the at least two second internal sources, the dielectric lens having a convex periphery surface and comprising inclusions of air holes, the inclusions of air holes having a density increasing progressively from the internal reflector to the at least two first internal sources and the at least two second internal sources.

11. The multi-beam former as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second substrate layers of each multi-layer structure furthermore comprise a first dielectric material having a first dielectric permittivity,

Assignees

• Thales Sa
• Univ Rennes
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Legay Hervé
• Sauleau Ronan
• Ettorre Mauro

Classifications

• H01Q21/0031

  Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays (multibeam arrays H01Q25/008) · CPC title

• H01Q19/18

  having two or more spaced reflecting surfaces (H01Q19/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q13/02

  Waveguide horns · CPC title

• H01Q3/2664 Primary

  electrically moving the phase centre of a radiating element in the focal plane of a focussing device (switching H01Q3/245, phased-array feeds H01Q3/2658) · CPC title

• H01Q21/00

  Antenna arrays or systems (arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system H01Q3/00) · CPC title