US3765024A - Antenna array with pattern compensation during scanning - Google Patents

Antenna array with pattern compensation during scanning Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3765024A
US3765024A US00245928A US3765024DA US3765024A US 3765024 A US3765024 A US 3765024A US 00245928 A US00245928 A US 00245928A US 3765024D A US3765024D A US 3765024DA US 3765024 A US3765024 A US 3765024A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
elemental
aperture
array
antenna array
radiating
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00245928A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
B Chiron
L Duffau
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques LTT SA
Original Assignee
Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques LTT SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques LTT SA filed Critical Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques LTT SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3765024A publication Critical patent/US3765024A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q25/00—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns
    • H01Q25/002—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns providing at least two patterns of different beamwidth; Variable beamwidth antennas
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
    • H01Q3/44—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT An array is made of elemental radiators with an ad justable aperture controlled by a magnetizing field established within a magnetic section of the radiator. The broadening of the radiation pattern resulting from large amplitude scanning is compensated through aperture control of the individual radiators patterns in the array by means of the magnetizing field within said radiator.
  • the present invention concerns an antenna array with electronic scanning.
  • Copending application Ser. No. 162,444 filed on July 14, 1971 and assigned to the same Assignee discloses antennas in the form of a Luneberg sphere, of which at least the central spherical core consists of ferrimagnetic material and which comprise means for varying the permeability of the said core. This results in a variation of the aperture of the antenna.
  • Another variableaperture antenna structure having purely electronic control, which consists of a dielectric rod at least partially coated with ferrimagnetic material associated with coils is also described.
  • the object of the invention is to compensate, in the course ofthe widening of the aperture due to electronic scanning in antenna arrays of radiators according to said application.
  • the aperture compensated antenna array consists of at least two radiators as described in said of one of copending application, comprising means for varying the relative phase of the microwave currents feeding said radiators, and means for correlatively varying the magnetic field applied to the ferrimagnetic elements of the radiators in such manner that the aperture of the lobe remains constant in the course of the scanning.
  • a constant aperture array is the general aim, but it is to be understood that it is possible to adjust the correlation between the phase difference which controls the scanning angle and the magnetic field which controls the aperture angle, so as to follow a preset law between these two angle values.
  • the phase difference in the feeding currents is obtained by means of variable phase shifters,.for example of the ferrite type, to which an adjustable current is applied, and the desired aperture is obtained by means of an adjustable current supplied to the coils surrounding the ferrimagnetic material parts of the elemental antennas.
  • the constancy of the aperture or the desired scanning angle/aperture angle" law is therefore obtained by adjusting currents in relation to relative phase, which often amounts to adjusting currents in relation to other currents.
  • FIGS. la and 1b illustrate an array of primary antennas of the prior art, intended to show the variation of the aperture angle in the course of the scanning
  • FIG. 2 shows the scanning lobe obtained with the antenna of FIGS. 1a and 1b
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a Luneberg sphere having a ferrimagnetic core in accordance with the abovementioned patent application Ser. No. 162,444.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an antenna array with lobe aperture and gain compensation in accordance with the invention
  • FIG. 5 illustrates the variation of the scanning angle a as a function of the phase difference (/2 for the antenna of FIG. 4,
  • FIG. 6 illustrates the variation of the lobe aperture 6 as a function of the control current of the ferrimagnetic Luneberg spheres for two different values of the scanning angle
  • FIG. 7 illustrates the variation of the current controlling the aperture of the individual patterns of the elemental radiators as a function of the scanning angle for obtaining a constant aperture of the resultant pattern
  • FIG. 8 illustrates an antenna array according to the invention.
  • FIGS. Ia and lb illustrate a three-dimensional array of elemental antennas of the prior art, made of 24 antennas forming a front curtain and a rear curtain.
  • the front curtain is fed as indicated in FIG. 1a.
  • the feed of the rear curtain is similar, but the currents are out of phase. It is known (see for example Principles of Radar,” McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.
  • the intensity of the resultant field at a point ofa direction which is at an angle [3 to the axis Ox and the angle a to the axis Oz perpendicular to the array (oz-H3 90) and remote from r of the array is E 0 m m/ AB) t (B) 1/4(2.l/4)( p( /2)(/ where I, is the amplitude of the supply current of the primary antennas, and
  • N is the total number of radiators in a curtain of the array
  • n is the distance between adjacent radiators expressed in wavelengths
  • p is the phase difference between adjacent antennas expressed in fractions of a cycle.
  • p denotes more precisely the phase difference between the left-hand half of the array and the right-hand half of the array.
  • FIG. 2 shows the position of the main lobe with p successively taking the values:
  • the reference numeral 1 denotes a Luneberg sphere composed of a ferrimagnetic spherical core 2 and of a polyethylene shell 3 in the form of a hollow sphere, loaded with titanium dioxide.
  • a waveguide 4 terminated by a flange 5 whose front face is profiled in the form of a spherical surface is applied to the surface of the sphere 1.
  • the waveguide 4 is seen on its smaller side in FIG. 3.
  • the microwave electric field is in the plane of FIG. 3 and the microwave magnetic field is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 3. It is obvious that any other feed of the lens may be used.
  • a winding 6 surrounds the sphere 2 and is locked between the latter and the spherical shell 3. This antenna has been more completely described in the aforesaid patent application.
  • FIGS. 4, 10 and 11 are two anten nas in the form of a Luneberg sphere, of which the core consists of iron-yttrium garnet (5Fe O 3Y O The diameter of the core is 14 mm and that of the sphere is 22 mm. The distance between the centres of the spheres is 30 mm.
  • the spheres are fed with a wave at 9 Ghz produced by generator 19 through waveguide 12, which is doubled into two lines 13 and 14 to feed antennas l0 and 11 respectively. It will be seen that the diameter of the Luneberg spheres having a core consisting of ferrimagnetic material is here slightly smaller than the wavelength of the radiated guide.
  • Two ferrite phase shifters l5 and 16 are located on lines 13 and 14 receiving through the leads l7 and 18 phase-control currents I and I
  • the windings of antennas l0 and 11 are series supplied with the same aperture control current I.
  • Currents 1,, I I are adjusted in accordance with experimentally determined curves in such manner that the aperture angle does not vary in the course of the scanning.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates for the antenna of FIG. 4 the variation of the angle of rotation of the lobe a as a function of the phase difference d) introduced by the phase shifters l5 and 16 (the measure bear on lobes G transverse to the direction joining the centres of the antennas).
  • This law of variation depends upon the distance between the antennas. For mechanical reasons, the optimum value has not been used here.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates the variation of the aperture of the lobe 0 as a function of the current flowing through the coils of the ferrite Luneberg spheres in the case where the number of turns of each coil is 10.
  • the lower curve corresponds to a O (45 O; the two antennas are-excited in phase).
  • the upper curve corresponds to a 12 100).
  • the angle a depends upon the phase difference angle 45 which in turn, in the case of phase shifters having a ferrimagnetic core, depends upon the value of a phase shift control current (I I (FIG. 7). It will therefore be seen that each value of 0: corresponds to values of (I I and I for a given 0. Hence, it is possible to supply the phase shifters and the radiators with two control currents which are functions of the same angle, for example by means of two potentiometers havinga common shaft of the function generator" type.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates the front curtain of an antenna according to the invention derived from the antenna having an array of primary radiators according to FIG. 1.
  • the rear curtain is absolutely identical to the front curtain, but is supplied with a wave out of phase with that with which the front curtain is fed.
  • all the primary radiators are ferrite Luneberg antennas of the type of FIG. 3.
  • the vertical and horizontal spacings between antennas are not the same as in the ideal case of FIG. 1, because the antennas employed have a diameter which is greater than half the wavelength and therefore cannot be less than one wavelength apart.
  • Scanning is obtained by varying the phase difference between the left-hand and right-hand halves of the front and rear curtains by means of phase shifters l5 and 16 and homologous phase shifters of the rear curtain (not shown).
  • the aperture control of the lobes of the individual radiators of the array of radiators is obtained by the supply of the coils of the ferrimagneticcore Luneberg spheres.
  • the ferrimagnetic-core spheres have been interconnected in a series of three.
  • the variation of the current for controlling the permeability of the ferrite cores of the antennas and the concomitant variation of the current controlling the phase difference are effected by the control circuit 37.
  • An electronically scannable antenna array comprising:
  • magnetic dielectric means integral with said dielectric radiating unit and symmetrically arranged around said axis of directivity;
  • said elemental radiating units said magnetizing means ofeach elemental radiating are Luneberg-type antennas having a ferrimagnetic unit in order to vary the aperture value of the elecore and at least one dielectric shell surrounding said mental beam radiated by said unit so as to compen- 10 core. sate for the aperture variation of the beam radiated

Landscapes

  • Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
  • Aerials With Secondary Devices (AREA)
US00245928A 1971-04-22 1972-04-20 Antenna array with pattern compensation during scanning Expired - Lifetime US3765024A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR7114313A FR2134146B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1971-04-22 1971-04-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3765024A true US3765024A (en) 1973-10-09

Family

ID=9075743

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00245928A Expired - Lifetime US3765024A (en) 1971-04-22 1972-04-20 Antenna array with pattern compensation during scanning

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3765024A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE782329R (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH560469A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2219758C3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2134146B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1390635A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT1044994B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4531129A (en) * 1983-03-01 1985-07-23 Cubic Corporation Multiple-feed luneberg lens scanning antenna system
WO1999031759A1 (en) * 1997-12-17 1999-06-24 Baesystems Electronics Ltd. Magnetic beam deflection devices
US6661392B2 (en) * 2001-08-17 2003-12-09 Lucent Technologies Inc. Resonant antennas
US20050200540A1 (en) * 2004-03-10 2005-09-15 Isaacs Eric D. Media with controllable refractive properties
US20060022875A1 (en) * 2004-07-30 2006-02-02 Alex Pidwerbetsky Miniaturized antennas based on negative permittivity materials
US20090131130A1 (en) * 2004-07-06 2009-05-21 Seiko Epson Corporation Electronic apparatus and wireless communication terminal
CN108780953A (zh) * 2015-08-05 2018-11-09 迈特斯因公司 基于多波束天线的球面透镜阵列
US20200153104A1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2020-05-14 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for tracking multiple devices
USD892091S1 (en) 2018-09-21 2020-08-04 Smartstripe, Llc Staggered hollowed disk antenna sheet
US11050157B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2021-06-29 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for tracking multiple devices
US11394124B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-07-19 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens switched beam array for tracking satellites
US11431099B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-08-30 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for azimuth side lobe level reduction
US20220302597A1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2022-09-22 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens switched beam array for tracking satellites
US11509057B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-11-22 Matsing, Inc. RF lens antenna array with reduced grating lobes
US11509056B2 (en) * 2015-08-05 2022-11-22 Matsing, Inc. RF lens antenna array with reduced grating lobes
US11909113B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2024-02-20 Matsing, Inc. Squinted feeds in lens-based array antennas

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2973516A (en) * 1957-10-17 1961-02-28 Gen Dynamics Corp Scanning antenna using magneticallycontrolled internal ferrite wave refraction
US2981945A (en) * 1954-03-31 1961-04-25 Ethel P Fyler Antenna adapted for missile stabilization
US3041605A (en) * 1958-11-28 1962-06-26 Hughes Aircraft Co Electronically scanned antenna system

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2981945A (en) * 1954-03-31 1961-04-25 Ethel P Fyler Antenna adapted for missile stabilization
US2973516A (en) * 1957-10-17 1961-02-28 Gen Dynamics Corp Scanning antenna using magneticallycontrolled internal ferrite wave refraction
US3041605A (en) * 1958-11-28 1962-06-26 Hughes Aircraft Co Electronically scanned antenna system

Cited By (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4531129A (en) * 1983-03-01 1985-07-23 Cubic Corporation Multiple-feed luneberg lens scanning antenna system
WO1999031759A1 (en) * 1997-12-17 1999-06-24 Baesystems Electronics Ltd. Magnetic beam deflection devices
US6429803B1 (en) 1997-12-17 2002-08-06 Bae Systems Electronics Limited Magnetic beam deflection devices
US6661392B2 (en) * 2001-08-17 2003-12-09 Lucent Technologies Inc. Resonant antennas
US20050200540A1 (en) * 2004-03-10 2005-09-15 Isaacs Eric D. Media with controllable refractive properties
US7015865B2 (en) 2004-03-10 2006-03-21 Lucent Technologies Inc. Media with controllable refractive properties
US20090131130A1 (en) * 2004-07-06 2009-05-21 Seiko Epson Corporation Electronic apparatus and wireless communication terminal
US8103319B2 (en) * 2004-07-06 2012-01-24 Seiko Epson Corporation Electronic apparatus and wireless communication terminal
US20060022875A1 (en) * 2004-07-30 2006-02-02 Alex Pidwerbetsky Miniaturized antennas based on negative permittivity materials
US7009565B2 (en) 2004-07-30 2006-03-07 Lucent Technologies Inc. Miniaturized antennas based on negative permittivity materials
US20200153104A1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2020-05-14 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for tracking multiple devices
US11050157B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2021-06-29 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for tracking multiple devices
CN108780953A (zh) * 2015-08-05 2018-11-09 迈特斯因公司 基于多波束天线的球面透镜阵列
US11909113B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2024-02-20 Matsing, Inc. Squinted feeds in lens-based array antennas
CN108780953B (zh) * 2015-08-05 2021-01-01 迈特斯因公司 一种天线及调整天线的覆盖区域的方法
US10931021B2 (en) * 2015-08-05 2021-02-23 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for tracking multiple devices
AU2016362328B2 (en) * 2015-08-05 2021-03-18 Matsing Inc. Spherical lens array based multi-beam antennae
EP3384559A4 (en) * 2015-08-05 2019-07-24 Matsing Inc. SPHEREIC LENS ARRAY-BASED MULTI-RAY ANTENNAS
US11394124B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-07-19 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens switched beam array for tracking satellites
US11431099B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-08-30 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens array for azimuth side lobe level reduction
US20220302597A1 (en) * 2015-08-05 2022-09-22 Matsing, Inc. Antenna lens switched beam array for tracking satellites
US11509057B2 (en) 2015-08-05 2022-11-22 Matsing, Inc. RF lens antenna array with reduced grating lobes
US11509056B2 (en) * 2015-08-05 2022-11-22 Matsing, Inc. RF lens antenna array with reduced grating lobes
USD892091S1 (en) 2018-09-21 2020-08-04 Smartstripe, Llc Staggered hollowed disk antenna sheet

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1390635A (en) 1975-04-16
BE782329R (fr) 1972-08-16
CH560469A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1975-03-27
DE2219758C3 (de) 1974-09-05
IT1044994B (it) 1980-04-21
DE2219758A1 (de) 1972-11-16
FR2134146A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-12-08
DE2219758B2 (de) 1974-02-07
FR2134146B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-08-19

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3765024A (en) Antenna array with pattern compensation during scanning
US4268831A (en) Antenna for scanning a limited spatial sector
US4031536A (en) Stacked arrays for broadcasting elliptically polarized waves
US4962383A (en) Low profile array antenna system with independent multibeam control
US4125837A (en) Dual notch fed electric microstrip dipole antennas
US2238770A (en) High frequency electrical conductor or radiator
US3854140A (en) Circularly polarized phased antenna array
US3713167A (en) Omni-steerable cardioid antenna
US4387378A (en) Antenna having electrically positionable phase center
USRE29911E (en) Microstrip antenna structures and arrays
US3623114A (en) Conical reflector antenna
US4063243A (en) Conformal radar antenna
US3936835A (en) Directive disk feed system
US3213454A (en) Frequency scanned antenna array
US4287519A (en) Multi-mode Luneberg lens antenna
US3911442A (en) Constant beamwidth antenna
US3160887A (en) Broadside array with adjustable coupling network for beam shaping
US5099253A (en) Constant beamwidth scanning array
EP0313623A1 (en) Microwave lens and array antenna
US2556046A (en) Directional antenna system
US4223315A (en) Stacked arrays for broadcasting elliptically polarized waves
US4500882A (en) Antenna system
US3570007A (en) Plural beam coupled waveguide antenna
US3795005A (en) Broad band spiral antenna
US4207573A (en) Dual-frequency antenna system with common reflector illuminated by different feeds