Cavity slotted-waveguide antenna array, a method of manufacturing a cavity slotted-waveguide antenna array, and a radar antenna module comprising cavity slotted-waveguide antenna arrays

A cavity slotted-waveguide antenna array comprising:

• an array of waveguide columns disposed in parallel in a predetermined adjacent position with respect to one another in a housing having a front side and a rear side with several of the waveguide columns being provided with a plurality of cavity slots on the front side of said housing, said waveguide columns having upper and lower ends, and said waveguide columns being waveguides with a rectangular cross section, with each or at least part of the waveguide columns being defined by first and second opposing wide inner surfaces, a narrow inner back surface, and a narrow inner front surface, with the plurality of cavity slots extending from the front side of the housing to said narrow inner front surface;
• a signal probe operably disposed in each or at least part of the waveguide columns for emitting and/or receiving an electromagnetic signal having a free-space wavelength of λ0, which signal propagates within one or more of the waveguide columns holding the signal probe as electromagnetic waves with a corresponding guided signal wavelength λg;
• and
• several conductive parallel plate blinds conductively secured to the front side of the housing, said plate blinds being arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the waveguide columns;
• wherein each or at least part of the plate blinds comprises a first and a second outer surface with the first outer surface being parallel to the second outer surface and with a distance between the first and second outer surfaces being in the range of one third to one half of the free space signal wavelength λ0.