Compact analog beamformers and microwave radar systems containing the same

A radar system, comprising:

• a receiver (RX) beamformer comprising:
• a linear array of RX microwave antennas configured to receive microwave signals reflected from objects within a field of view of the radar system;
• a RX principal plane comprising:
• a RX Rotman lens comprising a set of RX array ports and a set of RX beam ports;
• a first set of coplanar RX microwave waveguides, each RX waveguide configured to guide microwave signals to a corresponding one of the RX array ports from a corresponding one of the RX antennas;
• and
• a second set of coplanar RX microwave waveguides, each RX waveguide of the second set configured to guide microwaves signals from a corresponding one of the RX beam ports;
• and
• a series of one or more first RX planes parallel to the RX principal plane, each first RX plane comprising the first set of RX waveguides;
• a transmitter (TX) beamformer comprising:
• a linear array of TX microwave antennas configured to transmit microwave signals toward objects within the field of view of the radar system;
• a TX principal plane comprising:
• a TX Rotman lens comprising a set of TX array ports and a set of TX beam ports;
• a first set of coplanar TX microwave waveguides, each TX waveguide configured to guide microwave signals from a corresponding one of TX array ports to a corresponding one of the TX microwave antennas;
• and
• a second set of coplanar TX microwave waveguides, each TX waveguide of the second set configured to guide microwave signals to a corresponding one of TX beam ports;
• a series of one or more first TX planes parallel to the TX principal plane, each first TX plane comprising the first set of TX waveguides;
• and
• a series of one or more second TX planes parallel to the TX principal plane, each second TX plane comprising the second set of TX waveguides, wherein the TX principal plane is between the first TX planes and the second TX planes;
• and
• an electronic control module in communication with the RX beamformer and the TX beamformer, the electronic control module programmed to correlate reception of microwave signals by the RX beamformer and transmission of microwave signals by the TX beamformer to determine information about objects within the field of view of the radar system based on received microwave signals and transmitted microwave signals.