Tracking feed for multi-band operation
AssigneeHarris Corporation
InventorsAhmet D. Ergene, Michael Zarro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An antenna feed system comprises a single horn having corrugations and four evenly spaced waveguide ports on sides of a single one of the corrugations. A combiner network receives signals at approximately 20 GHz from the four waveguide ports and outputs sum and difference output signals. A transducer provides transmit signals at approximately 30 GHz and approximately 44 GHz to a rear end of the single horn.
Claims34
An antenna feed system, comprising:
- a single horn having corrugations and four evenly spaced waveguide ports on sides of a single one of the corrugations;
- a combiner network that receives signals at approximately 20 GHz from the four waveguide ports and outputs sum and difference output signals;
- and
- a transducer that provides transmit signals at approximately 30 GHz and approximately 44 GHz to a rear end of the single horn.
An antenna feed system, comprising:
- a single horn having a plurality of waveguide ports coupled to sides thereof;
- a transducer that provides first and second transmit signals to a rear end of the single horn, the first and second transmit signals having respectively different first and second frequencies;
- and
- a combiner network that receives signals from the waveguide ports of the single horn in a third frequency different from either of the first and second frequencies, the combiner network providing sum and difference output signals.
16 The system of claim 11, further comprising amplitude and phase detection circuits respectively providing, in spherical coordinates of the boresight axis, a θ off-axis-deviation coordinate error signal, and a φ relative-position coordinate error signal, which are orthogonal to each other.
A method for conducting signals, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing at least first and second transmit signals to a rear end of a single horn for transmission, the first and second transmit signals having respectively different first and second frequencies;
- (b) receiving downlink signals with the single horn, the downlink signals having a third frequency different from either of the first and second frequencies;
- (c) feeding the downlink signals through sides of the single horn;
- and
- (d) forming sum and difference output signals from the downlink signals for communications and tracking.
A method for fabricating an antenna feed, comprising the steps of:
- (a) connecting a transducer to a rear of a horn having a corrugated section;
- (b) cutting four openings in a side wall of a single corrugation of the corrugated section;
- (c) providing a matching transformer at each of the four openings to form four coupling sections;
- (d) connecting the four coupling sections of the horn to a combiner network via waveguides.
A method for conducting signals, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing at least first and second transmit signals to a single horn for transmission, the first and second transmit signals having respectively different first and second frequencies;
- (b) receiving downlink signals with the single horn, the downlink signals having a third frequency different from either of the first and second frequencies;
- and
- (c) forming sum and difference output signals from the downlink signals for communications and tracking.
A method for conducting signals, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least first and second transmit signals to a single orthomode transducer simultaneously, the first and second transmit signals having the same frequency and respectively different first and second polarizations;
- transmitting the first and second transmit signals from the single orthomode transducer to a single horn simultaneously;
- and
- transmitting the first and second transmit signals simultaneously from the single horn using TM01 mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.