Collimated transverse electric mode cavity antenna assembly

A system comprising:

• an antenna assembly defining an upper cavity with an aperture, the antenna assembly further defining a lower cavity coupled to the upper cavity via a channel along a linear edge of the antenna assembly, wherein the antenna assembly comprises a reflective element within the lower cavity having a concave parabolic contour;
• an array assembly positioned in the aperture and comprising an array of passive elements;
• a transmitter that emits a divergent radio frequency (RF) beam within the lower cavity toward the concave parabolic contour, wherein the concave parabolic contour transforms the divergent RF beam into a collimated RF beam propagating within the lower cavity and into the upper cavity via the channel, and wherein the array of passive elements radiates a transmitted RF beam from the aperture in response to the collimated RF beam in the upper cavity;
• a first drive mechanism that rotates the array assembly about a central axis defined by the aperture relative to the antenna assembly to alter an elevation angle of the transmitted RF beam relative to the array assembly;
• and
• a control system that operates the first drive mechanism to control the elevation angle of the transmitted RF beam relative to the array assembly.

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a concave parabolic contour of a reflective element located within a lower cavity of an antenna assembly, a divergent RF beam;
• transforming, using the concave parabolic contour, the divergent RF beam into a collimated RF beam for propagation within the lower cavity toward a channel defined along a linear edge of the antenna assembly;
• redirecting, using the channel, the collimated RF beam into an upper cavity of the antenna assembly;
• and
• radiating, using an array of passive elements positioned in an aperture of the upper cavity, a transmitted RF beam from the aperture in response to the collimated RF beam in the upper cavity of the antenna assembly.