Antenna having increased side-lobe suppression and improved side-lobe level

An antenna assembly, comprising:

• an antenna, including
• a first antenna section, including
• a first transmission line configured to guide a first guided signal, and
• first antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the first guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component to the first transmission line in response to a respective first control signal, and
• a second antenna section, including
• a second transmission line configured to guide a second guided signal, and
• second antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and each configured to receive the receive signal, to generate a respective component of the second guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component of the second guided signal to the second transmission line in response to a respective second control signal;
• and
• a feeder configured
• to feed the first guided signal from the first transmission line such that the first guided signal has a characteristic of a first value, and
• to feed the second guided signal from the second transmission line such that the second guided signal has the characteristic of a second value that is different than the first value.

An antenna system, comprising:

• an antenna, including
• a first transmission line configured to guide a first guided signal such that the first guided signal has a characteristic of a first value,
• first antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the first guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component to the first transmission line in response to a respective first control signal,
• a second transmission line configured to guide a second guided signal such that the second guided signal has the characteristic of a second value that is different than the first value, and
• second antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and each configured to receive the receive signal, to generate a respective component of the second guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component of the second guided signal to the second transmission line in response to a respective second control signal;
• a beam-steering controller configured to generate the first control signals and the second control signals;
• a receiver configured to receive a reference receive signal;
• and
• a feeder configured
• to generate the reference receive signal in response to the first and second guided signals, and
• to couple the reference receive signal to the receiver.

An antenna system, comprising:

• an antenna, including
• a first antenna section, including
• a first transmission line configured to guide a first guided signal, and
• first antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the first guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component to the first transmission line in response to a respective first control signal, and
• a second antenna section, including
• a second transmission line configured to guide a second guided signal, and
• second antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the second guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component of the second guided signal to the second transmission line in response to a respective second control signal;
• a beam-steering controller configured to generate the first control signals and the second control signals;
• a receiver configured to receive a reference receive signal;
• and
• a feeder configured
• to generate the reference receive signal from the first and second guided signals,
• to receive the first guided signal from the first transmission line such that the first guided signal has a characteristic of a first value, and
• to receive the second guided signal from the second transmission line such that the second guided signal has the characteristic of a second value that is different than the first value.

A system, comprising:

• an antenna, including
• a first transmission line configured to guide a first guided signal such that the first guided signal has a characteristic of a first value,
• first antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the first guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component to the first transmission line in response to a respective first control signal to generate a beam,
• a second transmission line configured to guide a second guided signal such that the second guided signal has the characteristic of a second value that is different than the first value, and
• second antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the second guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component of the second guided signal to second transmission line in response to a respective second control signal to generate the beam;
• a beam-steering controller configured to generate the first control signals and the second control signals;
• a feeder configured to generate a reference receive signal from the first and second guided signals;
• a receiver configured to receive, from the feeder, the reference receive signal;
• and
• a processing circuit configured to determine information regarding an object in response to the received reference receive signal.

A system, comprising:

• an antenna, including
• a first antenna section, including
• a first transmission line configured to guide a first guided signal such that the first guided signal has a characteristic of a first value, and
• first antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the first guided signal in response to receive signal, and to couple the respective component to the first transmission line in response to a respective first control signal to generate a beam, and
• a second antenna section, including
• a second transmission line configured to guide a second guided signal such that the second guided signal has a characteristic of a second value that is different from the first value, and
• second antenna elements each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and each configured to receive a receive signal, to generate a respective component of the second guided signal in response to the receive signal, and to couple the respective component of the second guided signal to the second transmission line in response to a respective second control signal to generate the beam;
• a beam-steering controller configured to generate the first control signals and the second control signals;
• a feeder configured to generate, from the first and second guided signals, a receive reference signal that is related to a portion of the beam emanating from an object;
• a receiver configured to receive, from the feeder, the receive reference signal;
• and
• a processing circuit configured to determine information regarding the object in response to the receive reference signal.

A method, comprising:

• receiving energy with at least one first antenna element disposed adjacent to a first transmission line;
• receiving energy with at least one second antenna element disposed adjacent to a second transmission line;
• generating a first signal in the first transmission line in response to the energy received with the at least one first antenna element;
• generating a second signal in the second transmission line in response to the energy received with the at least one second antenna element;
• causing the first signal to have a parameter of a first value as the first signal propagates along the first transmission line;
• and
• causing the second signal to have the parameter of a second value different from the first value and as the second signal propagates along the second transmission line.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by computing circuitry, cause the computing circuitry, or circuitry or an apparatus coupled to the computing circuitry:

• to receiving energy from at least one first antenna element disposed adjacent to a first transmission line;
• to receive energy from at least one second antenna element disposed adjacent to a second transmission line;
• to generate a first signal in the first transmission line in response to the energy received from the at least one first antenna element such that the first signal has a parameter of a first value as the first signal propagates along the first transmission line;
• and
• to generate a second signal in the second transmission line in response to the energy received from the at least one second antenna element such that the second signal has the parameter of a second value different from first value as the second signal propagates along the second transmission line.