US 6,556,174 B1Granted

Surveillance radar scanning antenna requiring no rotary joint

OwnerGary M. Hamman, Douglas W. Taylorinventors

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Abstract

A wave-scanning antenna is disclosed that does not require a rotary joint. The antenna produces a collimated beam that can be scanned through 360 degrees. The beam is directed perpendicular to the antenna's axis of rotation to form a disc-like surveillance volume, or at an angle above or below the perpendicular to form a cone-shaped surveillance volume. The radar's structure contains a transmitter and receiver coupled to a horn protruding through open centers of the support bearing and driven gear into the antenna housing. Energy emitted by the horn proceeds upward until deflected through an angle of 90 degrees by an angled reflector located on the axis of rotation. The energy is collected by a dielectric lens and focused into a collimated beam. Reflected energy is collected by the lens and directed by the reflector to the horn, where it is fed to a waveguide coupled to the receiver.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for use in directing a collimated electromagnetic beam to any heading within a disc-shaped volume, the disc-shaped volume formed by scanning of the collimated electromagnetic beam through 360 degrees about a center of the disc-shaped volume, comprising:

a stationary structure;
a housing coupled to the stationary structure such that the housing is rotatable about a rotational axis, the rotational axis being fixed perpendicular to a surface of the stationary structure, the housing having a longitudinal axis intersecting the rotational axis and extending perpendicular to the rotational axis, a continuous void axially centered on the rotational axis and extending from within the stationary structure to within the housing;
an emitter and receiver coupled to the stationary structure, located on the rotational axis, and protruding through the continuous void, the emitter capable of emitting electromagnetic energy and the receiver responsive to the electromagnetic energy;
a reflecting surface located within the housing at the intersection of the rotational axis and the longitudinal axis and rigidly coupled to the housing, the reflecting surface positioned at an angle of substantially 45 degrees with respect to the rotational axis and capable of deflecting the emitted electromagnetic energy through a directional change of substantially 90 degrees;
and,
a focusing mechanism coupled to the housing and axially centered on the longitudinal axis, the focusing mechanism capable of collecting the emitted electromagnetic energy and focusing the emitted electromagnetic energy into a beam axially centered about an extension of the longitudinal axis.

3 more elements

An apparatus for use in directing a collimated electromagnetic beam to any heading within a volume formed between two adjacent conical surfaces, the two adjacent conical surfaces being defined by upper and lower extent of the collimated electromagnetic beam as the beam is scanned through 360 degrees about a rotational axis, comprising:

a stationary structure;
a housing coupled to the stationary structure by a coupling means allowing the housing to rotate about the rotational axis, the rotational axis being fixed perpendicular to a surface of the stationary structure, the housing having a longitudinal axis intersecting the rotational axis and extending perpendicular to the rotational axis;
a continuous void axially centered on the rotational axis, the continuous void extending from within the stationary structure through the coupling means to within the housing;
an emitting and receiving means coupled to the stationary structure, located on the rotational axis, and protruding through the continuous void, the emitting and receiving means capable of emitting electromagnetic energy into a cone shaped volume within the housing with the cone shaped volume being axially centered on the rotational axis, and the emitting and receiving means responsive to electromagnetic energy within the cone shaped volume that is propagating toward the emitting and receiving means;
a reflecting surface located within the housing at the intersection of the rotational axis and the longitudinal axis being rigidly coupled to the housing, the reflecting surface positioned at an angle of substantially 45 degrees with respect to the rotational axis and capable of deflecting the emitted electromagnetic energy through a directional change of substantially 90 degrees, after reflection the cone shaped volume of emitted electromagnetic energy being axially centered about the longitudinal axis;
a focusing means being axially centered on a focusing means axis and capable of collecting the emitted electromagnetic energy in the cone shaped volume and focusing the emitted electromagnetic energy into a collimated beam, the focusing means capable of bi-directional processing of electromagnetic energy;
and,
an adjustable coupling means for coupling the focusing means to the housing and capable of fixing the position of the focusing means axis parallel to the longitudinal axis and at any of multiple positions further away or closer to the surface of the stationary structure than the position of the longitudinal axis.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.