Circularly polarized receive/transmit elliptic feed horn assembly for satellite communications

A feed horn for use in at least one of transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals in an antenna assembly that has a reflector with a non-circular profile, said feed horn comprising:

• a corrugated waveguide section having:
• an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end, said inner wall incrementally widening to a non-circular cross-section along a longitudinal axis to a proximal end of said corrugated waveguide section;
• and
• a plurality of grooves in said inner wall of said corrugated waveguide section spaced along the longitudinal axis, said grooves each having a depth defined in a thickness of said inner wall of said corrugation waveguide section, wherein said depth compensates circular polarized signals propagating through said body for distortions caused by the non-circular shape of the reflector, and wherein one or more grooves have differing depth values.

An antenna assembly for transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals comprising:

• a reflector having a non-circular profile;
• a communication assembly connected to a boom arm comprising a receiver and transmitter connected to an ortho-mode transducer;
• and
• a feed assembly connected to said communication assembly and positioned proximate to said reflector, said feed assembly comprising a corrugated waveguide section having an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end, said inner wall incrementally widening to a non-circular cross-section along a longitudinal axis to a proximal end of said corrugated wave guide section, and a plurality of grooves in said inner wall of said corrugated waveguide section spaced along the longitudinal axis, said grooves each having a depth defined in a thickness of said inner wall of said corrugation waveguide section, wherein said depth compensates circular polarized signals propagating through said body for distortions caused by the non-circular shape of the reflector, and wherein one or more grooves have differing depth values.

An antenna assembly for transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals comprising:

• a reflector having a non-circular profile;
• a communication assembly connected to a boom arm comprising a receiver and transmitter connected to an otho-mode transducer;
• a feed assembly connected to said communication assembly and positioned proximate to said reflector, said feed assembly comprising a corrugated waveguide section having an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end, said inner wall incrementally widening to a non-circular cross-section along a longitudinal axis to a proximal end of said corrugated waveguide section, and a plurality of grooves in said inner wall of said corrugated waveguide section spaced along the longitudinal axis, said grooves each having a depth defined in a thickness of said inner wall of said corrugation waveguide section, wherein said depth compensates circular polarized signals propagating through said body for distortions caused by the non-circular shape of the reflector;
• a circular waveguide section in communication with ortho-mode transducer;
• and
• a conical waveguide section having a conically shaped, non-corrugated inner wall connected between said circular and corrugated waveguide sections.

A feed horn for use in at least one of transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals in an antenna assembly that has a reflector with a non-circular profile, said feed horn comprising:

• a body having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end for communication with the reflector and a distal end for communication with one of a transmitter and receiver;
• a circular waveguide section located at said distal end of said body;
• a corrugated waveguide section located at said proximal end of said body;
• and
• a conical waveguide section having a conically shaped, non-corrugated inner wall connected between said circular and corrugated waveguide sections,
• wherein said corrugated waveguide section comprises:
• an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end adjacent to said conical waveguide section, said inner wall incrementally widening to a non-circular cross-section at a proximal end of said corrugated waveguide section adjacent said proximal end of said body.

A feed horn for use in at least one of transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals in an antenna assembly that has a reflector with a non-circular profile, said feed horn comprising:

• a corrugated waveguide section having:
• an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end, said inner wall incrementally widening to an elliptical cross-section along a longitudinal axis to a proximal end of said corrugated waveguide section, wherein for each increment said inner wall widens in both a major and minor axis of the elliptical cross-section such that both the major and minor axis of the elliptical cross-section is changed from that of the previous incremental cross-section;
• and
• a plurality of grooves in said inner wall of said corrugated waveguide section spaced along the longitudinal axis, said grooves each having a depth defined in a thickness of said inner wall of said corrugation waveguide section, wherein said depth compensates circular polarized signals propagating through said body for distortions caused by the non-circular shape of the reflector, and wherein one or more grooves have differing depth values.

An antenna assembly for transmitting and receiving circularly polarized signals comprising:

• a reflector having a non-circular profile;
• a communication assembly connected to a boom arm comprising a receiver and transmitter connected to an otho-mode transducer;
• and
• a feed assembly connected to said communication assembly and positioned proximate to said reflector, said feed assembly comprising a corrugated waveguide section having an inner wall that defines a circular cross-section at a distal end, said inner wall incrementally widening to an elliptical cross-section along a longitudinal axis to a proximal end of said corrugated waveguide section, wherein for each increment said inner wall widens in both a major and minor axis of the elliptical cross-section such that both the major and minor axis of the elliptical cross-section is changed from that of the previous incremental cross-section, and a plurality of grooves in said inner wall of said corrugated waveguide section spaced along the longitudinal axis, said grooves each having a depth defined in a thickness of said inner wall of said corrugation waveguide section, wherein said depth compensates circular polarized signals propagating through said body for distortions caused by the non-circular shape of the reflector, and wherein one or more grooves have differing depth values.