Communication system with broadband antenna

A communications system comprising:

• an antenna array including:
• a plurality of antennas configured to receive an information signal from a source;
• and
• a waveguide feed network coupled to each antenna of the plurality of antennas and constructed and arranged receive the information signal from the plurality of antennas and to guide the signal to a first feed port and a second feed port, the waveguide feed network comprising a plurality of orthomode transducers, each orthomode transducer coupled to a respective one of the plurality of antennas and configured to split the information signal into a first component signal having a first polarization and a second component signal having a second polarization, the second polarization being orthogonal to the first polarization;
• and
• a polarization converter unit coupled to the first feed port and a second feed port and configured to compensate for polarization skew between the antenna array and the source;
• wherein the feed network is coupled to the plurality of antennas via the plurality of orthomode transducers;
• wherein the feed network is constructed and arranged to receive the first component signal and the second component signal from each orthomode transducer and to provide a first summed component signal at the first feed port and a second summed component signal at the second feed port;
• and
• wherein the polarization converter unit is coupled to the first and second feed ports and is further configured to receive the first summed component signal and the second summed component signal and to compensate for phase imbalance between the first and second summed component signals and to provide output signals.

An antenna assembly comprising:

• a first antenna configured to receive a signal from a source;
• a second antenna, substantially identical to the first antenna, and configured to receive the signal;
• a first dielectric lens coupled to the first antenna and a second dielectric lens coupled to the second antenna, each of the first dielectric lens and the second dielectric lens configured to focus the signal to a feed point of the respective antenna, each of the first dielectric lens and the second dielectric lens having a plano-convex exterior shape comprising a single step Fresnel feature having a substantially trapezoidal shape, wherein a first boundary of the single step Fresnel feature is formed adjacent and substantially parallel to a planar surface of the respective dielectric lens;
• a waveguide feed network coupled to the first and second antennas and including a first feed port and a second feed port, the waveguide feed network comprising a plurality of orthomode transducers, each orthomode transducer coupled to a respective one of the plurality of antennas and configured to split the information signal into a first component signal having a first polarization and a second component signal having a second polarization, the second polarization being orthogonal to the first polarization, the waveguide feed network configured to receive the first polarization signal and the second component signal from each orthomode transducer and being constructed to provide a first summed component signal having a first polarization at the first feed port and a second summed component signal having a second, orthogonal, polarization at the second feed port;
• and
• a polarization converter unit coupled to the first feed port and the second feed port that is configured to compensate for any polarization skew between the antennas and the source, and to compensate for any phase imbalance between the first summed component signal and the second summed component signal.

An aircraft-mounted antenna assembly comprising:

• at least one horn antenna adapted to receive an information signal,
• at least one orthomode transducer coupled to a feed point of the at least one horn antenna, the orthomode transducer having a first port and a second port and being constructed to receive the information signal from the at least one horn antenna and to split the information signal to provide, at the first port, a first component signal having a first polarization and, at the second port, the second component signal having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization;
• and
• at least one dielectric lens coupled to the at least one horn antenna that focuses the information signal to the feed point of the at least one horn antenna;
• wherein the at least one dielectric lens has a plano-convex exterior shape and comprises a single step Fresnel feature having a substantially trapezoidal shape, and wherein a first boundary of the single step Fresnel feature is formed adjacent and substantially parallel to a planar surface of the at least one dielectric lens;
• and
• wherein a convex surface of the at least one dielectric lens extends outwardly from an aperture of the at least one horn antenna;
• further comprising a polarization converter unit coupled to the at least one orthomode transducer and configured to receive the first and second component signals, the polarization converter unit being constructed to compensate for any phase imbalance between the first and second component signals to phase match the first component signal to the second component signal;
• wherein the polarization converter unit is further constructed to compensate for polarization skew between the antenna and a source of the information signal and to reconstruct the information signal, with any polarization, from the first and second component signals;
• wherein the polarization converter unit includes a plurality of attenuators and is configured to provide an first value of attenuation in a path of the first component signal and a second value of attenuation in a path of the second component signal, the first and second values of attenuation selected to compensate for the polarization skew between the antenna and the source of the information signal.