Devices and method for separating short-wavelength and long-wavelength signals

Claim 1

A device for channeling into separate paths a long-wavelength signal and short-wavelength signal said short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said device comprising: means for collecting the short and long-wavelength signals at a common area of focus, the short-wavelength being in the form of a ray cone having a central axis extending in a first direction; waveguide means for propagating the long-wavelength signal in a second direction extending at an angle to the first direction; means for passing both the short and long-wavelength signals in said first direction into said waveguide means; means for deflecting the long-wavelength signal to propagate through said waveguide means in said second direction, while passing the ray cone in said first direction to converge at a point along the central axis external of said waveguide means; and means for detecting the short-wavelength signal substantially at the point of convergence.

Claim 2

A device for channeling into separate paths a long-wavelength signal and short-wavelength signal said short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said device comprising: means for collecting the short and long-wavelength signals at a common area of focus, the short-wavelength being in the form of a ray cone having a central axis extending in a first direction; waveguide means for propagating the long-wavelength signal in a second direction extending at an angle to the first direction; means for passing both the short and long-wavelength signals in said first direction into said waveguide means; means for deflecting the long-wavelength signal to propagate through said waveguide means in said second direction, while passing the ray cone in said first direction to converge at a point along the central axis external of said waveguide means; and means for detecting the short-wavelength signal substantially at the point of convergence.

Claim 4

A device according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the second direction is substantially orthogonal to the first direction.

Claim 5

A device according to claims 1, 2 or 3 whererin the means for passing the long and short-wavelength signals includes aperture means opening into the waveguide means having a width and length dimension each greater than the width of said waveguide means.

Claim 6

A device according to claims 1 to 4 wherein the deflecting and ray cone passing means comprises a circular aperture in the waveguide means coaxially aligned with the central axis, and having a diameter sufficient to pass the ray cone out of the waveguide means to the selected point of convergence, while blocking effectively the long-wavelength signal.

Claim 7

A method of channeling a short-wavelength signal and a long wavelength signal into separate paths, the short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said method comprising, collecting the long- and short-wavelength signals at a common area of focus; >passing the collected signals in a first direction along a central axis into and then out of a waveguide passageway; deflecting the long-wavelength signal through the waveguide in a second direction at an angle to the first direction; passing the short-wavelength signal through an aperture aligned with the central axis, the aperture having a diameter sufficient to pass the short-wavelength ray cone while effectively blocking the long-wavelength deflected signal; and detecting the short-wavelength signal for processing.

Claim 8

A method of channeling a short-wavelength signal and a long wavelength signal into separate paths, the short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said method comprising, collecting the long- and short-wavelength signals at a common area of focus; >passing the collected signals in a first direction along a central axis into and then out of a waveguide passageway; deflecting the long-wavelength signal through the waveguide in a second direction at an angle to the first direction; passing the short-wavelength signal through an aperture aligned with the central axis, the aperture having a diameter sufficient to pass the short-wavelength ray cone while effectively blocking the long-wavelength deflected signal; and detecting the short-wavelength signal for processing.

Claim 12

A device for channeling into separate distinct paths a long wavelength signal and a short-wavelength signal, said short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said device comprising: a housing having an exterior surface; waveguide means in said housing having an input/output port, and having a first and second pair of spaced opposing internal surfaces defining a passageway having a first portion extending along a propagation axis in one direction, for propagating the long-wavelength signal to the input/output port; a first aperture means in a first portion of said housing and located in one of said first pair of internal surfaces having a selected dimension greater than the width of the passageway for passing both the short and long-wavelength signals into the passageway; a second aperture means in a second portion of the housing in the other of said first pair of internal surfaces, coaxial with the first aperture means; collecting means including means having an outer end and a throat end, and tapered at a selected angle to have a cross sectional area at said throat end smaller than the cross sectional area at said outer end, said collecting means being mounted on the exterior surface of said housing adjacent said throat end surrounding the first aperture means for directing the long-wavelength signals along a path extending into the waveguide means in another direction at an angle to the one direction, said collecting means passing the short-wavelength signal in the form of the ray cone and having a point of convergence a selected distance from the throat end; said second aperture means having a diameter large enough to pass the short wavelength ray cone to the point of convergence at the selected distance while effectively blocking the long-wavelength signal for deflection along the propagation axis; and detecting means disposed substantially at the point of ray cone convergence for processing the short-wavelength signal.

Claim 13

A device for channeling into separate distinct paths a long wavelength signal and a short-wavelength signal, said short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone, said device comprising: a housing having an exterior surface; waveguide means in said housing having an input/output port, and having a first and second pair of spaced opposing internal surfaces defining a passageway having a first portion extending along a propagation axis in one direction, for propagating the long-wavelength signal to the input/output port; a first aperture means in a first portion of said housing and located in one of said first pair of internal surfaces having a selected dimension greater than the width of the passageway for passing both the short and long-wavelength signals into the passageway; a second aperture means in a second portion of the housing in the other of said first pair of internal surfaces, coaxial with the first aperture means; collecting means including means having an outer end and a throat end, and tapered at a selected angle to have a cross sectional area at said throat end smaller than the cross sectional area at said outer end, said collecting means being mounted on the exterior surface of said housing adjacent said throat end surrounding the first aperture means for directing the long-wavelength signals along a path extending into the waveguide means in another direction at an angle to the one direction, said collecting means passing the short-wavelength signal in the form of the ray cone and having a point of convergence a selected distance from the throat end; said second aperture means having a diameter large enough to pass the short wavelength ray cone to the point of convergence at the selected distance while effectively blocking the long-wavelength signal for deflection along the propagation axis; and detecting means disposed substantially at the point of ray cone convergence for processing the short-wavelength signal.

Claim 15

A device according to claims 10 or 11 wherein the second pair of internal surfaces of the passageway taper inwardly for a portion of their height in the same plane as the taper of the collecting means for a distance along the path of the passageway substantially coextensive with the corresponding dimension of the first aperture means to effect the transition between the feedhorn and the waveguide means.

Claim 16

A device according to claims 10, 11 or 12 wherein each dimension of throat end of the horn is greater than the width dimension of the passageway.

Claim 17

A device according to claims 10 to 13 wherein the passageway communicates at opposite ends with the exterior of the housing, and further comprises a shorting plunger disposed in the passageway at one end.

Claim 19

A device according to claims 10 to 15 wherein the second aperture means is approximately circular in configuration.

Claim 21

A device according to claims 10 to 17 wherein the housing adjacent the peripheral edge of the second aperture means is 0.01 inches in thickness for permitting the point of ray cone convergence to be close to the throat of the feedhorn.

Claim 22

A device according to claims 10 to 18 wherein the feed means is a feedhorn having a first and second pair of opposing sidewalls to define a pyramidal configuration, said sidewalls forming an angle relative to the central axis in the first direction to permit unobstructed passage of a short-wavelength ray cone having a total conical angle in the range of from approximately 10 to 25 degrees.

Claim 28

A device for channeling into separate paths a long-wavelength signal and a short-wavelength signal, comprising: means for collecting the signals of a common area of focus, the short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone having a central axis extending in a first direction; a waveguide means for propagating along a passageway the long-wavelength signal in a second direction extending at an angle to the first direction; said waveguide means having an aperture opening into the passageway for passing the long-wavelength signals in said first direction into the passageway said aperture having a greater cross sectional area than the passageway, said aperture having a first pair and a second pair of opposing walls, each said first pair of walls extending outwardly from a respective edge of the aperture at an angle to the central axis to terminate at one surface of the passageway, each said second pair of walls extending at an angle inwardly toward said passageway to terminate in a surface of the passageway adjoining the one surface; means for deflecting the long-wavelength signal to propagate through said waveguide means in said second direction, while passing the ray cone in said first direction to converge at a point along the central axis external of said waveguide means; and means for detecting the short-wavelength signal substantially at the point of convergence.

Claim 29

A device for channeling into separate paths a long-wavelength signal and a short-wavelength signal, comprising: means for collecting the signals of a common area of focus, the short-wavelength signal being in the form of a ray cone having a central axis extending in a first direction; a waveguide means for propagating along a passageway the long-wavelength signal in a second direction extending at an angle to the first direction; said waveguide means having an aperture opening into the passageway for passing the long-wavelength signals in said first direction into the passageway said aperture having a greater cross sectional area than the passageway, said aperture having a first pair and a second pair of opposing walls, each said first pair of walls extending outwardly from a respective edge of the aperture at an angle to the central axis to terminate at one surface of the passageway, each said second pair of walls extending at an angle inwardly toward said passageway to terminate in a surface of the passageway adjoining the one surface; means for deflecting the long-wavelength signal to propagate through said waveguide means in said second direction, while passing the ray cone in said first direction to converge at a point along the central axis external of said waveguide means; and means for detecting the short-wavelength signal substantially at the point of convergence.