Array feed for axially symmetric and offset reflectors

Claim 2

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating elements preclude formation of a regularly spaced rectangular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced orthogonal lines forming a grid, and precludes formation of a regularly spaced circular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced circular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced concentric circles and lines passing through a centre of curvature of the circles and spaced from adjacent lines by equal angles.

Claim 3

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating elements preclude formation of a regularly spaced rectangular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements located at each crossing of equally spaced orthogonal lines forming a grid.

Claim 4

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating element placements precludes formation of a regularly spaced circular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced circular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced concentric circles and lines passing through a centre of curvature of the circles and spaced from adjacent lines by equal angles.

Claim 5

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the first radiator is for receiving a first radiator signal and radiating the first signal in dependence upon the received signal toward the reflector and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a same signal other than the first radiator signal and for radiating the second signal in dependence upon the same signal toward the reflector, the first and second signals for substantially combining and reflecting to produce a reflected radiated signal.

Claim 6

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the first radiator is for receiving the first signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received first signal to a radiating element feed and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a second signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received second signal to radiating element feeds, the first and second signals for substantially combining to produce a received signal.

Claim 7

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the first radiator is for receiving a first radiator signal and radiating the first signal in dependence upon the received signal toward the reflector and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a same signal other than the first radiator signal and for radiating the second signal in dependence upon the same signal toward the reflector, the first and second signals for substantially combining and reflecting to produce a reflected radiated signal and wherein the plurality of radiating elements forms another group of radiating elements each comprising at least a radiator for receiving another signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received another signal to radiating element feeds to form a received signal.

Claim 8

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the radiating elements are microstrip patches.

Claim 9

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the radiators are radiating element edges.

Claim 10

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 wherein the radiators comprise slots formed within the ground plane of the substrate and having a plurality of sides wherein electromagnetic radiation across opposing sides of the slot are radiated.

Claim 11

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 further comprising an amplifier for amplifying a signal provided thereto, the amplifier coupled to the first radiating element for amplifying a signal provided thereto relative to a signal provided to radiators within the group of radiating elements.

Claim 12

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 further comprising an amplifier coupled to a plurality of radiating elements within the group of radiating elements.

Claim 13

A feed for a reflector antenna as defined in claim 1 further comprising: at least an amplifier; a further group of radiating elements each comprising a radiator, each radiating element within the further group coupled to an amplifier from the at least an amplifier and each radiator for performing one of radiating further signals toward the reflector and receiving further signals from the reflector, wherein the further signals are amplified differently from further signals provided to the group of radiating elements.

Claim 14

A feed for a reflector antenna as defined in claim 1 further comprising: at least one attenuator; a further group of radiating elements each comprising a radiator, each radiating element within a group coupled to an attenuator from the at least an attenuator and each radiator for receiving signals attenuated by the attenuator and radiating said signals toward the reflector.

Claim 15

A feed for a reflector antenna according to claim 1 further comprising an attenuator coupled to a plurality of radiating elements within the group of radiating elements.

Claim 16

A reflector antenna comprising a reflector; a feed having a phase centre disposed substantially at a focal point of the reflector and directed thereto, the feed comprising: an irregularly spaced array of radiating elements precluding formation of one of a regularly spaced rectangular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced orthogonal lines forming a grid, and a regularly spaced circular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced concentric circles and lines passing through a centre of curvature of the circles and spaced from adjacent lines by equal angles, each radiating element comprising a radiator arranged along at least a substantially closed curved path about at least a central radiator proximate the phase centre, each radiator within a path for performing one of receiving a signal from the reflector and radiating a signal toward the reflector; wherein the signals are for combining to form a feed signal.

Claim 17

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating elements preclude formation of a regularly spaced rectangular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced orthogonal lines forming a grid, and precludes formation of a regularly spaced circular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced rectangular array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced concentric circles and lines passing through a centre of curvature of the circles and spaced from adjacent lines by equal angles.

Claim 18

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating elements preclude formation of a regularly spaced rectangular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced array is an array of radiating elements located at each crossing of equally spaced orthogonal lines forming a grid.

Claim 19

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the irregularly spaced radiating element placements precludes formation of a regularly spaced circular array through placement of one or more further radiating elements wherein a regularly spaced array is an array of radiating elements centred at each crossing of equally spaced concentric circles and lines passing through a centre of curvature of the circles and spaced from adjacent lines by equal angles.

Claim 20

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the first radiator is for receiving a first radiator signal and radiating the first signal in dependence upon the received signal toward the reflector and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a same signal other than the first radiator signal and for radiating the second signal in dependence upon the same signal toward the reflector, the first and second signals for substantially combining and reflecting to produce a reflected radiated signal.

Claim 21

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the first radiator is for receiving the first signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received first signal to a radiating element feed and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a second signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received second signal to radiating element feeds, the first and second signals for substantially combining to produce a received signal.

Claim 22

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the first radiator is for receiving a first radiator signal and radiating the first signal in dependence upon the received signal toward the reflector and each radiator in the group of radiators is for receiving a same signal other than the first radiator signal and for radiating the second signal in dependence upon the same signal toward the reflector, the first and second signals for substantially combining and reflecting to produce a reflected radiated signal and wherein the plurality of radiating elements forms another group of radiating elements each comprising at least a radiator for receiving another signal reflected by the reflector and for providing the received another signal to radiating element feeds to form a received signal.

Claim 23

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the radiating elements are microstrip patches.

Claim 24

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the radiators are radiating element edges.

Claim 25

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 wherein the radiators comprise slots formed within the ground plane of the substrate and having a plurality of sides wherein electromagnetic radiation across opposing sides of the slot are radiated.

Claim 26

A reflector antenna according to claim 16 further comprising an amplifier coupled to at least a radiating element from the array of irregularly spaced radiating elements for amplifying a signal provided thereto so that it is amplified relative to a signal provided to another radiating element.

Claim 28

A method of designing a feed for a reflector antenna as defined in claim 27 wherein the radiators are microstrip patch edges.

Claim 29

A method of designing a feed for a reflector antenna as defined in claim 27 further comprising the steps of: selecting cross sections of the field distribution, the cross section of a three-dimensional field distribution and taken along a plane parallel to a ground field distribution; and, associating a component field with a selected cross section.

Claim 30

A method of designing a feed for a reflector antenna as defined in claim 29 wherein the step of selecting cross sections of the field distribution is performed in dependence upon predetermined levels of power within the field distribution.