Polarizer for use in antenna and transmission line systems

Claim 1

A POLARIZING DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDE; (B) A CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE; (C) A TAPERED WAVEGUIDE TRANSITION SECTION COUPLING ONE END OF SAID RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDE TO ONE END OF SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE, SAID TRANSITION SECTION BEING APPROXIMATELY TWO WAVE LENGTHS LONG IN FREE SPACE AT THE CENTER FREQUENCY OF SAID ENERGY; (D) ELONGATED DIELECTRIC MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE AND EXTENDING INTO SAID TRANSITION SECTION; AND (E) MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY HOLDING SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS WITHIN SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE; (F) SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS COMPRISING A WEDGE-SHAPED BODY PORTION CONNECTED TO A CYLINDRICAL HEAD PORTION, SAID BODY PORTION BEING APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF WAVELENGTH LONG IN FREE SPACE AT THE CENTER FREQUENCY OF SAID ENERGY AND SAID HEAD PORTION HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE SO THAT SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS MAY BE SLIDABLY INSERTED INTO SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE; (G) SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS BEING ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE AND HAVING A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH THE DOMINANT MODE TE11 LINEARLY POLARIZED ENERGY IS PROPAGATED IN SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE, SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS WHEN ROTATED CLOCKWISE FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO A SECOND POSITION, CAUSES SAID DOMINANT MODE TE11 LINEARLY POLARIZED ENERGY TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO DOMINANT MODE TE11 LEFT-HAND CIRCULARLY POLARIZED ENERGY; AND WHEN ROTATED COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO A THIRD POSITION, CAUSES SAID DOMINANT MODE TE11 LINEARLY POLARIZED ENERGY TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO DOMINANT MODE TE11 RIGHT-HAND CIRCULAR LY POLARIZED ENERGY, SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS WHEN ROTATED TO ANY POSITION OTHER THAN SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD POSITION ACHIEVES A VARIABLE DEGREE AND SENSE OF TRANSFORMATION OF SAID DOMINANT MODE TE11 LINEARLY POLARIZED ENERGY TO DOMINANT MODE TE11 ELLIPTICALLY POLARIZED ENERGY; (H) SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS BEING AXIALLY ADJUSTABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE FOR VARYING THE IMPEDANCE OF SAID DEVICE; (I) SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE HAVING A PHYSICAL DIAMETER OF A VALUE SUCH THAT SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE WILL NOT PROPAGATE WAVE ENERGY WHEN SAID DIELECTRIC MEANS IS NOT IN POSITION WITHIN SAID CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDE SO THAT