Simplified doppler antenna system

Claim 2

An antenna system for radiating wave energy into a desired region of space during a selected time period in a desired radiation pattern, wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within a selected portion of said region varies with at least one of the components of angular direction from said antenna system and wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within at least one remaining portion of said region is representative of the sense of said component of angular displacement with respect to said selected portion of said region, comprising: an antenna unit capable of radiating a plurality of beams in different directions within said region of space from a common aperture, and having a plurality of wave energy input ports such that each of said ports corresponds to one of said beams; and means for simultaneously supplying a plurality of wave energy signals during said time period, one to each of said ports, each wave eneRgy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam primarily within said selected portion having a phase, measured with respect to the phase of the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to an adjacent antenna beam, which varies during said time period between a predetermined pair of values, said variation being less than 360*, and the sense of said variation being alike for pairs of antenna ports corresponding to similarly adjacent beams, and each wave energy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam primarily within said remaining portion having the same phase variation as the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to the antenna beam within said selected portion which is adjacent to said remaining portion; whereby when said signals are supplied to said antenna ports said antenna radiates said desired radiation pattern.

Claim 3

An antenna system for radiating wave energy into a desired region of space during a selected time period in a desired radiation pattern, wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within a selected portion of said region varies with at least one of the components of angular direction from said antenna system, and wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within at least one remaining portion of said region is representative of the sense of said component of angular displacement with respect to said selected portion of said region, comprising: an antenna unit capable of radiating a plurality of beams in different directions within said region of space from a common aperture, and having a plurality of wave energy input ports such that each of said ports corresponds to one of said beams; means for controlling the phase of wave energy supplied to the ports of said antenna unit such that each wave energy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam primarily within said selected portion has a phase, measured with respect to the phase of the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to an adjacent antenna beam, which varies during said time period between a predetermined pair of values, said variation being less than 360*, and the sense of said variation being alike for pairs of antenna ports corresponding to similarily adjacent beams, and such that each wave energy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam within said remaining portion has the same phase variation as the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to the antenna beam within said selected portion which is adjacent to said remaining portion; and means for simultaneously supplying wave energy signals during said time period to said antenna ports via said phase control means; whereby when said signals are supplied to said antenna ports said antenna radiates said desired radiation pattern.

Claim 4

An antenna system for radiating wave energy into a desired region of space during a selected time period in a desired radiation pattern, wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within a selected portion of said region varies with at least one of the components of angular direction from said antenna system, and wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within at least one remaining portion of said region is representative of the sense of said component of angular displacement with respect to said selected portion of said region, comprising: an antenna unit capable of radiating a plurality of beams in different directions within said region of space from a common aperture, and having a plurality of wave energy input ports such that each of said ports corresponds to one of said beams; means for controlling the phase of wave energy supplied to the ports of said antenna unit such that each wave energy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam primarily within said selected portion has a phase, measured with respect to the phase of the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to an adjacent antenna beam, which varies during said time period between a predetermined pair of values, said variation being less than 360*, and the sense of said variation being alike for pairs of antenna ports corresponding to similarily adjacent beams, and such that each wave energy signal supplied to a port corresponding to a beam within said remaining portion has the same phase variation as the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to the antenna beam within said selected portion which is adjacent to said remaining portion; and means for simultaneously supplying wave energy signals during said time period to said antenna ports via said phase control means; whereby when said signals are supplied to said antenna ports said antenna radiates said desired radiation pattern.

Claim 5

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 wherein there are two remaining portions of said region, oppositely disposed with respect to said selected portion of said region and wherein said wave energy signals supplied to said ports corresponding to beams within each of said remaining portions have the same phase as the wave energy signal supplied to the port corresponding to the antenna beam within said selected portion which is adjacent to the corresponding remaining portion.

Claim 6

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 wherein each of said wave energy signals supplied to a port corresponding to said selected portion is controlled to have a phase which varies linearly with time between said predetermined pair of values.

Claim 7

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within part of said selected portion of said region varies linearly with said component of angular direction from said antenna system and wherein said predetermined pair of phase values is alike for all antenna ports corresponding to beams within said selected region.

Claim 8

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 wherein said means for controlling the phase of wave energy signals comprises a plurality of phase shifters and a control unit for controlling the operation of said phase shifters.

Claim 9

An antenna system as specified in claim 6 wherein said means for supplying wave energy signals comprises: a source of wave energy signals; a first power divider for supplying said signals to said phase shifters; a second power divider for supplying signals from a selected one of said phase shifters to the antenna ports corresponding to antenna beams in said remaining portion and to said antenna port corresponding to the antenna beam in said selected portion which is adjacent to said remaining portion; and transmission lines for interconnecting said source of wave energy signals, said first and second power dividers, said phase shifters and said antenna ports.

Claim 10

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 which additionally includes means for switching disposed between said means for supplying wave energy signals and said input ports whereby said selected portion may be chosen to have different angular locations within said desired region.

Claim 11

An antenna system as specified in claim 2 wherein said antenna unit comprises means for focusing incident wave energy and a plurality of feed elements, each having a wave energy input port, for illuminating said focusing means with wave energy patterns, such that each of said feed elements corresponds to one of said beams.

Claim 12

An antenna system as specified in claim 9 wherein the frequency of said radiated wave energy within a part of said selected portion varies substantially linearly with said component of angular direction from said antenna system, wherein said feed elements are displaced from each other by a substantially equal amount and wherein said predetermined pair of values is alike for all pairs of ports corresponding to similarly adjacent beams within said selected portion of said region.

Claim 13

An antenna system as specified in claim 9 wherein said means for focusing incident wave energy comprises a cylindrical reflector.

Claim 14

An antenna system as specified in claim 9 wherein said means for focusing incident wave energy comprises a focusing lens located between a pair of parallel conductive plates and wherein said feed elements comprise feed elements located between said pair of parallel plates.

Claim 15

An antenna system as specified in claim 9 wherein the wave energy signals supplied to each of said ports have substantially equal amplitude thereby causing said antenna to radiate substantially equal amounts of radiation energy over said selected region of space and radiate smaller amounts of radiation energy in the remaining regions of space.