Conical scan process in a radar antenna, radar antenna implementing such a process and use of such an antenna in a tracking radar

Claim 1

A conical scanning radar antenna adapted to be mounted on a support comprising: a principal parabolic reflector; a circular waveguide; a rearward radiating primary source fed by said waveguide and offset with respect to the focus of the parabolic reflector and including a thin metallic reflector disc having the same axis as said waveguide and a piece of dielectric material fixing said disc to said waveguide at a distance substantially λ from the waveguide, λ being the wavelength of the guided signal, said piece being a cylindrical part inside said waveguide and having the same diameter as said waveguide and a truncated cone-shaped part of dielectric material of height λ with a base mounting said disc, said disc having a diameter of substantially 1.5 λ; and means for rotating said reflector about a rotation axis while said primary source and waveguide remain fixed including a drive motor with a stator adapted to be fixed to said support and a rotor inside said stator fixed to said reflector.