公开(公告)号：EP3271966A1

公开(公告)日：2018-01-24

申请号：EP15719878.9

申请日：2015-03-20

申请人： AMI Research & Development, LLC

发明人： APOSTOLOS, John T. ,  MOUYOS, William ,  MCMAHON, Benjamin ,  MOLEN, Brian ,  GILI, Paul

IPC分类号： H01Q3/26 ,  H01Q3/32 ,  H01Q3/36 ,  H01Q15/16 ,  H01Q21/00 ,  H01Q5/35 ,  H01Q3/22 ,  H01Q3/44 ,  G02F1/29 ,  H01P1/18 ,  H01L41/09 ,  H01Q21/06 ,  H01Q9/04

CPC分类号： H01Q3/36 ,  H01Q3/2694 ,  H01Q3/32 ,  H01Q3/443 ,  H01Q5/35 ,  H01Q9/0435 ,  H01Q15/16 ,  H01Q21/0037 ,  H01Q21/0068 ,  H01Q21/065

摘要： A low cost passive electronic scanning array based on a Dielectric Traveling Wave Array (DTWA) technology that uses micro-actuated control of a waveguide transmission medium feeding the array elements to steer the array beam. Array gain is achieved by coherently combining element outputs with very low loss, weighted waveguide directional couplers. By modifying the propagation delay of the dielectric-filled waveguide through the introduction of a variable air gap, the radiated phase of the coupled patch array elements is changed, steering the beam accordingly. Since the circuitry is passive and bi-directional, the same antenna array can be used on receive or transmit unlike an active phased array that requires transmit/receiver switching. The design has been validated at Ku-Band through brassboard testing and is scalable with simulation at Ka-Band, steering the beam over a Field of Regard (FoR) of +/- 50o with nearly uniform gain. The approach provides phase control without active components at each individual array element, which significantly reduces the cost of a phased array by at least an order of magnitude.