TY - JOUR
T1 - Feed and loss effects in spherical lens antennas for satellite communications
AU - Thornton, John
AU - Smith, Dave
PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - The hemispherical lens antenna is a candidate for satellite communications-on-the-move, offering good scan performance in a reduced height. A short focal length minimizes height but presents challenges in illuminating the lens. Aperture efficiency is dominated by both the primary feed and dielectric loss. Feed effects are investigated in a threefold approach: spherical wave theory, commercial solver, and measurements. Gain and loss in a 432 mm diameter polyethylene/polystyrene lens are also measured. Gain for a waveguide-fed array of two lenses is 36.3, 38.8, and 41.1 dBi, respectively, at 12.5, 20, and 30 GHz. The performance of a proposed four-element array of equivalent area is then estimated.
AB - The hemispherical lens antenna is a candidate for satellite communications-on-the-move, offering good scan performance in a reduced height. A short focal length minimizes height but presents challenges in illuminating the lens. Aperture efficiency is dominated by both the primary feed and dielectric loss. Feed effects are investigated in a threefold approach: spherical wave theory, commercial solver, and measurements. Gain and loss in a 432 mm diameter polyethylene/polystyrene lens are also measured. Gain for a waveguide-fed array of two lenses is 36.3, 38.8, and 41.1 dBi, respectively, at 12.5, 20, and 30 GHz. The performance of a proposed four-element array of equivalent area is then estimated.
KW - lens antennas
KW - waveguide feeds
KW - satellite communications
U2 - 10.1002/mmce.21036
DO - 10.1002/mmce.21036
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - e21036
JO - International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering
JF - International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering
SN - 1096-4290
IS - 1
ER -