US 11,901,630 B1
Confocal phased array fed reflector antenna beam stabilization
Alan Cherrette, Highlands Ranch, CO (US)
Assigned to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed by Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/176,563.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/087,967, filed on Oct. 6, 2020.
Int. Cl. H01Q 19/18 (2006.01); H01Q 3/20 (2006.01); H01Q 3/34 (2006.01); H01Q 1/28 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 19/18 (2013.01) [H01Q 3/20 (2013.01); H01Q 1/288 (2013.01); H01Q 3/34 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a feed structure comprising an electronically scanned array (ESA) feed and a sub-reflector configured to propagate a signal between the ESA feed and a main reflector;
a star tracker element coupled to the feed structure and configured to determine orientation information relative to star alignment;
laser distancing elements coupled to the feed structure and configured to determine distance measurements relative to a plurality of reflective targets disposed about a rim of the main reflector, the targets having corresponding shapes selected to provide reflection of beams emitted by the laser distancing elements over a range of orientations relative to the feed structure producible by a gimbal mechanism for the main reflector; and
a control system configured to determine pointing errors of the main reflector based at least on the orientation information and the distance measurements.