US 11,923,616 B2
Antenna feed horn with near-constant phase center with subreflector tracking in the z-axis
David Webb, Plano, TX (US)
Assigned to KRATOS ANTENNA SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Plano, TX (US)
Appl. No. 18/272,544
Filed by Kratos Antenna Solutions Corporation, Plano, TX (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 23, 2023, PCT No. PCT/US2023/016133
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 28, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/183521, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 28, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/322,719, filed on Mar. 23, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0047869 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. H01Q 3/16 (2006.01); H01Q 13/02 (2006.01); H01Q 19/13 (2006.01); H01Q 19/19 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 3/16 (2013.01) [H01Q 13/0208 (2013.01); H01Q 19/132 (2013.01); H01Q 19/19 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dual reflector earth station antenna (ESA) system for transmitting uplink in a first frequency band and receiving downlink in a second frequency band, the ESA system comprising:
a reflector;
a reflector tracking assembly coupled to the reflector and configured to control the direction of the reflector;
a feed horn coupled to the reflector and optimized for a near-constant phase center for both the first frequency band and the second frequency band;
a subreflector tracking assembly including a subreflector, configured for tracking in the X, Y and Z-axes and supported proximate a focal point of the reflector; and
a control system in communication with the subreflector tracking assembly and comprising at least one processor configured to:
adjust the subreflector of the subreflector tracking assembly along X, Y and Z axes of the reflector until a signal gain of the reflector antenna is maximized for the second frequency band; and
wherein a signal gain of the reflector antenna is also simultaneously maximized for the first frequency band due to the optimization of the feed horn for a near-constant phase center for both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.