A Low-Cost Shaped-Beam Hybrid-Feed Microstrip Planar Array Antenna for X-Band Polarimetric Radar Systems

A novel dual-polarized microstrip patch array with a low-loss hybrid feed network suitable for X-band polarimetric airport surveillance radars (ASRs) is presented. A waveguide is used to excite a number of linear subarrays consisting of aperture-coupled microstrip cross-patch elements connected in series. The microstrip radiating part implements the dual polarization capability with low cross polarization, while the very reduced transmission line runs implied in the series-type feeding keeps ohmic and dielectric losses at a minimum. As a further major advantage of this antenna, the radiation pattern can be independently shaped in the two principal planes. In particular, the microstrip subarray is designed to produce a cosecant-squared pattern, whereas the waveguide provides a Taylor-like illumination distribution to have low side lobes in the longitudinal plane. As a result, the proposed array antenna is expected to stand out for high efficiency, polarization purity, simplicity of fabrication, light weight and compactness

[1]  L. Josefsson,et al.  Recent developments in broad walls slots in rectangular waveguides for array applications , 1991 .

[2]  T. Sehm,et al.  A large planar 39-GHz antenna array of waveguide-fed horns , 1998 .

[3]  P. Cowles.  Current and future developments of lightweight waveguide SAR antenna arrays , 1993 .

[4]  Sembiam R. Rengarajan.  Compound coupling slots for arbitrary excitation of waveguide-fed planar slot arrays , 1990 .

[5]  L. Q. Bui,et al.  Waveguide-to-microstrip transitions for millimeter-wave applications , 1988, 1988., IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[6]  R. Petersson,et al.  Radiation performance of the ERS-1 SAR EM antenna , 1988, 1988 IEEE AP-S. International Symposium, Antennas and Propagation.

[7]  Alexander V. Ryzhkov,et al.  Advantages of Rain Measurements Using Specific Differential Phase , 1996 .

[8]  M. Shahabadi,et al.  Low-cost, high-efficiency quasi-planar array of waveguide-fed circularly polarized microstrip antennas , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[9]  A. Vallecchi,et al.  Design of dual-polarized series-fed microstrip arrays with low losses and high polarization purity , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[10]  A. G. Derneryd,et al.  Novel slotted waveguide antenna with polarimetric capabilities , 1995, 1995 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS '95. Quantitative Remote Sensing for Science and Applications.

[11]  Sergey Y. Matrosov,et al.  X-Band Polarimetric Radar Measurements of Rainfall , 2002 .

[12]  L. Accatino,et al.  Reduction in size and weight of waveguide beam forming networks for satellite applications , 1996, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. 1996 Digest.

[13]  F. P. van der Wilt,et al.  A 40 GHZ Planar Array Antenna using Hybrid Coupling , 1999 .