James M Sowers

US Patent:

20180013204, Jan 11, 2018

Filed:

Feb 21, 2017

Appl. No.:

15/438620

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Seyed A. Tabatabaei - Mountain View CA, US
James J. Sowers - Sunnyvale CA, US
Walter S. Gelon - Redwood City CA, US
Peter S. Simon - Camarillo CA, US

International Classification:

H01Q 15/14
H01Q 21/22
H01Q 1/28

Abstract:

An imaging array fed reflector for a spacecraft is included in a spacecraft payload subsystem. The payload subsystem includes a multi-beam antenna including a reflector, a plurality of amplifiers, and a plurality of radiating feed elements, the feed elements configured as a phased array, illuminating the reflector, operable at a frequency having a characteristic wavelength (λ), and configured to produce, in a far field at the reflector, a set of contiguous abutting beams. The amplifiers are disposed proximate to the plurality of radiating feed elements. Each radiating feed element has a respective coupling with at least one respective amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers. Each radiating feed element, together with the at least one respective amplifier, is disposed in a closely packed triangular lattice such that separation between adjacent radiating feed elements is not greater than 1.5λ.