Commutating Feed Assembly.

Abstract

This Interim Report covers the development to date of a low-inertia commutating feed for azimuth steering the beam of a circular array. In addition to superior electrical performance over that of an electronic system, the commutator offers improvements in reliability and life-cycle cost (LCC). It can be accessibly located where maintenance actions are more easily carried out than in an electronically-scanned system or a conventional rotating antenna. Non-contacting loop couplers achieve low-loss transfer and distribution of RF energy, with precise control of amplitude and phase that is needed to realize low sidelobe levels. This method of coupling is preferable to the capacitive coupling used in existing electromechanical commutating feeds, where illumination flutter results in unacceptable MTI performance. To obtain multiple beam groups in elevation, two or more commutators may be stacked on a common drive shaft.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA082567

Entities

People

  • Ron Wolfson

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ac Motors
  • Air Force
  • Assembly
  • Circuit Boards
  • Couplings
  • Delay Lines
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Drive Shafts
  • Fabrication
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Bands
  • Geometry
  • Impedance
  • Insertion Loss
  • Materials
  • Test Fixtures
  • Transmission Lines

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Phased Array Antenna Design.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems