Sectoral Spherical Dielectric Lens Antenna on a Reflector for Ku-band Communication

Abstract

This paper proposes a compact sectoral spherical dielectric lens antenna on a reflector. The weight of the proposed 45-degree sectoral lens is significantly less than the original full spherical lens by a factor of 16. The unidirectional pattern suitable for Ku-band satellite communications, radar and other applications is achieved. Conventionally, a high-gain parabolic reflector antenna is low cost and popular for satellite communications. However, its antenna size is huge and usually installed on the rooftop. Thus, it is unsuited for installation on vehicles, aircrafts, ships and modern buildings. This paper proposes a size and weight reduction technique, where the 45-degree sectoral lens is installed in a corner reflector. A virtual source (image source) technique is employed to create virtual full spherical dielectric lens. The corner reflector increases the effective aperture area resulting in the antenna gain enhancement. It is found that the proposed antenna size is smaller than the conventional parabolic reflector and original full spherical lens with the same electrical performances. Thus, it is well suited for modern communication systems where a high-gain antennas are required.