APPARATUS FOR SHAPING THE RADIATION PATTERN OF A PLANAR ANTENNA NEAR-FIELD RADAR SYSTEM

摘要

A near-field radar apparatus includes a fixed beam planar radar antenna (22, 24) and a radiation pattern adaptation device (16) disposed substantially at the near-field boundary of the antenna. The adaptation device (16) comprises a plurality of dielectric elements (26a, 26b; 28a, 28b) that individually constitute or approximate different surface portions of an idealized quasi-spherical or quasi-cylindrical radome reflector (26, 28). The dielectric elements (26a, 26b; 28a, 28b) can be maintained physically separate or combined about the diffraction point of the antenna to form a single dielectric element (36). The dielectric elements (26a, 26b; 28a, 28b) may be mounted on a radome (30) that is otherwise transparent to the radiation pattern, or otherwise suspended at or near the near-field boundary of the antenna (22, 24).