A quasi-optical beam former includes a set of beam ports, a set of network ports, a quasi-optical device and at least one parallel-plate waveguide extending between the beam ports and the network ports, the beam ports and/or the network ports being superposed in at least two stages, each of the at least two stages being separated by a conductive plane common to two adjacent stages, the quasi-optical beam former comprising a resistive film placed in the continuity of the conductive plane.

A multi-band antenna system that includes a first antenna array and a second antenna array. The first antenna array includes a plurality of lens sets, each including a lens and feed element(s) configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals that pass through the lens. The second antenna array includes a plurality of antenna elements, each disposed between two of the lenses of the first array.

A radio frequency (RF) beam transmission component having optical inputs and electrical outputs may include a wavelength selective switch (WSS) that has a plurality of optical WSS outputs. Each optical WSS output may be configured to transmit one or more wavelengths of the incoming optical signals. The RF beam transmission component may include a plurality of photodetectors (PD), each photodetector having an optical PD input coupled to one or more of said plurality of optical WSS outputs and a corresponding electrical output of a plurality of PD electrical outputs. The RF beam transmission component may further include a lens that has a plurality of electrical inputs and each electrical input may be electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of electrical PD outputs. The lens may further have a plurality of electrical lens output ports.

A radar system includes a transmit front end device including a transmit planar component, and a receive front end device including a receive planar component. Each of the transmit planar component and the receive planar component includes a first end, a second end, a cavity space and a linear array of antennas. The cavity space is bounded by beam ports along a first side of the cavity space and by array ports along a second side of the cavity space. The cavity space is in operative communication with the beam ports and with the array ports to form a Rotman lens. A linear array of antennas is located along the second end of the planar component. The transmit planar component and receive planar component are arranged such that the linear array of antennas of the transmit planar component and the linear array of antennas are perpendicular to one another.

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A communications device may transmit a first signal. The first signal may be transmitted from a first antenna array of the communications device through a lens of the communications device in a direction. An energy of a portion of the first signal may be below a threshold based on a position of a second antenna array of the communications device. The portion of the first signal may correspond to a portion of a reflection of the first signal that overlaps with the position of the second antenna array. The communications device may concurrently receive, at the second antenna array, a second signal originating from another direction, where the second signal may be focused in the direction of the second antenna array based on the lens.

An antenna system includes a lens portion that has a spherical surface, and an antenna feed structure coupled to a surface of the lens portion. The antenna feed structure includes one or more feed tiles supported by an electrical connectivity layer conforming to the spherical surface. The antenna system also includes one or more offset structures positioned between the one or more feed tiles and an outer surface of the antenna system.

The disclosed structures and methods are directed to antenna systems configured to transmit and receive a wireless signal in and from different directions. A switchable lens antenna has excitation ports radiating radio-frequency (RF) wave into a parallel-plate waveguide structure, and a frequency selective structure (FSS). The antenna presented herein is configured to operate in two modes depending on an initial steering angle of the RF wave propagating in the parallel-plate waveguide structure. When the initial steering angle is about or less than a threshold steering angle, FSS is OFF due to its stubs being electrically disconnected from the parallel-plate waveguide structure. When the initial steering angle is higher than the threshold, FSS is ON with stubs being electrically connected to the parallel-plate waveguide structure. When ON, FSS provides phase variance to the RF wave propagating in the parallel-plate waveguide structure and increases steering angle of the RF wave.

A multi-band antenna system that includes a first antenna array and a second antenna array. The first antenna array includes a plurality of lens sets, each including a lens and feed element(s) configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals that pass through the lens. The second antenna array includes a plurality of antenna elements, each disposed between two of the lenses of the first array.

A parallel plate lens including a top plate, a bottom plate, a side-wall coupled to the top plate and the bottom plate to form the parallel plate lens with a cavity, and a plurality of capacitive probe feeds disposed in the cavity at a spacing interval associated with a guided wavelength (λ) within the cavity.

A microwave distribution network includes stacks of layers, each layer including unit cells. The unit cells have a coaxial input connected to three transmission lines with an angular span of 120°. The layers are configured as a hexagonal lattice formed with replicated unit cells. The coaxial inputs are at the hexagon corners. Each unit cell is connected to three neighbor unit cells. The coaxial inputs of the unit cells and neighbor cells are oriented on a Z-axis of a Cartesian system of axes in which the three transmission lines are on an XY plane, such that the input orientation on the Z-axis is opposite to the former unit cell on the same Z-axis. The distance between coaxial inputs is λ/4, where λ is the wavelength of a microwave distribution network operating frequency. Adjacent layers are interconnected by the coaxial inputs of the unit cells arranged in an opposite direction.