Adaptive feed array compensation system for reflector antenna surface distortion

The feasibility of a closed-loop adaptive feed array system for compensating reflector surface deformations is investigated. The performance characteristics (gain, sidelobe, level, pointing, etc.) of large communication antenna systems degrade as the reflector surface distorts mainly due to thermal effects from a varying solar flux. The compensating systems described here can be used to maintain the design performance characteristics independent of thermal effects on the reflector surface. The proposed compensating system uses the concept of conjugate field matching to adjust the feed array complex excitation coefficients. To demonstrate the concept a simulated distorted reflector case is presented with several element patterns.<>