Mesh pillowing in deployable offset paraboloidal umbrella reflector antennas

An analytical formula capable of describing, with high accuracy, the offset paraboloidal umbrella reflector mesh shape is presented. This formula takes full account of the pillowing effect, and also applies to the front-end geometry, which is simply a degenerate case of an offset paraboloid. The basic steps used in deriving this formula parallel the ones used for the front-fed geometry. The validity of the analytical solution presented has been confirmed by comparison against a numerical solution obtained using the finite-difference technique.<>