The analysis of deployable umbrella parabolic reflectors

The radiation characteristics of an umbrella-type reflector are studied in detail. When the supporting ribs of the quasiparabolic reflector are parabolic in shape and the surface between any two adjacent ribs is the surface of a parabolic cylinder, the deviation of the surface from the true parabolic shape has the effect of spreading the focal point of the parabolic reflector into a focal region, the limits of which can be calculated from the knowledge of the reflector parameters. The best feed position can be accurately determined by requiring that the phase error over the surface be minimized. For the cosine to the power illumination, numerical results showing the gain degradation, the shift in optimum focal point, and the change in secondary patterns, due to the deviation of the reflector surface from the true parabolic surface, are presented.