Patent ID: 6307502
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: G01K,G01S,H01Q

Abstract:
A radiometry system comprising an antenna array of the aperture synthesis type having a plurality of antenna elements, distributed in an antenna plane relative to at least one axis, according to a determined law, each of said antenna elements comprising first and second coupling probes sensitive to hyper-frequency electromagnetic signals with dual linear horizontal and vertical polarizations, in quadrature, said probes being connected two by two with electric receiving circuits so as to create said synthetic aperture, wherein said horizontal (f.sub.H1 -f.sub.4) and vertical (f.sub.V1 -f.sub.V4) coupling probes of successive antenna elements (e.sub.A1 -e.sub.A4) are oriented in said antenna plane (At'), along each of said axes (.DELTA.), in such a manner that at least one of said horizontal or vertical probes (f.sub.H1 -f.sub.H4, f.sub.V1 -f.sub.V4) presents a 180 degrees phase shift from one antenna element to the other (e.sub.A1 -e.sub.A4), with said phase shift being obtained by a sequential 90 degrees rotation of those probes (f.sub.H1 -f.sub.H4, f.sub.V1 -f.sub.V4), and wherein means are provided to apply 180 degrees phase shifts (.PHI..sub.H2, .PHI..sub.V3, .PHI..sub.H4, .PHI..sub.V4) onto the outputs of said horizontal (f.sub.H1 -f.sub.H4) and vertical (f.sub.V1 -f.sub.V4) coupling probes, when one of said orientations of an antenna element (e.sub.A1) is taken as the phase origin reference, in order to compensate for said 180 degrees phase shifts with respect to the corresponding coupling probes (f.sub.H1 -f.sub.V1) of said reference antenna element (e.sub.A1).