A novel design method for Blass matrix beam-forming networks

A novel design method for lossy Blass matrix beam-forming networks is presented. Compared to those formerly developed (W.R. Jones and E.C. DuFort, 1971), (S. Mosca et al., 2002), the new method allows the design of such circuits to generate an arbitrary number of simultaneous beams oriented in arbitrary positions. This is obtained by means of an equivalent circuit approach to compute the transmission parameters of the Blass matrix. The method has been applied to the design of a specific multi-beam waveguide application, which required the development and characterization of a novel waveguide cross coupler. Experimental results confirm the accuracy of the method showing high performance for all beams in terms of beam position, side lobe level and efficiency.