Smart Sensum develops antenna solutions based on cylindrical Luneburg lenses for RF and mmWave applications, including complete multi-beam antenna systems incorporating multiple feeds, RF switching and control units for beam selection and scanning. The resulting architectures support high-gain operation and flexible multi-beam capability.
In comparison with spherical Luneburg lenses, cylindrical implementations simplify fabrication, provide efficient beam control in one dimension and integrate more easily into antenna systems, leading to lower overall cost. This design approach supports optimized antenna architectures and enhanced system-level performance for advanced communication and sensing applications.
Cylindrical Luneburg lenses focus incoming electromagnetic waves onto a focal region primarily in one dimension, enabling the formation of narrow, high-gain beams. By exciting the lens from multiple feed positions, beam steering over a wide angular range can be achieved, making this approach well suited for applications such as automotive radar and wireless communication systems requiring broad angular coverage.
As illustrated in the figure below, our 24 GHz implementation demonstrates the generation of multiple directive beams or the scanning of a single beam at discrete azimuthal angles. Increasing the lens diameter enables a narrower beamwidth in the azimuth plane and improved angular resolution.
Using a Luneburg lens can significantly enhance the monostatic radar cross section (RCS) of a target, improving detectability and localization. In particular, cylindrical Luneburg lenses can provide RCS enhancement over a wide angular range.
The video GIFs below illustrate the scattering response of a cylindrical Luneburg lens combined with conductive surfaces for RCS enhancement. The results are shown under plane-wave illumination at incident angles of 0° and 50°, demonstrating the angular behavior of the combined structure.
