Depolarizing trihedral corner reflectors for radar navigation and remote sensing

摘要

A conventional trihedral corner reflector can be modified to present either a twist-polarizing or a circularly polarizing response by adding conducting fins of rectangular corrugations of prescribed dimensions and orientation to one of its interior surfaces. Since the modified reflector retains most of the mechanical ruggedness and ease of manufacture of the original, it is suitable for deployment in the field for extended periods as required in radar navigation and remote sensing applications. For most directions of incidence the response of the reflector is dominated by triple-bounce reflections from the interior and is a function of the size and shape of the reflecting panels, the dimensions of the corrugations, and the orientation of the reflector with respect to the radar. Experimental results show that prototype twist-polarizing and circularly polarizing reflectors respond as predicted.