Novel high-power dual-channel rotary joint

This paper describes the design of a dual-channel rotary joint for lower millimeter wave frequencies which is characterized by outstanding features - low loss, capability of handling high average and peak power levels, and ease of manufacturing. A certain drawback of the design is its moderate inter-channel isolation. The dual-channel rotary joint is based on a single physical path, namely a circular waveguide, which is operated in the two modes TM₀₁ and TE₀₁, excited by a novel combination of mode converters. After a careful layout, this rotary joint can be utilized for dynamic point-to-point-links like satcom-on-the-move (SOTM) as well as for radar applications.