This is a continuation-in-part of applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 247, 922 filed Mar. 26, 1981, now abandoned, the content of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

This invention relates generally to dished reflector structures and more particularly concerns a lightweight foldable parabolic reflector and a radio frequency antenna assembly incorporating the foldable reflector.

Parabolic and spherical reflectors are known and have been used in the field of communications for transmission and reception of radio signals, such as in microwave communication links, space communications and radio telescopes. Such reflectors have also found application outside the communication areas, as, for example, in the solar energy field, where they are used to collect and concentrate solar radiation.

In the past, dished reflectors of significant diameter, e.g., 10 to 15 feet, have been heavy and unwieldy assemblies and very costly and inconvenient to transport and install. This was due to the requirement of a high level of accuracy in the curvature of the reflector dish in order to obtain high signal gain and to avoid signal phasing problems at the focal point of the dish. In the past, these considerations have generally required rigid reflector structures to achieve and retain precise curvatures.

In isolated instances it was found necessary to design parabolic or otherwise curved reflectors of folding construction, such that a reflector may be folded into a compact assembly for transportation and then deployed for use. Notably, such folding reflectors have found application in the space communications field, where space vehicles require relatively large antennas which are folded during launch within the limited space available, and are then deployed outside the earth's atmosphere.