Field
This invention relates generally to a phased array antenna and, more particularly, to a phased array antenna for spacecraft and aircraft applications that uses a spatial combining technique employing beam scan phase shifters and true-time delay phase shifters so as to eliminate the need for a beam-forming network and intermediate frequency (IF) hardware and providing polarization control.
Discussion
Phased array antennas are well known in the art for many applications, where most phased array antennas include many antenna elements, such as 400 elements. The phase of each of the signals from a particular source that are received by the antenna elements are selectively controlled so that all of the signals are in phase with each at a common antenna port, which allows the antenna to be narrowly directed to the source with high gain. Typically, phased array antennas include beam-forming networks that weight the individual signals so as to adjust their amplitude and phase so that they can be coherently added together in this manner. Further, at relatively high frequencies, such as 40 GHz and above, beam-forming networks are not available and as such the received analog signals must be down-converted to an intermediate frequency signal before being sent to the beam-forming network, which requires significant hardware in each channel for the separate antenna elements. Also, known phased array antennas have limited flexibility because they are designed for a particular polarization. Thus, for space-borne applications, once the phased array antenna is launched on a satellite or spacecraft, it is not possible to change the polarization scheme for various types of communications signals.
The following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to a space-fed reconfigurable phased array antenna that does not require a beam-forming network and intermediate frequency down-conversion hardware is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses. For example, the phased array antenna of the invention has particular application for a spacecraft. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the phased array antenna of the invention will have application for aircraft and ground applications.
As will be discussed in detail below, the present invention proposes a space-fed reconfigurable phased array (SRPA) antenna system that has a reduced cost and complexity over known phased array antennas because it eliminates the need for bulky, heavy and complex beam-forming networks and associated conversion electronics for converting high frequency signals to intermediate frequency signals. As will be discussed in detail below, the proposed SRPA antenna system uses a spatial signal combining technique to replace the beam-forming network that employs a combination of beams scan phase shifters and true time delay (TTD) phase shifters for beam scanning and beam shaping reconfigurablity. The spatial signal combining technique also allows use of any suitable polarization, such as vertical polarization (VP), horizontal polarization (HP), right hand circular polarization (RHCP), left hand circular polarization (LHCP), elliptical polarization, diagonal polarization, etc. The spatially combined beam is reconfigurable in beam shape and its location.
When a signal from a particular source (not shown) is received by the receive antenna elements 20 in the system 12 from a particular direction, they will all be out of phase with each other, and thus need to be phase shifted to be put in phase to get the desired signal gain and directivity. The signal received in each of the channels 18 is first amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA) 24 and adjusted in phase by a beam scan phase shifter 26. The phase shifters 26 can be, for example, modular 2π phase shifters and provide phase alignment of the signals received by the antenna elements 20 from the point source, such as a source on the ground. The phase shifted and amplified signal in each channel 18 is then attenuated by an attenuator 28 and sent to a TTD phase shifter 30. As is well understood by those skilled in the art, a true time delay device is a signal line having a certain length, where signals propagating along the device are delayed by the length of the device. The TTD phase shifters 30 can be any suitable signal propagation device having the desired length on which the signal propagates so that the length of the device determines the phase of the signal at the output of the device.
The signal losses caused by the phase shifters 26 and 30 and the attenuator 28 can be returned to provide increased gain by an amplifier 32, where the signal in each channel 18 is then transmitted by the transmit antenna element 22 into the open space 34 between the circuits 14 and 16. The TTD phase shifters 30 provide the phase alignment of the signals transmitted by the transmitter antenna elements 22 across the open space 34, so that they are in phase with each other when received by the circuit 16. The TTD phase shifters 30 are necessary because a more significant degree of phase change may occur from the antenna elements 22 to the circuit 16, which cannot be corrected by a modular 2π phase shifter, namely, the phase shifters 24. Thus, the phase shifters 24 provide the directionality to which the antenna system 12 is directed to receive the signals and the TTD phase shifters 30 are selectively set depending on the desired wavelength of the signal being received and the distance between the front-end circuit 14 and the back-end circuit 16. Further, by controlling the variable attenuators 28 in different manners for the channels 18, the size of the beam can be adjusted, where some of the elements 20 and 22 may be removed from the array 14 based on the attenuation of the signal.
All of the signals transmitted by the transmit antenna elements 22 travel across the open space 34 and are received by an antenna horn 40 in the back-end circuit 16. The signals from each channel 18 have been adjusted in phase to provide spatial signal combining such that all of the signals are in phase when they are received by the horn 40. The combined in-phase signal is then sent to an ortho-mode transducer (OMT) 42, whose operation is well known to those skilled in the art, that separates the signal into two separate polarizations, such as vertical polarization and horizontal polarization, which is required to create a circularly polarized signal. The two orthogonally polarized signals from the OMT 42 are amplified in separate lines by amplifiers 44 and 46 and are provided to a coupler 48 that couples the two separately polarized signals together to provide a circularly polarized signal, where the coupler 48 can selectively provide different power levels at its output ports. The circularly polarized signals at the output ports of the coupler 48 are then sent to separate phase shifters 50 and 52, such as modular 2π phase shifters, to change the orientation of the polarization of the signals, if desired. The corrected signals from the phase shifters 50 and 52 are then provided to a second coupler 54 that combines the signals to provide the desired polarization at an output port 56, where a second output port 58 of the coupler 54 is not used. Thus, the combination of the couplers 48 and 54 and the phase shifters 50 and 52 allow flexible polarization so that once the antenna system 12 has been launched on the satellite 10, the polarization scheme can be changed for a different application, such as, for example, to left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization.
The configuration of the couplers 48 and 54 and the phase shifters 50 and 52 in the back-end circuit 16 is one way to provide the flexible polarization as discussed.
TABLE 1 below provides examples of the flexible polarizations for both of the back-end circuits 16 and 60, where Ph1 is the output phase of the phase shifter 50 and Ph2 is the output phase of the phase shifter 52.
To further show performance of a phased array antenna as discussed above,
The discussion above of the antenna system 12 refers to signals received from the ground or other airborne platforms. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the antenna system 12 can also be used in a transmit mode where signals to be transmitted are provided on the line 56 and coupled into the front-end circuit 14 to be transmitted by the antenna elements 20 in phase to a specific direction. In this embodiment, the amplifiers 24 will likely be high power amplifiers for the transmit application.
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4044360 | Wolfson | Aug 1977 | A |
4799065 | Thompson | Jan 1989 | A |
5014023 | Mantele | May 1991 | A |
6323815 | Rao et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6380908 | Andrews et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6393177 | Paek | May 2002 | B2 |
6421021 | Rupp | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6456252 | Goyette | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6646599 | Apa et al. | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6807343 | Tulchinsky et al. | Oct 2004 | B2 |
7009560 | Lam | Mar 2006 | B1 |
7098859 | Shimawaki et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7307596 | West | Dec 2007 | B1 |
7453413 | Larry et al. | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7570133 | Taft et al. | Aug 2009 | B1 |
8350776 | Bauman | Jan 2013 | B1 |
8358249 | Toso | Jan 2013 | B2 |
8693970 | Corman et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
20060097940 | Shimawaki | May 2006 | A1 |
20060125687 | Greeley | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060291537 | Fullerton | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20080151967 | Fullerton | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20100207833 | Toso | Aug 2010 | A1 |
20100283703 | Chen | Nov 2010 | A1 |
20110111751 | Markhovsky | May 2011 | A1 |
20110122026 | DeLaquil et al. | May 2011 | A1 |
20110256882 | Markhovsky | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20110286508 | Smith | Nov 2011 | A1 |
20120155515 | Smith | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20130023285 | Markhovsky | Jan 2013 | A1 |
20130045754 | Markhovsky | Feb 2013 | A1 |
20130147664 | Lin | Jun 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1693922 | Aug 2006 | EP |
2221919 | Aug 2010 | EP |
Entry |
---|
Caekenberghe, Koen Van, et al. “An Analog RF MEMS Slotline True-Time-Delay Phase Shifter”, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE 2008, pp. 1-9. |
Caekenberghe, Koen Van, “RF MEMS Technology for Radar Sensors”, The Netherlands, 6 pgs. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160248157 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |