Patent Grant
7929147
(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for determining an artificial impedance surface and, in particular, to a method for determining an optimized artificial impedance surface by calculating actual surface wave profiles supported on the impedance surface.
(2) Description of Related Art
The closest related art for the creation of artificial impedance surfaces is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,218,281 to Sievenpiper et al., herein incorporated by reference (hereinafter “Sievenpiper et al.”). Sievenpiper et al. discloses how to create an artificial impedance surface using metal patterning in order to scatter a given excitation into a desired far field radiation pattern. This method of creating the surface patterning relies on a radiofrequency holographic technique, where the impedance pattern is determined from the interference of a surface wave and the desired outgoing wave. Sievenpiper et al. uses only assumed surface wave profiles when determining the impedance pattern. However, due to the effects of edge scattering from the edges of the surface, the details of the feed excitation, and the local variation in surface wave wavenumber due to the local variation in the artificial impedance value, the actual surface wave profiles produced on the impedance surface are different than the assumed surface wave profile. Using only an assumed surface wave profile therefore results in less than optimal efficiency of conversion from excitation input power to the desired far field radiation pattern.
Thus, a continuing need exists for a method of creating an optimized impedance pattern based on the actual currents supported on the impedance surface.
The present invention relates to a method for determining an artificial impedance surface and, in particular, to a method for determining an optimized artificial impedance surface by calculating actual surface wave profiles supported on the impedance surface.
The method begins with user selection of a set of input parameters, the set of input parameters comprising an impedance range, a feed excitation surface wave, and an impedance surface.
From the set of input parameters, a 0th order surface wave profile is calculated for the impedance surface.
The user then determines a desired far field radiation pattern to be achieved.
From the 0th order surface wave profile and the desired far field radiation pattern, an artificial impedance pattern is calculated for the impedance surface. A non-limiting example of a method suitable for performing this calculation is the optical holographic technique described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,218,281 to Sievenpiper et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
From the calculated artificial impedance pattern, an actual surface wave profile produced on the impedance surface by the artificial impedance pattern, and an actual far field radiation pattern produced by the actual surface wave profile are calculated. Calculating the actual surface wave profile produced requires use of an electromagnetic simulation tool capable of taking into account the effects of edge scattering from a surface with a varying impedance boundary condition and generally arbitrary surface geometry. A simulator and calculation method capable performing the required calculations is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,925 to Ottusch et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Because the actual surface wave profile produced on the impedance surface will be distorted by the effects of factors such as edge scattering, the details of the feed excitation wave, and the local variation in artificial surface impedance, the actual far field radiation pattern produced will be different than the desired far field radiation pattern. Therefore the next step in the method is to calculate an optimized artificial impedance pattern that will yield the desired far field radiation pattern. This step is performed by iteratively recalculating the artificial impedance pattern from the actual surface wave profile and the desired far field radiation pattern until a predetermined termination criterion is met.
Finally, an optimized artificial impedance surface is determined by mapping the optimized artificial impedance pattern onto a representation of a physical surface. This artificial impedance surface map indicates the patterning necessary to create an actual physical impedance surface.
In another embodiment of the present invention, wherein in the act of selecting a set of input parameters, the impedance range is selected from a set of physically realizable maximum and minimum impedances.
In yet another embodiment, wherein in the act of calculating an optimized artificial impedance pattern, the optimized artificial impedance pattern is calculated through use of a Picard-like iteration scheme, the Picard-like iteration scheme taking the form:
Z(n+1)(x)=−if(Re(Eout·Jsurf*(n)/|Jsurf(n)|));
where:
In another embodiment of the invention, wherein in the act of calculating an optimized artificial impedance pattern, the optimized artificial impedance pattern is calculated through use of a Picard-like iteration scheme, the Picard-like iteration scheme taking the form:
Z(n+1)(x)=−if(Re[ψoutψsurf*(n)/ψsurf(n)|[)
where:
In a further embodiment, wherein in the act of calculating an optimized artificial impedance pattern, the iteration scheme is terminated by a criterion selected from a group consisting of the end of a fixed time period, when the actual far field radiation pattern calculated is substantially improved from the actual far field radiation pattern calculated from the 0th order surface wave profile, and when the actual far field radiation pattern substantially converges to the desired far field radiation pattern.
In yet another embodiment, the method of the present invention further comprises an act of forming a physical impedance surface based on the artificial impedance surface map.
In another embodiment, the present invention also comprises the artificial surface map produced by the method described herein.
In another embodiment, the present invention further comprises the physical impedance surface formed by the method described herein.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention also comprises a data processing system having memory and a processor, the data processing system including computer-readable instructions for causing the data processing system to perform the acts of the above-mentioned method.
Finally, as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention further comprises a computer program product having computer readable instructions encoded thereon for causing a data processing system to perform the acts of the above-mentioned method.
The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:
The present invention relates to a method for determining an artificial impedance surface, and in particular a method for determining an optimized artificial impedance surface by calculating actual surface wave profiles supported on the impedance surface. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.
Further, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object.
The present invention relates to a method for determining an artificial impedance surface and, in particular, a method for determining an optimized artificial impedance surface by calculating actual surface wave profiles supported on the impedance surface.
An artificial impedance surface can be created by metal patterning on a dielectric surface above a ground plane. By varying the local size and spacing of the metal patterning, specific reactive impedance values can be obtained. To scatter a given excitation from the artificial impedance surface into a desired far field pattern, one can use a holographic technique to determine the required space-dependent impedance pattern and, in turn, the local metal patterning necessary to create the desired impedance function. The details of the metal patterning and basic holographic technique are described fully in Sievenpiper et al., herein incorporated by reference.
An artificial impedance pattern using the optical holographic technique is created by the interference of an object and reference wave. In the case of an artificial impedance surface, the basic holographic technique discussed in Sievenpiper et al. takes the object wave to be the surface wave generated by a feed excitation wave and the reference wave to be the outgoing wave that generates the desired far field radiation pattern. For example, for a surface wave ψsurf(x) generated by a point source on an impedance surface in the x-y plane and a desired outgoing plane wave ψout(x) with wavenumber k, the interference pattern is given by:
ψint(x)=Re[ψoutψsurf*]=Re[exp(ik·x)exp(−iκ√{square root over ((x−xs)2+(y−ys)2))}{square root over ((x−xs)2+(y−ys)2))}],
where:
In the above example the interference is determined by scalar waves; the surface wave is assumed to be generated by a point surface on the surface; the surface wave wavevector is fixed and depends on a single impedance value X; the interference varies between −1 and +1. To guide a transverse magnetic surface wave, the actual impedance function on the surface is given by:
Z(x)=−i[X+Mψint(x)],
where:
The above example uses the time harmonic convention exp(−iωt). The impedance function varies between −i(X−M) and −(X+M); these minimum and maximum impedance values are constrained by what is physically realizable using the metal patterning technique mentioned above.
This basic method of specifying the impedance pattern can be improved and generalized by taking into account the vector nature of the currents and outgoing wave, and the details of the surface wave. The present invention specifies how to include these generalizations and to build improved artificial impedance surfaces based on optimized surface impedance patterns.
Generating an optimized impedance pattern based on the actual currents supported on an impedance surface requires the use of an electromagnetic simulation tool that is capable of modeling spatially varying impedance boundary conditions and computing the surface waves produced on the impedance surface. A method and program for performing the required simulations is partially described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,925 to Ottusch et al., herein incorporated by reference. The Ottusch patent describes scattering from a perfect electrical conductor (PEC), but does not describe impedance boundary condition scattering. A reference which discloses the necessary equations to incorporate impedance boundary scattering is Glisson, A. W. (1992), Electromagnetic scattering by arbitrarily shaped surfaces with impedance boundary conditions, Radio Sci., 27(6), 935-943.
From the selected set of input parameters 100, a 0th order surface wave profile is calculated for the impedance surface 102. For example, for a point source feed excitation on a flat impedance surface, the assumed vectorial surface wave profile is given by:
Jsurf(x)={circumflex over (r)}exp(iκr)/√{square root over (r)},
where:
Note that the 0th order surface wave profile is an assumed surface wave profile and does not necessarily represent the actual surface wave profile generated on the surface. Also note that the functional form in the above equation requires that the impedance surface be planar.
The next step in the method is to determine a desired far field radiation pattern to be achieved 104. For example, for an outgoing electromagnetic plane wave with wavevector k, the far field radiation pattern is given by:
Eout(x)=E0exp(ik·x),
where:
To calculate the artificial impedance pattern 106 on the surface, one takes the inner product of the surface wave profile and far field radiation vectors in the following fashion:
Z(x)=−i[X+MRe(Eout·Jsurf*/|Jsurf|)]
where:
This initial calculated surface impedance pattern takes into account the vector nature of the electric field and the surface wave profile currents, but still is limited to an assumed functional form for the surface wave profile vector. Because of the inner product and current normalization, this form for the impedance pattern no longer has maximum and minimum values between −i(X+M) and −i(X−M). The user must now incorporate the selected impedance range M (modulation), selected appropriately to match the physically realizable maximum and minimum impedances.
In the next step of the method, to obtain a more realistic form for the surface wave profile vector, one must, in general, numerically compute the actual surface wave profile produced on the impedance surface 108. Given a feed excitation and impedance pattern on the surface, Maxwell's equations can be solved numerically to obtain the actual surface wave profile on the surface. Note here that the surface wave profile depends on the impedance pattern on the surface, which, if the impedance pattern is generated by the holographic technique described above, in turn depends on the surface wave profile.
To calculate an optimized artificial impedance pattern that is consistent with the surface wave profile that generates the desired far field pattern, the present method iteratively recalculates 110 the artificial impedance pattern from the actual surface wave profile 108 and the desired far field radiation pattern desired 104. The iterative process can be performed using the following Picard-like iteration scheme:
Z(n+1)(x)=−if(Re(Eout·Jsurf*(n)/|Jsurf(n)|)),
where:
The equation above applies to electromagnetic radiation, but the present invention has potential application to any waveform phenomenon, nonlimiting examples being sound waves (SONAR) and seismic waves. The holographic artificial surface impedance technique is applicable to vector electromagnetic waves as well as scalar waves such as sound waves (SONAR). In both cases, a surface wave can be bound to a surface by introducing a layer of material whose bulk wave propagation velocity is slower than the ambient medium wave propagation velocity. Holographic patterning of the surface is physically implemented by locally varying the layer bulk propagation velocity. Because the basic holographic impedance technique is applicable to both scalar and vector waves, the optimization method described herein also applies to both scalar and vector waves. For application to sound waves, the above equation is modified so that all vectors are now scalars, yielding:
Z(n+1)(x)=−if(Re[ψoutψsurf*(n)/|ψsurf(n)|])
where:
The iteration scheme is terminated when a termination criterion is met 112. Non-limiting examples of termination criteria are members selected from the group consisting of the end of a fixed time period, when the actual far field radiation pattern calculated 108 is substantially improved from the actual far field radiation pattern calculated from the 0th order surface wave profile 102, and when the actual far field radiation pattern 110 substantially converges to the desired far field radiation pattern 104.
After termination of the iterative scheme, the optimized artificial impedance pattern data is mapped onto the representation of a physical impedance surface 114. This artificial impedance surface map can then be used to guide the creation of a physical impedance surface.
A block diagram depicting the components of a data processing computer system used in the present invention is provided in
An illustrative diagram of a computer program product embodying the present invention is depicted in
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