Beam steering and direction finding for differential segmented aperture antennas

Abstract

This invention provides a beam steering system using a differential segmented array antenna. [Solution] The beam steering system is a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures and elements arranged in an array, each including a first and second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures, and the position of each element is located at a distance from a common origin of the elements of the array; and a phase gradient determination circuit for determining first and second phase gradients for the directional elements, wherein the phase gradient is based on a first and second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna; and a phase shift determination circuit for determining first and second phase shifts for each element, and for each element, determining a composite phase shift by summing the respective first and second phase shifts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing dates of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 273,344, filed on October 29, 2021, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 273,352, filed on October 29, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 273,434, filed on October 29, 2021. The entire teachings of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to beam steering and direction finding for differential segmented array (DSA) antennas. )) antennas.

Background Art

[0003] Background

[0003] Beamforming is the application of multiple radiating elements that transmit the same signal at the same wavelength and phase, effectively creating a single antenna with a longer, more targeted stream. Beam steering takes the concept of beamforming one step further by changing the phase of the input signals on all radiating elements. This enables the signal to be targeted to a specific receiver. An antenna can employ radiating elements with a common frequency to steer a single beam in a specific direction, or beams of different frequencies can be steered in different directions to serve different users. Beam steering plays an important role in 5G communication due to the range limitations combined with the high usage of 5G networks.

[0004] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] Reference should be made to the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] [Figure 1A]

[0005] Figure 1A shows various diagrams of differential segmented array (DSA) antennas according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B]

[0005] Figure 1B shows various diagrams of differential segmented array (DSA) antennas according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 1C]

[0005] Figure 1C shows various diagrams of differential segmented array (DSA) antennas according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]

[0006] Figure 2 shows a beam steering circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0007] Figure 3A shows a beam pattern for the DSA antenna of Figure 1A according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B]

[0007] Figure 3B shows a beam pattern for the DSA antenna of Figure 1B according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C]

[0007] Figure 3C shows a beam pattern for the DSA antenna of Figure 1C according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0008] Figure 4 shows a beam steering circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0009] Figure 5 shows a phase shift and time delay determination circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0010] Figure 6 shows a time delay circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0011] Figure 7 shows an example of a signal chain according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0012] Figure 8 shows a beam steering circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0013] Figure 9 shows a beam steering presentation system for a DSA antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0006] Detailed explanation

[0014] This disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the configuration and arrangement of components described in the following description or shown in the drawings. The examples described herein may be subject to other embodiments and may be implemented or performed in various ways. It will also be understood that the terminology and technical terms used herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered limiting, as they can be understood by those skilled in the art. Throughout this description, similar reference numerals may indicate similar structures across several drawings, and such structures do not need to be described separately. Furthermore, any particular feature of a particular exemplary embodiment may be equally applicable and suitable to any other exemplary embodiment herein. In other words, the features between the various exemplary embodiments described herein are interchangeable and not exclusive.

[0007]

[0015] Disclosed herein are beam steering systems and beam steering presentation systems based on DSA.

[0008]

[0016] Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C show various diagrams of a DSA antenna 100 according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1A shows a top view of an exemplary DSA antenna 100. The antenna 100 includes a number of projections, which in the examples herein are generally pyramidal structures arranged in an array, with one exemplary pyramidal structure labeled 102. In the example of Figure 1A, the antenna 100 has a 5x5 pyramidal structure with 5 rows and 5 columns. At least one face of each pyramidal structure faces an adjacent pyramidal structure, as shown. The opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures form antenna elements 104 and 106. Element 104 is designated as a horizontal element, and element 106 is designated as a vertical element. Given that there is a 5x5 pyramidal structure with 5 rows and 5 columns in this example, there are 5 rows of horizontal elements 104, and each row contains 4 columns of horizontal elements 104. Therefore, the horizontal elements 104 form a (5×4) array with a total of 20 horizontal elements. Also, given that there is a pyramidal structure with 5 rows and 5 columns (5×5) in this example, there are 5 columns of vertical elements 106, and each row contains 4 rows of vertical elements 106. Therefore, the vertical elements 106 form a (4×5) array with a total of 20 vertical elements. Thus, the vertical and horizontal elements 104 and 106 are arranged in an (m×n) array with m rows and n columns of elements. In the example in Figure 1A, the vertical elements 106 are formed in columns along the X axis, and the horizontal elements 104 are formed in rows along the Y axis. In some embodiments, the pyramidal structures are substantially identical to each other and are substantially equidistant from each other, for example, each element is 1" away from an adjacent element. The electromagnetic positions of elements 104, 106 are phase centers for that element. Each phase center is the transmission (Tx) for signals transmitted by or received by the element. ) and the receiving (Rx) point are represented.

[0009]

[0018] Figure 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the array 100, showing a pyramidal structure 102 formed on the base dielectric layer 108. Figure 1B also shows the DSA antenna array 100 in position for communication (RX and / or TX) with target 110. Target 100 is positioned at an elevation angle ("El.Ang.") and azimuth angle ("Az.Ang.") with respect to the XY plane of array 100. In this example, Az.Ang. is the angle of target 110 with respect to the axis 112 perpendicular to the front of the array in the X direction. Figure 1C also shows a cross-sectional view of array 100 in position for communication (RX and / or TX) with target 110. In this example, El.Ang. is the angle of target 110 with respect to the axis 114 perpendicular to the front of the array in the Y direction. As will be described in more detail below, elements 104 and 106 of array 100 can be controlled to provide a phase shift for Rx and / or Tx communication with target 110 in order to optimize the signal gain between array 100 and target 110.

[0010]

[0018] Figure 2 shows beam steering circuits 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As a general matter, and continuing to refer to Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C, the azimuth and / or elevation angles of the target 110 relative to the orientation of the array 100 generally affect the signal gain in both Rx and Tx operations in the direction of the target 110. For example, the peak gain of the array is generally where the beam pattern of the array 100, specifically the main lobe of the beam pattern, is directed toward the target 110. Therefore, the beam steering circuit 200 generally directs the array toward the target 110 directly (and without causing physical motion of the array 110) to maximize the communication gain between the array 100 and the target 110, by directing the elements (104, 104) It is configured to give a phase angle above each of 6).

[0011]

[0019] The beam steering circuit 200 generally includes a phase gradient determination circuit 202 configured to determine a phase gradient across the array (in both the X and Y dimensions) to maximize the signal strength between the array and the target. The phase gradient is based on the azimuth and elevation angles of the target relative to the array, the operating frequency (f), and the orientation of the DSA array relative to the target. The phase gradient (PGx) in the X direction across the array can be determined using Equation (1). PGx = cos(Az.Ang.) * -cos(El.Ang.) * (360 / (wavelength (f))) (1)

[0012]

[0020] In Equation (1), the wavelength (f) can be determined as c / f, expressed in distance units (e.g., inches, mm, etc.), where c is the speed of light as may be varied by a given medium. Therefore, the unit of PGx is expressed as (degrees / distance). PGx is applied to each row of the horizontal elements shown in Figure 1A, as will be described later.

[0013]

[0021] Similarly, the phase gradient (PGy) in the Y direction across the array can be determined using Equation (2). PGy = sin(Az.Ang.) * -cos(El.Ang.) * (360 / (wavelength (f))) (2)

[0014]

[0022] In Equation (2), the wavelength (f) can be determined as c / f, expressed in distance units (e.g., inches, mm, etc.), where c is the speed of light as may be varied by a given medium. Therefore, the unit of PGy is expressed as (degrees / distance). PGy is applied to each column of the vertical elements shown in Figure 1A, as will be described later.

[0015]

[0023] The phase shift determination circuit 204 is configured to determine the phase shift to be applied to each respective element 104, 106 within the array 100 based on the phase gradients PGx and PGy and also based on the position of the elements relative to the common origin of the elements of the array. The common origin can be any position with respect to the array 100 that is common to all of the elements. That is, each element (m,n) has a defined distance from the common origin. For example, the common origin can be selected as the center of the array 100, the lower left corner of the array 100, etc. For each horizontal element, the phase shift determination circuit 204 is configured to determine the phase shift for a given phase center by multiplying the PGx phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, thus yielding a value θ(m,n)x expressed in degrees. Similarly, for each vertical element, the phase shift determination circuit 204 is configured to determine the phase shift for a given element by multiplying the PGy phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, thus yielding a value θ(m,n)y expressed in degrees. The phase shift determination circuit 204 is also configured to synthesize (sum) the corresponding x and y phase shift values (θ(m,n)x + θ(m,n)y) for each element, thus forming a matrix of composite phase shift values for each element, i.e., θ(m,n). For each horizontal element, the phase shift determination circuit 204 is configured to determine the phase shift for a given phase center by multiplying the PGx phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, thus yielding a value θ(m,n)x expressed in degrees. Similarly, for each vertical element, the phase shift determination circuit 204 is configured to determine the phase shift for a given element by multiplying the PGy phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, thus yielding a value θ(m,n)y expressed in degrees. The phase shift determination circuit 204 is also configured to synthesize (sum) the corresponding x and y phase shift values (θ(m,n)x + θ(m,n)y) for each element, thus forming a matrix of composite phase shift values for each element, i.e., θ(m,n).

[0016]

[0024] A phase shift value θ(m,n) may be applied to each corresponding element during Tx and / or Rx operation, which may give a phase shift / time delay per phase center for each element. Although not shown in the drawings, it is understood that each element is associated with corresponding Tx and Rx circuits to enable communication between array 100 and target 110. For transmit operation, beam steering circuit 200 may also include a phase shift application circuit 206 associated with each element, generally configured to apply the determined phase shift value to the transmit signal operating at frequency (f). The phase shift signal may be expressed for each element as ((real, imaginary)e-jθ(m,n)). Note that each element may transmit a signal with a phase shift, but all transmit signals will be combined in far-field free space. For receive operation, the Rx circuit of each element may apply a corresponding phase shift value. Since phase-shift signals are received from each antenna element, the beam steering circuit may also include a phase alignment circuit 208 configured to generally eliminate any given phase shift on the Rx circuit of each element, i.e., so that each signal received at each element is in phase with the others. The beam steering circuit 200 may also include a signal combining circuit 210 configured to generally combine (sum) the sets of in-phase signals from each element, thus forming a combined signal having a gain increase based on the number of summed in-phase signals.

[0017]

[0025] The DSA array 100 shown in Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C is generally a two-dimensional array. In other embodiments, the DSA array may be implemented as a three-dimensional array by arranging, for example, pyramidal structures 102 on the surface of a three-dimensional shape (e.g., a sphere, cone, cube, etc.). In such embodiments, the teachings of this disclosure for determining the phase gradient and phase shift may be extended to a third dimension (z-dimension). For example, the phase gradient determination circuit 202 may also be configured to determine the z-direction phase gradient as a function of the z-direction offset angle, which can be expressed as PGz = -sin(Z-angle)X(360 / (wavelength(f))). In addition, the composite phase shift value may be expressed as θ(m,n,z), where z represents the number of z-direction elements.

[0018]

[0026] The DSA array 100 may be used for terrestrial applications, such as mounting the DSA array 100 on trucks, fixed structures, etc. The DSA array 100 may also be used for satellite-to-terrestrial communications and / or satellite-to-satellite communications, etc., where the array 100 can be generally directed upward. Depending on the application, the DSA antenna 100 and / or target 110 may be in motion such that their elevation angle and / or azimuth angle changes over time. Accordingly, depending on the embodiment, the phase gradient determination circuit 202 and / or phase shift determination circuit 204 are configured to determine the phase gradient and / or phase shift based on the change in the angle of the DSA array 100 relative to the target 110.

[0019]

[0027] The beam steering circuit 200 described above may also be used for direction finding to "maneuver" the array to determine the elevation and / or azimuth angles of a known signal of interest. Thus, the phase gradient determination circuit 202 may also be configured to "scan" the selected signal of interest by increasing / decreasing the frequency and increasing / decreasing the phase gradient (and thus increasing / decreasing the phase shift of each element) over a selected frequency band, and to determine the phase shift that produces the greatest gain for the selected frequency. Since the phase gradient is defined in units of angles relative to the array, the spatial location of the target can therefore be obtained.

[0020]

[0028] As described above, the beam steering circuit 200 enables an increase in gain in signal communication between the array and the target. Depending on the embodiment, there may be far-field targets interfering with the communication, such as radio jammers. Therefore, the beam steering circuit 200 can also be used to steer unwanted targets to a null position in the antenna array, and thus reduce the gain of the source signal. Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C show beam patterns for the DSA antenna of Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3A shows a three-dimensional graph of the beam pattern of the DSA antenna for a given frequency. As shown, the beam pattern includes a main lobe 302 directly in front of the DSA antenna and several side lobes, one of which is labeled 304. The gain characteristics are maximized for Tx and Rx occurring within the main lobe 302 (for example, when the DSA antenna is steered so that the main lobe 302 faces the target (as described above)), and the gain is reduced when Tx and Rx occur within the side lobe 304. A null position 306 is located between the main lobe 302 and the side lobe 304. The null position 306 corresponds to the azimuth angle and elevation angle (referred to herein as "Null-Az.Ang" and "Null-El.Ang"). The gain characteristics are maximized for Tx and Rx occurring within the main lobe 302 (for example, when the DSA antenna is steered so that the null position 306 faces the target (as described above)). )), the Tx and Rx occurring within the main lobe are minimized. The power scale 308 shows the color-coded relative gain characteristics of the main lobe 302, side lobes 304, and null locations 306. Here, light indicates increased gain characteristics (power gain in dB), and dark indicates null gain characteristics (e.g., gain reduced by more than -30 dB). As shown in the figure, typically there are multiple side lobes 304 and multiple null locations 306. As described above, the beam pattern is generally based on the design of the DSA antenna (e.g., number of elements (m × n)) and the operating frequency. The beam pattern shown in Figure 3A assumes the beam pattern for a DSA antenna with 4 × 4 elements operating at 8.000 GHz. Figure 3B shows the azimuth beam pattern 310, which shows the azimuth angles in which null locations can occur, for example, between 60 and 90 degrees. Figure 3C shows the elevation beam pattern 312, indicating the elevation angles at which nulls can occur. For example, a null 306 occurs between the main lobe 302 and the side lobe 304 at approximately 45 degrees.

[0021]

[0029] Referring again to Figure 2, while continuing to refer to Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C, in addition to Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C, and assuming that target 110 is identified as the source of the interference signal, the beam steering circuit 200 is configured to steer the beam pattern 300 so that the null position 306 is directed toward the target, thus allowing attenuation (nulling) of the interference signal. Accordingly, the phase shift determination circuit 204 may also be configured to determine a first null phase shift for each element based on the horizontal phase gradient, the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and the azimuth null angle (Null-Az.Ang.). Specifically, the first null phase shift may be determined by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array and subtracting or adding the first null angle. Subtracting or adding the first null angle may be based, for example, on the position of the first null angle relative to the main lobe of the beam pattern. The phase shift determination circuit 204 may also be configured to determine a second null phase shift for each phase center based on a second phase gradient, the position of the elements relative to the common origin of the array elements, and the null-el. angle. Specifically, the second null phase shift may be determined by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the elements relative to the common origin of the array elements and subtracting or adding the second null angle. Subtracting or adding the second null angle may be based, for example, on the position of the second null angle relative to the main lobe of the beam pattern.

[0022]

[0030] The phase shift determination circuit 204 may also be configured to determine a combined null phase shift by summing the respective first and second null phase shifts for each element. The combined null phase shift orients the null position toward the target on the DSA antenna, thus reducing the signal strength of the signal received from the target. Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C show the null angles for a given operating frequency.

[0023]

[0031] Figure 4 shows a beam steering circuit 400 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The beam steering circuit 400 of this embodiment includes a phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402 configured to determine a phase shift value θ(m,n) for each respective element of the array, as described above with reference to Figure 2. The phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402 is also configured to generate a time delay value, td(m,n) for each respective phase shift value θ(m,n). The phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402 is also configured to modulate each respective time delay value using a fixed modulation signal, for example, a 1 MHz modulation signal (referred to herein as a “fixed frequency phase shift signal”).

[0024]

[0032] The beam steering circuit 400 of this embodiment also generally includes a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit 404 configured to boost (increase) the frequency of a fixed-frequency phase-shift signal to generate a boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal. The PLL circuit 404 includes a frequency synthesizer circuit 406 for generating an intermediate boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal, a bandwidth filter circuit 408 for providing filtering (e.g., notch filtering, low-pass filtering, etc.) for the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal, and a voltage-controlled oscillator circuit 410 for generating a target boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal as an output from the PLL circuit 404 and as a reference boosted fixed-frequency signal. The reference boosted fixed-frequency signal is used as feedback for the frequency synthesizer circuit 406 to compare with the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal to ensure that the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal remains at the target boost frequency.

[0025]

[0033] The beam steering circuit 400 also generally includes a software-defined radio (SDR) circuit 412 configured to generate a radio signal containing data. Generally, the operating frequency of the SDR circuit may be in the range of 900 MHz to 3.0 GHz. The beam steering circuit 400 also generally includes a mixer circuit 414 configured to combine a boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal (generated by the PLL circuit) with the radio signal (generated by the SDR circuit 412) to generate a combined time-delay signal 416. The combined time-delay signal 416 may be applied to the phase center to enable beam steering. The combined time-delay signal 416 has a frequency value equal to the frequency of the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal plus the frequency of the radio signal, and contains data and phase information. For example, suppose the target operating frequency of the DSA antenna is 2.4 GHz. To achieve this value, the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal may have a frequency of 1500 MHz, and the radio signal may have a frequency of 900 MHz. As shown in the figure, the PLL circuit 404 and the mixer circuit 414 can be repeated for each phase / time delay value to independently drive each element (pixel) of the antenna array.

[0026]

[0034] Figure 5 shows a phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402' according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402' of this embodiment includes a processor circuit 502 (e.g., a digital signal processor circuit, a microprocessor circuit, etc.) for determining a phase shift value θ(m,n) for each respective element of the array, as described above with reference to Figure 2. The phase shift and time delay determination circuit 402' also generally includes a phase control circuit 504 configured to determine a time delay value, td(m,n) for each respective phase shift value θ(m,n). The phase control circuit 504 includes a phase shift sequencer circuit 506 configured to sequentially control the phase shift value θ(m,n) based on a clock value. Since the phase value in the frequency domain corresponds to the time delay value in the time domain, the phase control circuit 504 also includes a time delay circuit 508 that generates a time delay value based on the phase shift value. The time delay value is an input to the (described above) PLL circuit 404' for controlling the corresponding element and applying the time delay. As shown in the figure, the phase control circuit 504 controls the phase of each element of the antenna array independently. This can be repeated for each time delay value.

[0027]

[0035] Figure 6 shows a time delay circuit 508' according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The time delay circuit 508' of this embodiment includes a plurality of cascaded flip-flop circuits 602. The example shown in Figure 6 shows a 3-bit resolution time delay including a single flip-flop circuit, two flip-flop circuits, and four flip-flop circuits that can be combined (turned on) to produce a selected delay time, where the selected delay time corresponds to a phase delay value. Of course, the time delay circuit 508' in Figure 6 can be extended to provide a higher resolution for the time delay value.

[0028]

[0036] Figure 7 shows an example of a signal chain according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the transmitting portion 702 is composed of analog components, thus eliminating the digital-to-analog circuitry on the transmitting side. As described herein, providing an analog solution in the transmitting signal chain can enable frequency-independent operation and can also increase the bandwidth performance of the DSA antenna.

[0029]

[0037] Figure 8 shows a beam steering circuit 800 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The beam steering circuit 800 of Figure 8 represents an extension of the concept described above with reference to Figures 4 to 7, in which multiple instances of the beam steering circuit 400 may be used to enable simultaneous beam steering using their respective operating frequencies.

[0030]

[0038] Figure 9 shows a beam steering presentation system 900 for a DSA antenna according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. The beam steering presentation system 900 includes a DSA antenna array 902 (shown in cross-section). The array 902 generally includes a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array. At least one face of each pyramidal structure faces an adjacent pyramidal structure, as shown. The opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures form an antenna element. In some embodiments, the pyramidal structures are substantially identical to each other and are substantially equidistant from each other, for example, each element is 1” away from the nearest element. The electromagnetic position of an element is its phase center. Each phase center represents the transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) points for signals transmitted by or received by the element.

[0031]

[0039] System 900 also includes a phase shift circuit 904 for controlling the phase of one or more elements of array 902 to perform beam steering operations in at least one direction. In one embodiment, array 902 may be mounted to allow physical motion in the elevation direction, and the phase shift circuit 904 may control the phase shift in the azimuth direction. Multiple phase shift circuits may be used, for example, to control each element and / or group of elements. System 900 may also include a combiner circuit 906 for receiving phase and data information at a selected operating frequency (from a programmable source such as a computer system) and controlling each phase shift circuit 904 using the same phase and data information at the selected operating frequency.

[0032]

[0040] System 900 may also include a spectrum analyzer circuit 908 for receiving phase and data information at a selected operating frequency and generating spectral and / or audio data. The spectrum analyzer circuit 908 may include a USB-based spectrum analyzer for displaying the spectral content of the received signal. For example, in receive (Rx) mode, the spectrum analyzer circuit 908 may provide the user with a visual amplitude and frequency content of the target signal. When the array 902 is beam-driven via the phase-shift circuit 904, the spectrum analyzer circuit 908 may provide the user with a visual change in the direction-dependent amplitude of the target signal, thus providing a visual method for presenting the beam-steering capability of the DSA array 902. The spectrum analyzer circuit 908 may also enable demodulation of radio signals, so that, for example, audio content can be demodulated from radio waves and the audio can be reproduced in exactly the same way as with a standard radio. Therefore, the spectrum analyzer circuit 908 may provide the user with audible information presenting beam steering in receive mode. For example, the spectral analyzer circuit 908 may be able to increase and decrease audible information as the beam is directed toward and away from the target.

[0033]

[0041] System 900 may also include a programmable source 910 (e.g., a laptop computer) for generating phase and data information to be used for beam steering operations of array 902. Depending on the embodiment, a bus interface circuit 912 (e.g., a universal serial bus interface circuit) for exchanging commands and data between array 902, phase shift circuit 904, and / or spectrum analyzer circuit 908 and programmable source 910. System 900 may also include a power supply circuit 914 for providing power to any or all of the above-described components.

[0034]

[0042] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a beam steering system comprising a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, including a first set of directional elements and a second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures, and further, the position of each element is located at a distance from a common origin of the elements of the array; and a phase gradient determination circuit for determining a first phase gradient for the first set of directional elements and a second phase gradient for the second set of directional elements, wherein the first phase gradient A beam steering system is provided, which includes a phase gradient determination circuit for determining the first and second phase gradients based on a first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, a second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna, and a phase shift determination circuit for determining a first phase shift for each element by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, determining a second phase shift for each element by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and determining a composite phase shift for each element by summing the respective first and second phase shifts.

[0035]

[0043] A beam steering system is provided, which, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, includes a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, each element comprising a first set of directional elements and a second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures, and further, the position of each element is located at a distance from a common origin of the elements of the array; one or more computer processors; one or more computer-readable storage media; and program instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors. The stored program instructions include instructions for determining a first phase gradient for a first set of directional elements and a second phase gradient for a second set of directional elements, wherein the first and second phase gradients are determined based on a first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, a second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna; determining a first phase shift for each element by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array; determining a second phase shift for each element by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array; and determining a composite phase shift for each element by summing the respective first and second phase shifts.

[0036]

[0044] A beam steering system, the system comprising a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, each element being defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures, and further comprising the position of each element being located at a distance from a common origin of the elements of the array, and a phase shift and time delay determination circuit for determining the phase shift value for each element, the phase shift and time delay determination circuit also for determining the time delay value based on the phase shift value, and the phase shift A beam steering system is provided, comprising: a phase shift and time delay determination circuit, which also generates a fixed frequency phase shift signal by modulating a time delay value using a fixed modulation signal; a processor circuit; a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit for increasing the frequency of the fixed frequency phase shift signal to generate a boosted fixed frequency phase shift signal; a software-defined radio (SDR) circuit for generating a radio signal; and a mixer circuit for combining the boosted fixed frequency phase shift signal with the radio signal to generate a combined time delay signal, wherein the combined time delay signal controls the elements so that the phase shift is applied to the phase center.

[0037]

[0045] When used in this application and claims, a sequence of things connected by the term "and / or" can mean any combination of the enumerated things. For example, the expression "A, B and / or C" can mean A;B;C;A and B;A and C;B and C;or A, B, and C. When used in this application and claims, a sequence of things connected by the term "at least one of" can mean any combination of the enumerated terms. For example, the expression "at least one of A, B, or C" can mean A;B;C;A and B;A and C;B and C;or A It can mean B, C, and , respectively.

[0038]

[0046] "Circuitry," when used in any embodiment herein, may include, for example, a wiring circuit, a programmable circuit such as one or more computer processors including one or more individual instruction processing cores, a state-machine circuit, and / or firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuit, and / or a future computing circuit including hardware embodiments of accelerators such as massively parallel processing, analog or quantum computing, or neural network processors, either alone or in any combination, as well as non-silicon implementations thereof. Circuits may be embodied collectively or individually as circuits forming parts of larger systems, such as integrated circuits (ICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), logic gates, registers, semiconductor devices, chips, microchips, chipsets, etc.

[0039]

[0047] Any of the operations described herein may be performed individually or in combination within a system that includes one or more non-temporary storage devices, each containing one or more computer-readable storage media that internally store instructions for performing the operations when executed by a circuit. Examples of storage devices include any type of tangible medium, such as hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, any type of disk including compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk rewritable (CD-RW), and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), dynamic and static RAM such as random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPR OM), flash memory, solid state disks (SSD), embedded multimedia cards (eMMC), secure digital input / output (SDIO) cards, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. Instructions may take the form of firmware executable code, software executable code, embedded instruction sets, application software, etc. Other embodiments may be implemented as software executed by a programmable control device. Furthermore, the operations described herein are intended to be distributed across multiple physical devices, such as processing structures in one or more different physical locations.

[0040]

[0048] The terms and expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only, not limitation, and in using such terms and expressions, there is no intention to exclude equivalents of the illustrated and described features (or parts thereof), and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all such equivalents. Various features, aspects, and embodiments have been described herein. These features, aspects, and embodiments are open to combinations, variations, and modifications, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this disclosure should be considered to encompass such combinations, variations, and modifications.

[0041]

[0049] Throughout this specification, any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in relation to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of the expression “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be combined in any preferred manner in one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. A differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array including a first set of directional elements and a second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures. Furthermore, a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna is provided, in which the positions of each element are arranged at a distance from the common origin of the elements of the array, A phase gradient determination circuit for determining a first phase gradient for the set of first directional elements and a second phase gradient for the set of second directional elements, wherein the first and second phase gradients are based on a first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, a second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna. For each of the elements, a first phase shift is determined by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and for each of the elements, a second phase shift is determined by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and for each element a phase shift determination circuit for determining the combined phase shift by summing the respective first and second phase shifts, A beam steering system equipped with this feature.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the combined phase shifts is applied to each of the elements in order to cause a change in the signal gain of the DSA antenna with respect to the target.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a phase shift application circuit for applying each respective phase shift to each element of the DSA antenna in order to transmit a plurality of phase shift signals to the target.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a phase alignment circuit for removing the combined phase shift from the signals received in each element in order to generate multiple in-phase signals.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a signal synthesis circuit for summing the plurality of in-phase signals.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the phase gradient determination circuit determines the location of the signal of interest by increasing and / or decreasing the first phase gradient and / or the second phase gradient with respect to a fixed frequency.

7. The first phase gradient is, cos(first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × -cos(second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × (360 / (wavelength (f) ))) is determined as follows, where the wavelength (f) is equal to c / f, c is the speed of light, and f is the operating frequency. Furthermore, the second phase gradient is sin(first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × -cos(second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × (360 / (wavelength) The system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength (f) is determined as c / f, where c is the speed of light and f is the operating frequency.

8. A differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array including a first set of directional elements and a second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures. Furthermore, a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna is provided, in which the positions of each element are arranged at a distance from the common origin of the elements of the array, One or more computer processors, One or more computer-readable storage media, Program instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, A beam steering system comprising, wherein the stored program instructions determine a first phase gradient for the set of first directional elements and the second directional elements Determining a second phase gradient for the set, wherein the first and second phase gradients This is determined based on the first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, the second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna. For each of the elements, a first phase shift is determined by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and for each of the elements, a second phase shift is determined by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and for each element The combined phase shift is determined by summing the respective first and second phase shifts, A beam steering system, including instructions for performing the steering operation.

9. One or more of the following program instructions stored on the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium: Program instructions for applying each combined phase shift to each element in order to cause a change in the signal gain of the DSA antenna relative to the target. 、 The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

10. One or more of the following program instructions stored on the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium: Program instructions for applying each of the phase shifts to each element of the DSA antenna in order to transmit multiple phase shift signals to the target, The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

11. The following program instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media: the first phase gradient: The determination is made as cos(first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × -cos(second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × (360 / (wavelength (f))), where wavelength (f) is equal to c / f, c is the speed of light, and f is the operating frequency. The second phase gradient described above is: sin(first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × -cos(second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna array) × (360 / (wavelength (f))) This is to determine that, where the wavelength (f) is equal to c / f, c is the speed of light, and f is the operating frequency, The system according to claim 8, further comprising one or more program instructions for performing the following.

12. A method for beam steering for antennas, The present invention relates to determining a first phase gradient for a first set of directional elements of an antenna, and determining a second phase gradient for a second set of directional elements of the antenna, wherein the antenna is a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array including the first set of directional elements and the second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures, and the position of each element is located at a distance from the common origin of the elements of the array, and the first and second phase gradients are determined based on a first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, a second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna. 、 For each of the elements, the first phase shift is determined by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements in the array, For each of the elements, the second phase shift is determined by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements in the array. The combined phase shift is determined by summing the respective first and second phase shifts for each element. Methods that include...

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising removing the combined phase shift from the signal received at each element in order to generate a plurality of in-phase signals.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising a phase gradient determination circuit determining the location of a signal of interest by increasing and / or decreasing the first phase gradient and / or the second phase gradient with respect to a fixed frequency.

15. A differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramidal structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array including a first set of directional elements and a second set of directional elements, wherein each element is defined between the opposing faces of two adjacent pyramidal structures. Furthermore, a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna is provided, in which the positions of each element are arranged at a distance from the common origin of the elements of the array, A phase shift and time delay determination circuit for determining the phase shift value for each element, wherein the phase shift and time delay determination circuit also determines a time delay value based on the phase shift value, and the phase shift and time delay determination circuit also generates a fixed frequency phase shift signal by modulating the time delay value using a fixed modulation signal, Processor circuit and To generate a boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal, a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit for increasing the frequency of the fixed-frequency phase-shift signal is provided, A software-defined radio (SDR) circuit for generating wireless signals, A mixer circuit for combining the boost fixed-frequency phase-shift signal with the wireless signal to generate a combined time-delay signal, wherein the combined time-delay signal controls the elements to apply the phase shift to the phase center, A beam steering system equipped with this feature.

16. The PLL circuit described above, A frequency synthesizer circuit for applying a selected frequency and generating the boosted fixed-frequency phase-shift signal based on the fixed-frequency phase-shift signal, A filter circuit for filtering the boost fixed-frequency phase-shift signal, and An oscillator circuit for controlling the frequency synthesizer circuit to generate the selected frequency, The system according to claim 15, including the system described in claim 15.

17. The aforementioned phase shift and time delay determination circuit, A processor circuit for determining a phase shift value for the elements of the array, a phase control circuit for determining a time delay value for the phase shift value, and A phase shift sequencer circuit for sequentially controlling the phase shift values ​​based on the clock value. The system according to claim 15, including the system described in claim 15.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a phase control circuit and a time delay circuit for generating the time delay value based on the phase shift value.

19. The aforementioned processor circuit A phase gradient determination circuit for determining a first phase gradient for a first set of directional elements and a second phase gradient for a second set of directional elements, wherein the first and second phase gradients are based on a first angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, a second angle of the target relative to the DSA antenna, and the operating frequency of the DSA antenna. , a phase gradient determination circuit, and A phase shift determination circuit for determining a composite phase shift, which determines a first phase shift for each of the elements by multiplying the first phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, for each of the elements by multiplying the second phase gradient by the position of the element relative to the common origin of the elements of the array, and for each element by summing the respective first and second phase shifts. The system according to claim 15, including the system described in claim 15.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein each of the combined null phase shifts is applied to each of the elements in order to cause a change in the signal gain of the DSA antenna with respect to the target.

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