Multiport antenna, multiport antenna system, and method of operation

Abstract

A system comprising an electronic system including multiple solid-state radio frequency (RF) amplifiers and an antenna structure. The antenna structure includes a dielectric substrate and multiple antenna elements extending along the dielectric substrate. The antenna structure further includes multiple feed lines, each of which is coupled to an individual antenna element among the multiple antenna elements. The output of each of the multiple solid-state RF amplifiers is coupled to an individual feed line among the multiple feed lines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to antennas, systems including antennas, and methods of operating them.

Background Art

[0002] The generation of high-power radio frequency electromagnetic radiation is becoming increasingly important in communications and other applications. However, increasing the power of electromagnetic radiation emitted by an antenna can make it difficult to balance design considerations. One conventional approach, binary tree coupling, involves using power combiners at one or more stages to combine signals with each other and outputting those combined signals via a single antenna element. In addition to increasing the size and weight of the system, each stage of power combining results in a loss of overall signal strength. Moreover, some conventional approaches sacrifice the sensitivity of the system in certain domains, such as phased arrays.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] Disclosed herein are novel aspects of antenna structures, electronic systems coupled thereto, and phased array systems. The systems disclosed herein can include an electronic system including a plurality of solid-state radio frequency (RF) amplifiers and an antenna structure, the antenna structure including a dielectric substrate, a plurality of antenna elements extending along the dielectric substrate, and a plurality of feed lines, each of which is coupled to an individual antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements and to which each output of the plurality of solid-state RF amplifiers is coupled.

[0004] The multiple antenna elements may include a first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions and a second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions and positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements. The multiple antenna elements may be bowtie antenna elements. The antenna structure may include a planar antenna element on a first side of the dielectric substrate and a ground surface on a second side of the dielectric substrate opposite to the first side, on which the first pair of antenna elements and the second pair of antenna elements are positioned between the planar antenna element and the ground surface within the dielectric substrate.

[0005] The electronic system can be configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, split that RF signal into multiple RF signals, and phase-shift a subset of the RF signals, with a solid-state RF amplifier performing the amplification and phase-shifting of the multiple RF signals.

[0006] The electronic system may include a phase shifter configured to selectively transition between a first state and a second state, where the first state corresponds to a first polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure, and the second state corresponds to a second polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure. The phase shifter may be configured to selectively transition between a third state and a fourth state, where the third state corresponds to a third polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure, and the fourth state corresponds to a fourth polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure.

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure include an electronic system configured to receive an RF signal, comprising a first hybrid coupler that splits the RF signal into a first signal and a second signal, the second signal being phase-shifted relative to the first signal, a first set of transmission paths comprising the first hybrid coupler, the second hybrid coupler and a first set of RF amplifiers from a plurality of RF amplifiers, and a second set of transmission paths comprising a third hybrid coupler, a first phase shifter and a second set of RF amplifiers from a plurality of RF amplifiers, and an antenna structure comprising a plurality of antenna elements, each coupled to the output of one of the plurality of RF amplifiers. The first signal can be transmitted through the first set of transmission paths, and the second signal can be transmitted through the second set of transmission paths.

[0008] A first phase shifter can be connected between a first hybrid coupler and a third hybrid coupler. A first phase shifter can be connected between a third hybrid coupler and an RF amplifier from a second set of RF amplifiers. The first set of transmission paths can include a second phase shifter.

[0009] A second phase shifter can be connected between a second hybrid coupler and a first RF amplifier of a first set of RF amplifiers, and a first phase shifter can be connected between a third hybrid coupler and a second RF amplifier of a second set of RF amplifiers. The first and second phase shifters can each be configured to transition between multiple phase shift states, each corresponding to a different polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure. The first hybrid coupler can be a different type of hybrid coupler than the second and third hybrid couplers. The multiple antenna elements can include a first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions and a second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions and positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements.

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure include a phased array system which may include: an RF signal generator configured to generate a first plurality of RF signals; a plurality of electronic systems, each coupled to the RF signal generator to receive an RF signal from the first plurality of RF signals, each configured to emit a plurality of amplified RF signals, and each of the plurality of electronic systems including a phase shifter configured to selectively transition between a plurality of states; an antenna array which includes a plurality of antenna structures coupled to the outputs of the plurality of electronic systems; and a control system which includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, the control system which causes the control system to determine a set of waveform parameters including a selected polarization of an RF beam to be formed as a result of execution by one or more processors, and to control the phase shifter of the electronic systems to cause the antenna structures to emit an RF beam having the selected polarization.

[0011] The execution of instructions by one or more processors can cause the control system to determine the elevation angle and azimuth angle of the RF beam that will be formed, and to control the RF signal generator to adjust the relative phases of a first set of RF signals according to the azimuth and elevation angles.

[0012] Each antenna structure may include multiple antenna elements, which include a first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions, a second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions and positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements, and multiple feed lines, each coupled to one of the multiple antenna elements.

[0013] A phase shifter can be a two-state phase shifter that transitions between a first state in which the phase shifter's output is not phase-shifted and a second state in which the phase shifter's output is phase-shifted by 180°. A phase shifter can also be a four-state phase shifter that transitions between multiple states, including a first state in which the phase shifter's output is not phase-shifted, a second state in which the phase shifter's output is phase-shifted by 90°, a third state in which the phase shifter's output is phase-shifted by 180°, and a fourth state in which the phase shifter's output is phase-shifted by 270°.

[0014] The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part thereof illustrate specific aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help to illustrate some of the principles associated with the disclosed embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a top perspective view of a first multiport antenna structure according to one or more embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 2]Bottom perspective view of the multi-port antenna structure of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 3] Top view of the multi-port antenna structure of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 4] Cross-sectional side view of the multi-port antenna structure of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 5] Top view of the second multi-port antenna structure according to one or more embodiments.

[0020] [Figure 6] Cross-sectional side view of the multi-port antenna structure of FIG. 5 according to one or more embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 7] Simplified block diagram of the first electronic system coupled to the antenna structure according to one or more embodiments.

[0022] [Figure 8] Simplified block diagram of the second electronic system coupled to the antenna structure according to one or more embodiments.

[0023] [Figure 9] Simplified block diagram of the third electronic system coupled to the antenna structure according to one or more embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 10] Diagram showing a two-state phase shifter according to one or more embodiments.

[0025] [Figure 11]This figure shows a four-state phase shifter according to one or more embodiments.

[0026] [Figure 12] This figure shows a phased array system according to one or more embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] This disclosure provides examples of antennas, radio frequency systems, and methods. More specifically, this disclosure provides a multiport antenna structure for coupling multiple RF signals. This disclosure also enables selective polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the multiport antenna structure.

[0028] As used herein, the term “set” (for example, a set of keys) refers to a non-empty set of members. As used herein, the phrase “combined with ~” means, unless otherwise specified by the context, that a first circuit element is combined with a second circuit element, regardless of whether there are any intervening elements between them. As used herein, the term “subset” refers to an appropriate subset unless otherwise specified.

[0029] Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a multiport antenna structure 100 according to one or more embodiments. The antenna structure 100 includes a plurality of antenna elements 102-1, 102-2, 102-3, and 102-4 (collectively referred to as "antenna elements 102") arranged around an axis Z extending through the center of the antenna structure 100. Each of the antenna elements 102 is made of a conductive material such as aluminum, copper, gold, or an alloy thereof. The antenna elements 102 are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the antenna structure 100. The antenna elements 102 are also electrically isolated from each other on the antenna structure 100. In at least some embodiments, the antenna structure 100 is a high-power microwave antenna.

[0030] Each of the antenna elements 102 has a triangular shape, with the vertices of the triangles adjacent to axis Z. Opposite pairs of antenna elements 102 can be arranged in a bowtie configuration. For example, as shown, antenna elements 102-1 and 102-3 are arranged in a first bowtie configuration, and antenna elements 102-2 and 102-4 are arranged in a second bowtie configuration, positioned laterally to the first bowtie configuration. In some embodiments, the triangular shape is an isosceles triangle, with the base of the isosceles triangle positioned distal to the center of the arrangement of the antenna elements 102. In some embodiments, the triangular shape is an equilateral triangle or a right triangle.

[0031] In some embodiments, the antenna element 102 can have a shape other than a triangle. As a non-limiting example, the antenna element 102 can have a circular shape with a periphery adjacent to axis Z. In some embodiments, the circular shape can be an ellipse with a major axis extending in the radial direction R. As another non-limiting example, the antenna element 102 can have a rectangular shape with a length extending in the radial direction R. In some embodiments, the antenna element 102 can have a square shape.

[0032] Each of the antenna elements 102 has an electrical connection 104 to a conductor that transmits radio frequency signals. The antenna elements 102 are provided on the surface of a substrate 106 or embedded within the substrate 106. The substrate 106 is a dielectric or electrically insulating material, such as a polymer (e.g., resin, polyimide), silicon, or ceramic, in non-limiting examples. While the substrate 106 has a circular shape in the antenna structure 100, the substrate 106 can have other shapes (e.g., rectangular) without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the substrate 106 can contain a plurality of antenna elements 102. The antenna structure 100 includes a housing 108 to which the substrate 106 is mounted. While the housing 108 has a cylindrical shape extending along the Z-axis, the housing 108 can have different shapes without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the housing 108 can contain electrical components and / or electrical systems.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the antenna structure 100 according to one or more embodiments. In this bottom perspective view of the antenna structure 100, the housing 108 has been removed for the purpose of visibility and discussion. The antenna structure 100 includes a plurality of feed lines 110, each of which is connected to one of the antenna elements 102. Each feed line 110 includes a conductor 112 that terminates at one of the connections 104 (see Figure 1). In some embodiments, the feed line 110 is a coaxial cable including a dielectric insulator surrounding the conductor 112 and a shielding layer covering the dielectric insulator. Providing an RF signal input to each of the antenna elements 102 allows for greater control of high-power microwave polarization and also enables greater power output compared to antenna structures with less signal input. During operation, the four feed lines 110 are excited equally with respect to the RF signal amplitude.

[0034] Figure 3 shows a top view of an antenna structure 100 according to one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 100 includes conductors 114 extending along one or more surfaces of the antenna elements 102. Each conductor 114 extends radially or outward from the connection 104 toward the center of the antenna structure 100. Each conductor 114 can be mechanically and electrically coupled to the antenna elements 102 via solder, conductive paste, or conductive epoxy, as a non-limiting example. The conductors 114 can increase the current flowing through the antenna elements 102 to which they are coupled.

[0035] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna structure along the through-line AA in Figure 3, according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the antenna element 102 is located on the upper surface of the substrate 106. The antenna element 102 can be printed onto the substrate 106, for example, by photolithography. The antenna structure 100 includes a conductive antenna contact surface 116 that is spaced at a distance D1 from the substrate 106. In some embodiments, the distance D1 is approximately λ / 4, where λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation that will be emitted from the antenna structure 100.

[0036] The antenna structure 100 may include a guide 118 through which the feed line 110 is coupled to the antenna element 102. The guide 118 may include a conduit formed by penetrating a solid material such as plastic or polymer. The feed line 110 terminates at one or more ports or connectors 120, which are coupled to one or more electronic systems 122 as described herein. The one or more ports 120 may, in non-limiting examples, be a DIN connector, MBX connector, micro coaxial (MCX) connector, QN connector, or ultra-miniature connector (e.g., SMB, SMC, SMP). The antenna structure 100 may include a chassis 124 having an opening through which the feed line 110 extends and is coupled to one or more electronic systems 122.

[0037] Figure 5 shows a top view of a multiport antenna structure 500 according to one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 500 is a high-power microwave patch antenna. The antenna structure 500 includes patches 502 of planar conductive material disposed on a dielectric material substrate 504. The conductive material can be a metal such as copper, aluminum, gold, or an alloy thereof, in non-limiting examples. The patches 502 have a symmetrical shape arranged around the central portion of the antenna structure 500. The patches 502 have a square shape as shown, but in some embodiments, the patches 502 can have a circular or square shape.

[0038] The antenna structure 500 also includes a plurality of microstrip lines 506-1, 506-2, 506-3, and 506-4 (collectively referred to as "microstrip lines 506") made of a planar conductive material. Each microstrip line 506 has a first portion 508 that overlaps with patch 502 in the thickness direction of the antenna structure 500. Each microstrip line 506 has a second portion 510 that does not overlap with patch 502 in the thickness direction of the antenna structure 500. A first set of microstrip lines 506 (e.g., patches 506-1, 506-3) extends along a first direction (e.g., width direction) of the antenna structure 500 and is spaced apart from one another. A second set of microstrip lines 506 (e.g., patches 506-2, 506-4) extends along a second direction (e.g., length direction) of the antenna structure 500 and is spaced apart from one another. The first set of microstrip line 506 is positioned laterally relative to the second set of microstrip line 506.

[0039] Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an antenna structure 500 along line BB according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the microstrip line 506 is spaced apart from patch 502 in the thickness direction of the antenna structure 500. A portion of the microstrip line 506 overlaps with patch 502 in the thickness direction of the antenna structure 500. The microstrip line 506 is capacitively coupled to patch 502 and emits electromagnetic radiation from the antenna structure 500.

[0040] The antenna structure 500 includes an antenna grounding surface 508 provided at the bottom of the antenna structure 500. The grounding surface 508 is spaced at a distance D2 from the patch 502. In some embodiments, the distance D2 is approximately 0.1% of the wavelength λ of the electromagnetic radiation to be emitted from the antenna structure 500. The antenna structure 500 includes a plurality of feed lines 510 for transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals to microstrip lines 506. Each pair of feed lines 510 and microstrip lines 506 together form an L-shaped feed line for the antenna structure 500. The antenna structure 500 includes a plurality of ports or connectors 512 for coupling the microstrip lines 506 to one or more electronic systems. A portion of the ports 512 can be electrically coupled to the grounding surface 508. The antenna structure 500 may include a layer 514 of dielectric material covering the upper surface of the patch 502. During operation, the four power supply lines 510 are excited equally with respect to the amplitude of the received RF signal.

[0041] Figure 7 shows a first simplified block diagram of the electronic system 700 according to one or more embodiments. The electronic system 700 is electrically coupled to an antenna structure 701 via one or more ports 704. The antenna structure 701 can correspond to antenna structure 100 or antenna structure 500, respectively, as described herein. In combination with the antenna structure 701, the electronic system 700 enables the selective emission of high-power microwaves having a selected polarization from among a plurality of polarizations. More specifically, the electronic system 700 can be controlled to generate high-power microwaves having horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, left-hand circular polarization, and / or right-hand circular polarization. The aforementioned polarizations can be achieved by having the antenna structure 100 oriented (relative to the horizontal) as shown in Figure 3, or by rotating the antenna structure 500 90° clockwise. For example, antenna element 102-1 corresponds to antenna element 702-1, antenna element 102-2 corresponds to antenna element 702-2, and so on.

[0042] Advantageously, the use of the antenna structures described herein also allows for the omission of power couplers in RF systems, which combine RF signals from multiple RF sources and feed the combined RF signal to a single-port antenna. Instead, the systems described herein feed RF signals from multiple RF sources directly to one of the multiple input ports of a multi-port antenna, and power couple those multiple signals radially at the output of that antenna. The multi-port antenna is configured to minimize the amount of active reflection at one of the multiple input ports by interfering with the active reflection at that input port in a way that cancels out the active reflection at that input port with the RF power coupled to that port from the remaining multiple input ports. The absence of an additional power coupling network eliminates constraints on size, weight, and loss.

[0043] The electronic system 700 includes an RF signal generator 706, one or more driver amplifiers 708, and a 90° hybrid coupler 710. The RF signal generator 706 is configured to generate an RF signal 712 having a defined frequency. One or more driver amplifiers 708 are configured to amplify the RF signal 712 to a desired level to generate an amplified RF signal 714. The 90° hybrid coupler 710 receives the amplified RF signal 714 and outputs a first signal 716 from a first terminal and a second signal 718 from a second terminal. The first signal 716 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 714, and the second signal 718 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 714 with a phase shift of 90°. The first signal 716 is transmitted through a first set 717 of the transmission path. The second signal 718 is transmitted through a second set 719 of the transmission path.

[0044] The electronic system 700 includes a 180° hybrid coupler 720, an N-bit phase shifter 722, and a 180° hybrid coupler 724. The 180° hybrid coupler 720 outputs a third signal 726 corresponding to the first signal 716 and a fourth signal 728 corresponding to the first signal 716 that has been phase-shifted by 180°. The N-bit phase shifter 722 phase-shifts the second signal 718 by a variable amount and outputs a fifth signal 730. The 180° hybrid coupler 724 outputs a sixth signal 732 corresponding to the fifth signal 730 and a seventh signal 734 corresponding to the fifth signal 730 that has been phase-shifted by 180°.

[0045] The electronic system 700 includes a controller 736, which is coupled to an N-bit phase shifter 722 and configured to control its state. In some embodiments, the N-bit phase shifter 722 is a single-bit phase shifter that can be controlled to transition the electronic system 700 between a horizontal polarization mode and a vertical polarization mode. In such embodiments, the two-state phase shifter 722 is controlled to emit a fifth signal 730 that is phase-shifted by 0° relative to a second signal 718, or by 180° relative to the second signal 718.

[0046] In some embodiments, the N-bit phase shifter 722 is a 2-bit phase shifter capable of controlling the electronic system 700 to transition between horizontal polarization mode, vertical polarization mode, right-hand circular polarization mode, and left-hand circular polarization mode. In such embodiments, the 4-state phase shifter 722 is controlled to emit a fifth signal 730 that is phase-shifted by 0° relative to the second signal 718, by 90° relative to the second signal 718, by 180° relative to the second signal 718, or by 270° relative to the second signal 718. The 2-bit phase shifter 722 may include a first circuit configured to selectively introduce a 180° phase shift and a second circuit configured to introduce a 90° phase shift. The controller 736 may be a digital control device configured to control the 2-bit phase shifter 722 according to Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0047] In some embodiments, the controller 736 includes one or more hardware devices (e.g., a microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic component, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) having circuitry hardwired to perform as described herein. In some embodiments, the controller 736 includes an electronic processing system (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, or any combination thereof) and a memory storing logic to be performed by the controller 736 as described herein as a result of the execution by the electronic processing system.

[0048] The electronic system 700 further includes a plurality of RF power amplifiers 738-1, 738-2, 738-3, and 738-4 (collectively referred to as "power amplifiers 738"), which amplify a third signal 726, a fourth signal 728, a sixth signal 732, and a seventh signal 734 to a desired range, respectively. For example, power amplifier 738 can amplify an RF signal by a desired input-to-output ratio (e.g., about +20 dB). Power amplifier 738 can be a solid-state high-power (e.g., 1000 W+) amplifier that amplifies an RF signal over a desired frequency range. The inputs of power amplifier 738 can be configured to operate power amplifier 738 in a desired class (e.g., Class A, Class AB). Power amplifier 738 can include one or more wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, such as gallium nitride or silicon carbide.

[0049] Power amplifiers 738-1, 738-2, 738-3, and 738-4 each generate amplified RF signals 740-1, 740-2, 740-3, and 740-4, respectively. These amplified RF signals 740-1, 740-2, 740-3, and 740-4 are collectively emitted through antenna structure 701 as electromagnetic radiation with selected polarization by antenna elements 702-1, 702-2, 702-3, and 702-4. Antenna structure 701 can be a single antenna structure among multiple antenna structures arranged in an array containing one or more rows and / or one or more columns. For example, multiple antenna structures 701 and associated electronic systems 700 can be arranged in an N×N or M×N array, where N and M are integers greater than or equal to 1. The array of electronic systems 700 coupled to the array of antenna structures 701 can be controlled collectively to operate as a phased array. In some embodiments, the array of the electronic system 700 may include a single RF signal generator that generates and provides RF signals to the electronic system 700. During operation, the power amplifier 738 emits amplified RF signals with equal RF signal amplitudes. As a result, each of the antenna elements 702 is excited equally with respect to the received power.

[0050] The first set of transmission paths 717 includes a first transmission path including a power amplifier 738-1 and an antenna element 702-1, and a second transmission path including a power amplifier 738-2 and an antenna element 702-2. The second set of transmission paths 719 includes a third transmission path including a power amplifier 738-3 and an antenna element 702-3, and a fourth transmission path including a power amplifier 738-4 and an antenna element 702-4.

[0051] In some embodiments, the electronic system 700 may include multiple RF circulators 742, each of which is coupled between the output of the power amplifier 738 and the antenna element 702. In some embodiments, the circulators 742 help prevent or reduce active reflections between the antenna elements 702 due to mutual coupling and active reflections within the elements due to phase and / or amplitude imbalances between each of the ports 704. The circulator 742 is a three-terminal device that allows the RF signal to pass through the terminals in a single direction and exit. One terminal of the circulator 742 is coupled to a high-power (e.g., 500W, 1000W) termination node or component.

[0052] Figure 8 shows a second simplified block diagram of the electronic system 800 according to one or more embodiments. Various features of the electronic system 800 are substantially the same as those described with respect to the electronic system 700, and therefore, for brevity, further descriptions thereof are omitted. The electronic system 800, in combination with the antenna structure 801, enables the selective emission of high-power microwaves having a selected polarization from among a plurality of polarizations. More specifically, the electronic system 800 and the antenna structure 801 enable the emission of high-power microwaves having either vertical or horizontal polarization.

[0053] The electronic system 800 is coupled to antenna structure 801, which is substantially the same as antenna structure 701. However, the output of the electronic system 800 (for example, from an RF power amplifier) ​​is coupled to a different antenna element of antenna structure 801, compared to the connection of the electronic system 700 to antenna structure 701.

[0054] The electronic system 800 includes an RF signal generator 806 having an output coupled to one or more driver amplifiers 808, as described with respect to the electronic system 700. The driver amplifiers 808 generate an amplified RF signal 814, which is coupled to the input of a 180° hybrid coupler 810. The 180° hybrid coupler 810 outputs a first signal 816, which is transmitted along a first set 817 of the transmission path. The 180° hybrid coupler 810 outputs a second signal 818, which is transmitted along a second set 819 of the transmission path. The first signal 816 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 814, and the second signal 816 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 814 with a phase shift of 180°.

[0055] The first signal 816 is received by the 180° hybrid coupler 820, and the second signal 818 is received by the 180° hybrid coupler 822. The 180° hybrid coupler 820 outputs a third signal 824 corresponding to the first signal 816, and a fourth signal 826 corresponding to the first signal 816 which is phase-shifted by 180°. The 180° hybrid coupler 822 outputs a fifth signal 828 corresponding to the second signal 818, and a sixth signal 830 corresponding to the second signal 818 which is phase-shifted by 180°.

[0056] The electronic system 800 includes a first two-state phase shifter 832 coupled to receive a fourth signal 826. The electronic system 800 also includes a second two-state phase shifter 834 coupled to receive a sixth signal 830. The first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 are configured to operate in a first state in which their outputs are not phase-shifted relative to the input. The first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 are configured to operate in a second state in which their outputs are phase-shifted relative to the input. In some embodiments, the first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 emit outputs that are phase-shifted by 180° relative to the input while operating in the second state.

[0057] The electronic system 800 further includes a controller 836, which is coupled to first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 and configured to control their states. In some embodiments, the controller 836 generates a single output that controls the states of the first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 together. In some embodiments, the controller 836 generates separate outputs that control the states of the first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 individually. The operating states of the two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 are controlled based on a memory or register containing a first bit that controls whether a first phase shift (e.g., 180°) is performed.

[0058] As a specific, non-limiting example, during operation in the first state, the first and second two-state phase shifters 832 and 834 emit the seventh and eighth signals 838 and 840, respectively. The seventh signal 838 is phase-shifted (e.g., by 180°) with respect to the third signal 824, and the eighth signal 840 is phase-shifted (e.g., by 180°) with respect to the fourth signal 828. As a result, the third signal 824 and the eighth signal 840 are in phase with each other (e.g., have a phase of 0°). Also, the fourth signal 828 and the seventh signal 838 are in phase with each other (e.g., have a phase of 180°). Thus, the antenna structure 801 emits high-power microwaves with a first polarization (e.g., vertical polarization).

[0059] As another specific, non-limiting example, during operation in the second state, the seventh signal 838 and the third signal 824 are in phase with each other, and the eighth signal 840 and the fourth signal 828 are in phase with each other. The third and seventh signals 824 and 838 are phase-shifted (e.g., by 180°) with respect to the fourth and eighth signals 828 and 840. Thus, the antenna structure 801 emits high-power microwaves having a second polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization) different from the first polarization.

[0060] The third signal 824 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 842-1, and the seventh signal 838 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 842-3. The fourth signal 828 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 842-2, and the eighth signal 840 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 842-4. During operation, power amplifier 842 emits amplified RF signals with equal RF signal amplitudes. As a result, each of the antenna elements 802 is excited equally with respect to the received power.

[0061] Figure 9 shows a third simplified block diagram of the electronic system 900 according to one or more embodiments. Various features of the electronic system 900 are substantially similar to those described with respect to the electronic systems 700 and 800, and therefore, for brevity, further descriptions thereof are omitted. The electronic system 900, in combination with the antenna structure 901, enables the selective emission of high-power microwaves having a selected polarization from among a plurality of polarizations. More specifically, the electronic system 900 and the antenna structure 901 enable the emission of high-power microwaves having vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, right-hand circular polarization, and / or left-hand circular polarization. The electronic system 900 is coupled to the antenna structure 901, which is substantially similar to the antenna structure 801.

[0062] The electronic system 900 includes an RF signal generator 906 having an output coupled to one or more driver amplifiers 908, as described elsewhere in this specification. The driver amplifiers 908 generate an amplified RF signal 914, which is coupled to the input of a 180° hybrid coupler 910. The 180° hybrid coupler 910 outputs a first signal 916, which is transmitted along a first set 917 of the transmission path. The 180° hybrid coupler 910 outputs a second signal 918, which is transmitted along a second set 919 of the transmission path. The first signal 916 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 914, and the second signal 916 corresponds to the amplified RF signal 914 with a phase shift of 180°.

[0063] The first signal 916 is received by the 90° hybrid coupler 920, and the second signal 918 is received by the 90° hybrid coupler 922. The 90° hybrid coupler 920 outputs a third signal 924 corresponding to the first signal 916, and a fourth signal 926 corresponding to the first signal 916 which is phase-shifted by 90°. The 90° hybrid coupler 922 outputs a fifth signal 928 corresponding to the second signal 918, and a sixth signal 930 corresponding to the second signal 918 which is phase-shifted by 90°.

[0064] The electronic system 900 includes a first four-state phase shifter 932 coupled to receive a fourth signal 926. The electronic system 900 also includes a second four-state phase shifter 934 coupled to receive a sixth signal 930. The first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 emit seventh and eighth signals 938 and 940, respectively, and they are capable of outputting signals that are phase-shifted with respect to the input thereto.

[0065] The electronic system 900 further includes a controller 936, which is coupled to first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 and configured to control their states. In some embodiments, the controller 936 generates a single output that controls the states of the first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 together. In some embodiments, the controller 936 generates separate outputs that control the states of the first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 individually.

[0066] The first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 are configured to operate in a first state in which their outputs are not phase-shifted relative to the inputs, according to a first control signal from the controller 936. In a specific non-limiting example, during operation in the first state, the seventh signal 938 is phase-shifted by 90° relative to the third signal 924, the fifth signal 928 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924, and the eighth signal 940 is phase-shifted by 270° relative to the third signal 924. As a result, the antenna structure 901 emits high-power microwaves with right-hand circular polarization.

[0067] The first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 are configured to operate in a second state in which their outputs are phase-shifted by a first amount (e.g., 180°) relative to their inputs, according to a second control signal from the controller 936. In a specific non-limiting example, during operation in the second state, the seventh signal 938 is phase-shifted by 270° relative to the third signal 924, the fifth signal 928 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924, and the eighth signal 940 is phase-shifted by 90° relative to the third signal 924. As a result, the antenna structure 901 emits high-power microwaves with left-hand circular polarization.

[0068] The first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 are configured to operate in a third state in which their outputs are phase-shifted by a second amount (e.g., 90°) relative to their inputs, according to a third control signal from the controller 936. In a specific non-limiting example, during operation in the third state, the seventh signal 938 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924, the fifth signal 928 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924, and the eighth signal 940 is phase-shifted by 0° relative to the third signal 924. As a result, the antenna structure 901 emits high-power microwaves with vertical polarization.

[0069] The first and second four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 are configured to operate in a fourth state in which their outputs are phase-shifted by a fourth amount (e.g., 270°) relative to their inputs, according to a third control signal from the controller 936. In a specific non-limiting example, during operation in the third state, the seventh signal 938 is phase-shifted by 0° relative to the third signal 924, the fifth signal 928 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924, and the eighth signal 940 is phase-shifted by 180° relative to the third signal 924. As a result, the antenna structure 901 emits high-power microwaves with horizontal polarization.

[0070] The third signal 924 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 942-1, and the seventh signal 939 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 942-3. The fourth signal 929 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 942-2, and the eighth signal 940 is coupled to the input of RF power amplifier 942-4. During operation, power amplifiers 942 emit amplified RF signals with equal RF signal amplitudes. As a result, each of the antenna elements 902 is excited equally with respect to the received power.

[0071] The operating state of the electronic system 900 with respect to the polarization of the high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure 901 can be summarized according to the relative bit states of the four-state phase shifters 932 and 934 in Table 2 below, as well as the phase shifts of signals 938, 928, and 940 with respect to signal 924. [Table 2]

[0072] Those skilled in the art will understand that these electronic systems and associated antenna structures can be modified to achieve different or wider ranges of polarization. For example, the number of antenna elements and / or feed points can be increased to eight to enable oblique polarization in addition to the polarizations described herein. This electronic system can be modified as appropriate by increasing the number of transmission paths and adjusting the amount of phase shift associated with the state of each bit of the phase shifter.

[0073] Figure 10 shows a two-state phase shifter 1000 according to one or more embodiments. The two-state phase shifter 1000 can be implemented, for example, in an electronic system 800. The phase shifter 1000 shown is a switched-line phase shifter, but can be implemented in various other ways as discussed below. The phase shifter 1000 includes a first RF signal path 1002, a second RF signal path 1004, a signal input 1006, a first switching device 1008, a signal output 1010, and a second switching device 1012. The first switching device 1008 is a unipolar double-throw (SPDT) switching device coupled between the signal input 1006 and the first and second signal paths 1002 and 1004. The second switching device 1012 is an SPDT switching device coupled between the signal output 1010 and the first and second signal paths 1002 and 1004. The SPDT switching device can be implemented using a field-effect transistor (FET), diode, mechanical switch, or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device.

[0074] The first signal path 1002 has a first path length that provides a first phase shift (e.g., 0°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The second signal path 1002 has a second path length that provides a second phase shift (e.g., 90°, 180°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The first and second switching devices 1008 and 1012 jointly switch between connections to the first and second signal paths 1002 and 1004.

[0075] The phase shifter 1000 includes a control circuit or logic 1014 (e.g., Boolean logic, TTL) and a control input terminal 1016 for receiving signals (e.g., analog signals, digital signals) to control the signal path state of the phase shifter 1000. The phase shifter 1000 is an example of one embodiment of a two-state phase shifter 1000, which can be implemented in various other ways. For example, as an unrestricted example, the two-state phase shifter 1000 can be implemented as a high-pass / low-pass phase shifter or a passive reciprocal phase shifter.

[0076] Figure 11 shows a four-state phase shifter 1100 according to one or more embodiments. The four-state phase shifter 1100 can be implemented, for example, in an electronic system 700 or an electronic system 900. The phase shifter 1100 shown consists of a switched-line phase shifter, but can be implemented in various other ways. The phase shifter 1100 includes a first two-state phase shifter 1102 and a second two-state phase shifter 1104 connected in series with the first two-state phase shifter 1102. Each of the first and second phase shifters 1102 and 1104 includes a pair of SPDT switching devices that jointly transition between connections to the first and second signal paths to adjust the phase shift of the signal passed through them.

[0077] The first phase shifter 1102 includes a first signal path 1106 having a first path length that provides a first phase shift (e.g., 0°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The first phase shifter 1102 also includes a second signal path 1108 having a second path length that provides a second phase shift (e.g., 180°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The second phase shifter 1104 includes a third signal path 1110 having a first path length that provides a first phase shift (e.g., 0°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The second phase shifter 1104 includes a fourth signal path 1112 having a fourth path length that provides a third phase shift (e.g., 90°) with respect to a given frequency or a given range of frequencies of the signal passed through it. The second phase shift of the second signal path 1108 is different from the third phase shift of the fourth signal path 1112.

[0078] The phase shifter 1100 also includes a control circuit or logic 1114 (e.g., Boolean logic, TTL) and a set of control input terminals 1116 for receiving signals (e.g., analog signals, digital signals) to control the signal path states of the first and second phase shifters 1102 and 1104. As discussed above with respect to Figure 10, the four-state phase shifter 1100 can be implemented using high-pass / low-pass phase shifters or passive reciprocal phase shifters as non-limiting examples.

[0079] Figure 12 shows a simplified block diagram of a phased array system 1200 according to one or more embodiments. The phased array system 1200 includes a central computer 1202, an RF signal generator 1204, an array of amplifier modules 1206, and an antenna array 1208. In some embodiments, the phased array system 1200 may include a target detector 1210 which includes one or more sensors (e.g., electro-optical, radar, infrared) configured to detect a target, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0080] The central computer 1202 includes one or more CPUs 1212 coupled to memory 1214. Memory 1214 is capable of storing instructions that cause the central computer 1202 to perform operations described herein as a result of execution by one or more CPUs 1212. Memory 1214 is capable of storing, for example, target classification instructions 1216 that enable one or more CPUs 1212 to classify detected targets. Memory 1214 is also capable of storing waveform data structures 1218, such as look-up tables (LUTs) that specify waveform parameters. Memory 1214 is further capable of storing waveform selector instructions 1220 that enable one or more CPUs 1212 to select waveform parameters based on the classification of detected targets. Waveform selector instructions 1220 are capable of accessing one or more locations in the waveform data structures 1218 as a result of executing the waveform selector instructions 1220.

[0081] In some embodiments, the RF signal generator 1204 is implemented as an RF system on a chip-field-programmable gate array (RFSoC FPGA). The signal generator 1204 may include a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) 1222 that digitally generates a signal having a desired frequency. The DDS 1220 can create a waveform with frequency, pulse width, pulse repetition interval, and intra-pulse modulation specified, for example, by RF frequency waveform parameters generated by a central computer 1202. The gate array 1224 is configured to perform a variety of functions, which include, but are not limited to, determining the time intervals at which various components of the amplifier module are powered on and powered off. The digital waveform is passed to a series of digital-to-analog (DAC) converters 1226-1, 1226-2, ..., 1226-N (collectively, "DAC 1226").

[0082] The output from DAC1226 can be provided to a series of signal conditioning units (SCUs) 1228-1, 1228-2, ..., 1228-N (collectively, "SCU1228"). In various embodiments, the SCU1228 can include filters that filter the RF signal according to a frequency band of interest. In some embodiments, the SCU1228 can include one or more phase shifters and / or attenuators that can achieve a desired azimuth and elevation angle of the RF beam to be generated. Each SCU can, for example, adjust the phase of the RF signal passed through it to achieve a desired azimuth and elevation angle of the electromagnetic radiation to be emitted by the phased array system 1200.

[0083] The output from the RF signal generator 1204 is supplied to the amplifier module array 1206, which includes several electronic systems 1230-1, 1230-2, ..., 1230-N (collectively referred to as "electronic systems 1230"). Each electronic system 1230 corresponds individually to electronic system 700, electronic system 800, electronic system 900, or a variation thereof. The central computer 1202 is configured to control various aspects of the amplifier module array 1206. For example, the central computer 1202 can transmit signals that cause electronic systems 1230 to transition to a desired state among several selectable states, each of which corresponds to a desired polarization of the high-power microwaves to be emitted from the antenna array 1208. The central computer 1202 can also control other aspects of the amplifier module array 1208, such as ensuring that a defined gate bias is applied to the individual RF power amplifiers of electronic systems 1230. Each electronic system 1230 can be contained within a separate module, including a housing.

[0084] The antenna array 1208 includes a plurality of antenna structures 1232-1, 1232-2, ... 1232-N (collectively referred to as "antenna structures 1232"). Antenna structures 1232-1, 1232-2, ... 1232-N each correspond individually to antenna structure 100 or antenna structure 500 (see, for example, Figures 1 and 5). Each of the electronic systems 1230 is coupled to an individual antenna structure of antenna structure 1232. In some embodiments, the electronic systems 1230 and antenna structures 1232 are arranged in an N×N array or an M×N array, where N and M are integer values. In such embodiments, each antenna structure 1232 is directly coupled to the four output ports of the individual electronic systems of the electronic system 1230.

[0085] The RF signal generator 1204 enables the digital shaping of the signal beam, which has several advantages, including, but not limited to, increasing / maximizing the signal output in a particular region of space and decreasing / minimizing the signal output in other particular regions of space. Thus, it is possible to concentrate the signal output on a target in a particular region of space while reducing the signal output on the target in other particular regions of space. Digitally shaping the signal beam as discussed above also advantageously allows the output, frequency, and other parameters of the signal beam to be changed in sufficiently real time (e.g., in less than 1 millisecond).

[0086] The central computer 1202 can be configured to classify targets (for example, by type) and select RF waveform parameters based on that target classification. The central computer 1202 passes the RF waveform parameters to the RF signal generator 1204. The RF waveform parameters include, in some embodiments, waveform polarization type. In various embodiments, the RF signal generator 1204 is programmable and controlled by the computer 1202 to modify various parameters of the generated RF signal (including, but not limited to, the frequency and output of that RF signal). The RF signal generator 1204 creates an RF signal according to the RF waveform parameters. Each RF signal has a waveform with frequency, pulse width, pulse repetition interval, and / or intra-pulse modulation specified by the RF waveform parameters received from the central computer 1202. The frequency, pulse width, pulse repetition interval, and intra-pulse modulation of the generated RF signal can be modified by the computer 1202 in real time or substantially in real time.

[0087] The RF signal generator 1204 generates RF signals for multiple channels to be applied to the electronic system 1230. The RF signals for multiple channels are phase-shifted relative to each other according to the RF frequency waveform parameters. In one embodiment, the phase shift is performed digitally within the RF signal generator 1204. Alternatively, an analog phase shifter may be used to shift the RF signals before they are applied to the electronic system 1230. In some embodiments, the amplitudes of some of the RF signals for multiple channels may be attenuated compared to some of the other amplitudes of the RF signals for multiple channels. In the embodiment shown, the computer 1202 is separate from the RF signal generator 1204, but in various other embodiments, the computer 1202 and the RF signal generator 1204 can be integrated. Each electronic system 1230 has multiple solid power amplifiers, each of which has a gate voltage on a setpoint derived from an automatic calibration operation. Some of the multiple solid power amplifiers can be arranged in series / continuously in some embodiments. Some of the multiple solid power amplifiers can be arranged in an output-coupled configuration. Each amplifier chain generates an amplified RF signal. In one embodiment, an RF signal of several mW from the RF signal generator 1204 is amplified to several kW. The amplifier chain can utilize a combination of solid-state amplifiers including silicon lateral diffusion metal oxide semiconductors, gallium nitride, scandium aluminum nitride, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphide.

[0088] Other transformation forms Features, materials, properties, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, or example should be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment, or example described herein, insofar as they do not conflict with such descriptions. All features disclosed herein (including any appended claims, abstracts, and drawings), and / or all steps of any method or process disclosed herein, can be combined in any combination, except for any combination in which at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is not limited to the details of any of the aforementioned embodiments. The protection extends to any novel one or any novel combination of features disclosed herein (including any appended claims, abstracts, and drawings), or to any novel one or any novel combination of steps of any method or process disclosed herein.

[0089] While specific embodiments are described, these embodiments are presented merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. In practice, the novel methods and systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications are possible in the forms of the methods and systems described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in the disclosed and / or described processes may differ from the steps shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, some of the steps described above may be omitted, and other steps may be added. For example, the actual steps and / or the order of steps taken in the disclosed processes may differ from the steps described and / or shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, some of the steps described above may be omitted, and other steps may be added. For example, the various components shown and / or described in the figures can be implemented as software and / or firmware on processors, controllers, ASICs, FPGAs, and / or dedicated hardware. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above can be combined in various ways to form further embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0090] In some cases, a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided, and when those instructions are executed by at least one computing device or processing device, they cause the execution of any of the methods and equivalents generally shown or described herein.

[0091] Any of the memory components described herein may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate (DDR) memory, static random access memory (SRAM), other volatile memory, or any combination thereof. Any of the memory components described herein may include non-volatile memory, such as magnetic storage, flash integrated circuits, read-only memory (ROM), chalcogenide random-access memory (C-RAM), phase-change memory (PC-RAM or PRAM), programmable metallization cell RAM (PMC-RAM or PMCm), ovonic unified memory (OUM), resistive RAM (RRAM), NAND memory (e.g., single-level cell (SLC) memory, multi-level cell (MLC) memory, or any combination thereof), NOR memory, EEPROM, ferroelectric memory (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), other individual NVM (non-volatile memory) chips, or any combination thereof.

[0092] Any user interface screen shown and described herein may include additional and / or alternative components. These components may include menus, lists, buttons, text boxes, labels, radio buttons, scroll bars, sliders, checkboxes, combo boxes, status bars, dialog boxes, windows, and the like. User interface screens may also include additional and / or alternative information. Components may be arranged, grouped, and displayed in any appropriate order.

[0093] In particular, conditional expressions used herein, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” and “eg,” are generally intended to convey that certain features, elements, and / or steps are included in certain embodiments, while other embodiments do not, unless otherwise stated or understood to have a different meaning in the context in which they are used. Therefore, such conditional expressions are not generally intended to mean that features, elements, and / or steps are required in any way for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic, with or without other input or prompting, to determine whether these features, elements, and / or steps are included in any particular embodiment or will be performed in any particular embodiment. Terms such as “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are synonymous and are used in a comprehensive, open-ended manner, not to exclude additional elements, features, actions, operations, etc. Furthermore, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not its exclusive sense), so that, for example, when used to connect a list of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in that list.

[0094] Disjunctive expressions, such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z," are generally understood in their context to indicate that an item, term, etc., may be X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z), unless otherwise specified. Therefore, such disjunctive expressions are not generally intended, nor should they be, to mean that a particular embodiment requires the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z, respectively.

[0095] The degree expressions used herein, such as “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially,” represent a value, quantity, or characteristic that is close to the value, quantity, or characteristic described, and that still performs the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” can refer to a quantity that is less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the quantity described.

[0096] Articles such as "a" or "an" should generally be interpreted as including one or more of the listed items unless explicitly stated otherwise. Therefore, phrases such as "devices configured to..." are intended to include one or more of the listed devices. Such one or more listed devices may also be collectively configured to perform the listed enumeration.

[0097] The foregoing descriptions use specific terminology for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the Disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details are not necessary to practice the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the Disclosure to the exact form disclosed, and as is evident in light of the foregoing teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. The embodiments have been selected and described to best illustrate the principles of the Disclosure and their practical applications, and they enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the Disclosure and its various embodiments with various modifications suitable for their specific conceivable uses. It is intended that the scope of the claims presented herein, or to be presented hereafter, and their equivalents define the scope of protection.

Claims

1. An electronic system including multiple solid-state radio frequency (RF) amplifiers, Antenna structure and A system including the antenna structure, Dielectric substrate and, Multiple antenna elements extending along the dielectric substrate, The system includes a plurality of feed lines, each of which is coupled to an individual antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements, and the output of each of the plurality of solid-state RF amplifiers is coupled to an individual feed line among the plurality of feed lines, system.

2. The aforementioned plurality of antenna elements A first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions, The system according to claim 1, comprising a second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions, the second pair of antenna elements being positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are bowtie antenna elements.

4. The aforementioned antenna structure The first planar antenna element on the dielectric substrate, The system according to claim 2, comprising a grounding surface on the second side of the dielectric substrate opposite to the first side, wherein the first pair of antenna elements and the second pair of antenna elements are arranged in the dielectric substrate between the planar antenna elements and the grounding surface.

5. The aforementioned electronic system Receiving radio frequency (RF) signals, The RF signal is divided into multiple RF signals, The system according to claim 1, wherein a subset of the RF signals among the plurality of RF signals is phase-shifted, and the solid-state RF amplifier is configured to amplify and phase-shift the plurality of RF signals.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic system includes a phase shifter configured to selectively transition between a first state and a second state, the first state corresponding to a first polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure, and the second state corresponding to a second polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the phase shifter is configured to selectively transition between a third state and a fourth state, the third state corresponding to a third polarization of the high-power microwave emitted by the antenna structure, and the fourth state corresponding to a fourth polarization of the high-power microwave emitted by the antenna structure.

8. An electronic system configured to receive RF signals, A first hybrid coupler that splits the RF signal into a first signal and a second signal, wherein the second signal is phase-shifted relative to the first signal. A second hybrid coupler and a first set of transmission paths including a first set of RF amplifiers among a plurality of RF amplifiers, and An electronic system comprising a second set of transmission paths including a third hybrid coupler, a first phase shifter, and a second set of RF amplifiers among a plurality of RF amplifiers, wherein the first signal is transmitted through the first set of transmission paths and the second signal is transmitted through the second set of transmission paths, An antenna structure including multiple antenna elements, each coupled to the output of one of the multiple RF amplifiers, A system that includes this.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first phase shifter is connected between the first hybrid coupler and the third hybrid coupler.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first phase shifter is connected between the third hybrid coupler and the RF amplifier of the second set of RF amplifiers.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first set of transmission paths includes a second phase shifter.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the second phase shifter is connected between the second hybrid coupler and the first RF amplifier of the first set of RF amplifiers, and the first phase shifter is connected between the third hybrid coupler and the second RF amplifier of the second set of RF amplifiers.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first phase shifter and the second phase shifter are each configured to transition between a plurality of phase shift states, and each phase shift state corresponds to a different polarization of high-power microwaves emitted by the antenna structure.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first hybrid coupler is a hybrid coupler of a different type from the second hybrid coupler and the third hybrid coupler.

15. The aforementioned plurality of antenna elements A first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions, The system according to claim 8, comprising a second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions, the second pair of antenna elements being positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements.

16. An RF signal generator configured to generate a first set of RF signals, A plurality of electronic systems, each coupled to an RF signal generator to receive an RF signal from a plurality of first RF signals, each configured to emit a plurality of amplified RF signals, and each of the plurality of electronic systems includes a phase shifter configured to selectively transition between a plurality of states, An antenna array including multiple antenna structures coupled to the outputs of the multiple electronic systems, A control system including one or more processors and memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, as a result of execution by the one or more processors, This involves determining a set of waveform parameters, including the selected polarization of the RF beam that will be formed, A control system controls the phase shifter of the electronic system so that the antenna structure emits the RF beam having the selected polarization, and causes the control system to perform these actions. A phased array system including [a specific component].

17. The execution of the instruction by the one or more processors Determining the elevation angle and azimuth angle of the RF beam that will be formed, The phased array according to claim 16, wherein the control system is made to control the RF signal generator to adjust the relative phase of the first plurality of RF signals according to the azimuth angle and elevation angle.

18. Each antenna structure includes multiple antenna elements, and these multiple antenna elements are A first pair of antenna elements extending in opposing first directions, A second pair of antenna elements extending in opposing second directions, the second pair of antenna elements being positioned laterally to the first pair of antenna elements, The system according to claim 16, comprising a plurality of feed lines, each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of antenna elements.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the phase shifter is a two-state phase shifter that transitions between a first state in which the output of the phase shifter is not phase-shifted and a second state in which the output of the phase shifter is phase-shifted by 180°.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the phase shifter is a four-state phase shifter that transitions between a plurality of states, including a first state in which the output of the phase shifter is not phase-shifted, a second state in which the output of the phase shifter is phase-shifted by 90°, a third state in which the output of the phase shifter is phase-shifted by 180°, and a fourth state in which the output of the phase shifter is phase-shifted by 270°.

Images