Active Reconfigurable Antenna Using Residue Number System Arithmetic
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and power dissipation issues in multibeam active antennas for on-board applications, such as satellites and aircraft, are exacerbated by the need for high bandwidth and numerous beams, leading to hardware inefficiencies and increased mass, bulk, and cost due to underutilized digital components and high-speed interface saturation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system with an array of radiating elements, vector converters, and inverse converters using Residue Number System (RNS) arithmetic to process signals in parallel, reducing the dynamic range and complexity of arithmetic operations, and optimizing hardware resources by pooling interfaces and processing operations across multiple calculation planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If digital beamforming is implemented with a large number of radiating elements and beams, then mission flexibility and coverage capability are improved, but hardware complexity and power dissipation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large-scale beamforming computation into multiple smaller processing units organized in a hierarchical structure. Instead of using a single complex digital beamformer, the system divides the radiating elements into groups and processes beams in stages, reducing the computational burden on each individual processing unit while maintaining the ability to form multiple beams simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the beamforming architecture by organizing processing units in multiple levels. The first level handles local beamforming for groups of radiating elements, while the second level performs global beamforming across all groups. This dimensional organization allows the system to manage complex multibeam operations with simpler, more manageable processing units.
2Productivity
If the number of beams and bandwidth per beam are increased to meet broadband needs, then service capacity is improved, but interface throughput requirements and hardware complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total bandwidth and beam set into multiple smaller subsets that can be processed independently by different processing units. Each unit handles a portion of the total service capacity, allowing the system to scale service capacity by adding more processing units rather than increasing the throughput requirements of existing interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the output signals from multiple processing units to form the complete set of beams. By merging the results from parallel processing units, the system achieves high service capacity without requiring any single interface to handle the full throughput burden, thus reducing hardware complexity while maintaining productivity.
3Loss of energy
If advanced micro-electronic technologies are used to reduce dissipation and increase integration density, then power efficiency is improved, but cost increases and technological renewal slows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs reconfigurable processing units that can dynamically adapt their operation based on the current beamforming requirements. Instead of using fixed advanced micro-electronic devices that consume power regardless of utilization, the reconfigurable units can adjust their active components and processing capacity to match the actual workload, reducing power dissipation while using standard, cost-effective technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the processing units by allowing reconfiguration of weighting coefficients and beamforming parameters through software control. This enables the system to achieve high performance when needed while operating in lower-power modes during less demanding periods, reducing overall power dissipation without requiring expensive advanced micro-electronic technology.
4Adaptability or versatility
If reconfigurable FPGA components are used to maintain flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but integration capability decreases and hardware complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reconfigurable functionality into distributed processing units that each handle specific beamforming tasks. Instead of using a single large reconfigurable FPGA that would be highly complex, the system uses multiple smaller reconfigurable units that can be independently configured and managed, reducing the hardware complexity of each unit while maintaining overall system flexibility through coordinated operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for processing the data from a plurality of digital signals (71) for a system for transmitting and/or receiving active antenna RF signals capable of forming at least one beam (98) by means of computation using a plurality of combiners (501, 502, 503, 511, 512, 513). The apparatus comprises means for processing the digital signal data over a plurality of computational planes in parallel (501-503 and 511-513) and separately between each computational plane. The invention can be used for any type of computational beamforming antenna and preferably for onboard antennas for use in satellites.