Amplified Patch Antenna Reflect Array for Millimeter Wave Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current millimeter wave reflect array antennas suffer from significant losses and narrow bandwidths due to large surface currents and constrained unit cell size, limiting their ability to generate high power millimeter wave energy efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The reflect array antenna design includes a plurality of unit cells with patch antennas, where amplifiers are coupled between pairs of patch antennas, and neighboring cells share patch terminals to create larger output antennas, utilizing MHEMT transistors to mitigate interference and optimize the array for high power generation without waveguide or microstrip line feed losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If waveguide or microstrip power combining is used to generate high power millimeter waves, then power levels can be increased, but heavy losses occur in the waveguide and microstrip medium
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful feed network (waveguide/microstrip) from the system by using free-space feeding for the reflect array. Each unit cell is fed independently through free-space transmission from a small horn antenna, eliminating the need for lossy waveguide or microstrip power combining networks while maintaining high power generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into independent unit cells, each with its own input antenna, power amplifier, and output antenna. This segmentation allows each element to be fed independently via free-space transmission, avoiding the need for a centralized power combining network and reducing overall system losses
2Power
If spatial array technique is used to increase power density, then power levels can be increased, but the required power density levels for demanding applications are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple unit cells are merged into a phased array configuration where the output signals are combined constructively in the desired direction. This allows the system to achieve high power density levels by coherently combining the output of multiple elements, each contributing to the overall power density at the target location
3Stability of the object's composition
If unit cell size is increased to reduce grating lobes, then grating lobe effects are reduced, but the unit cell size constraint of 0.8 wavelengths limits array scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters by using millimeter-wave frequencies where the wavelength is small enough that the 0.8 wavelength constraint corresponds to a physically manageable unit cell size. This allows large arrays to be constructed with many elements while maintaining the grating lobe-free condition, as the absolute size of each unit cell remains small despite the large number of elements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for high power millimeter wave generation with reduced losses and increased bandwidth, enabling more efficient power production and array scalability while minimizing the area required for power-generating circuitry.
Implementation Method 1
An amplifier is coupled between the first patch and the second patch or the third patch and the fourth patch
Implementation Method 2
the input signal is delivered to the face of the array via free space, generally from a small horn antenna
Implementation Method 3
reflect arrays differ from conventional arrays in that the input signal is delivered to the face of the array via free space
Data Source
AI summary
A reflect array antenna including a plurality of unit cells. Each cell includes first, second, third and fourth patch antenna segments. An amplifier is coupled between said first patch segment and the second patch segment or the third patch segment and the fourth patch segment. At least one of the patch antenna segments of a first unit cell is electrically connected to a patch antenna segment of a second unit cell. The first patch antenna segment of a first unit cell is electrically connected to a third patch segment of a second unit cell. Each patch segment of each unit cell is electrically connected to a patch segment of a neighboring cell. The first and third patche segments are the input terminals of each cell and the second and fourth patch segments of each cell are the output terminals. The output terminals of each cell are coupled to the output terminals of neighboring cells. This provides an output patch antenna, of greater area, fed by multiple cells.