Antenna Arrangement Virtual Phase Center Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MIMO active imaging systems face challenges in achieving optimal beam forming due to the difficulty in maintaining the required spacing between transmitter and receiver antennas to achieve uniform virtual phase centers, leading to inefficient aperture sizes and reduced resolution.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves replacing certain antennas in the antenna arrays with third antenna arrays, allowing for flexible positioning of phase centers and optimal spacing of virtual phase centers, enabling high efficiency aperture and improved beam forming performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If transmitter and receiver antennas are placed far apart to provide different views of the object, then the imaging coverage and scene visibility are improved, but the physical size of the antenna arrangement increases and the resolution decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is segmented into multiple transmit antenna elements and receive antenna elements arranged in specific geometric patterns. This segmentation allows the system to synthesize multiple virtual phase centers from the combined signals, effectively providing different viewing angles and improved imaging coverage without requiring physically large separations between antennas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from considering only the physical spatial arrangement of antennas to utilizing the virtual phase center domain. By processing signals from multiple antenna elements and synthesizing virtual phase centers in a different dimensional space, the system achieves improved imaging coverage and resolution simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between coverage and resolution.
2Measurement precision
If transmitter and receiver antennas are placed close together to maintain linear spacing of virtual phase centers, then the resolution and beam forming performance are improved, but the physical aperture size decreases and imaging coverage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the concept of virtual phase centers as an intermediary between the physical antenna elements and the final image formation. By placing antenna elements close together and synthesizing virtual phase centers through signal processing, the system achieves the benefits of large aperture spacing (improved resolution) without the drawbacks of physically large antenna separations (reduced aperture efficiency).
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies of the antenna elements through signal processing. Each physical antenna element combination generates virtual phase centers that behave as if they were physically present at different locations. This copying mechanism allows the system to achieve large effective aperture spacing while maintaining compact physical dimensions, resolving the contradiction between resolution and aperture size.
3Area of stationary object
If a uniform 2D rectangular arrangement of transmitter and receiver antennas is used, then the effective aperture is maximized, but the spacing requirements for uniform virtual phase centers become difficult to achieve in practice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different spacing strategies to different regions of the antenna array. Rather than requiring uniform spacing throughout the entire array, the system uses local quality variations in the antenna element distribution to achieve the desired virtual phase center uniformity. This allows the system to maintain large effective aperture while using practical, manufacturable spacing arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of antenna element spacing from a fixed uniform value to a variable spacing scheme. By adjusting the spacing parameters of individual antenna elements based on their positions and roles in the array, the system achieves uniform virtual phase center distribution while maintaining a compact physical aperture, resolving the contradiction between effective aperture and spacing implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
An antenna arrangement comprises a first antenna array comprising a systematic arrangement of first antennas, at least two second antenna arrays, arranged adjacent to said first antenna array and each comprising a systematic arrangement of second antennas, at least two third antenna arrays each comprising at least one third antenna, wherein a third antenna array is arranged at a border area of said first antenna array and a second antenna array and replaces a first antenna closest to the adjacent second antenna array and a second antenna closest to the adjacent first antenna array. Said first or second antennas are transmitting and the other of said first or second antennas are receiving radiation. The at least one third antenna is transmitting and/or receiving radiation.