Digital Beamforming Control for Reconfigurable Sub-Aperture Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional antenna systems are rigid and cannot be reconfigured for different purposes, requiring compromises between sensitivity and coverage, limiting their adaptability and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A control device for digital beamforming of an antenna array that allows flexible operation through alternating, overlapping, or sequentially arranging sub-apertures with different sampling frequencies, enabling modes like undersampling, oversampling, and beam focusing to adapt to various applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional antenna systems use fixed hardware configurations, then specific functions (e.g., high-gain or wide-field) are achieved, but adaptability to different purposes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability by allowing the antenna system to switch between different operational modes (single-subaperture and multi-subaperture modes) and adjust beamforming parameters in real-time. This enables the same hardware to adapt to different reconnaissance scenarios without physical reconfiguration, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal antenna system that can perform multiple functions (high-gain reconnaissance, wide-field surveillance, direction finding) using the same hardware infrastructure. The control device enables the antenna array to be reprogrammed for different purposes through software-controlled beamforming, eliminating the need for separate dedicated systems for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If antenna systems use mechanical configurations (e.g., rotating antennas, fixed interferometers), then specific performance characteristics are guaranteed, but flexibility and reprogramming capability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical reconfiguration systems (rotating antennas, physically reconfigurable interferometers) with an electronically controlled digital beamforming system. The control device uses software to dynamically adjust beam patterns, subaperture configurations, and scanning modes, providing operational flexibility without mechanical moving parts and enabling rapid reprogramming for different missions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional systems make compromises between sensitivity and wide coverage, then one aspect is guaranteed while the other is sacrificed, but situational adaptation is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic adaptation of performance characteristics by allowing the control device to switch between single-subaperture high-gain mode and multi-subaperture wide-field mode based on situational requirements. This dynamic reconfiguration capability allows the system to optimize for sensitivity or coverage as needed, while maintaining reliable performance through controlled parameter adjustment and consistent beamforming algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control device (50) for digital beamforming of an antenna array (100) is disclosed. The antenna array (100) comprises at least a first sub-aperture (110) for generating a plurality of first antenna cones (210) and a second sub-aperture (120) for generating a plurality of second antenna cones (220). The control device is configured to alternately arrange the first antenna cones (210) and the second antenna cones (220) side by side, wherein the first sub-aperture (110) and the second sub-aperture (120) are configured to utilize different sampling frequencies and to perform subsampling in each case.