Distributed Digital Beamforming Antenna Array
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Solution Overview
Problem
The scalability and complexity of digital beamforming antenna arrays are limited by the computational requirements of central processors, leading to increased cost, size, weight, and power consumption, making it difficult to efficiently manage large numbers of array elements.
Innovation Solution
Distributed digital signal processing is implemented across active array elements, where each element performs beamforming and datalink signal processing, reducing the load on the central processing unit and allowing for efficient communication of digital results, thereby enabling scalable and cost-effective electronically steerable antenna systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a central processor performs beamforming operations for all array elements, then beamforming functionality is achieved, but computational complexity and cost increase linearly with the number of elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the array elements into multiple groups, with each group processed by a separate processing element. This segmentation allows beamforming operations to be distributed across multiple processors rather than requiring a single central processor to handle all elements, thereby reducing the computational complexity and cost scaling with array size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spatial dimension to the processing architecture by arranging processing elements in a two-dimensional array configuration. This allows beamforming operations to be distributed across both spatial dimensions, enabling parallel processing of multiple element groups simultaneously and reducing the computational burden on any single processor.
2Productivity
If the number of array elements is increased to improve data rate and signal to noise ratio, then system performance is enhanced, but cost, size, weight, and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the array into groups processed by separate processing elements, the system can scale to larger numbers of elements without proportionally increasing the complexity of any single processing unit. This enables the addition of more elements to improve data rate and SNR while keeping individual processor requirements manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the need for a single powerful central processor with multiple simpler processing elements working in parallel. This substitution allows the system to handle larger numbers of array elements more efficiently, reducing the overall computational burden and enabling scaling without linearly increasing power consumption and cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more array elements are added to the system, then beamforming performance improves, but routing signals to a central processor becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the array elements into multiple groups, each connected to a separate processing element. This segmentation naturally reduces signal routing complexity by creating multiple localized processing nodes rather than requiring all signals to traverse to a single central processor, thereby simplifying the routing infrastructure needed to support large numbers of elements.
4Ease of operation
If phased array techniques are used to adjust relative phase offsets, then directionality control is achieved, but large bandwidth operations become unsuitable due to frequency-dependent phase variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces phased array phase shifting techniques with true time delay processing implemented in the digital domain. This substitution allows the system to maintain accurate time alignment across all frequencies simultaneously, enabling true wideband operation while preserving directionality control capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for beamforming a multi-element array using time delays is provided. The array includes transmit array elements and receive array elements. Each of the array elements includes a processor. Modulation and demodulation functions are performed at the processors of each array element. The modulation and demodulation functions utilize receive time offsets and phase shifts, and transmit time offsets and phase shifts, respectively. The receive time offsets and phase shifts, and the transmit time offsets and phase shifts are determined by a central processing unit in order to beam form received signals and transmitted signals, respectively. The array elements are arranged in a daisy chain fashion in order to facilitate communication of control parameters, communication of bits to be transmitted and distributed combining of demodulated baseband samples from one array element to another and communicating the combined samples to the central processing unit.