Embedded Antenna Processor for Dynamic Beam Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional GPS-IMU integration in federated systems fails to provide the required accuracy and low latency for accurately pointing anti-jam antennas in dynamic environments, leading to degraded performance due to processing time and latency in beamforming and nullforming algorithms.
Innovation Solution
An electronically steerable antenna with an embedded antenna processor and orientation sensor, separate from the navigation system, tracks orientation changes and updates beams and nulls to maintain accurate pointing, allowing for real-time adjustments based on orientation data from both the embedded sensor and the platform's navigation system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional GPS-IMU integration is used in federated systems, then the system structure is simpler, but the pointing accuracy and latency performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the orientation sensing function from the navigation system and embeds a dedicated orientation sensor and processor within the antenna assembly. This separation allows the antenna to independently track platform orientation changes with high precision, resolving the contradiction by improving pointing accuracy through functional segmentation while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary embedded processor within the antenna that acts as a mediator between the orientation sensor and the beamforming algorithms. This intermediary processes orientation data locally and generates real-time beam steering commands, eliminating the latency of conventional federated processing while keeping the overall system architecture manageable
2Loss of time
If processing time is reduced for real-time beam updates, then pointing accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-positioning the orientation sensor and processing capabilities within the antenna assembly itself. This allows the system to prepare and process orientation data locally without waiting for data transmission and processing through the navigation system, thereby reducing latency while maintaining a straightforward processing architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna assembly performs self-service by independently processing its own orientation data through the embedded processor. This self-contained processing eliminates dependencies on external navigation system processing, reducing latency without requiring complex inter-system communication architectures
Data Source
AI summary
An electronically steerable antenna includes an embedded antenna processor and orientation sensor, separate from any orientation sensor within a corresponding GPS receiver. The orientation sensor tracks orientation changes in the mobile platform including the electronically steerable antenna, and an antenna processor updates beams and nulls produced by the antenna to track a real-world location based on the orientation changes. The embedded antenna processor periodically compares the orientation data from the embedded orientation sensor with orientation data from systems aboard the mobile platform to calibrate.