Microwave Lens Antenna Layout With Shared RFIC Beam Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional active phased array antennas face high costs and complexity due to the need for numerous RFICs, which require complex power and control systems and are prone to functional variations and failures, affecting system performance.
Innovation Solution
An antenna system with a microwave lens module and shared RFIC units, allowing beam direction reconfiguration through a control module that controls switching units to activate a subset of feed antenna units, reducing the number of RFICs required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each antenna element is driven by an active RFIC to enable beam direction change, then the beam steering capability is improved, but the system cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple antenna elements share a common RFIC unit through switching networks. Instead of dedicating one RFIC per antenna element, the patent combines multiple antenna elements to share single RFIC resources, reducing the total number of RFICs while maintaining beam steering capability through coordinated switching and phase control.
Solution Approach 2:
A single RFIC unit is designed to serve multiple antenna elements through time-division or space-division multiplexing. The RFIC can be dynamically connected to different antenna elements via switching units, allowing one RFIC to perform the functions that would otherwise require multiple dedicated RFICs.
2Measurement precision
If a large number of antenna elements are used to achieve good directivity and beam shape, then the beam quality is improved, but the quantity of RFICs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple antenna elements into groups that share common RFIC units. By carefully designing the switching network and phase control mechanisms, the system achieves the necessary beam forming capability with fewer RFICs than the total number of antenna elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic switching and phase adjustment to enable a subset of antenna elements to work cooperatively under the control of a shared RFIC. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the system to achieve high directivity with fewer active RFIC units by optimizing which antenna elements are actively contributing to each beam.
3Adaptability or versatility
If numerous RFICs are integrated into the antenna system to enable reconfigurability, then the beam steering functionality is improved, but the design complexity and difficulty of ensuring proper functioning increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces design complexity by merging multiple antenna elements under a single RFIC control architecture. This consolidation simplifies the overall system design, power distribution, and control signaling compared to having dedicated RFICs for each antenna element, while still maintaining full reconfigurability through the switching network.
Solution Approach 2:
Switching units act as intermediaries between the reduced number of RFICs and the larger array of antenna elements. These switching units enable the RFICs to dynamically connect to different antenna elements, providing the necessary reconfigurability without requiring a one-to-one RFIC-to-element mapping, thus simplifying the core RFIC design and control architecture.
4Reliability
If each RFIC is dedicated to a specific antenna element to ensure proper functioning, then the reliability of each element is improved, but the system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple antenna elements under shared RFIC control, which reduces the total number of RFICs and their associated power and control systems. The switching network enables reliable connection management, and phase control mechanisms ensure that the shared RFICs can reliably drive their assigned antenna elements without the complexity of dedicated control for each element.
Solution Approach 2:
Switching units serve as reliable intermediaries that manage the connection between RFICs and antenna elements. This intermediary layer ensures that each antenna element receives proper control signals and power from its assigned RFIC while allowing the system to use fewer RFICs overall, thereby reducing the complexity of power distribution and control systems.
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 design lowers system cost and complexity by enabling flexible beam control with fewer RFICs, ensuring efficient and reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
The microwave lens module has a first side that can receive the at least one input signal... The microwave lens module can form at least one beam of electromagnetic waves corresponding to the at least input signal
Implementation Method 2
The microwave lens module has a second side that can radiate the beam of electromagnetic waves in a particular direction
Data Source
AI summary
An antenna system for beam direction adjustment and shared use of radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) units includes an array antenna module including feed antenna units for producing at least one input signal, RFIC units respectively electrically connected to the feed antenna units through switching units and less in number than the feed antenna units, a control module for controlling, based on at least one antenna configuration message, some of the switching units to be switched on and the rest thereof to be switched off, and a microwave lens module for forming at least one beam in a particular direction. A feed antenna unit electrically connected to the switched-on switching unit is in a working state, and can receive a signal from the RFIC units and radiate a corresponding input signal to the microwave lens module. The antenna system greatly reduces the number of RFIC units, thereby lowering the overall cost.