Row-Column Phased Array Antennas With Fewer Phase Shifters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronically steered antennas (ESA) face high complexity and cost due to the need for numerous phase shifters and amplifiers for two-dimensional beamsteering, which also leads to thermal management challenges and reduced power efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution is a multilayered phased array antenna system with a row-column architecture that reduces the number of phase shifters to M+N, using RFIC technology and wafer level packaging to enhance power efficiency and simplify control systems, allowing for efficient beamsteering with fewer control components and lower noise figures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional ESA architecture with M*N phase shifters is used, then two-dimensional beamsteering capability is achieved, but system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the two-dimensional beamsteering function into two independent one-dimensional steering functions. By dividing the phase control into row-direction and column-direction components, the system achieves 2D beamsteering capability while requiring only M+N phase shifters instead of M*N, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the control architecture from a planar two-dimensional phase shifter array to a hierarchical structure with separate row and column control dimensions. This dimensional reorganization allows independent control of horizontal and vertical beam steering, reducing the total number of phase shifters while maintaining full 2D steering capability
2Measurement precision
If more phase shifters and amplifiers are used for 2D beamsteering, then beamsteering precision is improved, but thermal management challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the redundant phase shifters from the conventional M*N architecture, retaining only the essential M+N phase shifters needed for 2D beamsteering. This reduction in component count directly decreases the thermal load and simplifies thermal management while preserving beamsteering precision through the row-column decomposition method
3Ease of operation
If conventional ESA with distributed phase shifters is used, then beamsteering control is achieved, but power efficiency decreases due to signal loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary signal distribution architecture where a single input signal is efficiently distributed to M+N phase shifters through row and column signal paths. This intermediary structure minimizes the number of signal amplification stages required, thereby reducing cumulative signal loss and improving power efficiency while maintaining full beamsteering control capability
Data Source
AI summary
Power efficient phased array antenna systems including a multilayered phased array antenna system using row-column phased array architecture and even a multi-unit cell chip which can be associated with several antennas in a phased array antenna system. Unit chips may include but are not limited to multipliers, mixers, amplifiers, local oscillator, radiator, or the like.