Source-sharing multi-beam antenna for satellite telecommunications
Solution Overview
Problem
Current satellite telecommunications systems face challenges in generating a large number of narrow beams efficiently, particularly for broadband applications and high-frequency bands, due to limitations in onboard digitization, energy consumption, and the complexity of beam-forming networks, which result in aberrations and increased antenna count.
Innovation Solution
A source-sharing antenna design featuring identical elementary sources spaced at a constant pitch, grouped into sub-arrays with electromagnetic coupling, allowing for beam synthesis without complex beam-forming circuits, and enabling reuse of sources between sub-arrays to tighten beams and achieve high C/I ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a large number of antennas are used to generate narrow beams for broadband applications, then beam coverage and positioning accuracy are improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple antennas are merged into a single antenna structure with multiple radiating elements that share common beam-forming resources. The patent combines multiple antenna functions into one physical structure, reducing the total number of independent antenna systems while maintaining the capability to generate multiple narrow beams for different coverage areas.
Solution Approach 2:
A single antenna structure is designed to perform multiple functions by generating multiple beams simultaneously. The antenna system can serve multiple coverage areas and frequency bands using one physical antenna structure, eliminating the need for separate antennas for each function and reducing overall system complexity.
2Productivity
If complex beam-forming networks are used to generate multiple narrow beams, then beam synthesis capability is improved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electronic beam-forming networks with a simpler antenna structure that achieves beam synthesis through its physical geometry and radiating element arrangement. This substitution reduces the need for complex electronic control systems and associated energy consumption while maintaining beam synthesis capability.
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 approach allows for the generation of a large number of narrow beams with improved positioning and coverage, reducing the number of antennas required and optimizing gain without complex beam-forming circuits, while maintaining high performance and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the elementary sources of each sub-array being coupled in phase with one another by electromagnetic coupling
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of identical elementary sources spaced at a constant pitch, grouped into sub-arrays around a central elementary source, each sub-array illuminating a reflector
Data Source
Figure 1~2c
Figure 3a~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The source-sharing antenna for generating multibeams, comprising a plurality of identical elementary sources spaced at a constant interval (P), is characterized in that: - the elementary sources (1 to 10) are associated into identical sub-arrays (1 to 7, 4 to 10) around a central elementary source (7, 5), each sub-array (1 to 7, 4 to 10) being designed to synthesize a beam, the elementary sources of each sub-array being phase-coupled with each other by electromagnetic coupling, - and in that two successive sub-arrays (1 to 7, 4 to 10) share at least one elementary source (4, 5, 6, 7) and are offset by a distance corresponding to a predetermined number of intervals (P) greater than or equal to one. This application is particularly relevant to the field of satellite telecommunications.