Method and system for orienting a phased array antenna

• US 10,051,487 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Noerpel, Anthony, Bhaskar, Uday R., Becker, Neal David, Kay, Stanley E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/469,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 342359, 342383, 342754, 342810, 455427
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1257 using the received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/288 Satellite antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/22 Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0842 Weighted combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18519 Operations control, administration or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18532 Arrangements for managing transmission, i.e. for transporting data or a signalling message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

A receive planar phased array antenna on a communications platform is used to estimate a pointing error of the antenna and to orient the antenna boresight towards the transmitter. A method for orienting the communications antenna includes: segmenting a receive phase array antenna into N sub-arrays with M-antenna elements in each sub-array; receiving, a known signal, by each of the M-antenna elements of at least four (4) of the N-sub-arrays; scanning in a direction of the known signal by applying a beam weight associated with each of the M elements in each of the at least 4-sub-arrays to obtain M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays; combining the M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays into signals A, B, C and D, respectively; generating an azimuth difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+B) and (C+D) and an elevation difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+C) and (B+D); computing the weights of the azimuth difference signal, such that the azimuth difference signals is driven to a zero signal; and computing the weights of the elevation difference signal, such that the elevation difference signal is driven to a zero signal.

Claims

1. A method for orienting a communications antenna, the method comprising:

segmenting a receive phase array antenna into N sub-arrays with M-antenna elements in each sub-array;

receiving, a known signal, by each of the M-antenna elements of at least four (4) of the N-sub-arrays;

scanning in a direction of the known signal by applying a beam weight associated with each of the M-antenna elements in each of the at least 4-sub-arrays to obtain M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays;

combining the M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays into signals A, B, C, and D, respectively;

generating an azimuth difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+B) and (C+D) and an elevation difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+C) and (B+D);

computing weights of the azimuth difference signal, such that the azimuth difference signal is driven to a zero signal; and

computing weights of the elevation difference signal, such that the elevation difference signal is driven to a zero signal,

wherein N is greater than or equal to four (4) and M is greater than or equal to one (1).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the known signal comprises a Digital Video Broadcasting-Carrier Identification Signal (DVB-CID).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receive phase array antenna is disposed on a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receive phase array antenna is disposed on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a High Attitude Platform System (HAPS) or an aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receive phase array antenna is used by a gateway, a stationary terminal, a mobile terminal, a ground-based terminal, or a terminal disposed in an aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receive phase array antenna is the communications antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously generating a communications signal based on A+B+C+D.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing beam weights of each of the M-antenna elements of the N-sub-arrays based on the azimuth and elevation difference signals for the known signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein N is greater than four (4),

and the combining further comprises combining the M-weighted signals for each of the N-sub-arrays into N-combined signals.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising simultaneously generating a communications signal transmitted from the direction of the known signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

applying N-combined signal weights to each of the N-combined signals, respectively; and

simultaneously generating a communications signal transmitted from a direction other than the direction of the known signal,

wherein the N-combined signal weights are based on the direction of the communications signal relative to the direction of the known signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising computing the N-combined signal weights for the N-combined signals based on the azimuth and elevation difference signals for the known signal.

13. A system to orient a communications antenna, the system comprising:

a receive phase array antenna comprising antenna elements segmented into N-sub-arrays with M-antenna elements in each sub-array, wherein a known signal is received by each of the M-antenna elements of at least four (4) of the N-sub-arrays;

an antenna subsystem to scan in a direction of the known signal by applying a beam weight associated with each of the M-antenna elements in each of the at least 4-sub-arrays to obtain M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays;

a hybrid combiner network to combine the M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays into signals A, B, C and D, respectively, and to generate an azimuth difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+B) and (C+D) and an elevation difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+C) and (B+D); and

a pointing system to compute weights of the azimuth difference signal, such that the azimuth difference signal is driven to a zero signal, and to compute weights of the elevation difference signal, such that the elevation difference signal is driven to a zero signal,

wherein N is greater than or equal to four (4) and M is greater than or equal to one (1).

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the known signal comprises a Digital Video Broadcasting-Carrier Identification Signal (DVB-CID).

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the receive phase array antenna is disposed on a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the receive phase array antenna is disposed on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a High Attitude Platform System (HAPS) or an aircraft.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the receive phase array antenna is used by a gateway, a stationary terminal, a mobile terminal, a ground-based terminal, or a terminal disposed in an aircraft.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the receive phase array antenna is the communications antenna.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the hybrid combiner network is further configured to simultaneously generate a communications signal based on A+B+C+D.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the pointing system is further configured to compute beam weights of each of the M-antenna elements of the N-sub-arrays based on the azimuth and elevation difference signals for the known signal.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein N is greater than four (4), and the hybrid combiner network is further configured to combine the M-weighted signals for each of the N-sub-arrays into N-combined signals.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the hybrid combiner network is further configured to simultaneously generate a communications signal transmitted from the direction of the known signal.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the hybrid combiner network is further configured to

apply N-combined signal weights to each of the N-combined signals, respectively,

simultaneously generate a communications signal transmitted from a direction other than the direction of the known signal, and

the N-combined signal weights are based on the direction of the communications signal relative to the direction of the known signal.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the pointing system is further configured to compute the N-combined signal weights for the N-combined signals based on the azimuth and elevation difference signals for the known signal.