Systems and methods for reduced control inputs in tunable meta-devices
First Claim
1. An antenna system, comprising:
- a plurality of antenna elements;
a feed to convey an electromagnetic (EM) signal;
a tunable port network coupling the feed to the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the tunable port network comprises a plurality of tunable impedance elements that each have a nonlinear response to impedance tuning,wherein the plurality of tunable impedance elements can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients; and
a plurality of control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements with nonlinear responses to impedance tuning to allow for selection of each of a plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network,wherein each of the plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network corresponds to one of a plurality of distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system, andwherein the number of distinct field patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and the cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients associated with the plurality of tunable impedance elements.
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Abstract
In some embodiments, an antenna system includes antenna elements for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation. The antenna elements may be connected to a feed via a plurality of tunable impedance elements. At least some of the tunable impedance elements may have nonlinear responses to impedance tuning that can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements allow for the selection of distinct impedance patterns that correspond to distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system. The number of field patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Thus, a selection of tunable impedance elements and control inputs may be made to attain a target number of field patterns to serve a desired coverage area.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. An antenna system, comprising:
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a plurality of antenna elements; a feed to convey an electromagnetic (EM) signal; a tunable port network coupling the feed to the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the tunable port network comprises a plurality of tunable impedance elements that each have a nonlinear response to impedance tuning, wherein the plurality of tunable impedance elements can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients; and a plurality of control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements with nonlinear responses to impedance tuning to allow for selection of each of a plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network, wherein each of the plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network corresponds to one of a plurality of distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system, and wherein the number of distinct field patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and the cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients associated with the plurality of tunable impedance elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An antenna system for structured illumination imaging, comprising:
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a plurality of antenna elements configured to operate within a quasi-monochromatic frequency range; a feed to convey a substantially continuous wave (CW) electromagnetic (EM) signal; a tunable port network coupling the feed to the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the tunable port network comprises a plurality of tunable impedance elements that each have a nonlinear response to impedance tuning, wherein the plurality of tunable impedance elements can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients; and a plurality of control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements with nonlinear responses to impedance tuning to allow for selection of each of a plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network, wherein each of the plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network corresponds to one of a plurality of distinct illumination patterns in a transmit mode and one of a plurality of distinct coded-aperture patterns in a receive mode, and wherein the number of distinct illumination and coded-aperture patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and the cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients associated with the plurality of tunable impedance elements. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A subsurface imaging antenna system for subsurface imaging (SSI), comprising:
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a plurality of antenna elements; a feed to convey an electromagnetic (EM) signal at one or more selectable frequencies suitable for penetrating a material object, wherein selection of the one or more selectable frequencies is based on a desired material object penetration depth and a desired image resolution; a tunable port network coupling the feed to the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the tunable port network comprises a plurality of tunable impedance elements that each have a nonlinear response to impedance tuning at the one or more selectable frequencies for material object penetration, wherein the plurality of tunable impedance elements can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients; and a plurality of control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements with nonlinear responses to impedance tuning to allow for selection of each of a plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network, wherein each of the plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network corresponds to one of a plurality of distinct illumination patterns in a transmit mode and one of a plurality of distinct coded-aperture patterns in a receive mode, and wherein the number of distinct illumination and coded-aperture patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and the cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients associated with the plurality of tunable impedance elements. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A method of manufacturing an antenna system, comprising:
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provisioning a plurality of antenna elements; provisioning a feed to convey an electromagnetic signal; provisioning a tunable port network to couple the plurality of antenna elements to an electromagnetic feed, wherein the tunable port network includes a plurality of tunable impedance elements that each have a nonlinear response to impedance tuning, numerically approximating the plurality of tunable impedance elements via nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients; provisioning a plurality of control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements with nonlinear responses to impedance tuning to allow for selection of each of a plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network, wherein each of the plurality of distinct impedance patterns of the tunable port network corresponds to one of a plurality of distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system; and identifying a target number of attainable distinct field patterns; selecting at least one of;
(i) the number of control inputs and (ii) tunable impedance elements with the cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients, to allow for the attainment of the target number of attainable distinct field patterns. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification