Antenna assembly for providing interference mitigation

• US 10,396,455 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeroantenna Technology, Inc. (Heico Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aeroantenna Technology, Inc. (Heico Corporation)
• Inventors: Klein, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Graham P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Jae K
• Application Number:
  US15/434,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/001 Crossed polarisation dual antennas orthomode horns H01Q13/0258; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; orthomode transducers H01P1/161
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices

Abstract

An antenna assembly may include a right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) antenna, a left hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antenna, an RF nuller operably coupling the RHCP antenna and LHCP antenna to a difference element, and a digital nuller operably coupled to the difference element.

Claims

1. An antenna assembly comprising:

a right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) antenna;

a left hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antenna;

an RF nuller operably coupling the RHCP antenna and LHCP antenna to a balun circuit or balun component configured to operate as a difference element; and

a digital nuller operably coupled to the balun circuit or balun component,

wherein the RF nuller operates to perform coarse nulling before the balun circuit or balun component, and the digital nuller operates to perform fine nulling after the balun circuit or balun component to conduct null steering to steer a null in a direction of interference received at the antenna assembly.

3. The antenna assembly of claim 1, further comprising a downconverter between the balun circuits or balun components and the digital nuller such that fine nulling is performed on a downsampled signal, and an upconverter disposed at an output of the digital nuller.

2. An antenna assembly comprising:

multiple right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) antennas;

multiple left hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antennas;

an RF nuller operably coupling the RHCP antennas and LHCP antennas to respective balun circuits or balun components configured to operate as difference elements; and

a digital nuller operably coupled to the respective balun circuits or balun components

wherein the RF nuller operates to perform coarse nulling before the balun circuit or balun component, and the digital nuller operates to perform fine nulling after the balun circuit or balun component to conduct null steering to steer a null in a direction of interference received at the antenna assembly.

4. The antenna assembly of claim 2, further comprising a downconverter between the balun circuits or balun components and the digital nuller such that fine nulling is performed on a downsampled signal, and an upconverter disposed at an output of the digital nuller.

5. The antenna assembly of claim 2, wherein each one of the multiple RHCP antennas and each one of the multiple LHCP antennas is also orthogonally polarized.

6. An antenna assembly comprising:

a right hand circularly polarized (RHCP) antenna mounted on an aircraft;

a left hand circularly polarized (LHCP) antenna mounted on the aircraft;

an RF nuller operably coupling the RHCP antenna and LHCP antenna to a difference element; and

a digital nuller operably coupled to the difference element,

wherein the RF nuller operates to perform coarse nulling on a signal received near the horizon relative to the aircraft before the difference element, and the digital nuller operates to perform fine nulling on the signal after the difference element to conduct null steering to steer a null in a direction of interference received at the antenna assembly.

7. The antenna assembly of claim 6, wherein the RF nuller is beam steered.

8. The antenna assembly of claim 6, wherein the RF nuller is non beam steered.