Lens antenna system

• US 10,553,947 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: All.Space Networks Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Isotropic Systems Ltd.
• Inventors: Scarborough, Clinton P., Turpin, Jeremiah P., Difonzo, Daniel F., Finney, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Graham P
• Application Number:
  US16/173,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20190074588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/288 Satellite antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• 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 25/007 using two or more primary active elements in the focal region of a focusing device for operation on different wavebands H01Q5/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/14 for varying the relative position of primary active element and a refracting or diffracting device
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/245 in the focal plane of a focussing device
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/46 Active lenses or reflecting arrays

Abstract

An antenna system that includes a plurality of lens sets. Each lens set includes a lens and at least one feed element. At least one feed element is aligned with the lens and configured to direct a signal through the lens at a desired direction.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising:

a phased array having a plurality of lens sets, each lens set including;

a plurality of non-spherical lenses;

a plurality of feed elements aligned with a respective one of said plurality of lenses and configured to transmit/receive a signal through said respective one of said plurality of lenses at a desired direction; and

a selector connected to each of said plurality of feed elements of said plurality of lens sets to dynamically select a subset of said plurality of feed elements to transmit/receive the signal through said non-spherical lens.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein said selector coherently combines/splits signals from said subset of said plurality of feed elements to generate a first beam signal from said phased array as a whole.

3. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein said subset of said plurality of feed elements comprises a first subset that transmits/receives a first beam signal from/to said phased array as a whole, and further where said selector dynamically selects a second subset of said plurality of feed elements to transmit/receive a second beam signal from/to said phased array as a whole.

4. The antenna system of claim 1, further comprising lens set circuitry and/or processing device(s) to adjust embedded radiation patterns of each of the plurality of lens sets.

5. The antenna system of claim 4, wherein the lens set circuitry and/or processing device(s) directs the signal of one or more of the embedded radiation patterns of the lens set using electrical, mechanical, or electro-mechanical methods.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lenses includes a dielectric lens, a metamaterial lens, a metasurface lens, or a combination thereof.

7. The antenna system of claim 6, wherein the lenses are homogeneous.

8. The antenna system of claim 6, wherein the lenses are inhomogeneous for improved overall performance over a homogeneous lens.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, further comprising at least one actuator for moving each of the at least one feed elements with respect to the lens to achieve the desired signal direction.

10. The antenna system of claim 9, where the actuator moves each of the at least one feed elements between a first position having a first desired signal direction and a second position having a second desired signal direction.

11. The antenna system of claim 1 where the lens sets are not identical in geometry, dielectric profiles, or a combination thereof.

12. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lens sets are placed in a nonuniform tiling configuration.

13. The antenna system of claim 12, wherein the tiling configuration of the plurality of lens elements improves the antenna radiation pattern over a wide field of regard and/or frequency range.

14. The antenna system of claim 13, further comprising an antenna circuit and/or processing device(s) configured to adjust an antenna radiation pattern.

15. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lens set circuit and/or processing device(s) and antenna circuit and/or processing device(s) are configured to process signals at radio frequency (RF), intermediate frequency (IF), or baseband frequency.

16. The antenna system of claim 14, where the antenna circuit and/or processing device(s) includes one or more phase or time shifters connected with said plurality of lens sets to form an analog beamforming system via phase shifting or time-delaying signals communicated with said plurality of lens sets.

17. The antenna system of claim 14, where the antenna circuit and/or processing device(s) includes digital signal processor(s) jointly configured as a digital beamforming system by sampling, analog-to-digital conversion, and digital-to-analog conversion.

18. The antenna system of claim 1, said subset of said plurality of feed elements comprising a single respective feed element from each of said plurality of lens sets.

19. The antenna system of claim 1, said non-spherical lens having a substantially planar interior surface, said plurality of feed elements linearly aligned with the substantially planar surface of said non-spherical lens.