Antenna subsystem with analog beam-steering transmit array and digital beam-forming receive array
First Claim
1. An antenna subsystem, comprising:
- a sparse receive antenna including an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength; and
an electronically steerable transmit antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an embodiment, an antenna subsystem includes a sparse receive antenna and an electronically steerable transmit antenna. The sparse receive antenna includes an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength. And the electronically steerable transmit antenna includes an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength. To reduce aliasing, such an antenna subsystem can be operated to filter, spatially, a receive beam pattern generated by the receive antenna with a transmit beam pattern generated by the transmit antenna.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An antenna subsystem, comprising:
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a sparse receive antenna including an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength; and an electronically steerable transmit antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A radar subsystem, comprising:
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an electronically steerable transmit antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective first distance that is less than one half of the wavelength; a beam-steering controller configured to cause the transmit antenna to form, from the radiated signals, a transmit beam pattern including a main transmit beam that occupies a transmit-beam region; a sparse receive antenna including an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength; and a radar processing unit configured to form, from the received signals, a receive beam pattern including a main receive beam within the transmit-beam region and including a first receive side lobe having a first amplitude and within a portion of the transmit-beam region having a second amplitude that is less than the first amplitude. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A vehicle, comprising:
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a radar subsystem, including an electronically steerable transmit antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective first distance that is less than one half of the wavelength, a beam-steering controller configured to cause the transmit antenna to form, from the radiated signals, a transmit beam pattern including a main transmit beam that occupies a transmit-beam region, a sparse receive antenna including an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength, and a radar processing unit configured to form, from the received signals, a receive beam pattern including a main receive beam within the transmit-beam region and including a first receive side lobe having a first amplitude and within a portion of the transmit-beam region having a second amplitude that is less than the first amplitude, and to generate data in response to a signal received over the main receive beam; a drive assembly; and a controller configured to control the drive assembly in response to the data. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method, comprising:
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generating a transmit beam pattern using an electronically steerable antenna, the transmit beam including a main transmit beam that occupies a main-transmit-beam region; and generating a receive beam pattern in response to a signal received by a sparse digital-beamforming antenna, the receive beam pattern including a main receive beam that occupies a main-receive-beam region within the main-transmit-beam region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method, comprising:
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generating a transmit beam pattern using an electronically steerable antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective distance that is less than one half of the wavelength, the transmit beam pattern including a transmit side-lobe region; and generating a receive beam pattern in response to a signal received by a sparse digital-beamforming antenna, the receive beam pattern including a receive-side-lobe null approximately aligned with the transmit side-lobe region if the transmit side-lobe region is a peak of the receive beam pattern, and including a receive-side-lobe peak approximately aligned with the transmit side-lobe region if the transmit side-lobe region is a null of the receive beam pattern. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A tangible non-transitory medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing circuit, cause the computing circuit, or another circuit under control of the computing circuit:
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to generate a transmit beam pattern using an electronically steerable antenna, the transmit beam including a main transmit beam that occupies a main-transmit-beam region; and to generate a receive beam pattern in response to a signal received by a sparse digital-beamforming antenna, the receive beam pattern including main receive beams that each occupy a respective main-receive-beam region within the main-transmit-beam region.
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27. A tangible non-transitory medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing circuit, cause the computing circuit, or another circuit under control of the computing circuit:
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to generate a transmit beam pattern using an electronically steerable antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective distance that is less than one half of the wavelength, the transmit beam including a transmit side-lobe region; and to generate a receive beam pattern in response to a signal received by a sparse digital-beamforming antenna, the receive beam pattern including a receive-side-lobe null approximately aligned with the transmit side-lobe region if the transmit side-lobe region constitutes a peak of the transmit beam pattern, and including a receive-side-lobe peak approximately aligned the transmit side-lobe region if the transmit side-lobe region constitutes a null of the transmit beam pattern.
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28. A radar subsystem, comprising:
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an electronically steerable transmit antenna including an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective first distance that is less than one half of the wavelength; a beam-steering controller configured to cause the transmit antenna to form, from the radiated signals, a transmit beam pattern including a transmit side lobe; a sparse receive antenna including an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength; and a radar processing unit configured to form, from the received signals, a receive beam pattern including a receive-side-lobe null approximately aligned with the transmit side lobe if the transmit side lobe is a peak of the transmit beam pattern, and to form, from the received signals, a receive beam pattern including a receive-side-lobe peak approximately aligned with the transmit side lobe if the transmit side lobe is a null of the transmit beam pattern. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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Specification