Non-coherent high-power directed-energy system and method

• US 20050231041A1
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Brown, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,126,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/106
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/32 Decoy or sacrificial vehicles; Decoy or sacrificial devices attachable to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0068 the high-energy beam being of microwave type, e.g. for causing a heating effect in the target
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/325 characterised by the location of the antenna on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/02 using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/22 varying the orientation in accordance with variation of frequency of radiated wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/005 for radiating non-sinusoidal waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station

Abstract

A directed-energy system includes a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources and a plurality of antennas. Each antenna may be coupled to a corresponding one or more of the sources to radiate energy from the sources and cumulatively generate high-energy pulses based on statistical combining of the energy radiated from the antennas. The pulses may statistically occur at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of sources comprising the plurality. In some embodiments, the sources may separately generate horizontally and vertically polarized energy to separately generate high-energy pulses from the statistical combining of the horizontally and vertically polarized energy. In some embodiments, the frequency spread between the sources may be controlled to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur. In some embodiments, the frequency spread between the sources may be controlled to change a pulse-width of the pulses. In some embodiments, gimbals may be used to control the direction of the energy.

Claims

1. A directed-energy system comprising:

a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources; and

a plurality of antennas, each antenna coupled to a corresponding one or more of the sources to radiate energy from the sources, the antennas to cumulatively generate high-energy pulses based on a statistical combining of the energy radiated from the antennas.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the pulses are electromagnetic pulses and statistically occur at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of sources comprising the plurality.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the pulses have a pulse-width of approximately two divided by a frequency spread between the sources, and

wherein the pulses have a peak energy density approximately proportional to the number of sources squared.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the sources comprise magnetrons.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the antennas are circularly polarized and radiate substantially circularly polarized energy.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the antennas comprise horn antennas,

wherein the plurality of sources comprise sources of a first polarization, each source of the first polarization coupled to an associated one of the horn antennas to generate energy waveforms having the first polarization,

wherein the system further comprises a second plurality of sources of a second polarization, each source of the second polarization coupled to an associated one of the horn antennas to generate energy waveforms having the second polarization, and

wherein the first polarization is substantially orthogonal to the second polarization.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the energy waveforms having the first polarization randomly combine in space to provide pulses of the first polarization, and

wherein the energy waveforms having the second polarization randomly combine in space to provide pulses of the second polarization.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the first polarization comprises a horizontal polarization and the second polarization comprises a vertical polarization.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the sources of the first polarization comprise magnetrons coupled to a vertical portion of the antennas to generate horizontally polarized waveforms, and

wherein the sources of the second polarization comprise magnetrons coupled to a horizontal portion of the antennas to generate vertically polarized waveforms.

10. The system of claim 2 further comprising one or more tuning elements coupled between at least some of the sources and a corresponding one of the antennas, the one or more tuning elements to shift a frequency of the energy provided by at least some of the sources to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a system controller to generate control signals for the one or more tuning elements to change the frequency spread between the sources to control the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur.

12. The system of claim 9 further comprising a system controller to generate control signals for the one or more tuning elements to change the frequency spread between the sources to control a pulse-width of the pulses.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more gimbals coupled to the antennas to direct the pulses in a selected direction.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a system controller to generate control signals for the one or more gimbals to direct the energy in the selected direction.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein each antenna is coupled to one of a plurality of gimbals.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein a single gimbal is coupled to the plurality of antennas.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein each source generates power levels of approximately 1 kilowatt (kW) to approximately 100 kW.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the sources generate electromagnetic energy at a frequency approximately between 2.3 and 2.5 GHz, and

wherein the frequency spread between any of the sources is approximately 2 MHz.

19. An energy pulse generating system comprising:

a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources; and

a plurality of antennas, each antenna coupled to a corresponding one or more of the sources to radiate energy from the sources, the antennas to cumulatively generate high-energy pulses based on a statistical combining of the energy radiated from the antennas, the pulses to statistically occur at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of the sources comprising the plurality.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the pulses have a pulse-width of approximately two divided by the frequency spread between the sources, and

wherein the pulses have a peak energy density approximately proportional to the number of sources squared.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising one or more gimbals coupled to the antennas to direct the antennas in a selected direction.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising one or more tuning elements coupled between at least some of the sources and a corresponding one of the antennas, the one or more tuning elements to shift a frequency of the energy provided by at least some of the sources to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising a system controller to generate control signals for the one or more tuning elements to change the frequency spread between the sources to control the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur and to control a pulse-width of the pulses,

the system controller to further generate control signals for the one or more gimbals to direct the energy in the selected direction.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the sources comprise magnetrons, and wherein the antennas are circularly polarized and radiate substantially circularly polarized signals.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the antennas comprise horn antennas,

wherein the plurality of sources comprises sources of a first polarization, each source of the first polarization coupled to an associated one of the horn antennas to generate energy waveforms having the first polarization,

wherein the system further comprises a second plurality of sources of a second polarization, each source of the second polarization coupled to an associated one of the horn antennas to generate energy waveforms having the second polarization, and

wherein the first polarization is substantially orthogonal to the second polarization.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the energy waveforms having the first polarization randomly combine in space to provide pulses of the first polarization, and

wherein the energy waveforms having the second polarization randomly combine in space to provide pulses of the second polarization.

27. A method of generating high-energy pulses comprising:

radiating non-coherent electromagnetic energy with a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources, the radiated non-coherent energy to combine to generate statistically occurring high-energy pulses.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the radiating comprises radiating the non-coherent electromagnetic energy with a plurality of antennas, each antenna coupled to a corresponding one of the sources,

wherein the pulses are electromagnetic pulses and statistically occur at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of the sources comprising the plurality.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising controlling the frequency spread between the sources to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising controlling the frequency spread between the sources to change a pulse-width of the pulses.

31. The method of claim 28 further comprising controlling one or more gimbals coupled to the antennas to direct the energy in a selected direction.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein radiating comprises:

radiating first non-coherent electromagnetic energy with a first plurality of non-coherent microwave sources, the radiated non-coherent energy to combine to generate statistically occurring high-energy pulses having a first polarization; and

radiating second non-coherent electromagnetic energy with a second plurality of non-coherent microwave sources, the radiated non-coherent energy to combine to generate statistically occurring high-energy pulses having a second polarization,

wherein the first polarization is substantially orthogonal to the second polarization.

33. A method of disrupting electronic devices comprising:

generating statistically occurring high-energy pulses by spatially combining outputs of a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources, the pulses to occur statistically at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of the sources comprising the plurality.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the generating comprises radiating non-coherent electromagnetic energy with a plurality of antennas, each antenna coupled to a corresponding one of the sources,

the method further comprising directing the antennas with one or more gimbals in a selected direction.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising controlling the frequency spread between the sources to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising controlling the frequency spread between the sources to change a pulse-width of the pulses.