Phased Array Transmitting Antenna

• US 20080211717A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Ott, Hubert, Dreher, Helmut, Boeck, Markus
• Application Number:
  US11/951,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211717A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/377
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/38 the phase-shifters being digital

Abstract

An arrangement for beam forming and control of a transmitter radiating in the RF range comprises an input for feeding the RF transmitting signal RF_in, a feeding network electrically connected with the input, a plurality of radiator elements, a plurality of phase shifters for receiving signals from the feeding network and for causing phase displacements for the signals before the transmission to the radiator elements, and a controller for controlling the phase displacement caused by the phase shifters. A circuit is assigned to the input of the transmitting antenna for converting the momentary phase of the transmitting signal to a digital word of a definable word length and for feeding the digital momentary phase to the feeding network. Each phase shifter comprises an adder for linking the momentary phase fed by the feeding network with a definable digital phase value generated and fed by the controller, and a circuit for converting the digital output value of the adder to an analog signal. The controller has a set of outputs which are connected with the phase shifters by way of a corresponding set of connection lines, before the transmission to the phase shifters. A definable gradient is superposed on the phase values for generating a phase difference between the phase values at the outputs of the controller.

Claims

1. Arrangement for the beam forming and control of a transmitter radiating in the RF range, said arrangement comprising:

an input for feeding the RF transmitting signal RF_in;

a feeding network electrically connected with the input;

a plurality of radiator elements;

a plurality of phase shifters for receiving signals from the feeding network and for causing phase displacements for the signals before the transmission to the radiator elements; and

a controller for controlling the phase displacement caused by the phase shifters;

wherein,

a circuit is assigned to the input of the transmitting antenna for converting momentary phase of the transmitting signal RF_in to a digital word of a definable word length and for feeding the digital momentary phase to the feeding network;

each phase shifter comprises an adder for combining the moment phase fed by the feeding network with a definable digital phase value generated and fed by the controller, and a circuit for converting the digital output value of the adder (11) to an analog signal;

the controller has a set of outputs which are connected with the phase shifters via a corresponding set of connection lines, before the transmission to the phase shifters; and

a definable gradient is superposed on the phase values for generating a phase difference between the phase values at the outputs of the controller.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein:

a mixer is connected behind the input; and

the input signal RF_in and a local oscillator signal LO are fed to the mixer to transform the input signal RF_in from the RF range into one of an intermediate frequency and a base band.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said local oscillator is one of a constant frequency oscillator and a tunable frequency oscillator.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein:

a mixer is connected in front of the radiator elements; and

the analog signal of the converter assigned to the adder and a local oscillator signal LO are fed to the mixer to transform the analog signal from an intermediate frequency or from the base band into the RF range.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing the digital momentary phase and for the transmission of the stored moment phase to the feeding network.

6. The arrangement according to claim 5, further comprising a memory control for controlling the temporal course of the storage operation and of the read-out operation of digital momentary phases.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein a bidirectional connection exists between the memory and the memory control.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the memory control is connected with an input of the controller for transmission of a phase value generated from the stored digital momentary phases.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the controller comprises an adder for the digitally combining the phase value fed by the mass memory with the definable phase gradient for generating phase values for the transmission to the phase shifters.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the controller has an input for feeding a control signal for influencing the gradient.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein an amplifier module is assigned to each radiator element for amplifying the analog signal generated by the converter circuit.