AUTOMATIC HIGH-RESOLUTION ADAPTIVE BEAM-STEERING

• US 20140266894A1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Device Technology Incorporated (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Integrated Device Technology Incorporated (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Rasheed, Irshad, Schiller, Christopher T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/367
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/22 varying the orientation in accordance with variation of frequency of radiated wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2647 Retrodirective arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46

Abstract

A method includes pointing a receive beam of a retro-directive antenna array attracted to a jammer circuit instead of a remote transmitter away from the jammer circuit toward the remote transmitter by a first angle based on coarse manual means therefor implemented in electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array. The electronic circuitry includes a number of mixers, each of which is configured to mix a Local Oscillator (LO) signal generated from a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) with a signal received at an antenna element of the retro-directive antenna array. The method also includes automatically fine pointing the receive beam toward the remote transmitter by a second angle following the coarse pointing thereof by the first angle such that the receive beam exactly points to, and tracks, the remote transmitter. The automatic fine pointing is effected through a secondary automatic servo loop implemented in the electronic circuitry.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

pointing a receive beam of a retro-directive antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements attracted to a jammer circuit instead of a remote transmitter away from the jammer circuit toward the remote transmitter by a first angle based on coarse manual means therefor implemented in electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array, the electronic circuitry comprising a plurality of mixers, each of which is configured to mix a Local Oscillator (LO) signal generated from a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) of a coupled VCO array comprising a plurality of VCOs with a signal received at an antenna element; and

automatically fine pointing the receive beam toward the remote transmitter by a second angle following the coarse pointing thereof by the first angle such that the receive beam exactly points to, and tracks, the remote transmitter, the automatic fine pointing being effected through a secondary automatic servo loop implemented in the electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising regarding, through the electronic circuitry, another remote transmitter as the jammer circuit during the pointing of the receive beam by the first angle and the second angle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising injection locking two or more VCOs of the coupled VCO array to each other.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising coupling a VCO of the coupled VCO array to another VCO thereof through a bidirectional coupling circuit.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising providing one of:

a one-dimensional, a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional VCO array as the coupled VCO array.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising limiting capability of the automatic fine pointing to operation over the second angle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining outputs of the plurality of mixers as part of beamforming with the retro-directive antenna array.

8. A beam-steering system comprising:

a retro-directive antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements, a receive beam of the retro-directive antenna array being attracted to a jammer circuit instead of a remote transmitter;

coarse manual means implemented in electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array for pointing the receive beam away from the jammer circuit toward the remote transmitter by a first angle, the electronic circuitry comprising a plurality of mixers, each of which is configured to mix a LO signal generated from a VCO of a coupled VCO array comprising a plurality of VCOs with a signal received at an antenna element; and

a secondary automatic servo loop implemented in the electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array for automatic fine pointing of the receive beam toward the remote transmitter by a second angle following the coarse pointing thereof by the first angle such that the receive beam exactly points to, and tracks, the remote transmitter.

9. The beam-steering system of claim 8, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to regard another remote transmitter as the jammer circuit during the pointing of the receive beam by the first angle and the second angle.

10. The beam-steering system of claim 8, wherein two or more VCOs of the coupled VCO array are configured to be injection locked to each other.

11. The beam-steering system of claim 8, wherein a VCO of the coupled VCO array is configured to be coupled to another VCO thereof through a bidirectional coupling circuit.

12. The beam-steering system of claim 8, wherein the coupled VCO array is one of:

a one-dimensional, a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional VCO array.

13. The beam-steering system of claim 8, wherein the secondary automatic servo loop is configured to limit capability of the automatic fine pointing to operation over the second angle.

14. The beam-steering system of claim 8, further comprising a combiner circuit to combine outputs of the plurality of mixers as part of beamforming with the retro-directive antenna array.

15. A wireless communication system comprising:

a remote transmitter;

a jammer circuit; and

a beam-steering system comprising;

a retro-directive antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements, a receive beam of the retro-directive antenna array being attracted to the jammer circuit instead of the remote transmitter;

coarse manual means implemented in electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array for pointing the receive beam away from the jammer circuit toward the remote transmitter by a first angle, the electronic circuitry comprising a plurality of mixers, each of which is configured to mix a LO signal generated from a VCO of a coupled VCO array comprising a plurality of VCOs with a signal received at an antenna element; and

a secondary automatic servo loop implemented in the electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array for automatic fine pointing of the receive beam toward the remote transmitter by a second angle following the coarse pointing thereof by the first angle such that the receive beam exactly points to, and tracks, the remote transmitter.

16. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the electronic circuitry associated with the retro-directive antenna array of the beam-steering system is configured to regard another remote transmitter as the jammer circuit during the pointing of the receive beam by the first angle and the second angle.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein two or more VCOs of the coupled VCO array of the beam-steering system are configured to be injection locked to each other.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein a VCO of the coupled VCO array of the beam-steering system is configured to be coupled to another VCO thereof through a bidirectional coupling circuit.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the secondary automatic servo loop of the beam-steering system is configured to limit capability of the automatic fine pointing to operation over the second angle.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the beam-steering circuit further comprises a combiner circuit to combine outputs of the plurality of mixers as part of beamforming with the retro-directive antenna array.