LOSSLESS LOBING CIRCUIT FOR MULTI-SUBARRAY TRACKING

• US 20200136582A1
• Filed: 10/24/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinKom Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ThinKom Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: MILROY, William, YUM, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 10,819,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/227 90° branch line couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/608 Reflection amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers using a one-port amplifying element and a multiport coupler H03F7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/21 providing two or more phase shifted output signals, e.g. n-phase output
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/25 comprising an element controlled by an electric or magnetic variable H03H7/27 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H

Abstract

A multiport microwave device includes a first reactive three-port microwave device, a second reactive three-port microwave device, a third reactive three-port microwave device, and a matched four-port microwave device. The four-port microwave device includes first and second input ports and first and second output ports communicatively coupled to one another. A first port of each of the first, second and third three-port microwave devices is operative to receive a microwave signal, and a first output port and a second output port of the four-port microwave device are each operative to output a microwave signal. A second port of the first microwave device is communicatively coupled to a second port of the second microwave device, a second port of the third microwave device is communicatively coupled to a third port of the second microwave device, and a third port of the first microwave device is communicatively coupled to the first input port the four-port microwave device. A third port of the third microwave device is communicatively coupled to the second input port of the four-port microwave device.

Claims

1. A multiport microwave device, comprising:

a first reactive three-port microwave device;

a second reactive three-port microwave device;

a third reactive three-port microwave device; and

a matched four-port microwave device having first and second input ports and first and second output ports communicatively coupled to one another,

wherein a first port of each of the first, second and third three-port microwave devices is operative to receive a microwave signal, and a first output port and a second output port of the four-port microwave device are each operative to output a microwave signal,

a second port of the first microwave device is communicatively coupled to a second port of the second microwave device,

a second port of the third microwave device is communicatively coupled to a third port of the second microwave device,

a third port of the first microwave device is communicatively coupled to the first input port the four-port microwave device, and

a third port of the third microwave device is communicatively coupled to the second input port of the four-port microwave device.

2. The microwave device according to claim 1, wherein two distinctly different phase and amplitude relationships between the first port of each of the first, second, and third reactive microwave devices is collectively received at each of the first and second input ports of the four-port microwave device.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising first, second and third subarrays arranged along a common plane, wherein the first port of the first, second, and third reactive microwave devices are individually attached to the first, second and third subarrays, respectively.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein a microwave signal received by each of the first, second and third subarrays is combined by the first, second and third microwave devices, and two distinctly different microwave signals are output from each of the first and second output ports of the four-port microwave device, the output signals corresponding to two different anti-symmetric antenna pattern responses.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein each of the microwave signals emanating from the first and second output ports of the four-port microwave device are coherently combined together to attain a symmetric antenna pattern gain response.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first compensation circuit connected to the first output port of the four-port microwave device;

a second compensation circuit connected to the second output port of the four-port microwave device,

wherein the first and second compensation circuits are configured to tune a phase and amplitude of a microwave signal output by the first and second output ports of the four-port microwave device.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein each compensation circuit comprises one of a low-noise amplifier or a low noise block-downconverter.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein operational characteristics of the low noise amplifier or the low noise block-downconverter of the first compensation circuit are electrically matched to operational characteristics of the low noise amplifier or low noise block-downconverter of the second compensation circuit.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein each compensation circuit comprises a variable attenuator circuit and a variable phase trim circuit.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first input port and the second input port of the matched four-port microwave device are connected to the first output port and the second output port, respectively, via a directed connection, and the first input port and the second input port are indirectly connected to the second output port and the first output port, respectively, via a cross connection.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching circuit including a first input, a second input, a third input, and an output, the switching circuit operative to selectively couple one of the first, second or third inputs to the output, wherein the first input is electrically connected to an output of the first compensation circuit, the second input is electrically connected to an output of both the first and second compensation circuits, and the third input is electrically connected to an output of the second compensation circuit.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the three-port microwave devices each comprise an E-plane Waveguide Tee, and the four-port microwave device comprises an E-plane waveguide hybrid.

13. The device according to claim 12, further comprising a plurality of E-Bends connected between the E-plane Waveguide Tee devices and the E-plane waveguide hybrid.

14. The device according to claim 3, wherein the antenna comprises a 3×

3 matrix of subarrays and a plurality of devices according to claims 1-14 are employed.

15. A method for electronically dithering a signal received by an antenna array having first, second and third subarrays arranged in a single row, the method comprising:

using reactive three-port microwave devices to combine signals received from each of the first, second and third subarrays;

splitting, via a matched four-port microwave device, the combined signals into a first signal component and a second signal component different from the first signal component; and

selectively recombining the split signals to produce an antenna beam that is oriented left, oriented broadside, or oriented right.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein selectively recombining the split signals includes providing the first and second signal components to first and second inputs, respectively, of a matched four-port microwave device, and selectively switching between first and second outputs of the matched four-port microwave device to produce the left, broadside or right orientation of the antenna beam.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising matching, in amplitude and phase, the first signal component to the second signal component.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising measuring a received microwave signal at the first signal component, measuring a received microwave signal at the second signal component and adjusting the pointing of the antenna based on the difference between the two measured signals when the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold.