PHASED ARRAY BEAM STEERING CONTROL WITH PHASE MISALIGNMENT CORRECTION

• US 3,646,558 A
• Filed: 02/20/1970
• Issued: 02/29/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matthew J. Campanella
• Original Assignee: Matthew J. Campanella
• Inventors: Campanella, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Quarforth, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Potenza, J. M.
• Application Number:
  US05/018,029
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 343/854,1R,1SA
• US Class Current: 342/373
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/385 Scan control logics

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling the phase of active antenna elements in a phased array that has the capability of correcting the inherent phase misalignment of each individual antenna element within the array. Beam azimuth and elevation signals are fed into an appropriate arithmetic unit by a radar signal processor. Roll, yaw and pitch signals are fed into the same arithmetic unit by an inertial navigation system. The arithmetic unit, using the information from the inertial navigation system and the radar signal processor, computes the phase shift required for each individual antenna element in order to point the radar beam in the desired direction. To compensate for inherent phase alignment in the system, an antennule position and alignment store feeds a predetermined alignment factor for each antennule into the arithmetic unit. The arithmetic unit then adds or subtracts the alignment factors from the respective computed phase angles. All the calculated phase angles are then sent to the control circuitry of the antenna array. A Csc2 beam phase shift store provides for generation of a Csc2 beam at the array.

Claims

1. A phase shift beam-steering control system for an antenna array comprising:

an array of antenna elements;

a plurality of phase shifter means equal in number to said antenna elements and connected to a corresponding antenna element for causing a phase shift in signals applied to said array;

antenna control means connected to said phase shifter means for controlling the sequence and distribution of phase shift data to individual phase shifter means;

an arithmetic unit connected to said control means and responsive to beam-steering input data, which comprises beampointing data and alignment data, for calculating beam phase shift data for each antenna in said array and delivering it to said antenna control means;

an alignment store connected to said arithmetic unit for delivering alignment data to said arithmetic unit;

said alignment data includes for each antenna element (a) its coordinates in said array and (b) phase shift compensation data; and

a system controller means connected to said arithmetic unit for delivering beam-pointing data to said arithmetic unit.

2. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 1 wherein said arithmetic unit is further responsive to roll, pitch, and yaw data for said array, said arithmetic unit taking such data into consideration in calculating beam phase shift data.

3. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 1 further comprising a beam pattern data store connected to said arithmetic unit for supplying said arithmetic unit with beam pattern data;

and wherein said arithmetic unit is further responsive to beam pattern data when calculating beam phase shift data; and

wherein said antenna array is a planar antenna array.

4. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 1 wherein said system controller means delivers beam-pointing data in a predetermined order to said arithmetic unit causing it to calculate and deliver phase shift data to said antenna control means that instructs said antenna control means to provide a scanning pattern for the beam generated by said array.

5. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 1 wherein said arithmetic unit calculates the beam phase shift data for each individual antenna element and prefixes such data with an identifying address;

and wherein said antenna control means comprises logic circuitry individual to each active element responsive to its identifying address to process the beam phase shift data transmitted by said arithmetic unit.

6. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 5 wherein said alignment store delivers predetermined alignment data to said arithmetic unit for each individual antenna element, the alignment data being prefixed by the appropriate active antenna element address.

7. The phase shift beam-steering control system of claim 6 wherein said alignment store provides alignment data for the receive mode of system operation and for the transmit mode of system operation, if the two modes require different alignment data for each antenna element.