Integrated adaptive array antenna

• US 5,471,220 A
• Filed: 02/17/1994
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Exelis Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Conway, Michael D., Hammers, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US08/198,410
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 342/372, 342/380, 257/700, 257/728
• US Class Current: 342/372
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00

Abstract

An integrated active array antenna system is disclosed which comprises a "sandwich style" microwave packaging scheme that includes three principal layers: an antenna layer, a transceiver layer, and a beam forming sub array layer. These three layers are arranged in a coplanar geometry, with connections between the layers being in the form of microwave vias. Each transceiver module may be implemented in the form of a single Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit, and each beam forming sub array may be similarly implemented. The coplanar geometry and use of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit technology provide for multi-beam active array of very shallow physical depth.

Claims

1. An integrated active array antenna system, comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements through which electromagnetic energy is transmitted and received, said antenna elements forming a substantially planar antenna layer in a first plane having an inner surface and an outer surface on opposing sides;

a plurality of integrated circuit transceivers, each having an output coupled to at least one of said antenna elements, for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic energy to and from said antenna elements, each of said transceivers having an input port,

said transceivers forming a transceiver layer in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane, said transceiver layer having an outer surface facing said inner surface of said antenna layer;

combining means coupled to said transceivers and forming a combining layer in a third plane substantially parallel to said first and second planes, said combining layer having an outer surface facing said inner surface of said antenna layer, wherein said antenna layer, said transceiver layer and said combining layer are integrated together to form multiple layers of a sandwich style assembly, said combining means including at least one subarray,

each said subarray including a coupling network of predetermined impedances, said coupling network having a plurality of output ports, with each output port coupled to the input port of at least one of said transceivers, wherein said combining means is operative to combine and divide signals passing through said transceivers; and

a processing means for processing output signals from and input signals to said transceivers and for providing control signals to said system.

2. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, wherein each of said antenna elements comprise a thin metallic conductor bonded to a thin grounded dielectric substrate.

3. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, wherein each of said integrated circuit transceivers comprises a single chip Gallium Arsenide Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit.

4. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, wherein said coupling network has four separate output ports, each being individually coupled to a respective transceiver,

each said subarray includes four separate input branches coupled to said coupling network;

wherein three of said four input branches include selectively variable attenuator and phase shifter means for conditioning signals therein, wherein said subarray in conjunction with said transceivers and said antenna elements is operable to form four beams with three of said four beams being conditioned and offset at an angle from a fourth unconditioned reference beam from said subarray, thereby allowing for two axis monopulse angle measurement for location of a target.

5. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, wherein said processing means is coupled to said system via a fiber optic transmission means.

6. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, further including:

a cooling membrane positioned between said antenna layer and said transceiver layer, wherein said cooling membrane is oriented coplanar to said layer of transceivers.

7. The integrated active array antenna of claim 1, further including a planar RF feed layer substantially parallel to, and integrated with, said antenna, transceiver and combining layers, thereby forming a separate layer of said sandwich style assembly.

8. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, further including:

a planar DC feed layer substantially parallel to, and integrated with, said antenna, transceiver, and combining layers thereby forming a separate layer of said sandwich style assembly.

9. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, further including:

a radome layer positioned adjacent to the outer surface of said antennas.

10. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 1, wherein said processing means includes an adaptive beam processor that operates to implement an adaptive cancellation technique, said adaptive beam processor being implemented in a layer that is oriented coplanar to said layer of transceivers.

11. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 10, further including:

a signal processor for sending control signals to said adaptive beam processor and for receiving processed signals from said adaptive beam processor; and

a signal channeling means for connecting said signal processor to said adaptive beam processor.

12. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 11, wherein said signal channeling means for connecting said signal processor to said adaptive beam processors is implemented via a fiber optic transmission means.

13. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 12, wherein said signal processor includes:

a microprocessor; and

a plurality of dedicated signal processing modules coupled to said microprocessor.

14. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 13, wherein said microprocessor and said dedicated signal processing modules are implemented as Very High Scale Integrated Circuit chips.

15. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 10, wherein said adaptive cancellation technique is selected from the group consisting of Gram-Schmidt algorithm, parametric estimator algorithm, direct matrix inversion algorithm, Kalman filter algorithm, and maximum entropy algorithm.

21. The integrated active array system according to claim 1 wherein said transceiver layer is between said antenna layer and said combining layer.

16. An integrated active array antenna system, comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements through which electromagnetic energy is transmitted and received, said antenna elements forming an antenna layer in a first plane, said antenna layer having an inner surface and an outer surface on opposite sides;

a plurality of transceivers, each formed as a single monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) chip, said transceivers coupled to said antenna elements for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic energy, said transceivers forming a transceiver layer in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane and having an outer surface facing said inner surface of said antenna layer;

at least one subarray means coupled to said plurality of transceivers for forming multiple beam patterns, said subarray means including a coupling network of predetermined impedances for selectively combining signals from multiple ones of said plurality of said transceivers, said sub-array means being oriented in a third plane substantially parallel to said first, and second planes and forming an additional layer, wherein said antenna layer, said transceiver layer and said additional layer are integrated together to form multiple layers of a sandwich style assembly, each of said at least one sub-array also being formed as a single MMIC chip; and

processing means for processing output signals from, and input signals to said plurality of transceivers, and for providing control signals to said system.

17. The integrated active array antenna system of claim 16, wherein said processing means is coupled to said system via a fiber optic transmission means.

18. The integrated active array antenna system of claim ,16, further including:

a cooling membrane positioned between said antenna layer and said transceiver layer.

20. The integrated active array antenna of claim 16, wherein said sub array means includes four separate input branches coupled to said coupling network, said coupling network includes four separate transceiver ports each coupled to a respective transceiver,

wherein three of said four input branches include selectively variable attenuator and phase shifter means for conditioning signals therein, wherein said subarray means, in conjunction with said transceivers and said antenna elements, is operative to form four beams with three of said four beams being conditioned and offset at an angle from a fourth unconditioned reference beam, thereby providing for two axis monopulse angle measurement for location of a target.

19. A method of constructing substantially planar integrated active array antenna system, comprising the steps of:

forming an antenna layer consisting of a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a planar geometry;

forming a transceiver layer having a plurality of integrated circuit transceiver chips arranged in a planar geometry, said transceiver chips operative for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic energy through said antenna elements, each of said transceiver chips having an input port;

forming a combining layer including at least one subarray operable to combine and divide signals passing through said transceiver chips, each said subarray including a coupling network having a plurality of output ports with each output port coupled to at least one input port of said transceiver chips; and

affixing said antenna, transceiver, and combining layers to one another in a sandwich type configuration, with each of said antenna layer, said transceiver layer and said combining layer as one layer of said sandwich type configuration.