Low-loss, fault-tolerant antenna interface unit
First Claim
1. A radio system including an antenna interface unit providing fault-tolerant connectivity between a plurality of receivers and a plurality of transmitters to an antenna, the antenna interface unit comprising:
- a substantially zero failure rate power combiner/splitter including a plurality of inputs and an output, said output being connected to the antenna;
a plurality of fault tolerant transmit/receive (T/R) circuit elements connected to said inputs of the power combiner splitter;
a plurality of receive channels corresponding to the plurality of receivers connected to the power combiner/splitter via said T/R circuit elements, the receivers thereby being connectable to the antenna via respective receive channels of said plurality of receive channels, through the substantially zero failure rate power combiner/splitter, and the fault tolerant T/R circuit elements; and
a plurality of transmit channels corresponding to the plurality of transmitters also connected to the power combiner/splitter via said T/R circuit elements, said transmit channels being different channels from each of the receive channels, the transmitters being connectable to the antenna via respective transmit channels of said plurality of transmit channels, through the substantially zero failure rate RF power combiner/splitter and the fault tolerant switching means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An antenna interface unit (AIU) for providing low power loss, fault tolerant connectivity between multiple transmitters and an antenna, and between multiple receivers and the antenna. The antenna interface unit also eliminates single point failures in a transmit/receive (T/R) mechanism. The antenna interface unit includes (a) a power combiner/splitter connectable to the antenna; a receive channel connected to the power combiner/splitter; and a transmit channel connected to the power combiner/splitter. The transmit channel is a different channel from the receive channel. The receivers are connectable to the antenna via the receive channel and through the power combiner/splitter. The transmitters are connectable to the antenna via the transmit channel and through the power combiner/splitter. Different variations of the receive channel and the transmit channel are provided by using different combinations of power combiners and power splitters.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A radio system including an antenna interface unit providing fault-tolerant connectivity between a plurality of receivers and a plurality of transmitters to an antenna, the antenna interface unit comprising:
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a substantially zero failure rate power combiner/splitter including a plurality of inputs and an output, said output being connected to the antenna; a plurality of fault tolerant transmit/receive (T/R) circuit elements connected to said inputs of the power combiner splitter; a plurality of receive channels corresponding to the plurality of receivers connected to the power combiner/splitter via said T/R circuit elements, the receivers thereby being connectable to the antenna via respective receive channels of said plurality of receive channels, through the substantially zero failure rate power combiner/splitter, and the fault tolerant T/R circuit elements; and a plurality of transmit channels corresponding to the plurality of transmitters also connected to the power combiner/splitter via said T/R circuit elements, said transmit channels being different channels from each of the receive channels, the transmitters being connectable to the antenna via respective transmit channels of said plurality of transmit channels, through the substantially zero failure rate RF power combiner/splitter and the fault tolerant switching means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A fault tolerant antenna interface unit for selectively connecting multiple RF receivers and multiple RF transmitters to a common antenna, comprising:
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a substantially zero failure rate unitary RF power combiner/splitter having a plurality of inputs and an output connectable to the antenna; a plurality of transmit/receive channels connected to said plurality of inputs of the unitary RF power combiner/splitter; a respective plurality of fault tolerant circuit means connected to the plurality of transmit/receive channels for coupling transmit RF signals and receive RF signal to and from said unitary RF power combiner/splitter; a plurality of receive channels, respectively corresponding to a respective plurality of RF receivers connected to said fault tolerant circuit means for coupling, said RF receivers thereby being connectable to the antenna via said plurality of transmit/receive channels and through said unitary RF power combiner/splitter; a plurality of transmit channels, respectively corresponding to a respective plurality of RF transmitters connected to said fault tolerant circuit means for coupling, and including, a substantially zero failure rate transmit signal RF power combiner including a plurality of inputs respectively connected to the transmitters, receiving signals transmitted by said transmitters via said plurality of inputs and producing a corresponding combined transmit signal, a plurality of split RF transmit signal paths, a substantially zero failure rate transmit signal RF power splitter connected between the transmit signal RF power combiner and the split RF transmit signal paths, receiving the combined transmit signal produced by the transmit signal RF power combiner and producing split transmit signals for said split RF transmit signal paths, a plurality of summed RF transmit signal paths equal in number to the number of transmit channels, a plurality of RF transmit signal summers equal in number to said summed RF transmit signal paths connected between the split RF transmit signal paths and the summed RF transmit signal paths, and producing and feeding summed RF transmit signals to the circuit means for coupling and then to said unitary RF power combiner/splitter via said summed RF transmit signal paths and said transmit/receive channels, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A fault tolerant power amplifier having fault tolerant T/R switching in an antenna interface unit which connects multiple receivers and multiple transmitters to an antenna, the receivers being connected to the amplifier through respectively corresponding receive signal channels and the transmitter being connected to the amplifier through a substantially zero failure rate transmit signal RF power combiner, the amplifier comprising:
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a plurality of common transmit/receive signal channels at least equal in number to the number of receive signal channels; a plurality of transmit channels; a substantially zero failure rate transmit signal RF power splitter connected to the transmit signal RF power combiner, receiving a combined transmit signal from said RF power combiner and producing a plurality of split transmit signals which are coupled to said plurality of transmit channels; a substantially zero failure rate RF power combiner/splitter connectable to the antenna and said common input/output signal channels, and respective fault tolerant T/R switching means equal in number to the number of receive signal channels and the number of said common input/output signal channels, each said fault tolerant T/R switching means being connected to a respective receive signal channel, a respective common input/output signal channel and a respective transmit signal channel, and selectively allowing either the corresponding receive signal channel to receive signals from the antenna via the RF power combiner/splitter or the corresponding transmit signal channel to transmit signals to the antenna via the RF power combiner/splitter. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification