Wideband active phased array antenna system

• US 7,345,629 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Dulmovits, John Michael Jr., Bajit, Ronald Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H.
• Application Number:
  US11/358,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070194986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 342371-372, 342/377
• US Class Current: 342/372
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming

Abstract

A transmission system comprises a plurality of antenna elements; a plurality of power amplifiers, each of power amplifiers being connected to one of the antenna elements; a plurality of waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies, each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies being connected to one of the power amplifiers; a processor for controlling modulation and beam forming/steering functions of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies; and a master clock for synchronizing operation of the processor and waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies generates a transmit element signal with embedded phase offset and amplitude adjustments in response to control signals from the processor, and each of the plurality of antenna elements radiates one of the transmit element signals. A method of producing one or more beams using an array of antenna elements is also provided.

Claims

1. A transmission system comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements;

a plurality of power amplifiers, each of the power amplifiers being connected to one of the antenna elements;

a plurality of waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies, each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies being connected to one of the power amplifiers;

a processor for controlling modulation and beam forming/steering functions of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies; and

a master clock for synchronizing operation of the processor and waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies;

wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies generates a wideband transmit element signal with embedded phase offset and amplitude adjustments, using frequency, delta frequency, amplitude and phase parameters in response to control signals from the processor without time delay processing, and each of the plurality of antenna elements radiates one of the transmit element signals.

2. The transmission system of claim 1, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies includes:

a direct digital synthesizer coupled to a digital-to-analog converter.

3. The transmission system of claim 1, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies includes:

a plurality of direct synthesizers, each coupled to a digital-to-analog converter.

4. The transmission system of claim 3, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies further includes:

a summing circuit for summing signals from the digital-to-analog converters.

5. The transmission system of claim 1, wherein the master clock provides coherent synchronization of signal modulation and beam forming/steering.

6. The transmission system of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements are positioned in a non-planar array.

7. The transmission system of claim 1, wherein the processor includes:

a look-up table for compensating for radiating element amplitude and phase changes as a function of frequency and temperature.

8. A method of producing one or more beams using an array of antenna elements, the method comprising the steps of:

using a plurality of waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies to generate a plurality of wideband transmit element signals each having embedded phase offset and amplitude adjustments, using frequency, delta frequency, amplitude and phase parameters responsive to control signals without time delay processing;

amplifying the transmit element signals; and

transmitting each of the transmit element signals using an antenna element in the array of antenna elements.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

synchronizing operation of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies includes:

a direct digital synthesizer coupled to a digital-to-analog converter.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies includes:

a plurality of direct digital synthesizers, each coupled to a digital-to-analog converter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the waveform/beam synthesizer assemblies further includes:

a summing circuit for summing signals from the digital-to-analog converters.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

providing coherent synchronization of signal modulation and beam forming/steering.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the antenna elements are positioned in a non-planar array.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

generating independently modulated simultaneous signals on associated directionally independent beams.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the control signals provide phase steering commands.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

steering a wideband signal by continuously updating a phase steering command as the transmit element signals are generated.