Methods and apparatus for radiator for multiple circular polarization

• US 8,264,405 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Pozgay, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): McGue, Frank J
• Application Number:
  US12/533,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 342/363
• US Class Current: 342/363
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters

Abstract

Method and apparatus for a receive electronically steered array aperture including a plurality of radiators each having a single complex phase/amplitude control at a radiating phase center of the radiators to simultaneously receive up to four circularly polarized plane waves, each of the plane waves being arbitrarily of left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization, from spatially diverse sources.

Claims

1. A receive electronically steered array aperture, comprising:

an active array element comprising;

a co-phasal, dual-linear radiator having a first radiator element with a first linear polarization and a second radiator element with a second linear polarization that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization;

a first low noise amplifier (LNA) having an input and an output, wherein the input of said first LNA is coupled to receive a signal from said first radiator element;

a second LNA having an input and an output, wherein the input of the second LNA is coupled to receive a signal from the second radiator element;

a 90 degree phase-shifter having an input and an output, the input of the 90 degree phase-shifter being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the second LNA;

a first 180 degree hybrid device having first and second input ports, a sum port, and a delta port, the first input port of the first 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the first LNA and the second input port of the first 180 degree hybrid being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the 90 degree phase-shifter;

a second 180 degree hybrid device having first and second input ports, a sum port, and a delta port, the first input port of the second 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the sum port of the first 180 degree hybrid device and the second input port of the second 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the delta port of the first 180 degree hybrid device; and

a variable phase shifter to shift a phase of a signal received from the sum port of the second 180 degree hybrid device.

2. The aperture according to claim 1, further including a feed manifold coupled to receive a signal from the active array element.

3. The aperture according to claim 1, wherein the active array element further includes a variable attenuator coupled in series with the variable phase shifter.

4. The aperture according to claim 1, wherein the first 180 degree hybrid device comprises a magic tee.

5. The aperture according to claim 1, wherein the delta port of the second 180 degree hybrid device is load terminated.

6. The aperture according to claim 1, wherein the co-phasal, dual-linear radiator comprises a quad notch radiator.

14. The aperture according to claim 2, further including:

a plurality of additional active array elements, each additional active array element including;

a co-phasal, dual-linear radiator having a first radiator element with a first linear polarization and a second radiator element with a second linear polarization that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization;

a first low noise amplifier (LNA) having an input and an output, wherein the input of said first LNA is coupled to receive a signal from said first radiator element;

a second LNA having an input and an output, wherein the input of the second LNA is coupled to receive a signal from the second radiator element;

a 90 degree phase-shifter having an input and an output, the input of the 90 degree phase-shifter being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the second LNA;

a first 180 degree hybrid device having first and second input ports, a sum port, and a delta port, the first input port of the first 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the first LNA and the second input port of the first 180 degree hybrid being coupled to receive a signal from the output of the 90 degree phase-shifter;

a second 180 degree hybrid device having first and second input ports, a sum port, and a delta port, the first input port of the second 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the sum port of the first 180 degree hybrid device and the second input port of the second 180 degree hybrid device being coupled to receive a signal from the delta port of the first 180 degree hybrid device; and

a variable phase shifter coupled to shift a phase of a signal received from the sum port of the second 180 degree hybrid device;

wherein said plurality of additional active array elements is coupled to said feed manifold.

7. A method, comprising:

concurrently receiving a right hand circularly polarized signal and a left hand circularly polarized signal at a co-phasal, dual-linear radiator having a first radiator element with a first linear polarization and a second radiator element with a second linear polarization that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization;

amplifying a signal received at the first radiator element in a first low noise amplifier (LNA) to generate a first amplified signal;

amplifying a signal received at the second radiator element in a second low noise amplifier (LNA) to generate a second amplified signal;

shifting a phase of the second amplified signal by 90 degrees to generate a phase shifted second amplified signal;

applying the first amplified signal to a first input port of a first 180 degree hybrid device;

applying the phase shifted second amplified signal to a second input port of the first 180 degree hybrid device;

applying a sum signal at a sum port of the first 180 degree hybrid device to a first input port of a second 180 degree hybrid device;

applying a difference signal at a delta port of the first 180 degree hybrid device to a second input port of the second 180 degree hybrid device, wherein the sum port and the delta port of the second 180 degree hybrid device will output substantially equal power portions of the left hand circularly polarized signal and substantially equal power portions of the right hand circularly polarized signal; and

applying a signal received from either the sum port or the delta port of the second 180 degree hybrid device to a variable phase shifter to generate a phase shifted signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, further including:

applying the phase shifted signal to a feed manifold.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

applying the phase shifted signal to a variable attenuator.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first 180 degree hybrid device comprises a magic tee.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the delta port of the second 180 degree hybrid device is load terminated.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the co-phasal, dual-linear radiator comprises a quad notch radiator.

13. A receive electronically steered array aperture, comprising:

a plurality of active array elements, wherein at least some of the active array elements in said plurality of active array elements include;

a co-phasal, dual-linear radiator having a first radiator element with a first linear polarization and a second radiator element with a second linear polarization that is orthogonal to the first linear polarization; and

a single complex phase/amplitude control at a radiating phase center of the co-phasal, dual-linear radiator; and

a feed manifold coupled to said plurality of active array elements;

wherein said receive electronically steered array aperture is capable of simultaneously receiving up to four circularly polarized plane waves, each of the plane waves being arbitrarily of left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization, from spatially diverse sources.