Temperature compensation system and method for an array antenna system

• US 9,673,846 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: West, James B., Hageman, Michael L., Wyse, Russell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US14/849,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 455 25, 4552761, 342354, 342368
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A system and method compensates for temperature in a signal path of an antenna array. The signal path includes an antenna element, a first phase shifter or a time delay unit, and a first variable gain power amplifier. The system and method can provide at least one of a local temperature signal, a remote temperature signal, and both the local temperature signal and the remote temperature signal to a slope control circuit, and provide a phase control signal or a gain control signal using the slope control circuit at least partially in response to the at least one of the local temperature signal, the remote temperature signal, and both the local temperature signal and the remote temperature signal.

Claims

1. An antenna system, comprising:

a remote temperature sensor configured to provide a remote temperature signal;

a plurality of signal paths, wherein each signal path comprises;

a local temperature sensor configured to provide a local temperature signal indicative of a temperature in a signal path of the signal paths, wherein the remote temperature signal is indicative of a temperature outside of the signal paths;

an antenna element;

a phase shifter or time delay unit;

a variable gain power amplifier; and

a temperature compensation circuit comprising a slope control circuit and a temperature variable gain amplifier; and

wherein the temperature variable gain amplifier, the antenna element, the phase shifter, and the variable gain power amplifier are disposed in series in the signal path of the plurality of signal paths, wherein the slope control circuit is configured to receive the remote temperature signal and the local temperature signal and provide a gain control signal to the temperature variable gain amplifier to compensate for gain variation due to temperature variation in the signal path.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature compensation circuit is an analog signal processor having a response time to temperature correction under 100 nanoseconds.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the temperature compensation circuit is an analog processor having a response time to temperature correction under 30 nanoseconds.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote temperature sensor is not integrated with an integrated circuit for the temperature compensation circuit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the remote temperature sensor is integrated with a power amplifier.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the remote temperature signal is proportional to an absolute temperature.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the local temperature sensor is integrated with an integrated circuit in the signal path.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature compensation circuit further comprises a temperature dependent phase shifter or time delay element, and the slope control circuit is configured to provide a phase control signal to the temperature dependent phase shifter or provide a time delay control signal to the time delay element to compensate for phase variation due to the temperature variation in the signal path.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the local temperature sensor is integrated with the temperature compensation circuit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a beam control circuit is configured to provide a gain control signal to the variable gain power amplifier and a phase control signal to the phase shifter to control the gain of the variable gain amplifier and the phase of the phase shifter to effect beam steering.

11. A method of compensating for temperature in a signal path of an antenna array, the method comprising:

providing a remote temperature signal and a local temperature signal to a slope control circuit in the signal path, the signal path comprising an antenna element, a first phase shifter or a time delay unit, and a first variable gain power amplifier, the local temperature signal being indicative of a local temperature in the signal path and the remote temperature signal being indicative of a remote temperature outside of the signal path; and

providing a gain control signal using the slope control circuit at least partially in response to the remote temperature signal and the local temperature signal to a second variable gain control amplifier in the signal path.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a phase control signal using the slope control circuit at least partially in response to at least one of the remote temperature signal, the local temperature signal, or both the remote temperature signal and the local temperature signal to a second phase shifter in the signal path.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the slope control circuit is an analog processor providing the gain control signal to flatten the signal path gain over temperature.

14. The method of claim 11,

wherein the remote temperature signal is provided by an integrated circuit outside of the signal path.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a slope control word in the slope control circuit.

16. A method of compensating for temperature in a signal path of an antenna array, the method comprising:

providing a local temperature signal and a remote temperature signal to a slope control circuit in the signal path, the signal path comprising an antenna element, a first phase shifter or time delay unit, and a first variable gain power amplifier, the local temperature signal being indicative of a local temperature in the signal path and the remote temperature signal indicative of being a remote temperature outside of the signal path; and

providing a phase control signal using the slope control circuit at least partially in response both the local temperature signal and the remote temperature signal to a second phase shifter or a second time delay unit in the signal path.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a gain control signal using the slope control circuit at least partially in response to the at least one of the local temperature signal, the remote temperature signal, and both the local temperature signal and the remote temperature signal to a second variable gain amplifier in the signal path.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the slope control circuit is an analog processor providing the gain control signal to flatten the signal path gain over temperature.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the gain control signal is provided at least partially in response to the remote temperature signal.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the local temperature signal is provided to the slope control circuit, wherein the gain control signal is provided at least partially in response to the local temperature signal.