Beam shaping for reconfigurable holographic antennas

• US 9,786,986 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kymeta Corporation (Reorganized ISA SA)
• Original Assignee: Kymeta Corporation (Reorganized ISA SA)
• Inventors: Johnson, Mikala C., Rothaar, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr
• Application Number:
  US14/680,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/00 Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/067 using a hologram
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/005 Slotted waveguides arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• 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

Abstract

A reconfigurable holographic antenna and a method of shaping an antenna beam pattern of a reconfigurable holographic antenna is disclosed. A baseline holographic pattern is driven onto a reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna while a feed wave excites the reconfigurable layer. An antenna pattern metric representative of a baseline antenna pattern is received. The baseline antenna pattern is generated by the reconfigurable holographic antenna while the baseline holographic pattern is driven onto the reconfigurable layer. A modified holographic pattern is generated in response to the antenna pattern metric. The modified holographic pattern is driven onto the reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna to generate an improved antenna pattern.

Claims

1. A method of shaping an antenna beam pattern of a reconfigurable holographic antenna, the method comprising:

driving a baseline holographic pattern onto a reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna while a feed wave excites the reconfigurable layer;

receiving an antenna pattern metric representative of a baseline antenna pattern generated by the reconfigurable holographic antenna while the baseline holographic pattern is driven onto the reconfigurable layer;

generating a modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric; and

driving the modified holographic pattern onto the reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna to generate an improved antenna pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric includes:

selecting coordinates of a sidelobe of the baseline antenna pattern; and

adding a holographic interference pattern to the baseline holographic pattern, the holographic interference pattern configured to cancel at least a portion of the sidelobe.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric further includes:

iteratively adjusting a phase-offset of the holographic interference pattern to select a phase-offset value of the holographic interference pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric; and

iteratively adjusting an amplitude of the holographic interference pattern to select an amplitude value of the holographic interference pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

measuring a signal-to-noise ratio (“

SNR”

) of a received signal to generate the antenna pattern metric, the received signal received by the reconfigurable holographic antenna via the reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

measuring the baseline antenna pattern to generate the antenna pattern metric.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable layer is a metamaterial layer that includes an array of tunable slots configurable to form holographic diffraction patterns for steering the feed wave.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the tunable slots in the array of tunable slots includes:

an iris defined by an opening in a metal layer of the metamaterial layer; and

a radiating patch co-located with the iris, wherein a tunable dielectric is disposed between the iris and the radiating patch.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein driving the baseline holographic pattern and modified holographic pattern onto the reconfigurable layer includes tuning a reactance of each of the tunable slots of the metamaterial layer by varying a voltage across liquid crystal disposed within each of the tunable slots.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed wave is received from a satellite.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed wave is provided by the reconfigurable holographic antenna.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

measuring a Carrier-to-Interference (“

C/I”

) value of a received signal to generate the antenna pattern metric, the received signal received by the reconfigurable holographic antenna via the reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna.

12. A holographic metamaterial antenna comprising:

a waveguide;

a metamaterial layer coupled to the waveguide as a top-lid of the waveguide;

control logic coupled to drive holographic patterns onto the metamaterial layer of the holographic metamaterial antenna; and

a non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions that, when executed by the holographic metamaterial antenna, will cause the holographic metamaterial antenna to perform operations comprising;

driving a baseline holographic pattern onto the metamaterial layer while a feed wave propagates through the waveguide;

receiving an antenna pattern metric representative of a baseline antenna pattern generated by the holographic metamaterial antenna while the baseline holographic pattern is driven onto the metamaterial layer;

generating a modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric; and

driving the modified holographic pattern onto the metamaterial layer of the holographic metamaterial antenna.

13. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 12, wherein generating the modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric includes:

selecting coordinates of a sidelobe of the baseline antenna pattern to modify; and

adding a holographic interference pattern to the baseline holographic pattern, the holographic interference pattern configured to cancel at least a portion of the sidelobe.

14. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 13, wherein generating the modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric further includes:

iteratively adjusting a phase-offset of the holographic interference pattern to select a phase-offset value in response to the antenna pattern metric; and

iteratively adjusting an amplitude of the holographic interference pattern to select an amplitude value in response to the antenna pattern metric.

15. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory machine-readable medium provides further instructions that will cause the holographic metamaterial antenna to perform further operations comprising:

measuring a signal-to-noise ratio (“

SNR”

) of a received signal to generate the antenna pattern metric, the received signal received by the holographic metamaterial antenna from a satellite via the metamaterial layer.

16. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 12, wherein the metamaterial layer includes an array of tunable slots configurable to form holographic diffraction patterns for steering the feed wave.

17. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 16, wherein each of the tunable slots in the array of tunable slots includes:

an iris defined by an opening in a metal layer of the metamaterial layer; and

a radiating patch co-located with the iris, wherein a tunable dielectric is disposed between the iris and the radiating patch.

18. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 16, wherein driving the baseline holographic pattern and modified holographic pattern onto the metamaterial layer includes tuning a reactance of each of the tunable slots by varying a voltage across liquid crystal disposed within each of the tunable slots.

19. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 12, wherein the feed wave is provided by the holographic metamaterial antenna.

20. The holographic metamaterial antenna of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory machine-readable medium provides further instructions that will cause the holographic metamaterial antenna to perform further operations comprising:

calculating the baseline holographic pattern in response to a position of the holographic metamaterial antenna relative to a satellite.

21. A method of interference mitigation for reconfigurable holographic antennas, the method comprising:

driving a baseline holographic pattern onto a reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna while a feed wave excites the reconfigurable layer;

receiving an antenna pattern metric representative of a baseline antenna pattern generated by the reconfigurable holographic antenna while the baseline holographic pattern is driven onto the reconfigurable layer;

generating a modified holographic pattern in response to the antenna pattern metric; and

driving the modified holographic pattern onto the reconfigurable layer of the reconfigurable holographic antenna to generate an adjusted antenna pattern.