Methods and apparatus for controlling a surface scattering antenna array

• US 9,843,103 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Brady, David Jones, Driscoll, Tom, Hunt, John Desmond, Hyde, Roderick A., Landy, Nathan Ingle, Lipworth, Guy Shlomo, Mrozack, Alexander, Smith, David R., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US14/485,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20150276928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching

Abstract

An array of scattering and/or reflector antennas are configured to produce a series of beam patterns, where in some embodiments the scattering antenna and/or the reflector antenna includes complementary metamaterial elements. In some embodiments circuitry may be configured to set a series of conditions corresponding to the array to produce the series of beam patterns, and to produce an image of an object that is illuminated by the series of beam patterns.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a surface scattering array that includes at least two antennas, where each antenna is either a surface scattering waveguide antenna or a surface scattering reflector antenna;

circuitry configured to set a series of conditions corresponding to the surface scattering antenna array, each condition in the series of conditions including a frequency of a source, a configuration of the waveguide antenna, and a configuration of the reflector antenna, and wherein the series of conditions corresponds to a series of beam patterns;

circuitry configured to receive a series of signals corresponding to a detected amount of energy and produced by the surface scattering antenna array, the series of signals further corresponding to the series of conditions; and

circuitry configured to produce an image of an object that is illuminated by the series of beam patterns using a compressive imaging algorithm based on the series of conditions and the series of signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the series of beam patterns corresponds to a series of pre-determined spatial field distributions, and wherein the compressive imaging algorithm is further configured to produce an image of an object based on the series of pre-determined spatial distributions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the at least one signal in the series of signals corresponds to a detected amount of energy at a location on the reflector antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the at least one signal in the series of signals corresponds to a detected amount of energy at a location on the scattering antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the at least one signal in the series of signals corresponds to a detected amount of energy at a location that is within a region defined by at least one beam pattern in the series of beam patterns.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set a series of conditions is further configured to select at least one condition in the series of conditions according to at least one signal in the series of signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the scattering antenna by adjusting at least one scattering element in the scattering antenna.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the circuitry configured to set the configuration of the scattering antenna by adjusting at least one scattering element in the scattering antenna is further configured to adjust at least one of a voltage, a current, a field, a mechanical input, and an optical input applied to the at least one scattering element.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the scattering antenna by moving the scattering antenna.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the scattering antenna by rotating the scattering antenna.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the reflector antenna by adjusting at least one scattering element in the reflector antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the circuitry configured to set the configuration of the reflector antenna by adjusting at least one scattering element in the reflector antenna is further configured to adjust at least one of a voltage, a current, a field, a mechanical input, and an optical input applied to the at least one scattering element.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the reflector antenna by moving the reflector antenna.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is configured to set the configuration of the reflector antenna by rotating the reflector antenna.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frequency of the source includes millimeter-wave frequencies.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frequency of the source includes RF frequencies.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is further configured to select the configuration of the scattering antenna from at least two pre-determined configurations of the scattering antenna.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured to set the series of conditions is further configured to select the configuration of the reflector antenna from at least two pre-determined configurations of the reflector antenna.

19. An apparatus for reconstructing an image, comprising:

a surface scattering array that includes at least two antennas, where each antenna is either a surface scattering waveguide antenna or a surface scattering reflector antenna;

circuitry configured to receive a set of signals, each signal in the set of received signals being indicative of an amount of energy detected by a surface scattering antenna array, wherein each signal in the set of received signals corresponds to a set of conditions of the surface scattering antenna array;

circuitry configured to compare the set of received signals to a set of reference signals, the set of reference signals corresponding to the set of conditions of the surface scattering antenna array; and

circuitry configured to reconstruct an image based on comparing the set of received signals to the set of reference signals.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the surface scattering antenna array includes a metamaterial scattering antenna and a metamaterial reflector antenna.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the circuitry configured to compare the set of received signals to the set of reference signals includes:

circuitry configured to access a database of pre-recorded signals corresponding to the set of conditions.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:

circuitry configured to perform a set of measurements to create the database of pre-recorded signals.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the circuitry configured to compare the set of received signals to the set of reference signals includes:

circuitry configured to access a database of calculated signals corresponding to the set of conditions.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

circuitry configured to calculate a set of signals corresponding to the set of conditions to produce the database of calculated signals.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the set of conditions includes a set of frequencies.

26. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the set of conditions includes a set of relative positions of at least one of a scattering antenna and a reflector antenna in the array.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the set of conditions includes a set of relative orientations of at least one of a scattering antenna and a reflector antenna in the array.

28. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the set of conditions includes a set of states of scattering elements in the surface scattering antenna array.

29. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the circuitry configured to reconstruct an image based on comparing the set of received signals to the set of reference signals includes:

circuitry configured to use a compressive imaging algorithm to reconstruct the image.

30. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising:

circuitry configured to send a set of signals to at least one of a scattering antenna, a reflector antenna, a source, and a detector to produce the set of conditions.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 further comprising:

circuitry configured to send at least one signal in the set of sent signals responsive to at least one received signal in the set of received signals.

32. An apparatus comprising:

a surface scattering waveguide antenna;

a surface scattering reflector antenna;

circuitry configured to set a series of conditions corresponding to the waveguide antenna and the reflector antenna, each condition in the series of conditions including an output frequency of the waveguide antenna, a scattering element configuration of the waveguide antenna, and a reflector element configuration of the reflector antenna, and wherein the series of conditions corresponds to a series of beam patterns created by the waveguide antenna and the reflector antenna; and

circuitry configured to receive a series of signals corresponding to an amount of energy detected by the waveguide antenna.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 further comprising:

circuitry configured to produce an image of an object that is illuminated by the series of beam patterns using a compressive imaging algorithm.