Phase position verification system and method for an array antenna

• US 9,923,269 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Hageman, Michael L., West, James B., Wyse, Russell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): McGue, Frank J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malley, Sr., Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US14/788,360
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/06 by measuring current and voltage G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 25/005 Circuits for comparing several input signals and for indicating the result of this comparison, e.g. equal, different, greater, smaller, or for passing one of the input signals as output signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters

Abstract

A system and method verifies phase shifter operation in an antenna array system. The system can include and the method can use a number of antenna elements, and a number of phase shifters. Each of the phase shifters is associated with the respective antenna element of the antenna elements and may include a power amplifier circuit. The system also can include and the method can also use a number of power sensors in communication with the phase shifters. Each of the phase shifters can be associated with a respective power sensor and the power sensor can be configured to detect power associated with the power amplifier circuit.

Claims

1. An antennae system, comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements;

a plurality of phase shifters comprising respective power amplifier circuits, each of the respective power amplifier circuits comprising a first inverted variable gain power amplifier, a second inverted variable gain power amplifier, a first non-inverted variable gain power amplifier, a second non-inverted variable gain power amplifier, the plurality of phase shifters associated with the plurality of antenna elements;

a plurality of power sensors being in communication with the plurality of phase shifters, each of the plurality of power sensors being associated with a respective phase shifter of the plurality of phase shifters and being configured to detect power associated with a respective power amplifier circuit of the power amplification circuits; and

a control circuit configured to calculate a phase parameter associated with each of the plurality of phase shifters using the power detected by the plurality of power sensors, wherein the control circuit is configured to;

(a). turn off the first inverted variable gain power amplifier and the first non-inverted variable gain power amplifier for each of the phase shifters, and receive a first power parameter of power provided to each of the power amplification circuits at a phase command with the first inverted variable gain power amplifier and the first non-inverted variable gain power amplifier turned off;

(b). turn on the first inverted variable gain power amplifier and the first non-inverted variable gain power amplifier for each of the phase shifters, and receive a second power parameter of the power provided to each of the power amplification circuits at a phase command with the first inverted variable gain power amplifier and the first non-inverted variable gain power amplifier turned on; and

(c). determine a phase parameter for each phase shifter using the first power parameter and the second power parameter from each respective power sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of power sensors are integrated on an integrated circuit associated with the power amplifier circuits of the plurality of phase shifters.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conductor between the antenna elements and the control circuit wherein the plurality of power sensors comprise radio frequency detectors in communication with the conductor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inverted variable gain power amplifier is an in-phase amplifier, and second inverted variable gain power amplifier is a quadrature amplifier.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit compares a phase command to the phase parameter to detect a phase error.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the phase parameter is between 0 and 360 degrees.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the amplifier circuit comprises two in-phase channel amplifiers and two quadrature channel amplifiers.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control circuit turns off the in-phase channel amplifiers by operation of a switch at outputs of the in-phase channel amplifiers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the control circuit turns off the in-phase channel amplifiers by removing direct current power supplied to the in-phase channel amplifiers.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining a phase quadrant to the phase parameter.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first power and the second power are measured from a direct current bus in each respective channel.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first amplifier channel and the second amplifier channel together comprise four power amplifiers each having outputs coupled to a passive summer, the passive summer being coupled to the power sensor.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first amplifier channel and the second amplifier channel together comprise four power amplifiers, wherein outputs of the four power amplifiers are coupled to a pair of switches, the pair of switches being coupled to the power sensor through a passive summer.

10. A method of verifying phase associated with an antenna element in an antennae array, the method comprising:

providing a phase shift command to a phase shifter associated with an antenna element, the phase shifter comprises a first amplifier channel and a second amplifier channel;

providing a first RF signal to the antenna element using the first amplifier channel comprising an inverted in phase variable gain power amplifier and an inverted quadrature variable gain power amplifier in accordance with the phase shift command without providing power to the second amplifier channel comprising a non-inverted in-phase variable gain power amplifier and a non inverted quadrature variable gain power amplifier;

measuring first power provided to the antenna element using the first amplifier channel with a power sensor and providing a first power parameter;

providing a second RF signal to the antenna element using only the second amplifier channel or both the first amplifier channel and the second amplifier in accordance with the phase shift command;

measuring second power provided to the antenna element using only the second amplifier channel or using both the first amplifier channel and the second amplifier with the power sensor and providing a second power parameter; and

determining a phase parameter from the first power parameter and the second power parameter to verify phase associated with the antenna element.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the power sensor is a radio frequency detector coupled to a conductive path coupled to the antenna element.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the phase shifter is a vector modulator phase shifter.

17. A method of verifying phase shifter operation associated with an antenna element in an electronically scanned antennae array, the method comprising:

measuring first power from an amplification circuit comprising a first amplifier channel and a second amplifier channel, wherein the first power is measured when a first RF signal is provided to the antenna element using the first amplifier channel without providing power from the second amplifier channel, wherein the first power is measured for a plurality of first phase shift commands, wherein the first power is measured with a power sensor;

measuring second power from the amplification circuit wherein the second power is measured when a second RF signal is provided to the antenna element using the second amplifier channel without providing power from the first amplifier channel, wherein the second power is measured for a plurality of second phase shift commands, wherein the second power is measured with the power sensor; and

comparing the first power to the second power across a spectrum of the first phase shift commands and the second phase shift commands to verify phase shifter operation.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first phase shifter commands are identical to the second phase shifter commands.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising determining an operational error by determining a non-matching response of the first power and the second power to the spectrum.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the power sensor is a radio frequency detector or a direct current sensor circuit.