SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A DISTRIBUTED DIRECTIONAL APERTURE

• US 20150102942A1
• Filed: 10/10/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Houser, Peter B., LaMar, Suzanna J., Bunce, Bayne R., Valizadeh, Jinous
• Granted Patent: US 9,832,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/4463 using phased arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/48 using multiple beams at emission or reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A distributed directional aperture (DDA) system provides the capability to receive and/or transmit signals, limiting that reception or transmission to a 3-dimensional beam. The DDA system includes sensing and/or emitting array subsystems which comprise sensors and/or emitters distributed across, within, or under the skin of an aircraft, ship, ground vehicle, or fixed installation. The sensors receive energy, convert the received signals to digital information, and transmit that information via a telemetry subsystem to a beamformer subsystem. The beamformer subsystem analyzes the received signals from the sensors and/or emitters in order to determine the signal content from a specific direction. The emitters transmit energy, converting signals received from the beamformer subsystem via the telemetry subsystem into energy emissions. Methods of providing the DDA system including subsystems thereof are also disclosed

Claims

1. A system for receiving and emitting radiated frequency signals, comprising:

a distributed directional aperture system that includes;

a sensor and emitter array subsystem that includes a plurality of sensors and emitters arranged in an array distributed across a defined area of an exterior surface of at least one entity, wherein the sensors sense energy in a media adjacent the at least one entity exterior surface and generate sensor signals and the emitters emit signals based on processing of the sensor signals by the system;

a telemetry subsystem that connects the array of distributed sensors and emitters and conveys sensor signals and emitter signals received from or sent to the sensor and emitter array subsystem; and

a beamformer subsystem that processes the sensor signals and emitter signals to synthesize directional reception channels and processes transmission channels to synthesize telemetry data that is emitted by the emitters.

2. The system of claim 1 that is optimized for performance with respect to a single domain within the family of communications, electronic warfare, electronic intercept, and radar.

3. The system of claim 1 that is optimized for performance when used concurrently by one or more domains within the family of communications, electronic warfare, electronic intercept, and radar.

4. The system of claim 1 that incorporates a cognitive, adaptive process to optimize sensor and emitter selection and signal processing when used concurrently by one or more domains within the family of communications, electronic warfare, electronic intercept, and radar.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and emitters are installed across a single entity and connected via a local telemetry subsystem.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and emitters are installed across multiple entities and are connected via a multi-entity telemetry subsystem that spans those entities.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the entity is an aircraft, ship, ground vehicle, or fixed installation.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each sensor and emitter comprises a plurality of components including an energy collector, an energy emitter, and an analog-to-digital conversion circuitry that transmits corresponding digital data across the telemetry subsystem.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the energy collector comprises a fine wire, flexprint or stenciled conductive material.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein one or more of the sensor and emitter components are embedded within the exterior surface of the entity.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein one or more of the sensor and emitter components are located in the interior of the entity.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensors and emitters incorporate electrical conversions and connections to the telemetry subsystem.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensors and emitters incorporate optical conversions and connections to the telemetry subsystem.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and emitters are placed across sufficiently wide areas of the entity exterior surface in order to provide information required for directional processing in all azimuths and elevations.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor and emitter array subsystem implements a single energy collector design to collect signals only across a desired radiated frequency band.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor and emitter array subsystem implements a multiple, band-specific, polarization-specific energy collector design to collect signals across a plurality of desired radiated frequency bands.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and emitters are powered through an electrical power distribution network that is distinct from the telemetry subsystem.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the telemetry subsystem conveys digital signal samples between the sensors and emitters and the beamformer subsystem.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the telemetry subsystem conveys information electrically or optically.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein each sensor and emitter is connected to a single distinct telemetry line within the telemetry subsystem.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein multiple sensors and emitters are multiplexed to a single telemetry line within the telemetry subsystem.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the multiplexing is performed using time division multiple access (TDMA) or code division multiple access (CDMA).

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem processes received data from the sensors and emitters in order to synthesize one or more directional received beams at full radiated frequency.

24. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more waveform systems wherein the beamformer subsystem processes waveform data from the one or more waveform systems in order to generate telemetry data that will create transmitted beams.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem connects to a single telemetry connection within the telemetry subsystem.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem connects to multiple telemetry connections within the telemetry subsystem.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem comprises an array of interconnected processor nodes with the capability of re-assigning processor node tasks in order to tune the beamforming process to specific mission needs.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem analyzes data from a single epoch of time chosen from a plurality of epochs of time.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem analyzes data from multiple epochs of time, creating a temporal synthetic aperture.

30. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem processes calculations based on a planar wavefront model, in order to focus the beam at an infinite range from the sensors and emitters.

31. The system of claim 1 wherein the beamformer subsystem processes calculations based on a curved wavefront model, in order to focus the beam at a specific range from the sensors and emitters.

32. The system of claim 1 wherein desired received and transmitted beam patterns are created by dynamically selecting and weighting the sensors and emitters from across the entity in order to optimize the performance with respect to specific receivers and transmitters, external systems attempting to interfere with the system or external systems attempting to intercept the system data.

33. The system of claim 1 wherein desired received and transmitted beam patterns are created by dynamically selecting and weighting the sensors and emitters in order to optimize performance by minimizing own-platform co-site interference between sensors and emitters.

34. The system of claim 1 wherein desired received and transmitted beam patterns are created by dynamically selecting and weighting the sensors and emitters in order to optimize performance across multiple mission areas, including communications, electronic intercept, defensive electronic warfare, offensive electronic warfare, and combinations thereof.