Wireless synchronization of mm-wave arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110370-B2
Application number	US-201615156965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods providing wireless synchronization of wave arrays may include an antenna that receives a wireless injection signal and another antenna that radiates a locked wave signal corresponding to the injection signal. In some embodiments, these systems may also provide a low noise amplifier, voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), buffer amplifier(s), phase shifter, and/or multi-stage amplifier. In some embodiments, the injection signal may be provided on an even harmonic, and the intended transmission frequency signal is on an odd harmonic of the locked signal. The substrate thickness may be designed to radiate electromagnetic waves in odd harmonics of the locked signal. In yet another embodiment, polarization of a receiving antenna may be orthogonal to a transmitter antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless locking system comprising:
at least one transceiver that comprises
a receiving antenna that has a first polarization, the receiving antenna configured to receive an injection signal for injection locking an oscillator, wherein the injection signal is received wirelessly;
a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receiving antenna, the VCO is configured to injection lock to the injection signal, and the VCO is configured to generate a locked signal with a frequency tone proportional to a frequency of the injection signal; and
a transmitting antenna having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization, wherein the transmitting antenna is configured to transmit the locked signal corresponding to the injection signal;
the receiving antenna has radiation efficiency peaks at even harmonics of the locked signal, and the transmitting antenna has radiation efficiency peaks at odd harmonics of the locked signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a phase shifter coupled to the VCO, wherein the phase shifter provide phase offset adjustments to the locked signal before outputting the locked signal to the transmitting antenna.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the injection signal is an even harmonic of a locked frequency of the locked signal, and a transmission frequency of the locked signal outputted by the transmitting antenna is equal to the locked frequency or an odd harmonic of the locked frequency.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless locking system provides an array of transceivers that provide power combining, and each transceiver in the array of transceivers comprises an arrangement corresponding to the at least one transceiver.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the array of transceivers for the wireless locking system have an array spacing that is 100 times a wavelength of the locked signal or greater.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the array of transceivers for the wireless locking system have an array separation of 100 mm or greater.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein each transceiver from the array of transceivers is provided on distinct regions of a nonplanar substrate that do not share the same plane.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein each transceiver from the array of transceivers is provided on a distinct substrate.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the distinct substrates are mobile platforms.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver operates at frequencies of 1 GHz or greater.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiving antenna or the transmitting antenna is a planar antenna.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein a tuning voltage of the VCO is varied to increase an effective locking range of the VCO.

13. A method for wireless locking comprising:
providing an injection signal for an array of transceivers, wherein each transceiver of the array of transceivers comprises a receiving antenna with a first polarity, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receiving antenna, and a transmitting antenna with a second polarity orthogonal to the receiving antenna;
wirelessly receiving an injection signal by the receiving antennas;
injection locking the VCO of each transceiver of the array of transceivers to the injection signal, wherein the VCO of each transceiver generates a locked signal with frequency tone proportional to the frequency of the injection signal; and
transmitting the locked signal from the transmitting antenna of each transceiver of the array of transceivers that corresponds to the injection signal;
wherein the receiving antenna has radiation efficiency peaks at even harmonics of the locked signal, and the transmitting antenna has radiation efficiency peaks at odd harmonics of the locked signal.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing phase offset adjustments to the locked signal before outputting the locked signal to the transmitting antenna.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the wireless injection signal is an even harmonic of a locked frequency of the locked signal, and a transmission frequency is equal to the locked frequency or an odd harmonic of the locked frequency.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the array of transceivers for the wireless locking system have an array spacing that is 100 times a wavelength of the locked signal or greater.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the array of transceivers for the wireless locking system have an array separation of 100 mm or greater.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein each transceiver from the array of transceivers is provided on distinct regions of a nonplanar substrate that do not share the same plane.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein each transceiver from the array of transceivers is provided on a distinct substrate.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the distinct substrates are mobile platforms.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transceiver operates at frequencies of 1 GHz or greater.

22. A method for wireless locking comprising:
providing an injection signal for an array of transceivers, wherein each transceiver of the array of transceivers comprises a receiving antenna with a first polarity, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receiving antenna, and a transmitting antenna with a second polarity orthogonal to the receiving antenna;
wirelessly receiving an injection signal by the receiving antennas;
injection locking the VCO of each transceiver of the array of transceivers to the injection signal, wherein the VCO of each transceiver generates a locked signal with frequency tone proportional to the frequency of the injection signal; and
transmitting the locked signal from the transmitting antenna of each transceiver of the array of transceivers that corresponds to the injection signal;
wherein each receiving antenna has a radiation efficiency and each transmitting antenna has a radiation efficiency, and the radiation efficiency of the transmitting antenna differs by at least 3 dB from the radiation efficiency of the receiving antenna at harmonics of the locked signal.

23. A wireless locking system comprising:
at least one transceiver that comprises
a receiving antenna that has a first polarization, the receiving antenna configured to receive an injection signal for injection locking an oscillator, wherein the injection signal is received wirelessly;
a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receiving antenna, the VCO is configured to injection lock to the injection signal, and the VCO is configured to generate a locked signal with a frequency tone proportional to a frequency of the injection signal;
a transmitting antenna having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization, wherein the transmitting antenna is configured to transmit the locked signal corresponding to the injection signal;
the transmitting antenna has a radiation efficiency and the receiving antenna a radiation efficiency, and the radiation efficiency of the transmitting antenna differs by at least 3 dB from the radiation efficiency of the receiving antenna at harmonics of the locked signal.

24. A transceiver system comprising:
a substrate of semiconductor material;
a receiving antenna defined on the substrate, the receiving antenna has a first polarization;
a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) defined on the substrate, the VCO coupled to the receiving antenna, the VCO is configured to in

Assignees

• Univ Rice William M

Inventors

• Chen Charles
• Babakhani Aydin

Classifications

• H04L7/0079 Primary

  Receiver details · CPC title

• H04B1/40

  Circuits · CPC title

• H03L7/24 Primary

  using a reference signal directly applied to the generator · CPC title

• H03B5/1852

  the semiconductor device being a field-effect device · CPC title

• H04L7/033

  using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop · CPC title