Beamformer lattice for phased array antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11146323-B2
Application number	US-201916276278-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Feb 15, 2018
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

In embodiments, an apparatus includes a beamformer including a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, a plurality of input vias, and a plurality of output vias. Each input of the plurality of inputs electrically couples to a respective input via of the plurality of input vias. Each output of the plurality of outputs electrically couples to a respective output via of the plurality of output vias. The beamformer is included in a first layer, wherein the plurality of input vias are configured to electrically couple to termination trace ends of a plurality of hierarchical networks provided on at least second and third layers, and wherein the plurality of hierarchical networks comprises at least three hierarchical networks.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a beamformer including a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs;
a plurality of input vias, wherein each input of the plurality of inputs electrically couples to a respective input via of the plurality of input vias;
a plurality of output vias, wherein each output of the plurality of outputs electrically couples to a respective output via of the plurality of output vias; and
a plurality of antenna elements included in a fourth layer and electrically coupled to the plurality of output vias, wherein an antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements is included in an antenna module, the antenna module further including an amplifier electrically coupled with the antenna element;
wherein the beamformer is included in a first layer, wherein the plurality of input vias are configured to electrically couple to termination trace ends of a plurality of hierarchical networks provided on at least second and third layers, and wherein the plurality of hierarchical networks comprises at least three hierarchical networks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a first subset of the plurality of hierarchical networks are provided in the second and third layers and a second subset of the plurality of hierarchical networks are provided in fifth and sixth layers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a first subset of the termination trace ends electrically coupled to the input vias are included in the first subset of the plurality of hierarchical networks and a second subset of the termination trace ends electrically coupled to the input vias are included in the second subset of the plurality of hierarchical networks.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hierarchical networks comprises H-networks.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein electrically conductive traces in a first orientation included in the plurality of hierarchical networks are located in the second layer and electrically conductive traces in a second orientation, different from the first orientation, included in the plurality hierarchical networks are located in the third layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beamformer includes a plurality of phase shifters and comprises an integrated circuit (IC) chip.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first, second, and third layers comprises a substrate, a printed circuit board (PCB), a ceramic board, or a sub-layer of a layer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of output vias electrically couples with a plurality of antenna elements included in a fourth layer, and wherein an electrical signal pathway length between each pair of the output and the antenna element is equidistant to each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of output vias electrically couples with a plurality of antenna elements included in a fourth layer, and wherein a number of output vias of the plurality of output vias is greater than a number of antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a beamformer including a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs;
a plurality of input vias, wherein each input of the plurality of inputs electrically couples to a respective input via of the plurality of input vias; and
a plurality of output vias, wherein each output of the plurality of outputs electrically couples to a respective output via of the plurality of output vias; and
a plurality of radio frequency (RF) filters included in a first layer, wherein each RF filter of the plurality of RF filters is disposed between and electrically couples to a respective output of the plurality of outputs and a respective output via of the plurality of output vias;
wherein the beamformer is included in the first layer, wherein the plurality of input vias are configured to electrically couple to termination trace ends of a plurality of hierarchical networks provided on at least second and third layers, and wherein the plurality of hierarchical networks comprises at least three hierarchical networks.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of output vias is configured to electrically couple each pair of RF filter and output to an antenna element of a plurality of antenna elements provided on a fourth layer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second and third layers are disposed between the first layer and the fourth layer.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a location of the beamformer in the first layer is configured to reduce a signal pathway length to the antenna elements electrically coupled to the plurality of output vias.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein each RF filter of the plurality of RF filters is configured to filter signals at a frequency in accordance with an operating frequency associated with the respective antenna element.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each RF filter of a first subset of the plurality of RF filters is associated with a first frequency and each RF filter of a second subset of the plurality of RF filters is associated with a second frequency.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of beamformer cells arranged in a particular arrangement in a first layer, wherein each beamformer cell of the plurality of beamformer cells comprises:
a beamformer including a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs,
a plurality of input vias having first and second ends, wherein each first end of an input via of the plurality of input vias electrically couples to a respective input of the plurality of inputs and each second end of the input via of the plurality of input vias electrically couples to a terminating trace segment of a multiplex feed network located in a second layer, and
a plurality of output vias having third and fourth ends, wherein each third end of an output via of the plurality of output vias electrically couples to a respective output of the plurality of outputs and each fourth end of the output via of the plurality of output vias electrically couples to an antenna element of a plurality of antenna elements located in a third layer,

wherein each beamformer cell of the plurality of beamformer cells is positioned in the first layer to minimize routing distance to associated antenna elements.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein each beamformer cell of the plurality of beamformer cells is positioned in the first layer to do one or both of minimize routing distance to associated antenna elements and increase a trace pitch associated with the multiplex feed network.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein each beamformer cell of the plurality of beamformer cells is positioned in the first layer to minimize number of beamformer cells in the particular arrangement.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein density of beamformer cells of the plurality of beamformer cells in a center portion of the particular arrangement is greater than density of beamformer cells of the plurality of beamformer cells in peripheral portions of the particular arrangement.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein a position of each beamformer cell within the particular arrangement is a function of a number of layers comprising the second layer in which the multiplex feed network is configured.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the second layer comprises fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh layers, wherein electrically conductive traces in a first orientation included in the multiplex feed network are located in the fourth a

Assignees

• Space Exploration Tech Corp

Inventors

• Apaydin Nil
• Pelletti Chiara
• Shamsinejad Souren
• Mahanfar Alireza

Classifications

• H01Q21/22

  Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array · CPC title

• H01Q21/0025

  Modular arrays · CPC title

• H01Q21/061

  Two dimensional planar arrays · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title