System and method for active electronically scanned array with multi-band multi-beam architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11183758-B2
Application number	US-201916520027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

An active electrically scanned array (AESA) antenna device is disclosed. In embodiments, the AESA antenna device includes a beam forming network including a plurality of analog beamformer (ABF) integrated circuit devices. The beam forming network may be configured to: receive a first set of signals and a second set of signals with multiple ABF integrated circuit devices, and combine the first set of signals and the second set of signals to generate a first receive input beam and a second receive input beam. In embodiments, the AESA antenna device further includes a carrier substrate communicatively coupled to the beam forming network. The carrier substrate may be configured to receive the first receive output beam with a first electrical line and the second receive output beam with a second electrical line, and route the first electrical line and the second electrical line within a first manifold layer of the carrier substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An active electrically scanned array (AESA) antenna device, comprising:
a beam forming network comprising a plurality of analog beamformer (ABF) integrated circuit devices, wherein the beam forming network is configured to:
receive a first set of signals and a second set of signals with a first ABF integrated circuit device;
receive the first set of signals and the second set of signals with a second ABF integrated circuit device;
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the first set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the first set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a first receive input beam; and
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the second set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the second set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a second receive input beam;

combine a third set of signals received by one or more ABF integrated circuit devices of the plurality of ABF integrated circuit devices into a third receive input beam; and
combine a fourth set of signals received by one or more ABF integrated circuit devices of the plurality of ABF integrated circuit devices into a fourth receive input beam; and
a carrier substrate communicatively coupled to the beam forming network, the carrier substrate configured to:
receive the first receive input beam with a first electrical line;
receive the second receive input beam with a second electrical line; and

route the first electrical line and the second electrical line within a first manifold layer of the carrier substrate, wherein the first set of signals comprise signals in the Ku-band, and wherein the second set of signals comprise signals in the Ka-band.

2. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the carrier substrate is further configured to:
receive the third receive input beam with a third electrical line;
receive the fourth receive input beam with a fourth electrical line; and
route the third electrical line and the fourth electrical line within a second manifold layer of the carrier substrate different from the first manifold layer.

3. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein at least one ABF integrated circuit device of the plurality of integrated circuit devices include an amplifier.

4. The AESA antenna device of claim 3 , wherein the amplifier is configured to induce a phase shift in signals received by the at least one ABF integrated circuit.

5. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the beam forming network is further configured to induce a time delay into at least one of the first set of signals or the second set of signals.

6. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the first ABF integrated circuit device is communicatively coupled to one or more antenna terminal elements, wherein the one or more antenna terminal elements are configured to receive the first set of signals and the second set of signals.

7. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the beam forming network is disposed on a multi-chip module (MCM), wherein the MCM is disposed on a surface of the carrier substrate.

8. The AESA antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the carrier substrate comprises a multi-layered printed circuit board (PCB).

9. The AESA device of claim 1 , wherein each ABF integrated circuit device comprises at least one of a 2:1 active splitter/combiner or a 4:1 active splitter/combiner.

10. An active electrically scanned array (AESA) antenna device, comprising:
a beam forming network comprising a plurality of analog beamformer (ABF) integrated circuit devices, wherein the beam forming network is configured to:
receive a first set of signals and a second set of signals with a first ABF integrated circuit device;
receive the first set of signals and the second set of signals with a second ABF integrated circuit device;
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the first set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the first set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a first receive input beam; and
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the second set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the second set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a second receive input beam;
receive a transmit output beam from the carrier substrate with a third ABF integrated circuit device;
split the transmit output beam with the third ABF integrated circuit device into a first set of transmit output signals and a second set of transmit output signals;
transmit the first set of transmit output signals along a first branch to the first ABF integrated circuit device; and
transmit the second set of transmit output signals along a second branch to the second ABF integrated circuit device; and

a carrier substrate communicatively coupled to the beam forming network, the carrier substrate configured to:
receive the first receive input beam with a first electrical line;
receive the second receive input beam with a second electrical line; and

route the first electrical line and the second electrical line within a first manifold layer of the carrier substrate, wherein the first set of signals comprise signals in the Ku-band, and wherein the second set of signals comprise signals in the Ka-band.

11. An active electrically scanned array (AESA) antenna device, comprising:
a beam forming network comprising a plurality of analog beamformer (ABF) integrated circuit devices, wherein the beam forming network is configured to:
receive a first set of signals and a second set of signals with a first ABF integrated circuit device;
receive the first set of signals and the second set of signals with a second ABF integrated circuit device;
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the first set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the first set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a first receive input beam; and
combine, with the second ABF integrated circuit device, the second set of signals received by the first ABF integrated circuit device and the second set of signals received by the second ABF integrated circuit device to generate a second receive input beam; and

a carrier substrate communicatively coupled to the beam forming network, the carrier substrate configured to:
receive the first receive input beam with a first electrical line;
receive the second receive input beam with a second electrical line; and

route the first electrical line and the second electrical line within a first manifold layer of the carrier substrate, wherein the first set of signals comprise signals in the Ku-band, and wherein the second set of signals comprise signals in the Ka-band, wherein the first set of signals are received from a first transmitting device, and wherein the second set of signals are received from a second transmitting device different from the first transmitting device.

12. The AESA antenna device of claim 11 , wherein the first transmitting device comprises a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and the second satellite comprises a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) satellite.

13. The AESA antenna device of claim 11 , wherein at least one ABF integrated circuit device of the plurality of integrated circuit devices include an amplifier.

14. The AESA antenna device of claim 13 , wherein the amplifier is configured to induce a phase shi

Assignees

• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Pond Robert D
• Paulsen Lee M

Classifications

• H04B7/18508

  with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service · CPC title

• H01Q3/24

  varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching · CPC title

• H01Q3/40

  with phasing matrix · CPC title

• H01Q5/30 Primary

  Arrangements for providing operation on different wavebands · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title