Phased array transmission reflected off rotor blade to target

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724818-B2
Application number	US-202017027594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Sep 21, 2020
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A system including an aircraft. A phased array may be configured to transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy toward rotor blades and receive EM energy in a direction from the rotor blades. A processor may be configured to: determine or obtain rotor blade information; determine or obtain aircraft information; based on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, determine (a) a time to transmit EM energy or receive EM energy and (b) an angle to transmit EM energy or receive EM energy; and based on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, control the phased array to adjust a beam pointing angle and to transmit EM energy for a duration at the beam pointing angle. The phased array may be configured to transmit EM energy for the duration at the beam pointing angle, wherein the transmitted EM energy is configured to reflect off a rotor blade toward a target.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an aircraft, comprising:
at least one rotor having rotor blades;
a phased array configured to at least one of transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in a direction toward the rotor blades or receive EM energy in a direction from the rotor blades; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the phased array, the at least one processor configured to:
at least one of determine or obtain rotor blade information, the rotor blade information including at least one location of the rotor blades;
at least one of determine or obtain aircraft information, the aircraft information including a position and an orientation of the aircraft;
based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, determine (a) at least one time to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy and (b) at least one angle to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy; and
based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, control the phased array to adjust at least one beam pointing angle of the phased array to one or more of the at least one angle and to transmit EM energy for a particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle;
wherein the phased array is configured to transmit EM energy for the particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle, wherein the transmitted EM energy is configured to reflect off at least one of the rotor blades toward at least one target;
wherein at least one of the rotor blades includes at least one polarizer for the transmitted EM energy to reflect off while imparting at least one polarization to the transmitted EM energy.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phased array is a radiofrequency (RF) phased array, wherein the transmitted EM energy is further configured to reflect off the at least one target back toward at least one of the rotor blades, reflect off at least one of the rotor blades, and be received by the phased array as reflected EM energy, wherein the phased array is configured to measure the reflected EM energy, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a range to the at least one target based at least on the measured reflected EM energy.

3. The system of claim 1 , the transmitted EM energy includes at least one communication signal, wherein the at least one target is at least one communication target.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phased array is a radiofrequency (RF) phased array.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phased array is an optical phased array.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the rotor blades includes at least one optically reflective surface for the transmitted EM energy to reflect off.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine whether to-be-transmitted or to-be-received EM energy is to dodge the rotor blades or to reflect off at least one of the rotor blades.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the to-be-transmitted or the to-be-received EM energy is to dodge the rotor blades.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the to-be-transmitted or the to-be-received EM energy includes at least one communication signal to or from a satellite.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotor blade information further includes at least one angle of the rotor blades.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is a helicopter, wherein the phased array is located on a fuselage or engine cowling of the helicopter.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft further comprises at least one rotor sensor configured to provide rotor sensor data to be used to at least one of determine or obtain the rotor blade information.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first rotor blade of the rotor blades includes a right-hand circular polarizer for the transmitted EM energy to reflect off and impart a right-hand circular polarization to the transmitted EM energy, wherein a second rotor blade of the rotor blades includes a left-hand circular polarizer for the transmitted EM energy to reflect off and impart a left-hand circular polarization to the transmitted EM energy.

14. A method, comprising:
by a phased array, at least one of transmitting electromagnetic (EM) energy in a direction toward rotor blades or receiving EM energy in a direction from the rotor blades, wherein an aircraft includes the phase array, at least one rotor, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the phased array, wherein the at least one rotor has the rotor blades;
by the at least one processor, at least one of determining or obtaining rotor blade information, the rotor blade information including at least one location of the rotor blades;
by the at least one processor, at least one of determining or obtaining aircraft information, the aircraft information including a position and an orientation of the aircraft;
by the at least one processor, based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, determining (a) at least one time to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy and (b) at least one angle to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy;
by the at least one processor, based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, controlling the phased array to adjust at least one beam pointing angle of the phased array to one or more of the at least one angle and to transmit EM energy for a particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle; and
by the phased array, transmitting EM energy for the particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle, wherein the transmitted EM energy is configured to reflect off at least one of the rotor blades toward at least one target;
wherein at least one of the rotor blades includes at least one polarizer for the transmitted EM energy to reflect off while imparting at least one polarization to the transmitted EM energy.

15. A system, comprising:
an aircraft, comprising:
at least one rotor having rotor blades;
a phased array configured to at least one of transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in a direction toward the rotor blades or receive EM energy in a direction from the rotor blades; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the phased array, the at least one processor configured to:
at least one of determine or obtain rotor blade information, the rotor blade information including at least one location of the rotor blades;
at least one of determine or obtain aircraft information, the aircraft information including a position and an orientation of the aircraft;
based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, determine (a) at least one time to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy and (b) at least one angle to at least one of transmit EM energy or receive EM energy; and
based at least on the rotor blade information and the aircraft information, control the phased array to adjust at least one beam pointing angle of the phased array to one or more of the at least one angle and to transmit EM energy for a particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle;
wherein the phased array is configured to transmit EM energy for the particular duration at the at least one adjusted beam pointing angle, wherein the transmitted EM energy is configured to reflect off at least one of the rotor blades toward at least one target;
wherein a first rotor blade of the rotor blades includes a right-hand

Assignees

• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Lovseth Jonathan A
• Graf Joseph T

Classifications

• B64D43/00 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• G01S3/46

  using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems · CPC title

• H01Q1/28

  Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/10

  Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity · CPC title