Beam steering and nulling for a differentially segmented aperture antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12249771-B2
Application number	US-202218050634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2022
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

A beam steering system includes a differentially segmented aperture antenna comprising a plurality of pyramid structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, each element being defined between two adjacent pyramid structures; phase conversion circuitry to determine a phase conversion for each element, the phase conversion for each element being based on an angle of a target with respect to the element, and an operating frequency of the DSA antenna; transmit phase shift circuitry to apply a phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, the phase difference steering the signal to the target so that the signal interferes constructively; and receive phase shift circuitry to apply a phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, causing the signal to interfere constructively for a signal of interest, and suppresses an unwanted signal by steering the signal into a null.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beam steering system, comprising:
a differentially segmented aperture (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramid structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, wherein each element being defined between two adjacent pyramid structures;
phase conversion circuitry to determine a phase conversion for each element of the plurality of elements, wherein the phase conversion for each element being based on an angle of a target with respect to the element, and an operating frequency of the DSA antenna;
transmit phase shift circuitry to apply a transmit phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, wherein the transmit phase difference steers a signal radiating from each element to the target so that the signal from each element interferes constructively; and
receive phase shift circuitry to apply a receive phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, wherein the receive phase difference causes the signal received by each element to interfere constructively for a signal of interest, and suppresses an unwanted signal from the element by steering the unwanted signal into a null.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each respective resultant transmit phase difference and receive phase difference applied to each respective element to cause a change in signal gain of the DSA antenna with respect to the target.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmit phase difference and receive phase difference is incremented and/or decremented to generate a selected decrease in signal gain from the target.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phase difference θ for each element being determined by a first formula:
θ(degrees)=360(degrees/cycle)* f (Hz)* t dr (s)

wherein f is a frequency of the signal of interest and t dr is a distance of propagation between the element and an adjacent element.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the distance of propagation between the element and an adjacent element being determined by a second formula:

dr
⁡
(
m
)

=

θ
⁡
(
degrees
)

360
⁢

(

degrees
/
cycle

)

*

f
⁡
(
Hz
)

*
3.
*

10
8

⁢

(

m
/
s

)

wherein f is a frequency of the signal of interest.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein steering the unwanted signal into the null further comprises:
determine a first phase shift for the unwanted signal from a first element;
apply the first phase shift to the unwanted signal from the first element create a first shifted signal;
determine a second phase shift for the unwanted signal from a second element, wherein the second phase shift is determined to interfere destructively with the first shifted signal; and
apply the second phase shift to the second element to create a second shifted signal, wherein the second shifted signal interferes destructively with the first shifted signal.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
determine a location of the target by incrementing and/or decrementing the phase conversion, and incrementing and/or decrementing the operating frequency.

8. A beam steering system, comprising:
a differentially segmented aperture (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramid structures arranged in an array, and a plurality of elements formed in an array, wherein each element being defined between two adjacent pyramid structures; the DSA antenna having a beam pattern having a main lobe and at least one side lobe, and a null position between the main lobe and at least one side lobe, the null position corresponding to a null angle, and wherein the beam pattern being based on a number of elements and an operating frequency of the DSA antenna; and
a non-transitory storage device that includes machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:
determine a phase conversion for each element of the plurality of elements, wherein the phase conversion for each element being based on an angle of a target with respect to the element, and an operating frequency of the DSA antenna;
determine a transmit phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, wherein the transmit phase difference steers a signal radiating from each element to the target so that the signal from each element interferes constructively; and
determine a receive phase difference for each element based on the phase conversion, wherein the receive phase difference causes the signal received by each element to interfere constructively for a signal of interest, and suppresses an unwanted signal from the element by steering the unwanted signal into the null angle.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:
determine a null phase shift by multiplying the phase conversion by a position of each element relative to a common origin of the elements of the array, and subtracting or adding the null angle.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:
apply each respective resultant null phase shift applied to each respective element to cause a change in signal gain of the DSA antenna with respect to the target.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:
applying each respective resultant transmit phase difference and receive phase difference to each respective element to cause a change in signal gain of the DSA antenna with respect to the target.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:
determining the transmit phase difference and the receive phase difference θ for each element by a first formula:

θ
⁡
(
degrees
)

=

360
⁢

(

degrees
/

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Perkins Daniel A
• Welsh Raphael J

Classifications

• H01Q3/2611

  Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling · CPC title

• H01Q3/36 Primary

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title

• H01Q21/29

  Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic (H01Q25/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/16

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/04

  Circuits · CPC title