System and method for a digitally beamformed phased array feed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12519233-B2
Application number	US-202418778644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2024
Priority date	Feb 24, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for a digital beamformed phased array feed. The system may include a radome configured to allow electromagnetic waves to propagate; a multi-band software defined antenna array tile; a power and clock management subsystem configured to manage power and time of operation; a thermal management subsystem configured to dissipate heat generated by the multi-band software defined antenna array tile; and an enclosure assembly. The multi-band software defined antenna array tile may include a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements; a plurality of frequency converters; and a plurality of digital beamformers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of transmitting radio signals from a moving vehicle, the method comprising:
a. receiving, at a first beamformer, a first partial beam of a first beam of a plurality of beams via a data transport bus; b. receiving, at a second beamformer, a second partial beam of the first beam of the plurality of beams via the data transport bus; c. applying, by the first beamformer, a first weighting factor to the first partial beam to form first transmit digital data associated with the first partial beam; d. applying, by the first beamformer, a second weighting factor to the second partial beam to form second transmit digital data associated with the second partial beam; e. converting, by a first digital to analog converter operatively connected to the first beamformer, the first transmit digital data to a first analog signal having a first intermediate frequency; f. converting, by a second digital to analog converter operatively connected to the second beamformer, the second transmit digital data to a second analog signal having the first intermediate frequency; g. converting, by a first principal polarization frequency converter of a first pair of frequency converters of a plurality of pairs of frequency converters operably connected to the first digital to analog converter and the second digital to analog converter, a first modulated signal associated with the first analog signal into a second modulated signal associated with a first radio frequency; h. converting, by a first orthogonal polarization frequency converter of the first pair of frequency converters, a third modulated signal associated with the second analog signal into a fourth modulated signal associated with the first radio frequency; i. transmitting, from the first principal polarization frequency converter to a first principal polarization component oriented in a first direction of a respective coupled dipole array antenna element of a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements, the second modulated signal; j. transmitting, from the first orthogonal polarization frequency converter to a first orthogonal polarization component oriented in a second direction of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements, the fourth modulated signal; k. transmitting, by the first principal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element away from the moving vehicle, the second modulated signal; and l. transmitting, by the first orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element away from the moving vehicle, the fourth modulated signal.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements are tightly coupled relative to a wavelength of operation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements are spaced at less than half a wavelength of operation.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first intermediate frequency is between 50 MHz and 1250 MHz.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first radio frequency is between 900 MHz and 6000 MHz.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first radio frequency is between 2000 MHz and 12000 MHz.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first radio frequency is between 10000 MHZ and 50000 MHz.

Assignees

• Bluehalo Llc

Inventors

• Pace Michael Thomas
• Baur David Gregory
• Schuler-Sandy Theodore Lyman
• Kennedy William
• Micono Jeffrey Gerard
• Walker William Louis
• Newell Garrett James

Classifications

• H01Q21/0068

  Dielectric waveguide fed arrays · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H01Q3/2658

  Phased-array fed focussing structure · CPC title

• H01Q3/2605

  Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays · CPC title

• H04B7/0639

  Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection · CPC title