Hybrid electronic/mechanical scanning array antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016126629-A1
Application number	US-201414531630-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 3, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hybrid electronic/mechanical scanning array antenna including an outer housing and a cold plate rotatable therein. A waveguide aperture including an array of antenna elements is mounted to a top surface of the cold plate and a multi-layer circuit board is mounted to a bottom surface of the cold plate. A plurality of amplifier modules are mounted to the cold plate, where the circuit board includes a plurality of openings that allow the amplifier modules to be directly mounted to the cold plate, and the cold plate includes a plurality of RF signal channels that allow RF signals from the amplifier modules to travel through the cold plate. The amplifier modules are controlled to provide phase-weighting for electronic signal scanning in an elevation direction and rotation of the cold plate allows signal scanning in an azimuth direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A scanning array antenna comprising:
an outer housing; a cold plate rotatably mounted within and relative to the outer housing, said cold plate including a top surface and a bottom surface; a waveguide aperture including an array of antenna elements mounted to the top surface of the cold plate; a multi-layer circuit board mounted to the bottom surface of the cold plate; and a plurality of amplifier modules mounted to the cold plate through the circuit board, said circuit board including a plurality of openings that allow the amplifier modules to be directly mounted to the cold plate through the circuit board, said cold plate including a plurality of RF signal channels that allow RF signals from the amplifier modules to travel through the cold plate to the antenna elements, wherein the plurality of amplifier modules are controlled to provide phase weighting for electronic signal scanning in an elevation direction and rotation of the cold plate allows signal scanning in an azimuth direction.

2 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the array of antenna elements is a planar slot array.

3 . The antenna according to claim 2 wherein the antenna elements are slot antenna elements.

4 . The antenna according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of beam forming network circuits that receive distributed RF signals from the circuit board and provide the phase-weighted signals to the amplifier modules.

5 . The antenna according to claim 4 wherein the multi-layer circuit board includes a DC power distribution layer, a control signal distribution layer and a one-to-four RF power divider and RF distribution layer, said power divider and RF distribution layer providing the RF signals to the BFN circuits.

6 . The antenna according to claim 1 further comprising a rotary joint mounted within the housing, said rotary joint including a stator and rotor, said rotor being mounted to the cold plate.

7 . The antenna according to claim 6 further comprising a bearing assembly, said cold plate being mounted on the bearing assembly and said bearing assembly being rotated by a motor.

8 . The antenna according to claim 6 further comprising cooling fluid hoses attached to the stator of the rotary joint and extending through the housing, wherein a cooling fluid enters the antenna through one the cooling fluid hoses, flows through the stator into the rotor and then into the cold plate where it is heated, and wherein the heated cooling fluid flows from the cold plate through the rotor, through the stator and then through another one of the cooling fluid hoses to exit the antenna.

9 . The antenna according to claim 6 further comprising one or more electrical harnesses attached to the stator of the rotary joint and extending through the housing and an RF connector attached to the stator of the rotary joint and passing through a cover of the housing, said electrical harnesses providing electrical signal to the circuit board and said RF connector providing RF signals to the circuit board.

10 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of amplifier modules each include a driver amplifier and a high power amplifier.

11 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the array of antenna elements includes sixty-four elements and the plurality of amplifier modules is sixty-four amplifier modules.

12 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the housing is cylindrical.

13 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the amplifier modules are bolted to the cold plate.

14 . The antenna according to claim 1 wherein the antenna is configured to be mounted within a skin of an airborne platform.

15 . A scanning array antenna configured to be mounted within a skin of an airborne platform, said antenna comprising:
a cylindrical outer housing; a circular cold plate rotatably mounted within and relative to the outer housing, said cold plate including cooling fluid flow channels and a top surface and a bottom surface; a circular waveguide aperture including an array of antenna slot elements mounted to the top surface of the cold plate; a multi-layer circuit board mounted to the bottom surface of the cold plate; a rotary joint mounted within the housing, said rotary joint including a stator and rotor, said rotor being mounted to the cold plate; cooling fluid hoses attached to the stator of the rotary joint and extending through the housing, wherein cooling fluid enters the antenna through one the cooling fluid hoses, flows through the stator into the rotor and then into the cold plate where it is heated, and wherein the heated cooling fluid flows from the cold plate through the rotor, through the stator and then through another one of the cooling fluid hoses to exit the antenna; one or more electrical harnesses attached to the stator of the rotary joint and extending through the housing, said electrical harnesses providing electrical signals to the circuit board; an RF connector attached to the stator of the rotary joint and passing through a cover of the housing, said RF connector providing RF signals to the circuit board; and a plurality of amplifier modules mounted to the cold plate through the circuit board, said circuit board including a plurality of openings that allow the amplifier modules to be directly mounted to the cold plate through the circuit board, said cold plate including a plurality of RF signal channels that allow RF signals from the amplifier modules to travel through the cold plate to the antenna elements, wherein the plurality of amplifier modules are controlled to provide phase-weighting for electronic signal scanning in an elevation direction and rotation of the cold plate allows signal scanning in an azimuth direction.

16 . The antenna according to claim 15 further comprising a plurality of beam forming network circuits that receive distributed RF signals from the circuit board and provide the phase-weighted signals to the amplifier modules.

17 . The antenna according to claim 15 wherein the multi-layer circuit board includes a DC power distribution layer, a control signal distribution layer and a one-to-four RF power divider and RF distribution layer, said power divider and RF distribution layer providing the RF signals to the BFN circuits.

18 . The antenna according to claim 15 further comprising a bearing assembly, said cold plate being mounted on the bearing assembly and said bearing assembly being rotated by a motor.

19 . The antenna according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of amplifier modules each include a driver amplifier and a high power amplifier.

20 . The antenna according to claim 15 wherein the array of antenna elements includes sixty-four elements and the plurality of amplifier modules is sixty-four amplifier modules.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Cherrette Alan
• Bruno Richmond D
• Brisbin Scott
• Lok Gordon

Classifications

• H01Q3/26

  varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture ({H01Q3/12,} H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q21/064

  using horn or slot aerials (slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005) · CPC title

• H01Q21/0006

  Particular feeding systems · CPC title

• H01Q3/04

  for varying one co-ordinate of the orientation · CPC title

• H01Q1/02

  Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out {; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion} · CPC title