Phased-array receiver, radar system and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411039-B2
Application number	US-201113977087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2011
Priority date	Jan 21, 2011
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A phased-array receiver comprises a plurality of analog beamforming receive channels, each comprising an antenna element arranged to receive a radio frequency signal and a channel output arranged to provide an analog channel output signal. At least one of the plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises an in-phase downconversion mixing circuit connected to the antenna element and a local oscillator source and arranged to provide a downconverted in-phase signal to a phase rotation circuit, and a quadrature downconversion mixing circuit connected to the antenna element and the local oscillator source and arranged to provide a downconverted quadrature signal to the phase rotation circuit. The phase rotation circuit is arranged to provide to the channel output a phase-shifted analog output signal generated from the downconverted in-phase signal and the downconverted quadrature signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A phased-array receiver, comprising:
a plurality of analog beamforming receive channels , each connectable to an antenna element arranged to receive a radio frequency signal and a channel output arranged to provide an analog channel output signal, wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises:
an in-phase downconversion mixing circuit connected to said antenna element and a local oscillator source and arranged to provide a downconverted in-phase signal to a phase rotation circuit; and
a quadrature downconversion mixing circuit connectable to said antenna element and said local oscillator source and arranged to provide a downconverted quadrature signal to said phase rotation circuit; said phase rotation circuit being arranged to provide to said channel output a phase-shifted analog output signal generated from said downconverted in-phase signal and said downconverted quadrature signal.

2. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises a weighting amplifier circuit connected to amplify said phase-shifted analog output signal before provision to said channel output.

3. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a first summation circuit connected to said channel outputs of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels and arranged to provide an analog summation output signal.

4. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 3 , comprising one analog-digital conversion circuit , said analog-digital conversion circuit connected to receive said analog summation output signal and provide a digital summation output signal.

5. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises a power splitter circuit connected between said antenna element and said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit to split the radio frequency signal into a second radio frequency signal for provision to said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and a third radio frequency signal for provision to said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit.

6. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises one or more high-pass filter circuits arranged to high-pass filter said downconverted in-phase signal and said downconverted quadrature signal before provision to said phase rotation circuit.

7. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit are homodyne downconversion mixing circuits.

8. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said radio frequency signal is a radar signal.

9. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said phase rotation circuit comprises a plurality of controllable variable gain amplification devices, and a second summation circuit; said plurality of controllable variable gain amplification devices being arranged to separately amplify said downconverted in-phase signal and said downconverted quadrature signal depending on parameter values provided by a controller device.

10. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises a directional coupler circuit connected to an output of said local oscillator source, and arranged to provide an in-phase local oscillator signal to said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and a quadrature local oscillator signal to said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit.

11. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said directional coupler comprises a branchline coupler.

12. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said directional coupler comprises a frequency divider circuit.

13. A radar system, comprising a phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 1 .

14. A vehicle, comprising a radar system as claimed in claim 13 .

15. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 2 , comprising a first summation circuit connected to said channel outputs of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels and arranged to provide an analog summation output signal.

16. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises a power splitter circuit connected between said antenna element and said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit to split the radio frequency signal into a second radio frequency signal for provision to said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and a third radio frequency signal for provision to said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit.

17. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 3 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises a power splitter circuit connected between said antenna element and said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit to split the radio frequency signal into a second radio frequency signal for provision to said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and a third radio frequency signal for provision to said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit.

18. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises one or more high-pass filter circuits arranged to high-pass filter said downconverted in-phase signal and said downconverted quadrature signal before provision to said phase rotation circuit.

19. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 3 , wherein at least one of said plurality of analog beamforming receive channels comprises one or more high-pass filter circuits arranged to high-pass filter said downconverted in-phase signal and said downconverted quadrature signal before provision to said phase rotation circuit.

20. The phased-array receiver as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said in-phase downconversion mixing circuit and said quadrature downconversion mixing circuit are homodyne downconversion mixing circuits.

Assignees

• Dehlink Bernhard
• Trotta Saverio
• Freescale Semiconductor Inc

Inventors

• Dehlink Bernhard
• Trotta Saverio

Classifications

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/032

  Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems · CPC title

• G01S7/03 Primary

  Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver · CPC title

• H01Q1/3233

  particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems · CPC title

• 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