System and method for coherent processing of signals of a plurality of phased arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9496611-B2
Application number	US-201314646992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for utilizing two or more phased arrays to coherently receive and/or transmit waveforms to one or more directions. The method includes applying a first and a second coherent processing to two or more sets of signal portions received or transmitted by corresponding two or more phased arrays. In reception mode, the first coherent processing includes converting the sets of signal portions received into corresponding sets of directional signals, by applying coherent integrations to each set signals portions such that each of the resulting directional signals being indicative of the angular frequencies, amplitudes and phases of the received waveforms. In reception mode, the second coherent processing includes adjusting phases of respectively the sets of the directional signals according to spatial dispositions between their respective phased arrays and the angular frequencies of the directional signals, thereby generating a coherent set of directional signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for receiving and/or transmitting waveforms by two or more phased arrays, the method comprising:
i. applying a first coherent processing to two or more signal sets comprising signal portions being received or transmitted by corresponding two or more phased arrays (PAs) operating in respective receiving or transmitting modes, wherein said first coherent processing comprises converting the sets of signal portions being received into corresponding sets of directional signals or converting sets of directional signals into the sets of signal portions to be transmitted, said converting comprising coherent integrations of each set in one of the sets of signals portions or the sets of directional signals for obtaining the other one of said sets of signals portions and said sets of directional signals; each of the directional signals being indicative of the angular frequencies, amplitudes and phases of waveforms to be received or transmitted; and
ii. applying a second coherent processing to a coherent set of directional signals or to said two or more sets of the directional signals to perform the respective transmitting and receiving modes, wherein said second coherent processing of the transmitting and receiving modes comprises adjusting phases of respectively said coherent set of directional signals and said sets of the directional signals, the phase being adjusted in accordance with spatial dispositions between the PAs and the angular frequencies of the directional signals, the phase adjusting in the transmitting and receiving modes providing respectively the sets of the directional signals and the coherent set of directional signals,
thereby enabling to utilize said two or more PAs to carry out at least one of coherently receiving and coherently transmitting with improved gain of one or more waveforms propagating in one or more directions.

2. The method according to claim 1 configured for operating in receiving mode for determining one or more directions of propagation of an incoming waveform received by said arrangement of two or more PAs;
the method comprising simultaneously receiving incoming waveform by said two or more PAs and generating two or more sets of signal portions corresponding to said incoming waveform respectively received by said two or more phased arrays PAs; and
said first coherent processing comprising applying coherent integration to each of the two or more sets of signal portions for a given wavelength to obtain the two or more corresponding sets of directional signals;
said second coherent processing comprising adjusting the phases of the directional signals in said sets of directional signals in order to correct said phases by compensating over the spatial dispositions between the PAs thereby determining two or more phase adjusted sets of directional signals corresponding to said two or more PAs, and coherently adding corresponding directional signals which are associated with similar angular frequencies in said two or more phase adjusted sets of directional signals thereby determining one or more composite directional signals presenting said coherent set of directional signals, wherein each composite directional signal being indicative of an amplitude by which an incoming waveform with a particular angular frequency was received by the two or more PAs;
thereby enabling to utilize said two or more PAs to determine one or more directions of propagation of said incoming waveform with improved signal to noise ratio and improved angular resolution.

3. The method according to claim 1 configured for operating in transmitting mode for determining two or more sets of signal portions to be transmitted respectively by the elements of said two or more PAs for generating transmitted waveform propagating in one or more desired directions; the method comprising:
providing said coherent set of directional signals in which each directional signal being indicative of an amplitude and particular direction towards which a waveform signal should be transmitted by said two or more PAs; and
said second coherent processing comprising applying phase adjustment to directional signals in two or more replicas of said coherent set of directional for respectively generating said two or more sets of directional signals from said two or more replicas, wherein said phase adjustment is adapted to correct the phases of the directional signals of each particular set of directional signals in accordance with spatial disposition of the PA respectively associated with the particular set of directional signals; and
said first coherent processing comprising applying coherent integration to each of the two or more sets of directional signals for respectively generating, for a given transmission wavelength, the two or more sets of signal portions and simultaneously providing said sets of signals portions to the elements of the respective PAs for transmitting said transmitted waveform towards said one or more desired directions of propagation with improved angular resolution and reduced sidelobes.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising comparing powers said composite directional signals with a predetermined criteria to determine, for at least one composite directional signal, whether it is indicative of an actual incoming waveform propagating from a particular direction corresponding to the angular frequency thereof or whether it is noise signal.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein one or more of said PAs are configured as curved PAs, each including an array of elements arranged along a curved surface or line.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the elements of at least one PA are arranged in uniform spatial disposition defining fixed distances between them with respect to at least one axis; wherein at least one of the following:
said elements are arranged on said axis with said fixed distances between them; or
at least some of the elements are spaced from said axis and said fixed distance being the distance between projections of said at least some elements onto said axis.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the fixed distance between the elements of at least one PA of said two or more PAs is different from a fixed distance between the elements of other PA of said two or more PAs, such that the sets of directional signals associated with said at least one PA and said other PA include signals from different groups of angular frequency bins; the method comprising interpolation of directional signals carried out in at least one of the following: (i) in receiving operational mode, said interpolation includes interpolating at least one set of the two or more sets of directional signals to thereby obtain, in said two or more sets of directional signals, directional signals indicative of the amplitudes and phases with respect to a common group of angular frequency bins with improved directional resolution; or (ii) in transmitting operational mode, said interpolation includes interpolating at least one set of two or more sets of directional signals, which are associated with a common group of angular frequency bins as resulted from said second coherent processing, to thereby obtain, the sets of directional signals which are associated with different groups of angular frequency bins set in accordance with the fixed distance between the elements of their respective PAs.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said first coherent processing and said interpolation are performed together utilizing a zero-padding fast-Fourier-transform algorithm.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein interpolation of at least one set of directional signals comprises re-sampling the directional signals of s

Assignees

• Elta Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Vagman Yacov

Classifications

• H01Q3/34 Primary

  by electrical means (active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46) · CPC title

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H01Q3/2605 Primary

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

• H01Q25/00

  Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns (arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00) · CPC title

• H01Q21/296

  Multiplicative arrays · CPC title