Dynamic phased array tapering without phase recalibration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9531086-B1
Application number	US-201614989149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling variable gain amplifiers include setting a phase at a phase shifter in each of multiple of front-ends of a phased array transceiver, accounting for a constant phase shift of a phase-invariant variable gain amplifier. A gain is set at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier in each of the multiple front-ends to perform tapering of beam pattern side lobes. A resistance in the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier is set to provide a phase shift that is independent of gain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for phased array tapering, comprising:
setting a phase at a phase shifter in each of a plurality of front-ends of a phased array transceiver, wherein the phase includes a constant phase shift of a phase-invariant variable gain amplifier; and
setting a gain at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier in each of the plurality of front-ends to perform tapering of beam pattern side lobes, wherein a resistance in the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier is set to provide a phase shift that is independent of gain.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting the gain at each phase-invariant variable gain amplifier comprises setting a direct-current collector current.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising setting a pre-determined relationship between gain and phase shift by controlling the resistance.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phases at the phase shifters are not adjusted after setting the gains at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifiers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting the gain comprises setting a first gain at a first stage of the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier and setting a second gain at a second stage of the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein a dependency of a phase shift of the first stage on the gain of the first stage is equal to and opposite a dependency of a phase shift of the second stage on the gain of the second stage.

7. A system configured to control a phased array, comprising:
a phase control module configured to set a phase at a phase shifter in each of a plurality of front-ends of a phased array transceiver, wherein the phase includes a constant phase shift of a phase-invariant variable gain amplifier; and
a gain control module configured to set a gain at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier in each of the plurality of front-ends to perform tapering of beam pattern side lobes, wherein a resistance in the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier is set to provide a phase shift that is independent of gain.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to set a direct-current collector current to control the gain.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to control the resistance to control a relationship between gain and phase shift.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the phase control module is configured not to adjust the phases at the phase shifters after the gain at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifiers is set.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to set a first gain at a first stage of the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier and to set a second gain at a second stage of the phase-invariant variable gain amplifier.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein a dependency of a phase shift of the first stage on the gain of the first stage is equal to and opposite a dependency of a phase shift of the second stage on the gain of the second stage.

13. A phased-array transceiver, comprising:
a plurality of front-ends, each front-end comprising:
a transmit path comprising a phase-invariant variable gain amplifier;
a receive path comprising a phase-invariant variable gain amplifier; and
a phase shifter; and

a control system, comprising:
a phase control module configured to set a phase at the phase shifter in each of the plurality of front-ends, wherein the phase includes a constant phase shift of the phase-invariant variable gain amplifiers; and
a gain control module configured to set a gain at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifiers in each of the plurality of front-ends to perform tapering of beam pattern side lobes, wherein a resistance in each phase-invariant variable gain amplifier is set to provide a phase shift that is independent of gain.

14. The phased-array transceiver of claim 13 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to set a direct-current collector current to control the gains.

15. The phased-array transceiver of claim 13 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to control the resistance to control a relationship between gain and phase shift.

16. The phased-array transceiver of claim 13 , wherein the phase control module is configured not to adjust the phases at the phase shifters after the gains at the phase-invariant variable gain amplifiers are set.

17. The phased-array transceiver of claim 13 , wherein the gain control module is further configured to set a first gain at a first stage of each phase-invariant variable gain amplifier and to set a second gain at a second stage of each phase-invariant variable gain amplifier.

18. The phased-array transceiver of claim 17 , wherein a dependency of a phase shift of the first stage on the gain of the first stage is equal to and opposite a dependency of a phase shift of the second stage on the gain of the second stage.

19. The phased-array transceiver of claim 13 , wherein each front-end further comprises a pair of switches configured to switch between the transmit path and the receive path.

20. The phased-array transceiver of claim 19 , wherein each front-end comprises a respective phase-shifter for each of the transmit path and the receive path.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bulzacchelli John F
• Sadhu Bodhisatwa
• Valdes Garcia Alberto

Classifications

• H01Q3/36

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title

• H01Q21/22 Primary

  Antenna units of the array energised non-uniformly in amplitude or phase, e.g. tapered array or binomial array · CPC title

• H01Q3/28

  varying the amplitude · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title