True path beam steering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780448-B1
Application number	US-201314041137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 30, 2013
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus for shifting the phase of an radiofrequency signal. The device has an input line and an output line. An input switch is connected to the input line. The input switch is has several input throws. An output switch is connected to the output line. The output switch has several output throws which correspond to the input throws. The apparatus also has several phase shift lines. Each phase shift line has a true path length that is different from the true path lengths of the other phase shift lines.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A phase shifter apparatus comprising:
an input line;
an output line;
an input switch, wherein said input switch is configured with a plurality of input throws and wherein said input switch is operatively coupled to said input line;
an output switch, wherein said output switch is configured with a plurality of output throws corresponding to said plurality of input throws and is operatively coupled to said output line; and
a plurality of phase shift lines through which an input radiofrequency (RF) signal may pass, wherein the plurality of phase shift lines are disposed between the input throws and the output throws, wherein the plurality of phase shift lines have different physical, true path lengths from each other, and wherein at least one of said true path lengths is greater than a wavelength of the input RF signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each true path length represents a path that results in a time delay that produces a phase shift and a phase slope.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the number of different true path lengths corresponds to the number of possible beam positions generated by a phased antenna array.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the true path length of each phase shift line is variably determined by a desired beam steering angle from a reference angle of a phased antenna array.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the different true path lengths is variably determined by a distance between antenna elements in a phased antenna array.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number of said plurality of phase shift lines is equal to eight.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of phase shift lines may be selected from the group consisting of microstrip, stripline, co-planar waveguide and waveguide transmission lines.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said input switch and said output switch may be selected from the group consisting of semiconductor, electro-mechanical, PIN and micro-electronic mechanical systems switches.

9. A phased antenna array system for steering a beam path comprising:
an RF signal input;
a plurality of individual antenna elements, wherein each of said plurality of individual antenna elements is placed at a distance from each of said other plurality of individual antenna elements;
a plurality of amplifiers wherein said plurality of amplifiers are operatively coupled to said plurality of individual antenna elements;
a plurality of phase shifters operatively coupled with said plurality of amplifiers, wherein each of said plurality of phase shifters comprises:
an input line;
an output line;
an input switch, wherein said input switch is configured with a plurality of input throws and wherein said input switch is operatively coupled to said input line;
an output switch, wherein said output switch is configured with a plurality of output throws corresponding to said plurality of input throws and is operatively coupled to said output line; and
a plurality of phase shift lines through which the RF signal input may pass, wherein the plurality of phase lines are disposed between the input throws and the output throws, wherein said plurality of phase shift lines have different true path, physical lengths from each other, and wherein at least one of said true path lengths is greater than a wavelength of the RF signal input; and

at least one splitter operatively coupled with each of said plurality of phase shifters, wherein said at least one splitter is operatively coupled to said RF signal input.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein each true path length represents a path that results in a time delay that produces a phase shift and a phase slope.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the number of different true path lengths corresponds to the number of possible beam positions generated by a phased antenna array.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein each of said true path lengths is variably determined by a distance between said plurality of individual antenna elements.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said true path length of each of said phase shift lines is variably determined by a desired beam steering angle from a reference angle of a phased antenna array.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the number of said plurality of phase shift lines is equal to eight.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein said plurality of phase shift lines may be selected from the group consisting of microstrip, stripline, co-planar waveguide and waveguide transmission lines.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein said input switch and output switch may be selected from the group consisting of semiconductor, electro-mechanical, PIN and micro-electronic mechanical systems switches.

17. A method for phase-shifting a signal, comprised of the steps of:
inputting an RF signal through a phase shifter input line;
switching an input switch to select a true path phase shift line from a plurality of true path phase shift lines wherein said plurality of phase shift lines have different true path, physical lengths from each other;
switching an output switch to select said input switch-selected phase shift line from said plurality of phase shift lines;

passing said RF signal through said phase shift line to phase-shift said RF signal; and
outputting said RF signal through a phase shifter output line.

18. The method of claim 17 which further includes the step of determining the number of antenna elements of a phased antenna array and equating the number of phase shift lines to a number of desired beam positions.

19. The method of claim 18 which further includes the step of determining a beam steering angle from a reference angle of a phased antenna array and conforming said plurality of said true path lengths to said beam steering angle.

20. The method of claim 19 which further includes the step of confirming said plurality of true path line lengths are equivalent to a plurality of spacing lengths between antenna elements of a phased antenna array.

Assignees

• Us Navy
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Meagher Christopher J
• Olsen Randall B

Classifications

• H01P1/184

  Strip line phase-shifters (H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01P1/182

  Waveguide phase-shifters (H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01P5/12 Primary

  Coupling devices having more than two ports (H01P5/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q3/32

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• H01Q3/36 Primary

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title