US 11,817,636 B2
System and method for a digitally beamformed phased array feed
Michael Thomas Pace, Albuquerque, NM (US); David Gregory Baur, Sandia Park, NM (US); Theodore Lyman Schuler-Sandy, Albuquerque, NM (US); William Kennedy, Quincy, MA (US); Jeffrey Gerard Micono, Albuquerque, NM (US); William Louis Walker, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Garrett James Newell, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Assigned to BlueHalo, LLC, Huntsville, AL (US)
Filed by BlueHalo, LLC, Huntsville, AL (US)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/690,761.
Application 17/690,761 is a continuation of application No. 17/679,817, filed on Feb. 24, 2022, granted, now 11,670,855.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/262,124, filed on Oct. 5, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/188,959, filed on May 14, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/200,260, filed on Feb. 24, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0268871 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. H01Q 21/00 (2006.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H01Q 5/48 (2015.01); H01Q 1/02 (2006.01); H04B 7/08 (2006.01); H01Q 3/34 (2006.01); G01S 3/04 (2006.01); G01S 3/38 (2006.01); G01S 3/42 (2006.01); H01Q 3/22 (2006.01); H01Q 3/38 (2006.01); H01Q 21/06 (2006.01); H01Q 19/13 (2006.01); H04B 7/0408 (2017.01); H04B 17/23 (2015.01); G01S 3/40 (2006.01); H01Q 3/08 (2006.01); H01Q 3/20 (2006.01); H01Q 3/26 (2006.01); H01Q 5/28 (2015.01); H01Q 15/16 (2006.01); H01Q 19/10 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 5/48 (2015.01) [G01S 3/043 (2013.01); G01S 3/046 (2013.01); G01S 3/38 (2013.01); G01S 3/40 (2013.01); G01S 3/42 (2013.01); H01Q 1/02 (2013.01); H01Q 3/08 (2013.01); H01Q 3/20 (2013.01); H01Q 3/22 (2013.01); H01Q 3/2682 (2013.01); H01Q 3/34 (2013.01); H01Q 3/38 (2013.01); H01Q 5/28 (2015.01); H01Q 15/16 (2013.01); H01Q 19/108 (2013.01); H01Q 19/13 (2013.01); H01Q 21/0068 (2013.01); H01Q 21/062 (2013.01); H04B 7/0408 (2013.01); H04B 7/0639 (2013.01); H04B 7/0695 (2013.01); H04B 7/086 (2013.01); H04B 7/0865 (2013.01); H04B 17/23 (2015.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for a large form-factor phased array comprising a plurality of multi-band software defined antenna array tiles wherein each multi-band software defined antenna array tile comprises:
i. a plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements, wherein each coupled dipole array antenna element includes a principal polarization component oriented in a first direction and an orthogonal polarization component oriented in a second direction, and is configured to receive and transmit a plurality of respective first modulated signals associated with a plurality of respective radio frequencies;
ii. a plurality of pairs of frequency converters, each pair of frequency converters associated with a respective coupled dipole array antenna element and comprising a respective principal polarization converter corresponding to a respective principal polarization component and a respective orthogonal polarization converter corresponding to a respective orthogonal polarization component, and each principal polarization converter and each respective orthogonal polarization converter is configured to:
(1) receive respective first modulated signals associated with the respective radio frequencies of the plurality of radio frequencies from the respective coupled dipole array antenna element; and
(2) convert the respective first modulated signals associated with the respective radio frequencies of the plurality of respective radio frequencies into respective second modulated signals having a first intermediate frequency;
iii. a plurality of digital beamformers operatively connected to the plurality of pairs of frequency converters wherein each digital beamformer is operatively connected to one of the respective principal polarization converter and the respective orthogonal polarization converter and each digital beamformer is configured to:
(1) receive the respective second modulated signals associated with the first intermediate frequency;
(2) convert the respective second modulated signal from an analog signal to a digital data format;
(3) generate a plurality of channels of the digital data by decimation of digital data converted from the analog signal using a polyphase channelizer and filtering using a plurality of cascaded halfband filters;
(4) select one of the plurality of channels;
(5) apply a first weighting factor to the digital data associated with the selected one of the plurality of channels to generate a first intermediate partial beamformed data stream;
(6) combine the first intermediate partial beamformed data stream with a plurality of other intermediate partial beamformed data streams to generate a first partial beamformed data stream;
(7) apply an oscillating signal to the first partial beamformed data stream to generate a first oscillating partial beamformed data stream;
(8) apply a three-stage halfband filter to the first oscillating partial beamformed data stream to generate a first filtered partial beamformed data stream;
(9) apply a time delay to the first filtered partial beamformed data stream to generate a first partial beam; and
(10) transmit the first partial beam of a first beam along with a first set of a plurality of other partial beams of the first beam to a digital software system interface via a data transport bus.