| CPC H01Q 21/08 (2013.01) [H01Q 15/244 (2013.01); H04B 1/006 (2013.01); H04B 1/0067 (2013.01)] | 17 Claims |
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1. A control system for controlling operation of a phased-array antenna comprising N antenna elements each comprising H and V polarization terminals, the control system comprising:
an analogue circular polarization system comprising an array of N analogue circular polarization circuits associated with said N antenna elements, respectively, such that each analogue circular polarization circuit is connectable to the V and H polarization terminals of the respective antenna element, and is configured and operable for carrying out the following: in the antenna element operation in a receiving configuration processing H and V linear polarization components of an operational signal being received by the respective antenna element as an analog circular polarization signal component, and in the antenna element operation in a transmission configuration processing an analog circular polarization signal component of an operation signal by the respective antenna element as the H and V linear polarization components being transmitted,
wherein said analogue circular polarization system thereby operates with N analog circular polarization signal components each being either left or right circular polarization signal;
a digital polarization control system comprising:
an array of N convertors associated with said N analogue circular polarization circuits, respectively, for converting between the N analog circular polarization signals and N respective digital circular polarization signals, such that each antenna element is associated with a respective single one of said N convertors;
an array of N digital polarization controlled beamformers connectable, respectively, to said N convertors, each digital polarization controlled beamformer comprising at least two beam forming channels associated with at least two, first and second, respective beams of different beam directions and/or different polarizations being operated by the antenna element, each of said at least two beam forming channels being configured and operable to apply phase shifting to the respective digital circular polarization signal based on data indicative of a beaming direction (α) of a respective beam to be operated and the left or right polarization of circular polarization signal, and a relative phase (ϕ) associated with the beaming direction (α) and a location of the respective antenna element in the array, to thereby form at least two phase shifted signals corresponding to said at least two, first and second, respective beams; and
a plurality of digital signal splitters and/or combiners configured and operable for separately combining the phase shifted signals corresponding to respectively the at least first and second beams, wherein at least two convertors of said N convertors are connected to a respective one of the signal splitters and/or combiners, and wherein each of said digital splitters and/or combiners, connected to the at least two converters, is configured and operable for converting between the digital circular polarization signals of opposite left and right circular polarizations of the at least two convertors and V and H linear polarization components and splitting and/or combining the opposite left and right circular polarization signals of the at least two convertors.
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