US 11,658,717 B2
Multi-beam antenna system with a baseband digital signal processor
Peter S. Wyckoff, Scottsdale, AZ (US); and Joseph J. Luna, Gilbert, AZ (US)
Assigned to VIASAT, INC., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed by Viasat, Inc., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/934,136.
Application 17/934,136 is a continuation of application No. 17/480,147, filed on Sep. 21, 2021, granted, now 11,469,805.
Application 17/480,147 is a continuation of application No. 17/258,345, granted, now 11,165,478, issued on Nov. 2, 2021, previously published as PCT/US2019/041627, filed on Jul. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/697,518, filed on Jul. 13, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0019016 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 5/12 (2006.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H01Q 3/38 (2006.01); H04L 27/34 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 7/0617 (2013.01) [H01Q 3/38 (2013.01); H04B 7/0695 (2013.01); H04L 27/3405 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A phased-array antenna system comprising:
a plurality of phased array antenna elements, each phased array antenna element comprising:
a radiating element configured to transmit an antenna element signal corresponding to the phased array antenna element;
a power amplifier configured to amplify the antenna element signal before transmission via the radiating element; and
an element adjustment circuit comprising:
one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs) each configured to convert a portion of a beamforming data signal into a corresponding analog signal;
a phase shifter configured to modulate a phase of an element carrier signal of the phased array antenna element based on a first analog signal generated by the one or more DACs; and
a variable gain amplifier configured to modulate the element carrier signal of the phased array antenna element based on a second analog signal generated by the one or more DACs;
wherein the element adjustment circuit modulates the element carrier signal based on the beamforming data signal to generate the antenna element signal; and
wherein the first analog signal represents a phase portion of the beamforming data signal and the second analog signal represents an amplitude portion of the beamforming data signal.