	US 11,721,900 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. 17/690,779.
Application 17/690,779 is a continuation of application No. 17/679,817, filed on Feb. 24, 2022.
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 2022/0278455 A1, Sep. 1, 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)]

30 Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving, from a digital software system interface via a system controller by memory of a multi-band software defined antenna array tile, for a respective coupled dipole array antenna element of a plurality of respective coupled dipole array antenna elements of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile:

i. a respective mission center radio frequency;

ii. a respective mission intermediate frequency;

wherein each coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements includes a respective principal polarization component oriented in a first direction and a respective orthogonal polarization component oriented in a second direction;

(b) receiving, from the digital software system interface via the system controller by the memory of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile, for a respective principal polarization component and a respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of respective coupled dipole array antenna elements:

i. a respective channel selection;

ii. a respective weighting factor as part of an array of weighting factors;

iii. a respective oscillating signal frequency;

i. the respective mission center radio frequency for the respective coupled dipole antenna array element;

ii. the respective mission intermediate frequency for the respective coupled dipole array antenna element;

iii. the respective channel selection for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element;

iv. each respective weighting factor of the array of weighting factors for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of respective coupled dipole array antenna elements; and

v. the respective oscillating signal frequency for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array element;

(d) transporting, from the memory to a respective principal polarization frequency converter and a respective orthogonal polarization frequency converter:

i. the respective mission center radio frequency for the respective coupled dipole array antenna element;

ii. the respective mission intermediate frequency for the respective coupled dipole array antenna element;

wherein the respective principal polarization frequency converter and the respective orthogonal polarization frequency converter are a part of a respective pair of frequency converters of a plurality of pairs of frequency converters of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile,

wherein each pair of frequency converters of the plurality of pairs frequency converters is operatively connected to a respective coupled dipole array antenna element, and

wherein each pair of frequency converters of the plurality of pairs frequency converters comprises the respective principal polarization converter corresponding to a respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization converter corresponding to a respective orthogonal polarization component;

(e) transporting, from the memory to a respective digital beamformer of a plurality of digital beamformers:

i. the respective channel selection for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array element;

ii. each respective weighting factor of the array of weighting factors for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of respective coupled dipole array antenna elements;

iii. the respective oscillating signal frequency for the respective principal polarization component and the respective orthogonal polarization component of the respective coupled dipole array element,

wherein the plurality of digital beamformers are operatively connected to the plurality of pairs of frequency converters, and

wherein each digital beamformer is operatively connected to one of the respective principal polarization frequency converter and the respective orthogonal polarization frequency converter;

(f) receiving, by a first coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality coupled dipole array antenna elements of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile, a plurality of respective modulated signals associated with a plurality of respective radio frequencies, wherein the plurality of respective radio frequencies is associated with the respective mission center radio frequency,

(g) receiving, by a first principal polarization frequency converter of a first pair of frequency converters of the plurality of pairs of frequency converters of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile, from a first principal polarization component of the first coupled dipole array antenna element of the plurality of coupled dipole array antenna elements, respective first modulated signals associated with the respective radio frequencies of the plurality of respective radio frequencies,

(h) converting, by the first principal polarization frequency converter of the first pair of frequency converters, the respective first modulated signals associated with the respective radio frequencies of the plurality of radio frequencies into respective second modulated signals having a first intermediate frequency, wherein the first intermediate frequency is associated with the respective mission intermediate frequency;

(i) receiving, by a first digital beamformer of the plurality of digital beamformers of the multi-band software defined antenna array tile, from the first principal polarization frequency converter, the respective second modulated signals associated with the first intermediate frequency,

(j) converting, by the first digital beamformer, the respective second modulated signal from an analog signal to a digital data format;

(k) generating, by the first digital beamformer, a first plurality of channels of first digital data by decimating the first digital data using a first polyphase channelizer and filtering using a first plurality of cascaded halfband filters;

(l) selecting, by the first digital beamformer, a first channel of the first plurality of channels, wherein the first channel is associated with the respective channel selection;

(m) applying, by the first digital beamformer, a first weighting factor to the first digital data associated with the first channel to generate a first intermediate partial beamformed data stream, wherein the first weighting factor is associated with the array of weighting factors;

(n) combining, by the first digital beamformer, the first intermediate partial beamformed data stream with the plurality of other intermediate partial beamformed data streams to generate a first partial beamformed data stream;

(o) applying, by the first digital beamformer, a first oscillating signal to the first partial beamformed data stream to generate a first oscillating partial beamformed data stream, wherein the first oscillating signal is associated with the respective oscillating signal frequency;

(p) applying, by the first digital beamformer, a first three-stage halfband filter to the first oscillating partial beamformed data stream to generate a first filtered partial beamformed data stream;

(q) applying, by the first digital beamformer, a first time delay to the first filtered partial beamformed data stream to generate a first partial beam; and

(r) transmitting, by the first digital beamformer via a data transport bus to a digital software system interface, the first partial beam of a first beam, which is transmitted via the data transport bus along with a first set of a plurality of other partial beams of the first beam.