US 11,699,862 B2
Two-dimensional planar and crossover-free beamforming network architecture
Julian A. Brown, Cambridge, MA (US); Benjamin F. Lane, Sherborn, MA (US); Hannah Clevenson, Cambridge, MA (US); Lucas D. Benney, Brighton, MA (US); Michael G. Moebius, Arlington, MA (US); Robin M. A. Dawson, Waltham, MA (US); and Steven J. Spector, Lexington, MA (US)
Assigned to The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/407,755.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/068,667, filed on Aug. 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0059950 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H01Q 21/12 (2006.01); H01Q 1/24 (2006.01); H01Q 3/40 (2006.01); H01Q 11/14 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 21/12 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/246 (2013.01); H01Q 3/40 (2013.01); H01Q 11/14 (2013.01)] 33 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An antenna system comprising:
an array of antennas disposed in a predetermined non-linear pattern, the array of antennas comprising a plurality of antennas and having a two-dimensional field of view; and
a two-dimensional beamforming network (BFN) disposed entirely on a single first surface, and having a one-dimensional array-side interface disposed on the first surface and a one-dimensional beam-side interface disposed on the first surface; wherein:
the antennas of the array of antennas are individually communicably coupled to the array-side interface, such that segments of the beam-side interface map to respective pixels in the two-dimensional field of view;
the predetermined non-linear pattern defines a second surface;
the array of antennas comprises a plurality of disjoint sets of antennas;
each disjoint set of antennas comprises a plurality of antennas of the array of antennas; and
for each disjoint set of antennas, each antenna of at least a non-empty subset of the disjoint set of antennas is perpendicularly displaced a respective distance along the second surface from a longitudinal axis of a hypothetical linear array of antennas disposed on the second surface.