FIELD

The present disclosure relates to antennas and antenna systems, and more particularly to a phased array antenna system including a modular control and monitoring architecture.

BACKGROUND

Phased array antennas include a multiplicity of antenna elements that may be arranged in a predetermined pattern. For example, the antenna elements may be arranged in rows and columns, although other arrangements may also be used depending upon the purpose, application or other parameters. Each of the antenna elements needs to be controlled to control a direction of propagation of a radio frequency (RF) beam created or transmitted by the phased array antenna. Controlling a direction of transmission or reception of RF beams or signals by the phased array antenna may be referred to as beam steering or tracking. Electronically steered phased array antennas typically require a great deal of data calculation and processing to create and control the RF beam. The control signals then have to be distributed to the antenna elements which typically require a significant number of electrical data connections. This can limit the expandability of the phased array antenna, particularly in applications where there may be size and space limitations such on aircraft or spacecraft. Additionally, phased array antenna applications on aircraft or spacecraft may require a level of performance with management of multiple RF beams simultaneously. Beam steering or tracking performance may be required to support a wide range of vehicle angular rates and accelerations. Tracking performance is preferably independent of the number of RF elements, RF beams or the size of transmit and receive apertures.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment, a phased array antenna system may include a plurality of radio frequency (RF) tile sub-arrays arranged in a certain pattern to define an RF aperture. Each RF tile sub-array may include a multiplicity of RF elements and each RF element may be separately controlled for steering or tracking an RF beam generated or received by the RF element. Each RF tile sub-array further includes a tile control integrated circuit, a multiplicity of RF integrated circuits and a configuration storage device connected to the tile control integrated circuit. The configuration storage device stores data comprising calibration and configuration information that is unique to the RF tile sub-array and the tile control integrated circuit. The multiplicity of RF integrated circuits, the multiplicity of RF elements, and the configuration storage device are disposed on a single associated RF tile sub-array. The tile control integrated circuit is operatively connected to each of the multiplicity of RF integrated circuits on the single associated RF tile sub-array and each RF integrated circuit is operatively connected to one or more RF elements of the multiplicity of RF elements on the single associated RF tile sub-array. The phased array antenna system may also include an antenna controller configured to process data for steering or tracking one or more RF beams by the multiplicity of RF elements. The antenna controller may additionally include a plurality of aperture state machines. An aperture state machine may be associated with each RF tile sub-array for controlling operation of the associated RF tile sub-array. The aperture state machine associated with each RF tile sub-array includes an RF element compensation table. The calibration and configuration information that is unique to the RF tile sub-array is downloaded from the configuration storage device through the tile control integrated circuit to the RF element compensation table. The phased array antenna system may further include a plurality of RF tile buses. One RF tile bus may operatively couple each aperture state machine to the associated RF tile sub-array.

In accordance with another embodiment, a phased array antenna system may include a plurality of radio frequency (RF) tile sub-arrays arranged in a certain pattern to define an RF aperture. Each RF tile sub-array may include a multiplicity of RF elements and each RF element may be separately controllable for steering or tracking an RF beam. Each RF tile sub-array includes a configuration storage device that stores data including calibration and configuration information that is unique to each RF tile sub-array. Each RF sub-array may also include a multiplicity of RF integrated circuits. Each RF integrated circuit is operatively connected to one or more RF elements. The RF tile sub-array may also include a tile control integrated circuit configured to individually control the multiplicity of RF elements. The RF tile sub-array may additionally include a clock and serial bus matrix that operatively connects the multiplicity of RF integrated circuits to the tile control integrated circuit. The tile control integrated circuit, the multiplicity of RF integrated circuits, the multiplicity of RF elements, and the configuration storage device are disposed on a single associated RF tile sub-array. The phased array antenna system may also include an antenna controller configured to process data for steering or tracking one or more RF beams generated or received by the multiplicity of RF elements. The antenna controller includes a plurality of aperture state machines. An aperture state machine is associated with each RF tile sub-array for controlling operation of the associated RF tile sub-array. The aperture state machine associated with each RF tile sub-array includes an RF element compensation table. The calibration and configuration information that is unique to the RF tile sub-array is downloaded from the configuration storage device through the tile control integrated circuit to the RF element compensation table. The RF tile sub-array may additionally include a plurality of RF tile buses. One RF tile bus may be associated with each RF tile sub-array that operatively couples the associated RF tile sub-array to the antenna controller.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a method for controlling and monitoring a phased array antenna system may include receiving data for use in steering or tracking a radio frequency (RF) beam. The method may also include downloading calibration and configuration information from each RF tile sub-array of a plurality of RF tile sub-arrays to an RF element compensation table of a respective aperture state machine associated with each RF tile sub-array. The calibration and configuration information is unique to each RF tile sub-array and the calibration and configuration information is downloaded from a configuration storage device on each RF tile sub-array through a tile control integrated circuit on each RF tile sub-array to the RF element compensation table. The method may also include concurrently and separately processing the data to provide unique control data to each RF tile sub-array of a plurality of RF tile sub-arrays. Each RF tile sub-array may include a multiplicity of RF elements. A multiplicity of RF integrated circuits are operatively connected to one or more of the multiplicity of RF elements. A tile control integrated circuit is operatively connected to each of the multiplicity of RF integrated circuits. The multiplicity of RF elements, the multiplicity of RF integrated circuits, the tile control integrated circuit and the configuration storage device are disposed on a single associated RF tile sub-array. Each RF element may be separately controlled for steering or tracking the RF beam generated by the RF element or received by the RF element based on the unique control data. The method may further include transmitting each unique control data to a corresponding RF tile sub-array over an RF tile bus of a plurality of RF tile buses. One RF tile bus of the plurality of RF tile buses is associated with each RF tile sub-array of the plurality of RF tile sub-arrays.

In accordance with another embodiment or any of the previous embodiments, the antenna controller may further include an antenna manager. The antenna manager may be configured to receive data for steering or tracking the one or more RF beams and to transmit control and status data and beam pointing information to one of the aperture state machines in response to RF elements of the RF tile sub-array associated with the one aperture state machine being selected for use for steering or tracking the one or more RF beams.

In accordance with another embodiment or any of the previous embodiments, each aperture state machine may be configured for processing RF element phase data for the associated RF tile sub-array using spherical coordinates and a phase compensation function. The RF element phase data allows the associated RF tile sub-array to steer or track the one or more RF beams. The plurality of aperture state machines provides concurrent processing of RF tile sub-array phase data from a steering or tracking solution to loading the RF element phase data in the associated RF tile sub-arrays.

In accordance with another embodiment or any of the previous embodiments, each aperture state machine may include an RF compensation table that receives information from the antenna manager for use in determining a steering or tracking solution and determines RF element compensation data based on the information. Each aperture state machine may also include a tile multi-beam phase and true time delay calculator pipeline that receives RF element compensation data from the RF element compensation table and beam point information from the antenna manager. The tile multi-beam phase and true time delay calculator determines a phase shift value for each RF element of the associated RF sub-array based on the RF element compensation information and the beam pointing information. The aperture state machine may also include a tile physical layer (PHY) coupling the tile multi-beam phase and true time delay calculator pipeline to an associated RF tile bus.

