Down-converter assembly for simultaneous conversion of disjoint signals
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorRay Andrade
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A converter assembly system and method down-converts high frequency communication signals. A first down-converter converts a first input signal to a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and a second down-converter converts a second input signal to a second IF signal. A switching assembly, operatively connected to the first and second down-converters, is configured to operate in a first state, in which the first IF signal is routed to a first output and the second IF signal is routed to a second output, and a second state, in which the first and second IF signals are combined into a composite intermediate signal and the composite intermediate signal is routed to at least one of the first output or the second output.
Claims20
A converter assembly for a phased array antenna system, the converter assembly comprising:
- a first input configured to receive a first input signal in one of a first frequency band or a second frequency band;
- a second input configured to receive a second input signal in one of the first frequency band or the second frequency band;
- a first down-converter operatively connected to the first input, the first down-converter being configured to down-convert the first input signal to a first intermediate signal;
- a second down-converter operatively connected to the second input, the second down-converter being configured to down-convert the second input signal to a second intermediate signal;
- and
- a switching assembly operatively connected to the first down-converter and the second down-converter, the switching assembly configured to operate in a first state, in which the first intermediate signal is routed to a first output and the second intermediate signal is routed to a second output, and a second state, in which the first intermediate signal and the second intermediate signal are combined into a composite intermediate signal and the composite intermediate signal is routed to the first output or the second output.
A phased array antenna (PAA) system, comprising:
- a first receive antenna configured to receive a first input beam in one of a first frequency band or a second frequency band;
- a second receive antenna configured to receive a second input beam in one of the first frequency band or the second frequency band;
- a converter assembly operatively connected to the first and second receive antennas, the converter assembly having a converter enclosure comprising:
- a first input operatively connected to the first receive antenna and configured to receive a first input signal corresponding to the first input beam in one of the first frequency band or the second frequency band;
- a second input operatively connected to the second receive antenna and configured to receive a second input signal corresponding to the second input beam in one of the first frequency band or the second frequency band;
- a first down-converter operatively connected to the first input and configured to down-convert the first input signal to a first intermediate signal;
- a second down-converter operatively connected to the second input and configured to down-convert the second input signal to a second intermediate signal;
- and
- a switching assembly operatively connected to the first down-converter and the second down-converter, the switching assembly configured to operate in a first state, in which the first intermediate signal is routed to a first output and the second intermediate signal is routed to a second output, and a second state, in which the first intermediate signal and the second intermediate signal are combined into a composite intermediate signal and the composite intermediate signal is routed to the first output or the second output.
A method for down-conversion, comprising:
- receiving a first input signal in one of a first frequency band or a second frequency band;
- receiving a second input signal in one of the first frequency band or the second frequency band;
- down-converting the first input signal to a first intermediate signal;
- down-converting the second input signal to a second intermediate signal;
- receiving the first intermediate signal and the second intermediate signal at a switching assembly;
- and
- operating the switching assembly in a first state or a second state, wherein in the first state the first intermediate signal is routed to a first output and the second intermediate signal is routed to a second output, and in the second state the first intermediate signal and the second intermediate signal are combined into a composite intermediate signal and the composite intermediate signal is routed to the first output or the second output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.