Power amplifier binning method for electronically steered phased array antennas with amplitude tapering
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSunny Sharma, Kaushik Dasgupta
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Abstract
Technologies directed to binning methods for electronically steered transmit phased arrays with amplitude tapering are described. One communication system includes a first and a second set of power amplifiers. The first set operates with a first peak power level and the second set operates with a second peak power level that is lower than the first peak power level. A digital beamforming (DBF) device sends a first set of signals to the first set of power amplifiers causing the first set of power amplifiers to operate in a first range. The DBF also sends a second set of signals to the second set of power amplifiers causing the second set of power amplifiers to operate in a second range.
Claims20
A communication system comprising:
- an array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements;
- a first set of power amplifiers, each coupled to one of a first subset of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the first set of power amplifiers comprises a first peak power level;
- a second set of power amplifiers, each coupled to one of a second subset of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the second set of power amplifiers comprises a second peak power level that is lower than the first peak power level;
- a digital beamforming (DBF) device coupled to the first set of power amplifiers and the second set of power amplifiers, wherein the DBF device comprises digital phase shifters and is configured to:
- generate, using the digital phase shifters, a first set of signals and a second set of signals;
- send the first set of signals to the first set of power amplifiers causing the first set of power amplifiers to operate in a first range;
- and
- send the second set of signals to the second set of power amplifiers causing the second set of power amplifiers to operate in a second range.
A satellite comprising:
- a structural system;
- a maneuvering system;
- and
- a communication system, wherein the communication system comprises
- a phased array antenna;
- a plurality of power amplifiers (PAs), wherein the plurality of PAs include at least a first group of PAs of a first type and a second group of PAs of a second type;
- a digital beamforming (DBF) device coupled to the plurality of PAs, wherein the DBF device comprises digital phase shifters and is configured to:
- generate, using the digital phase shifters, a first set of signals and a second set of signals;
- send the first set of signals to the first group of PAs causing the first group of PAs to operate in a first range;
- and
- send the second set of signals to the second group of PAs causing the second group of PAs to operate in a second range that is different than the first range.
A communication system comprising:
- an array antenna;
- one or more digital beamforming (DBF) devices with processing logic for amplitude tapering electromagnetic energy radiated by the array antenna, the DBF devices comprising digital phase shifters;
- and
- radio frequency front-end (RFFE) circuitry coupled to the one or more DBF devices, wherein the RFFE circuitry comprises:
- a first group of power amplifiers that operate with a first peak power level;
- and
- a second group of power amplifiers that operate with a second peak power level, wherein the digital phase shifters generate a first set of signals and a second set of signals, wherein the processing logic:
- sends the first set of signals to the first group of power amplifiers causing the first group of power amplifiers to operate in a first range;
- and
- sends the second set of signals to the second group of power amplifiers by causing the second group of power amplifiers to operate in a second range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.