US 2012/0257653 A1Published application

Antenna beam scan unit and wireless communication system using antenna beam scan unit

AssigneeHitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.

InventorsHideyuki NAGAISHI, Nobuhiko SHIBAGAKI, Yuichi SHIMAYAMA

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Abstract

An antenna beam scan unit includes: a Rotman lens that performs power division and synthesis between plural antenna ports and three or more beam ports; plural antenna elements which are connected to the respective antenna ports and to or from which radio waves are inputted or outputted; plural amplifiers that are connected to the respective beam ports of the Rotman lens and perform amplitude modulation on a signal; input paths for a transmission signal disposed in association with the amplifiers; switches for switching the input paths; and a beam control unit. The input paths include first paths and second paths on which a signal that is out of phase with a signal on the first paths is produced. The beam control unit selects two adjoining beam ports, and can switch the first paths and second paths as the input paths for the two beam ports.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An antenna beam scan unit comprising:

a Rotman lens that performs power division and synthesis between a plurality of antenna ports and three or more beam ports;
a plurality of antenna elements which are connected to the respective antenna ports of the Rotman lens and to or from which radio waves are inputted or outputted;
a plurality of amplifiers the number of which is identical to the number of the beam ports, which are connected to the respective beam ports of the Rotman lens, and which perform amplitude modulation on a signal;
a plurality of input paths for a transmission signal disposed in association with the plurality of amplifiers;
a plurality of switches for switching the input paths;
and
a beam control unit that controls the amplifiers and the switches,
wherein each of the input paths include a first path and a second path on which a signal that is out of phase with a signal on the first path is produced;
and
wherein the beam control unit selects two adjoining beam ports, and switches the first paths and second paths as the input paths for the two adjoining beam ports.

7 more elements

A wireless communication system comprising:

an antenna beam scan unit for transmitter;
an antenna beam scan unit for receiver;
a microwave band-millimeter wave band transceiver that modulates or demodulates a radiofrequency signal inputted or outputted to or from either of the antenna beam scan units;
an analog-digital conversion circuit that converts an analog signal into a digital signal or vice versa when receiving or handing a signal from or to the transceiver;
a signal processing circuit that performs signal processing on a digitized communication signal;
an antenna beam scan controller that controls the antenna beam scan units;
and
an input/output terminal via which the wireless communication system is connected to external digital equipment,
wherein the antenna beam scan controller sequentially selects two adjoining beam ports from among a group of three or more beam ports of a Rotman lens, concurrently and independently controls adjustment of amplitude gains of amplifiers connected to the selected beam ports and adjustment of phases through switches, and brings the other amplifiers to a pinch-off state so as to attenuate signals;
wherein a beam of an antenna that has undergone power division and synthesis via the Rotman lens is formed with a synthetic wave of signals inputted through the adjoining beam ports;
and
wherein the antenna beam scan controller sequentially selects the two adjoining beam ports, and adjusts an amplitude ratio between the two selected amplifiers.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.