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US 2026/0280633 A1Published application
Antenna system having simultaneous beamforming and surveying capability
AssigneeViaSat, Inc.
InventorsGregory KIESEL, Christopher A. ROSE, David R. SAUNDERS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus as described herein may include an antenna array that receives radio frequency signals and outputs analog signals. The apparatus may also include analog-to-digital signal converters that convert the analog signals into digital sample streams. Also, the apparatus may include a sample buffer that buffers subsets of the digital sample streams and a beamformer that uses the digital sample streams to generate one or more beam signals. Additionally, the apparatus may include a processor that determines a spatial characteristic or a spectral characteristic for the radio frequency signals based on the subsets of the digital sample streams.
Claims30
An apparatus for communications, comprising:
- an antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements configured to receive radio frequency signals and output analog signals based at least in part on the radio frequency signals;
- a plurality of signal converters each coupled with at least one respective antenna element of the antenna array and configured to convert the analog signals received from the at least one respective antenna element into digital sample streams;
- and
- a plurality of element combiners communicatively coupled in a series of preceding and subsequent element combiners, each element combiner of the plurality of element combiners comprising a respective element beamformer coupled with a respective subset of the plurality of signal converters and configured to apply one or more beam weights to one or more of the respective digital sample streams from the coupled respective subset of signal converters to generate subarray signals,
- wherein each preceding element combiner passes the generated subarray signals as a respective intermediate signal to a respective subsequent element combiner,
- wherein each subsequent element combiner of the plurality of element combiners is communicatively coupled to the respective preceding element combiner such that the each subsequent element combiner:
- generates respective generated subarray signals at its respective element beamformer;
- receives the respective intermediate signal from its preceding element combiner;
- and
- generates a subsequent intermediate signal based on the respective generated subarray signals and the respective intermediate signal received from the preceding element combiner, and
- wherein the subsequent intermediate signal generated by a final element combiner of the series of preceding and subsequent of element combiner in the series corresponds to one or more beam signals.
8 more elements
An apparatus for communications, comprising:
- a main interface configured to provide an input beam signal;
- a plurality of element combiners communicatively coupled in a series of preceding and subsequent element combiners, each element combiner of the plurality of element combiners comprising an element beamformer and configured to generate a respective digital sample stream to output to a coupled subset of a plurality of signal converters based on a respective beam weight and a respective subarray signal of a respective input signal,
- wherein:
- each respective preceding element combiner of the plurality of element combiners passes, to its subsequent element combiner of the plurality of element combiners, a respective intermediate signal,
- the respective input signal of an initial element combiner of the series of preceding and subsequent of element combiner corresponds to the input beam signal, and
- each subsequent element combiner of the plurality of element combiners is communicatively coupled to the respective preceding element combiner such that the each subsequent element combiner:
- receives the respective intermediate signal from its preceding element combiner comprising a respective subarray signal of the subsequent element combiner;
- and
- generates its respective digital sample stream at its respective element beamformer based on the respective beam weight of the subsequent element combiner and the received subarray signal of the subsequent element combiner;
- the plurality of signal converters, each signal converter of the plurality of signal converters coupled with a respective element combiner of the plurality of element combiners and configured to:
- convert respective digital sample streams input from the respective element combiner into analog signals;
- and
- output the analog signals to at least one respective antenna element of an antenna array;
- and
- the antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements, each antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements coupled with at least one signal converter of the plurality of signal converters and configured to receive respective analog signals and transmit radio frequency signals based on the received respective analog signals.
12 more elements
A communications device that supports beamforming, the communications device comprising:
- an antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements configured to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF) signals and convert between the RF signals and analog signals;
- a signal converter (115) comprising a plurality of element converters (120, 220), each element converter of the plurality of element converters communicatively coupled with at least one respective antenna element of the antenna array and configured to convert between the analog signals of the at least one respective antenna element and digital sample streams for the coupled at least one respective antenna element;
- a plurality of element combiners (230) communicatively coupled in a series of preceding and subsequent element combiners via a plurality of intermediate interfaces (250);
- and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the series of preceding and subsequent element combiners,
- wherein:
- each preceding element combiner of the plurality of element combiners is communicatively coupled to a respective subsequent element combiner via a respective intermediate interface of the plurality of intermediate interfaces,
- each subsequent element combiner of the plurality of element combiners is communicatively coupled to a respective preceding element combiner via the respective intermediate interface,
- the series of preceding and subsequent element combiners comprises one or more chains of preceding and subsequent element combiners coupled via the plurality of intermediate interfaces, the one or more chains of preceding and subsequent element combiners each communicatively coupled to the processor via a respective main interface, and
- each element combiner of the plurality of element combiners comprises:
- an element beamformer (240) communicatively coupled with a respective subset of the plurality of element converters and configured to convert between the digital sample streams of the coupled respective subset of the plurality of element converters and subarray signals based on one or more beam weights;
- and
- a stream processor (245) communicatively coupled with the element beamformer and configured to communicate the subarray signals of the element beamformer with a respective chain of preceding and subsequent element combiner of the series of preceding and subsequent element combiners.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.