Phased array calibration using sparse arbitrarily spaced rotating electric vectors and a scalar measurement system
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsJeffrey H. Sinsky, Theodore Sizer, Don Taylor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, controller, system, and computer program for generating data points by measuring the power of the transmitted/received signal while each antenna element is rotated through a series of phase angles. Thereafter, a pairwise comparison of these data points is performed in order to determine the phase and amplitude corrections needed for each antenna element. This pairwise analysis uses as few as three signal measurements for each antenna element, made at sparse, arbitrarily spaced phase angles. Further, the method includes smart data selection to ignore bad data points resulting from anomalies or noise bursts.
Claims29
A method of calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a transmit phased array antenna, said method comprising the steps of:
- applying a respective one of a plurality of transmit signals, which each initially has the same defined amplitude and phase, to each of the plurality of antenna elements;
- maintaining the phase and amplitude of the one of said transmit signals that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating the phase of the respective transmit signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the transmit signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, combining each of the respective transmit signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the transmit signal from the arbitrarily selected antenna element in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
A method of calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a receive phased array antenna, said method comprising the steps of:
- applying a respective one of a plurality of receive signals, which each initially has the same defined amplitude and phase, to each of the plurality of antenna elements;
- maintaining the phase and amplitude of the one of said receive signals that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating the phase of the respective receive signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements, other than the receive signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, combining each of the receive signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the receive signal from the arbitrarily selected reference element in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements based on the plurality of combined signals.
A controller for calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a transmit phased array antenna, said controller comprising:
- a phase and amplitude controller that maintains a phase and amplitude of a transmit signal that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating a phase of transmit signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements, other than the transmit signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- a combiner that combines each of the transmit signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the transmit signal from arbitrarily selected antenna element, at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, in pairwise fashion, thereby producing a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- a calibration unit that determines a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
A controller for calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a receive phased array antenna, said controller comprising:
- a phase and amplitude controller for maintaining a phase and amplitude of a receive signal that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating a phase of receive signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the receive signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- a combiner for combining each of the receive signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the receive signal from arbitrarily selected antenna element, at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- a calibration unit for determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
A controller for calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a transmit phased array antenna, said controller comprising:
- phase and amplitude control means for maintaining the phase and amplitude of a transmit signal that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating a phase of transmit signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements, other than the transmit signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- combining means for combining each of the transmit signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the transmit signal from the arbitrarily selected antenna element, at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- calibration means for determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
A controller for calibrating an antenna element, arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a receive phased array antenna, said controller comprising:
- phase and amplitude control means for maintaining a phase and amplitude of a receive signal that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating a phase of receive signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements, other than the receive signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- combining means for combining each of the receive signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the receive signal from the arbitrarily selected antenna element, at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- calibration means for determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
A computer program embodiment on a medium, said computer program causing a processor to calibrate an antenna element arbitrarily selected from a plurality of such antenna elements, said antenna elements making up a phased array antenna, said computer program comprising:
- a phase rotating segment means for maintaining a phase and amplitude of a signal that is applied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element as it is initially, while rotating a phase of signals applied to each of the plurality of antenna elements, other than the signal supplied to the arbitrarily selected antenna element, through a sequence of prescribed phase steps;
- a combining code segment means for combining, at each prescribed phase step of said sequence, each of the signals from each of said plurality of antenna elements with the signal from the arbitrarily selected antenna element in pairwise fashion to produce a plurality of combined signals;
- and
- a determining code segment means for determining a phase error and amplitude error for each of the plurality of antenna elements other than the arbitrarily selected antenna element based on the plurality of combined signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.