PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA SYSTEM TO PRODUCE WIDE-OPEN COVERAGE OF A WIDE ANGULAR SECTION WITH HIGH DIRECTIVE GAIN AND MODERATE CAPABILITY TO RESOLVE MULTIPLE SIGNALS

Assignee

EATON CORPORATION, EATON CENTER, CLEVELAND, 44114, A CORP. OF OH

Filed

Aug 28, 1987

Granted

Feb 20, 1996

Location

COMMACK NY US

Abstract

A phased array antenna system capable of scanning at rates faster than the information rate of signals being received to prevent the loss of information during the scanning process. The phased array is configured to add the capability to provide moderate multi-dimensional separation of multiple signals and to eliminate the sensitivity loss due to sampling usually encountered with such rapid-scan systems. The array antenna system is comprised of the means to form multiple, time sequenced responses, each response corresponding to a different beam of sensitivity. The beams scan the full coverage sector and together with each other form a contiguous set of beams that both fill the coverage sector at any one time and also synchronously scan the full coverage sector. The beams are differentially delayed to permit the beam responses from any particular incident signal to be added in unison, giving rise to a compressed pulse whose time of occurrence is related to the signal angle of incidence. The means for beam addition selectively forms a coherent sum at only one of its multiplicity of output ports, the particular port being a periodic function of the signal frequency. The ambiguities which arise in frequency measurement capabilities due to the periodicity are resolved by auxiliary means for coarse frequency measurement, however, the ambiguities do degrade frequency resolution of multiple signals. This arrangement retains the wide-open angular reception characteristics of a wide-beam or omnidirectional antenna, while exhibiting the gain and angular resolution of a multi-beam phased array antenna, and most of the frequency resolution avail able from a channelized receiver.

Source: Google Patents