The Invention Science Fund I LLC

Elwha LLC

Echodyne Corp.

Duke University

Other

Searete LLC

Smith, David, R.

Driscoll, Tom, a.

Landy, Nathan

Hunt, John

John Desmond Hunt

Tom Driscoll

Nathan Ingle Landy

David R Smith

Yaroslav Aleksandrovich Urzhumov

Milton Perque, Jr

Siamak Ebadi

Melroy Machado

Pai-Yen Chen

Robert Tilman Worl

David Brady

Adam Bily

Alexander Mrozack

Charles A Renneberg

Ioannis Tzanidis

Christopher L Lambrecht

Daniel Marks

Matthew Carl Reynolds

Muhammad Rameez Chatni

Roderick A Hyde

Clarence T Tegreene

Jeffrey A Bowers

Nathan Kundtz

Ryan Allan Stevenson

Russell J Hannigan

Guy Shlomo Lipworth

Philip A Sullivan

David R Nash

Benjamin Sikes

Nicholas K Brune

Anna K Boardman

Tarron Teeslink

Jonathan R Hull

Jay Howard McCandless

Aanand Esterberg

Kerem Karadayi

Felix D Yuen

Milton Perque

Dominic Chun Kit Wu

Skyler Martens

Eric James Black

Alexander Remley Katko

Brian Mark Deutsch

William F Graves, Jr

Nathan Landy

Philip B Karcher

Mark R Holder

Tom A Driscoll

An embodiment of a radar subsystem includes at least one antenna and a control circuit. The at least one antenna is configured to radiate at least one first transmit beam and to form at least one first receive beam. And the control circuit is configured to steer the at least one first transmit beam and the at least one first receive beam over a first field of regard during a first time period, and to steer the at least one first transmit beam and the at least one first receive beam over a second field of regard during a second time period.

Intelligent sensor and intelligent feedback-based dynamic control of a parameter of a field of regard to which the sensor is directed

In an embodiment, an antenna subsystem includes a sparse receive antenna and an electronically steerable transmit antenna. The sparse receive antenna includes an array of electronically steerable receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength, has an aperture, and is configured to generate a receive beam pattern. And the electronically steerable transmit antenna includes an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength, has an aperture that is significantly smaller than the aperture of the sparse receive antenna, and is configured to filter, spatially, the receive beam pattern.

Antenna subsystem with analog beam-steering transmit array and sparse hybrid analog and digital beam-steering receive array

In an embodiment, an antenna subsystem includes a sparse receive antenna and an electronically steerable transmit antenna. The sparse receive antenna includes an array of electronically steerable receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength. And the electronically steerable transmit antenna includes an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength. To reduce aliasing, such an antenna subsystem can be operated to filter, spatially, a receive beam pattern generated by the receive antenna with a transmit beam pattern generated by the transmit antenna.

An embodiment of an antenna includes first and second transmission lines, first antenna elements, and second antenna elements. The first transmission line is configured to guide a first signal such that the first signal has a characteristic of a first value, and the second transmission line is configured to guide a second signal such that the second signal has the same characteristic but of a second value that is different than the first value. The first antenna elements are each disposed adjacent to the first transmission line and are each configured to radiate the first signal in response to a respective first control signal, and the second antenna elements are each disposed adjacent to the second transmission line and are each configured to radiate the second signal in response to a respective second control signal. Such an antenna can have better main-beam and side-lobe characteristics, and a better SIR, than prior antennas.

Antenna having increased side-lobe suppression and improved side-lobe level

An embodiment of an antenna array includes a transmit antenna and a receive antenna. The transmit antenna has, in one dimension, a first size, and has, in another dimension that is approximately orthogonal to the one dimension, a second size that is greater than the first size. And the receive antenna has, in approximately the one dimension, a third size that is greater than the first size, and has, in approximately the other dimension, a fourth size that is less than the second size. For example, such an antenna array, and a radar system that incorporates the antenna array, can provide a high Rayleigh resolution (i.e., a narrow Half Power Beam Width (HPBW)) with significantly reduced aliasing as compared to prior antenna arrays and radar systems for a given number of antenna-array channels.

Antenna array that includes analog beam-steering transmit antenna and analog beam-steering receive antenna arranged orthogonally to the transmit antenna, and related subsystem, system, and method

In an embodiment, an antenna includes a one-dimensional array of antenna cells, a signal feed, and signal couplers. The antenna cells are each spaced from an adjacent antenna cell by less than one half a wavelength at which the antenna cells are configured to transmit and to receive, are configured to generate an array beam that is narrower in a dimension than in an orthogonal dimension, and are configured to steer the array beam in the dimension. And the signal couplers are each configured to couple a respective one of the antenna cells to the signal feed in response a respective control signal having an active level. For example, the antenna cells can be arranged such that a straight line intersects their geometric centers.

Antenna array having a different beam-steering resolution in one dimension than in another dimension

Modulation patterns for surface scattering antennas provide desired antenna pattern attributes such as reduced side lobes and reduced grating lobes.

Modulation patterns for surface scattering antennas

The present disclosure provides systems and methods associated with mode conversion for electromagnetic field modification. A mode converting structure (holographic metamaterial) is formed with a distribution of dielectric constants chosen to convert an electromagnetic radiation pattern from a first mode to a second mode to attain a target electromagnetic radiation pattern that is different from the input electromagnetic radiation pattern. A solution to a holographic equation provides a sufficiently accurate approximation of a distribution of dielectric constants that can be used to form a mode converting device for use with one or more transmission lines, such as waveguides. One or more optimization algorithms can be used to improve the efficiency of the mode conversion.

Holographic mode conversion for transmission lines

Surface scattering antennas with lumped elements provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure. In some approaches, the surface scattering antenna is a multi-layer printed circuit board assembly, and the lumped elements are surface-mount components placed on an upper surface of the printed circuit board assembly. In some approaches, the scattering elements are adjusted by adjusting bias voltages for the lumped elements. In some approaches, the lumped elements include diodes or transistors.

Surface scattering antennas with lumped elements

In an embodiment, an antenna subsystem includes a sparse receive antenna and an electronically steerable transmit antenna. The sparse receive antenna includes an array of receive elements each configured to receive a respective signal having a wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the receive elements by a respective first distance that is more than one half of the wavelength. And the electronically steerable transmit antenna includes an array of transmit elements each configured to radiate a respective signal having the wavelength and each spaced apart from each adjacent one of the transmit elements by a respective second distance that is less than one half of the wavelength. To reduce aliasing, such an antenna subsystem can be operated to filter, spatially, a receive beam pattern generated by the receive antenna with a transmit beam pattern generated by the transmit antenna.

Antenna subsystem with analog beam-steering transmit array and digital beam-forming receive array

An embodiment of an antenna comprises an array of antenna elements arranged in groups of antenna elements adjustably coupled to respective reference waves. A multiplicity of patterns of antenna coupling settings are defined, each of which gives rise to a main lobe which points the antenna in a particular direction, each pattern also giving rise to respective side lobes. First and second such patterns may point the antenna in the same direction but with non-identical side lobes. In this way the clutter level from the side lobes relative to the main lobe is much smaller than would be the case if one of the patterns were employed both for transmitting and receiving. Alternatively, the first and second patterns may be used in quick succession both for transmitting, or used in quick succession both for receiving. The antenna may also switch rapidly between patterns where the main lobe points in a different direction in each pattern, allowing dithering of the beam or rapid switching between scanning and tracking.

Fast beam patterns

Surface scattering antennas on curved manifolds provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure.

Curved surface scattering antennas

Compressive imaging captures images in compressed form, where each sensor does not directly correspond with a pixel, as opposed to standard image capture techniques. This can lead to faster image capture rates due to lower I/O bandwidth requirements, and avoids the need for image compression hardware, as the image is captured in compressed form. Measuring the transformation of an emitted multimodal signal is one method of compressive imaging. Metamaterial antennas and transceivers are well suited for both emitting and receiving multimodal signals, and are thus prime candidates for compressive imaging.

Metamaterial devices and methods of using the same

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

John Desmond Hunt