Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

John W Gipprich

Edward L Rich, Iii

Scott K Suko

John W Cassen

Patrick K Richard

David A Herlihy

Gary L Ferrell

John S Fisher, Iii

Gary N Bonadies

David W Strack

John D Gornto

Stephanie A Parks

Daniel J Heffernan

Andrew J Piloto

Benjamin R Myers

Francis W Hopwood

Ronald G Freitag

Ronald W Minarik

Kawthar A Zaki

Tapan K Gupta

Cynthia W Berry

Mike L Salib

Vincent G Karasack

Joseph A Faulkner

Brian T McMonagle

Michael J Lee

Frederick H Harris

Michael A Hageman

Gene A Digennaro

Ty L Barkdoll

Thomas M Walsh

Eric D Zirofsky

Timothy L Eder

Eric V Miller

Harry V Guy, Iii

Chad E Wilson

Dave M Krafcsik

Charles R Robinson

Robert B Middleton

Robert Q Wenerick

Bradley L McCarthy

Daniel A Stevens, Jr

Kerron R Duncan

John P Vitamvas

Scott C Tolle

A multi-channel, dual-band, radio frequency (RF) transmit/receive (T/R) module, for an active electronically scanned array, is provided. The module includes a compact, RF manifold connector and at least four T/R channels. Each of the T/R channels includes a notch radiator, a diplexer coupled to the notch radiator, a power amplifier, including at least one dual-band gain stage, coupled to the notch radiator, a low noise amplifier, including at least one lower-band gain stage and at least one upper-band gain stage, coupled to the diplexer, and a T/R cell, including a phase shifter, a signal attenuator and at least one dual-band gain stage, coupled to the power amplifier, the low noise amplifier and the manifold connector.

Dual band quadpack transmit/receive module

A phased array antenna tile which is steered by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switched time delay units (TDUs) in an array architecture which reduces the number of amplifiers and circulators needed for implementing an active aperture electronically scanned array antenna so as to minimize DC power consumption, cost and mass of the system, making it particularly adaptable for airborne and spaceborne radar applications.

Phased array antenna for space based radar

A ridge waveguide filter which is formed of metallized blind vias in a plurality of contiguous layers of a dielectric medium including low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC), high temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC) or organic printed wiring boards (PWB) in the fabrication of the waveguide sidewalls and solid ground planes to provide top and bottom walls as well as in the formation of a plurality of ridge waveguide sections in an embedded ridge waveguide structure. Patterns of conductive metal are selectively printed on the outer surface of certain dielectric layers to electrically short all the vias in the ridge waveguide sections and the adjacent wall vias so that the elements behave as though they comprise a solid metal structure.

Embedded ridge waveguide filters

Two discrete transmit/receive (T/R) channels are implemented in a single common T/R module package having the capability of providing combined functions, control and power conditioning while utilizing a single multi-cavity, multi-layer substrate comprised of high or low temperature cofired ceramic layers. The ceramic layers have outer surfaces including respective metallization patterns of ground planes and stripline conductors as well as feedthroughs or vertical vias formed therein for providing three dimensional routing of both shielded RF and DC power and logic control signals so as to configure, among other things, a pair of RF manifold signal couplers which are embedded in the substrate and which transition to a multi-pin blind mate press-on RF connector assembly at the front end of the package. DC and logic input/output control signals are connected to a plurality of active circuit components including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuit chips (MMICs) via spring contact pads at the rear of the package. An RF connector assembly for coupling transmit and receive signals to and from the module is located at the front of the package. The RF transmit power amplifiers which generate most of the heat in the module package are located in a first pair of cavities formed in the substrate directly behind the RF connector assembly and are mounted directly on a pair of flat heat sink plates which are secured to the bottom of the substrate and acts as a thermal interface to an external heat exchanger such as a cold plate. A second pair of cavities in which are located the RF receive signal amplifiers and their respective receiver protector elements, is located beside the first pair of cavities directly behind the RF connector for reducing RF signal loss.

Dual channel microwave transmit/receive module for an active aperture of a radar system

Two discrete transmit/receive (T/R) channels are implemented in a single common T/R module package having the capability of providing combined functions, control and power conditioning while utilizing a single multi-cavity, multi-layer substrate comprised of high temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC) layers. The ceramic layers have outer surfaces including respective metallization patterns of ground planes and stripline conductors as well as feedthroughs or vertical vias formed therein for providing three dimensional routing of both shielded RF and DC power and logic control signals so as to configure, among other things, a pair of RF manifold signal couplers which are embedded in the substrate and which transition to a multi-pin blind mate press-on RF connector assembly at the front end of the package. DC and logic input/output control signals are connected to a plurality of active circuit components including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuit chips (MMICs) via spring contact pads at the rear of the package. The T/R module is one module of an array of like T/R modules coupled to an active aperture of a radar system.

Dual channel microwave transmit/receive module for an active aperture of

A transmit/receive (T/R) module adapted for use in a radar system. The module has a unified structure including a layered substrate on and in which two T/R channel circuits are integrated. The channel circuits make use of power distribution, channel controller, and RF signal routing circuitry, partly on a channel shared basis. In the RF routing circuitry, respective coupler elements are employed to combine RF receive signals for output to an RF receive manifold and to split an RF transmit signal from a transmit manifold into separate RF transmit signals for input to the T/R channel circuits.

Transmit/receive module having multiple transmit/receive paths with

Two discrete transmit/receive (T/R) channels are implemented in a single common T/R module package having the capability of providing combined functions, control and power conditioning while utilizing a single multi-cavity, multi-layer substrate comprised of high temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC) layers. The ceramic layers have outer surfaces including respective metallization patterns of ground planes and stripline conductors as well as feedthroughs or vertical vias formed therein for providing three dimensional routing of both shielded RF and DC power and logic control signals so as to configure, among other things, a pair of RF manifold signal couplers which are embedded in the substrate and which transition to a multi-pin blind mate press-on RF connector assembly at the front end of the package. DC and logic input/output control signals are connected to a plurality of active circuit components including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuit chips (MMICs) via spring contact pads at the rear of the package. The MMICs which generate substantially all of the heat are located in multi-level cavities formed in the substrate and are bonded directly to a generally flat a heat sink plate which is secured to the bottom of the substrate and acts as a thermal interface to an external heat exchanger such as a cold plate. DC power conditioning is also provided by a capacitive bank type of energy storage subassembly externally attached to the rear of the module package for supplying supplementary power to the module during peak power operation. The T/R module is one module of an array of like T/R modules coupled to an active aperture of a radar system.

In a motion insensitive coaxial cylindrical connector a male member has a substantially cylindrical body having a male or diameter and a substantially cylindrical stub having a minor diameter which stub extends from the body of the male member. The stub fits into a dielectric sleeve within a cavity in a female member. Preferably, the dielectric sleeve has two portions made of different dielectric materials.

Motion insensitive phase compensated coaxial connector

A double sideband suppressed carrier modulator apparatus for combining two serrodyne (i.e., single sideband) modulators to achieve double sideband, suppressed carrier modulation. An RF input signal is divided into two carrier signals which are 90 degrees out of phase and applied to the serrodyne modulator units. The modulated signals from the modulators are combined in a 90 degree power divider to provide a double sideband suppressed carrier modulated output signal.

Double sideband generation with serrodyne modulators

An electronically agile multi-beam radar including a clutter positioning system for positioning the band of clutter signals in the derived doppler frequency spectrum of each of the individual beams is disclosed. The radar is operative to switchedly transmit a plurality of beams directionally separated by time sharing the illuminating power thereof. Each beam includes at least one transmission of a plurality of R.F. pulses constituting a radar look. The radar is also operative to receive echo R.F. pulses of the look from each transmitted beam dispersed in time with echo R.F. pulses of the looks of the other transmitted beams of the plurality. The clutter positioning system operates to maintain substantially a desired pulse-to-pulse phase relationship for the received plurality of echo pulses of each look of each beam in a time-shared manner in order to derive a substantially representative pulse doppler spectrum of signals associated with each look of the transmitted beams and to adaptively position an identified group of clutter signals about a prespecified dopper frequency in a derived doppler frequency spectrum for each look of each beam. The clutter positioning system may be disposed in either the transmission portion or the reception portion of the radar in which case it effects substantially the desired pulse-to-pulse phase relationship at each transmitted or received R.F. pulsed beam, respectively.

Clutter positioning for electronically agile multi-beam radars

An electrical phase shifting circuit element of the reflection type including a quadrature coupler branch network, a matched pair of selectively coupled transmission lines and an electrical switching element corresponding to each pair of transmission lines, all being separated distributively from each other and a ground plane by a dielectric material, is disclosed. One end of one transmission line of each pair is connected to a corresponding phase splitting port of the quadrature coupler and another end of the other transmission line of each pair is coupled to the switching element which is preferably a pin diode. The pin diodes may be governed by a common switching signal to electrically connect and disconnect the another ends of the other transmission lines to the ground plane. The transfer between the connecting and disconnecting states renders a phase shift to the RF signal at the output port of the quadrature coupler, the magnitude and direction of the rendered phase shift being a function of the selected coupling of the transmission line pairs. More specifically, one transmission line of each pair may have a preset length of approximately one-quarter wavelength of the desired frequency of the input RF signal and the length of the other line in each pair may be selected in the range of 0 to the one-quarter wavelength dimension. The magnitude and direction of the phase shift in the output RF signal caused by the transfer of states of the electrical switching element is based on the selected length of the other transmission line in each pair.

Phase shifting circuit element

Growing community of inventors

Millersville, MD, United States of America

John W Gipprich