Harris Corporation

Richard John Nink

Mark Larry Goldstein

William Dean Killen

G Patrick Martin

Harry Richard Phelan

Mark Lawrence Goldstein

Richard Phelan

David John Tammen

Thomas Robert Oliver

H Richard Phelan

A phased array antenna may include a substrate and an array of antenna elements carried thereby, and the antenna elements may be arranged along an imaginary spiral. The antenna may further include at least one control element connected to each antenna element, and at least one controller serially communicating with the control elements so that updated control data for beam steering is sequentially implemented by the control elements to thereby cause a gradual change in beam steering.

Phased array antenna providing gradual changes in beam steering and beam reconfiguration and related methods

The invention concerns a quadrifilar helix antenna that has four orthogonal conductive elements helically wound around a common axis. Each of the conductive elements can have between 3 to 7 turns about the common axis at a pitch of between 45 to 65 degrees. Further, each turn has a diameter of about 0.13 wavelengths to 0.27 wavelengths. A feed coupler excites each of the orthogonal conductive elements in phase quadrature at a feed point located at a first end of the antenna adjacent to a ground plane. The resulting antenna can have an axial length of about 2.3 wavelengths to 6.9 wavelengths. Unlike conventional quadrifillar helix antennas, an opposing end of each of the conductive elements distal from the feed point forms an open circuit. The antenna configured as described can have a peak gain on horizon when the common axis is oriented vertically.

Broadband quardifilar helix with high peak gain on the horizon

The invention concerns a method and apparatus for cascaded processing of signals in a phased array antenna system in which a plurality of antenna elements are configured as a plurality of sub-arrays. A weighting factor is applied to each of the antenna elements to form a plurality of sub-array beams, each pointed in a selected direction. For each sub-array, an output from each the antenna elements in the sub-array can be combined to produce a sub-array output signal. The sub-array output signals are selectively weighted and combined in a fully adaptive process. Subsequently, the system can estimate an angle-of-arrival direction for a signal-of-interest (&ldquo;SOI&rdquo;) and at least one signal-not-of-interest (&ldquo;SNOI&rdquo;). Based on this estimating step, the system calculates a new set of weighting factors for controlling one or more of the sub-array beams to improve the signal-to-noise plus interference ratio obtained for the SOI in the array output signal.

All digital phased array using space/time cascaded processing

A phased array antenna ( ) includes a plurality of subarray lattices ( ) arranged in an aperiodic array lattice ( ). Each subarray lattice ( ) includes a plurality of antenna elements ( ) arranged in an aperiodic configuration such as formed on a multilayer circuit board ( ). Electronic circuitry ( ) are supported by the circuit board and mounted between the antenna elements ( ) and operatively connected thereto for amplifying, phase shifting and beam forming any transmitted or received signals.

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Melbourne, FL, United States of America

Richard John Nink