Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.

Texas Tech University System

Zhengyu Peng

Koon Hoo Teo

Bingnan Wang

Changzhi Li

Pu Wang

Kyeong Jin Kim

Rui Ma

Kyeongjin Kim

Lixin Ran

Disclosed is a system and method for a 24-GHz phased array for indoor smart radar comprising at least 6 horizontally placed antenna elements as a vertically placed 5-element series-fed microstrip patch array. The beam of the phased array can be continuously steered on the H-plane to different directions through a novel vector control array. Each element can adjust the phase and amplitude of the corresponding element of the horizontally placed linear array. The phased array system of the present invention may be fabricated on a single printed circuit board (PCB), and PIN diodes are used to realize beam steering by modulating the decomposed received signal. In order to compensate for the loss of the vector control array and reduce the noise figure, six low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are also used in the array. The present invention has the ability to continuously steer the beam on the H-plane.

24-GHz low-cost continuous beam steering phased array for indoor smart radar and methods relating thereto

Disclosed is a system and method for a complex domain radio frequency (RF) frontend, adaptive beamforming can separate the relatively slowly changed waveform delay information required from wideband RF signals, upon which a self-contained beamforming system is implemented with a low-speed baseband. By introducing vector RF multipliers in the frontend of the present invention, the amplitude and phase of RF signals are simultaneously controlled by the real and imaginary parts of complex numbers, such that beamforming algorithms derived in complex domain can be directly applied without any form of transformation. By doing so, the massive use of conventional T/R modules and high-speed baseband devices can be avoided, thus simplifying the realization and decreasing the cost of wideband digital beamforming systems for use in low cost, power efficient beamforming applications.

Complex domain beamforming system and methods relating thereto

A transmitter including radio-frequency (RF) chains. Each RF chain includes a power amplifier, a band-pass filter, and an antenna for transmitting an analog signal using a beamforming with an angle of departure (AOD) defined by phase shifts of the analog signals transmitted by the RF chains. A processor to determine digital signals for transmission from the RF chains. Wherein there is one-to-one correspondence between a digital signal and an RF chain. An encoder to encode the digital signals with binary codes to produce a set of encoded digital signals and to combine the encoded digital signals into a combined digital signal. A digital-to-analog converter to convert the combined digital signal into an analog domain to produce a combined analog signal. A decoder to decode, using the binary codes, the combined analog signal into a set of analog signals and to submit the analog signals into the corresponding RF chains.

Digital beamforming transmitter array system with hardware sharing and reduction

A transmitter or receiver including at least one radio-frequency (RF) chain. The RF chain including an array of transmitting elements, each transmitting element includes a band-pass filter and an antenna connected in series for transmitting an analog signal using a beamforming with an angle of departure (AOD) defined by phase shifts of analog signals received by different transmitting elements within the array. A phase shifter to shift a phase of an input signal. A variable gain amplifier (VGA) to change an amplitude of the input signal. A switcher to connect the phase shifter and the VGA to each transmitting element in the array. Wherein at most one transmitting element is connected to the phase shifter and the VGA at a given point of time, such that the switcher is a single-pole-M-throw (SPMT) analog switch. A controller to control the phase shifter, the VGA and the switcher.

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Lubbock, TX, United States of America

Zhengyu Peng