The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 30, 2020
Filed:
Jul. 16, 2019
Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA (US);
Ronald D. Esman, McLean, VA (US);
Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA (US);
Abstract
A multi-beam photonic monopulse comparator is disclosed. Photonic inputs incorporating M component wavelengths are split into equivalent inputs for each quadrant subarray and array element (e.g., N array elements in each quadrant subarray). Within each array element, the component wavelengths are apodized by attenuators and the apodized input signal modulated by a received inbound RF signal (via broadband Mach-Zehnder electro-optical modulators). The resulting positive-polarity and negative-polarity modulated photonic signals are demultiplexed and each component wavelength time-delayed. Time-delayed wavelength-selective optical delay channels are copied and combined by single mode/multi-mode (SM/MM) couplers into photonic antenna beams and simultaneously generated photonic comparator outputs (elevational difference, sum, azimuthal difference) for each component wavelength. High-speed photodiodes convert the photonic beams and corresponding comparator outputs into RF output signals, from which angle of arrival information for the received inbound RF signals may be calculated.