Radio system using a phase-reconfigurable reflectarray for adaptive beamforming

Abstract

The disclosed system uses a less complex system of a single radio receiver-frontend with a phase-reconfigurable reflectarray and an antenna to form beams in directions of the desired arriving signals while forming nulls in directions of the arriving radio interference signals. This is done by configuring each reflector with an appropriate phase-shift state so that the amplification of the desired radio signals and the nulling of the undesired radio signals happen at the point all reflected radio signals combine at the antenna (before the receiver frontend). In comparison, a conventional digital receive array achieves beams and nulls by taking the sampled radio signal streams at the outputs of the receiver frontends, multiplies each sample stream by a digital weight to shift the stream's phase and/or amplitude and then combines the sample streams into one sample stream in which desired radio signals are amplified and undesired radio signals are attenuated.