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. 25, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 18, 1994
Marvin R Wachs, Calabasas, CA (US);
Arnold L Berman, Los Angeles, CA (US);
James D Thompson, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A management system and calibration method for use with a phased array antenna that increases its robustness to component changes or failures. The present invention employs a system level measurement of amplitude and phase, conducted during nodal operation, to determine on an element by element basis, the tracking performance of individual chains that for the antennas. This amplitude and phase information is employed to compensate the each chain for the measured error. The present system and method measures the amplitude and phase of individual element chains utilizing probe carriers. The required correction coefficients for each chain is determined from the measured amplitude and phase data, and each individual element chain is individually compensated to remedy the amplitude and phase errors. The present system and method generates a probe carrier that is applied to each element chain along with normal communication signal waveforms. The probe carrier is sufficiently small (narrow bandwidth, low power, or encoded) so that it does not significantly degrade system operation. The relative amplitude and phase of the probe carrier, as applied to an element chain, is measured. By switching the probe carrier in time sequence between each chain, the differential amplitude and phase characteristics of each of the chains is determined. This also serves to detect component failures in a chain. Each chain includes commandable amplitude and phase weighting networks. Once the differential amplitude and phase tracing characteristics of the antenna re characterized, the individual weighting networks are commanded to settings that compensate for the measured values.