Hierarchical Phase Shift Apparatus for Array Antenna Weight Look Ahead, Elaboration, and Beam-splitting Methods

摘要

An array antenna system consists of layered construct of subarrays. Each beam pointing angle requires an antenna weight vector (AWV). A circuit tracks the changing orientation of a beam within a much larger virtual array of antenna weights. A row or column of a local RAM may be determined to be least likely to be read next and is overwritten with antenna weights more likely to be read next. An address translation circuit represents the RAM as a barrel. An adaptively adjusted antenna weight method optimizes received signal power. A beam splitting method provides a mirror beam pointing direction by wrapping around a look ahead table of antenna weight vectors when an antenna is itself gyrating or when a remote transceiver is anticipated to transit the horizon.

主权项

1. A method of operation for an Antenna Weight Vector (AWV) Look Ahead Table (LAT) store access control circuit, the method comprising:
dithering an antenna beam among a plurality of directions by selecting locations in a Look Ahead Table (LAT) store of Antenna Weight Vectors (AWV); selecting the location (row p-prime and column q-prime) which provides optimum receive power for a remote transceiver; determining that at least one of row p-prime and column q-prime are within a threshold of proximity to a nearest edge of the LAT; requesting from non-transitory computer-readable media a plurality of AWVs which would be adjacent and exterior to the nearest edge of the LAT; and overwriting at least one row or one column of the LAT farthest from row p-prime and column q-prime; whereby the LAT is treated as a barrel store for row operations and a cylinder store for column operations and the LAT while being continuously updated by row or column overwrite operations effects a sphere of AWVs centered on row p-prime and column q-prime.