Scalable, analog monopulse network

摘要

Embodiments of the concepts described herein are directed toward a common RF building block in the form of a monolithic assembly for an AESA array featuring a scalable RF design based on 2n:3 combining. The monopulse network building blocks are substantially identical, enabling an interchangeable sub-array architecture that is independent of position in the AESA aperture and receive sum channel sidelobe performance. In one embodiment, a passive Monopulse Beamformer may provide the passive 2n:3 RF coupling/combining network and an active Monopulse Processor may perform amplitude and phase weighting for the combined signals from the Monopulse Beamformer.

主权项

1. A phased array having an aperture, the phased array comprising:
multiple sub-arrays, each of the multiple sub-arrays comprising:
a plurality of antenna elements;a beamformer having a plurality of beamformer antenna ports operably coupled to the sub-array antenna elements, said beamformer configured to passively combine signals from the sub-array antenna elements, in a 2n:3 ratio wherein n is an integer corresponding to the number of beamformer antenna ports wherein said beamformer comprises:
a plurality of elevation signal couplers disposed between the beamformer antenna ports and a delta elevation signal port, said elevation signal couplers having one of a plurality of elevation coupling values;a plurality of azimuth signal couplers disposed between the beamformer antenna ports and a delta azimuth signal port, said azimuth signal couplers having one of a plurality of azimuth coupling values; anda plurality of transmit/sum signal couplers disposed between the beamformer antenna ports and a sum signal port, said sum signal couplers having one of a plurality of transmit/sum coupling values; andwherein said beamformer forms monopulse signals at the sum signal port, the delta azimuth signal port, and the delta elevation signal port with the monopulse signals corresponding to: a sum signal, a delta azimuth signal, and a delta elevation signal for the sub-array and wherein:the elevation coupling values of said analog monopulse beamformer are substantially identical in each of the multiple sub-arrays regardless of the physical position of said sub-array within the phased array;the azimuth coupling values of said beamformer are substantially identical in each of the multiple sub-arrays regardless of the physical position of said sub-array within the phased array;the transmit/sum coupling values of said beamformer are substantially identical in each of the multiple sub-arrays regardless of the position of said sub-array within the phased array; anda monopulse processor having a sum signal port, a delta azimuth signal port and a delta elevation signal port operably connected to respective ones of the sum, delta azimuth and delta elevation signal ports of said beamformer, said monopulse processor configured to receive monopulse signals from said beamformer and apply a weight level to each of the monopulse signals independently of one another to form corresponding weighted monopulse signals for the first sub-array; wherein the weight levels are selected based upon the physical location of the sub-array within the aperture of the phased array.