The proposed invention consists of a reconfigurable radio-frequency network, which has one input port are a number of output ports. This network is capable of distributing the radio-frequency input signal arbitrarily among the output ports, while achieving theoretical zero power loss. This goal is achieved by using variable phase shifters, without adding any lossy component. The result is a novel radio-frequency component which can find application in reconfigurable antenna arrays, amplifiers with variable gain, versatile telecommunications and radar front-ends.
Patent Status
PENDING
Priority Number
102018000006163
Priority Date
08/06/2018
License
ITALY
Market
The proposed radio-frequency component can find application in reconfigurable antennas for mobile telecommunications, and in a multitude of radar front-ends. Its key asset is its inherent high reconfigurability and versatility, combined with high efficiency, which will be ever more pivotal with 5G and beyond applications.
Problem
The proposed invention can address different problems of radio-frequency front-ends:
Current Technology Limits
Current reconfigurable radio-frequency networks are based on amplifiers/attenuators and phase shifters. This causes impedance matching problems, power loss, and limits the versality of current front-ends. Conformal arrays, for instance, usually rely on antenna selection networks, which provide a limited number of states and, therefore limited reliability of telecommunications. The research is also focused on using switched-type reconfigurable networks, which however require multiple impedance terminations to guarantee impedance matching for all states, and in general, are charactrized by a complexity which grows with the number of signal states at the output ports.
Killer Application
The main application for the proposed network is the conformal beamfomring. The network can be applied to a set of antennas so that arbitrary subsets of radiating elements are fed in phase, or with defined phase differences, to obtain radiation patterns with different features: omnidirectional radiation, radiation patterns with nulls for interference avoidance, electronically stearable arrays, and so forth.
This antennas can be used to establish reliable telecommunications on drones and mobile platforms.
Our Technology and Solution
The basic proposed radio-frequency circuit consists of a 1 by 4 power divider, 4 branch line couplers and 8 reconfigurable phase shifters, suitably connected. Multiple blocks can be cascaded to increase the number of output ports, if needed. It was demonstrated that by varying the phase value of the 8 phase shifters the signal at the input port can be distributed arbitrarily among the output ports, ideally without power loss. This implies that subsets of the output ports can be activated with different power ratios at will, without using any amplifier or attenuator. Such circuit was already demonstrated using a low-cost PCB technology, and it can be manufactured also using integrated technologies, thereby reducing area occupation and weight.
Advantages
The proposed circuit architecture guarantees high versatility and low power consumption, and can be used to expand the performance of current telecommunications and radar front-ends. This translates into improved coverage and lower interference problems, for reliable telecommunications systems.
Roadmap
The network forms an background IP for the H2020 ECSEL project ADACORSA, where a version of the network for cellular communications on drones is currently under development. The netwok will be used to power a conformal array of 4 antennas placed on the sides of a cube, and will be tested on a flying drone. Once demonstrated in an operating context, an integrated version of the circuit will be developed, to pursue circuit miniaturization.
TRL
Team
