Novel Configuration for Phased-Array Antenna System Employing Frequency-Controlled Beam Steering Method

Atsushi FUKUDA
Hiroshi OKAZAKI
Shoichi NARAHASHI

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics   Vol.E105-C    No.12    pp.740-749
Publication Date: 2022/12/01
Publicized: 2022/06/10
Online ISSN: 1745-1353
DOI: 10.1587/transele.2021ECP5028
Type of Manuscript: PAPER
Category: Microwaves, Millimeter-Waves
Keyword: 
analog beam forming,  beam steering,  broadband communication,  phased arrays,  RF local signal phase control,  

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Summary: 
This paper presents a novel frequency-controlled beam steering scheme for a phased-array antenna system (PAS). The proposed scheme employs phase-controlled carrier signals to form the PAS beam. Two local oscillators (LOs) and delay lines are used to generate the carrier signals. The carrier of one LO is divided into branches, and then the divided carriers passing through the corresponding delay lines have the desired phase relationship, which depends on the oscillation frequency of the LO. To confirm the feasibility of the scheme, four-branch PAS transmitters are configured and tested in a 10-GHz frequency band. The results verify that the formed beam is successfully steered in a wide range, i.e., the 3-dB beamwidth of approximately 100 degrees, using LO frequency control.