Auxiliary Antenna Array for Wideband Sidelobe Cancellation

Simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) systems must handle sidelobes, unintended and undesired radiation in directions other than the main beam, that can cause interference. The presence of sidelobes significantly reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of the STAR systems and can also disrupt other radio-frequency systems. Hence, there is a need for technologies that can efficiently cancel these sidelobes. Existing approaches attempting to resolve this issue often lack accuracy and efficiency. They typically use static filtering techniques, which do not fully account for the variability of the environment, resulting in a failure to completely cancel sidelobes. Current systems also lack adaptability, meaning they are unable to efficiently cope with changes in circumstances or system conditions leading to ineffective sidelobe mitigation.

Technology Description

This sidelobe cancellation system specifically designed for simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) systems. It boasts a primary aperture array complemented by an auxiliary array that has antenna elements positioned adjacent to the primary aperture. The auxiliary array components are coupled to either a variable attenuator, a variable phase shifter, or a variable true time-delay unit. A controller is used to adaptively tune the auxiliary array by selecting appropriate values of attenuation, phase shift, and time delay for each of its elements. This optimization effectively cancels out the sidelobes of the primary aperture. The technology stands out for its adaptive nature and sophistication. Each antenna element in the auxiliary array performs as an adaptive tap of an adaptive finite-impulse response (FIR) filter. The system's adaptive capabilities are derived from the integration of the variable attenuator, phase shifter, and time delay unit for each element of the auxiliary array, making it an effective and precise solution for sidelobe cancellation.