Arrays at Commercial Timescales (ACT)
Abstract
There is a critical shortage of digitally savvy Radio Frequency (RF) engineers who are capable of exploiting the latest in digital electronics technology and applying it to traditionally RF and analog applications such as phased arrays. This program will develop arrays that are heavily digitally influenced and that can be connected together as if they represented nodes on a traditional computing network. New advances in digital circuits at every element array panel will allow for ubiquitous phased array technology with heretofore unrealized coverage and capabilities. This program will take a fundamental look at the role of digital arrays and how commonality and aggregation can be affected by emerging capabilities. Simultaneously, this effort will focus on the development of arrays which can quickly create different unique RF personalities/capabilities on top of common digital hardware. The project will demonstrate levels of diversity in the use of the electromagnetic spectrum which is severely limited by the current approach of hand designing the array with heavily specialized RF beamformers that are unique to each system. This program also has related applied research efforts funded under PE 0602716E, Project ELT-01.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 7f69ef92295ceeeba832aaca1d3758cb