Patent ID: 11953617
Assignee: ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A multi-panel multi-function radar antenna system, comprising:
a plurality of individual active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs) mounted at a fixed azimuth onboard an aircraft, the plurality of individual AESAs including at least two of:
a forward AESA having a forward fixed azimuth approximately parallel to a boresight of the aircraft;
a top AESA having a top fixed azimuth approximately parallel to a lift vector of the aircraft;
a bottom AESA having a bottom fixed azimuth approximately parallel to a weight vector of the aircraft; and
an aft AESA having an aft fixed azimuth approximately parallel to a drag vector of the aircraft;

each of the plurality of individual AESAs configured for a segmented aperture enabling a first aperture beam having a first aperture beam characteristic, a first azimuth, and a first elevation, the segmented aperture also enabling at least one second aperture beam having a second aperture beam characteristic, a second azimuth, and a second elevation, each of the first aperture beam and the at least one second aperture beam being independently steered, coherent, and simultaneously radiated from one of the plurality of individual AESAs;
at least one aircraft system onboard the aircraft configured to 1) receive a specific radar dataset from one of of the plurality of individual AESAs and 2) perform a system function based on the specific radar dataset, the specific radar dataset provided by one of: the first aperture beam and the at least one second aperture beam;
a controller operatively coupled with the plurality of individual AESAs and the at least one aircraft system;
a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the controller, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored therein that, in response to execution by the controller, cause the controller to:
receive a first radar command from a first system of the at least one aircraft system and a second radar command from at least one second system of the at least one aircraft system, the first radar command includes the first aperture beam characteristic, the first azimuth, and the first elevation, the second radar command includes the second aperture beam characteristic, the second azimuth, and the second elevation;
designate at least one of the plurality of individual AESAs to carry out the first radar command and the second radar command based on the fixed azimuth;
in response to the first radar command and the second radar command, segment the designated at least one AESA into at least two AESA subarrays, based on the first radar command and the second radar command, to transmit the first aperture beam and the at least one second aperture beam, the first aperture beam having the first aperture beam characteristic based on the first radar command and the at least one second aperture beam having the at least one second aperture beam characteristic based on the second radar command;
transmit and steer the first aperture beam based on the first radar command and the at least one second aperture beam based on the second radar command;
receive a first radar return from the first aperture beam and at least one second radar return from the at least one second aperture beam via at least one of the plurality of individual AESAs;
digitally combine the first radar return from the first aperture beam and the at least one second radar return from the at least one second aperture beam via a digital signal processing to create a first specific radar dataset associated with the first system and a second specific radar dataset associated with the at least one second system;
supply the first system with the first specific radar dataset associated with the first system and the at least one second system with the second specific radar dataset associated with the at least one second system; and
execute the system function of the first system based on the first specific radar dataset associated with the first system and the system function of the at least one second system based on the second specific radar dataset associated with the at least one second system.