Digital beamforming antenna and datalink array

Abstract

A method and system for beamforming a multi-element array using time delays is provided. The array includes transmit array elements and receive array elements. Each of the array elements includes a processor. Modulation and demodulation functions are performed at the processors of each array element. The modulation and demodulation functions utilize receive time offsets and phase shifts, and transmit time offsets and phase shifts, respectively. The receive time offsets and phase shifts, and the transmit time offsets and phase shifts are determined by a central processing unit in order to beamform received signals and transmitted signals, respectively. The array elements are arranged in a daisy chain fashion in order to facilitate communication of control parameters, communication of bits to be transmitted and distributed combining of demodulated baseband samples from one array element to another and communicating the combined samples to the central processing unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multi-element transceiver for beamforming, the multi-element transceiver comprising:
 a plurality of transmit antennas;   a corresponding plurality of transmit logic modules, wherein each of the plurality of transmit logic modules is electrically coupled with a corresponding transmit antenna and is electrically coupled in series with at least one other of the plurality of transmit logic modules, wherein each transmit logic module is configured to:
 receive bits to be transmitted, 
 receive transmit control information, 
 generate a modulated waveform from the received bits and the transmit control information, and 
 send the modulated waveform to the corresponding transmit antenna; 
   a plurality of receive antennas configured to receive a signal; and   a plurality of receive logic modules, wherein each of the plurality of receive logic modules is electrically coupled with a corresponding receive antenna, is electrically coupled in series with at least one other of the plurality of receive logic modules, and is configured to receive the receive signal from the corresponding receive antenna and demodulate the receive signal to generate baseband samples, wherein the demodulation is at least partially based on receive control information.