Array antenna near-field calibration system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses an array antenna near field calibration system and method, and the system comprises a to-be-tested array antenna, the array antenna is provided with N antenna units, each antenna unit is provided with a digital phase shifter for phase control, and a plane wave generator is disposed at the near field of the to-be-tested array antenna. The plane wave generator is used for generating quasi-plane waves at a to-be-tested array antenna, each channel of the array antenna is connected with one end of the vector network analyzer, and the other end of the vector network analyzer is connected with the plane wave generator. The quasi-plane waves are generated in the near field of the to-be-tested antenna through the plane wave generator, the size of a microwave anechoic chamber needed by testing is remarkably reduced compared with a far-field testing method, errors caused by path loss due to the fact that the propagation distance of electromagnetic waves is long are avoided, the plane wave generator is regarded as an equivalent far-field single-probe measuring system, the method has the characteristics of short measurement time, small occupied space and low cost.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of millimeter wave measurement, in particular to an array antenna near-field calibration system and method. Background technique [0002] With the vigorous development of 5G mobile communication technology in recent years, large-scale antenna array technology has received more and more attention as one of the key technologies. At the same time, because the array antenna is equipped with many electronic components whose parameters change with time and temperature, the amplitude and phase errors between the array antenna elements are caused, and the consistency between the channels is greatly affected. Therefore, before use, it is often necessary to obtain and compensate the radiation phase error between the array antenna elements through the channel calibration method of the array antenna, so as to ensure the normal operation of the array antenna. Many methods have been proposed for antenna calibration, whic...

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Problems solved by technology

For 5G frequency band applications, microwave anechoic chambers that can meet the above conditions are relatively expensive, and far-field measurement will also bring large propagation loss and reduce the dynamic range.

The near-field single-probe test method greatly reduces the requirements for the size of the microwave anechoic chamber, but it is necessary to control the position of the probe very precisely so that it can be aligned with each array antenna unit to be tested in turn, and the probe antenna needs to be placed on a plane with high precision requirements. Upward movement, measurement takes a long time and the cost of high-precision scanning system is also relatively expensive

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