Ka frequency band measurement and control antenna, Ka frequency band measurement and control communication device and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of satellite communication, and particularly discloses a Ka frequency band measurement and control antenna and a Ka frequency band measurement and control communication device and method.The Ka frequency band measurement and control antenna comprises a hollow quadrangular frustum pyramid, pyramidal horn antennas are arranged on the four side faces of the quadrangular frustum pyramid, and each pyramidal horn antenna comprises a hollow rectangular feed waveguide and a hollow horn; the rectangular feed waveguide penetrates through the side face of the quadrangular frustum pyramid from the interior of the cavity of the quadrangular frustum pyramid, extends out of the cavity of the quadrangular frustum pyramid and is expanded to form the horn, the beam width of the pyramid horn antenna in the azimuth direction is larger than 90 degrees, and the beam width of the pyramid horn antenna in the pitching direction is larger than 50 degrees. According to the Ka frequency band measurement and control antenna, after the wave beams generated by the pyramid horn antennas arranged on the four side surfaces of the quadrangular frustum pyramid are combined, the space of 0-360 degrees in azimuth and 0-50 degrees in pitch can be covered, and communication between the Ka frequency band measurement and control antenna and high-orbit relay satellites in the earth can be achieved conveniently.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of satellite communication, and particularly to a Ka-band TT&C antenna, a Ka-band TT&C communication device and a method. Background Art

[0002] The communication between a low-Earth orbit satellite and a relay satellite in the middle and high orbits of the Earth is very different from the communication between a low-Earth orbit satellite and a ground station on the Earth's surface. First, the space-based communication (between a low-Earth orbit satellite and a middle / high-orbit satellite) is as far as tens of thousands of kilometers, while the ground-based communication (between a low-Earth orbit satellite and a ground station) is at most 2,000 kilometers; second, when communicating with a middle / high-orbit satellite, the elevation angle of the communication antenna of the low-Earth orbit satellite is below 50° for most of the time (about 90%), while when communicating with a ground station, the elevation angle of the communication antenna of the low-Earth orbit satellite is above 65°. That is, when a low-Earth orbit satellite communicates with a middle / high-orbit satellite, the low elevation angle needs to be focused on for the antenna coverage space.

[0003] In order to adapt to such a long communication distance and the key coverage of the low elevation angle space, a rotatable directional antenna is generally required. By controlling the rotation of the turntable, the antenna is aligned with the middle / high-orbit relay satellite. However, the design of the turntable will increase the cost and reduce the reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a Ka-band TT&C antenna, a Ka-band TT&C communication device and a method for solving the problems existing in the existing space-based communication equipment.

[0005] A Ka-band TT&C antenna includes a hollow frustum of a pyramid. Pyramidal horn antennas are arranged on four side surfaces of the frustum of the pyramid. The pyramidal horn antenna includes a hollow rectangular feed waveguide and a hollow horn. The rectangular feed waveguide penetrates through the side surface of the frustum of the pyramid from the cavity of the frustum of the pyramid and extends outside the frustum of the pyramid and expands into the horn. The beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna in the azimuth direction is greater than 90°, and the beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna in the elevation direction is greater than 50°.

[0006] In one embodiment, the bottom side length of the frustum of the pyramid ranges from 35 mm to 45 mm, the top side length of the frustum of the pyramid ranges from 15 mm to 25 mm, and the included angle between the side surface of the frustum of the pyramid and the bottom surface of the frustum of the pyramid ranges from 60° to 70°.

[0007] In one embodiment, the length range of the rectangular feed waveguide is 9 mm to 11 mm, the height range of the rectangular feed waveguide is 5 mm to 7 mm, and the width range of the rectangular feed waveguide is 3 mm to 5 mm; the width range of the horn is 15 mm to 17 mm, the height range of the horn is 9 mm to 11 mm, and the length range of the horn is 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0008] In one embodiment, the Ka-band TT&C antenna further includes 4 groups of antenna signal processing units, and one group of the antenna signal processing units is connected to one of the pyramidal horn antennas.

[0009] In one embodiment, the antenna signal processing unit includes a polarizer, a low-noise amplifier, and a power amplifier. The polarizer is connected to the pyramidal horn antenna, and both the low-noise amplifier and the power amplifier are connected to the polarizer.

[0010] A Ka-band TT&C communication device includes the Ka-band TT&C antenna, a down-conversion component, an up-conversion component, a switch unit, and a baseband unit as described in any one of the above embodiments. The Ka-band TT&C antenna is respectively connected to the down-conversion component and the switch unit. The switch unit is connected to the up-conversion component. Both the down-conversion component and the up-conversion component are connected to the baseband unit. The baseband unit is used to output or receive baseband signals and is also used to output control signals; the up-conversion component is used to convert the baseband signal into a radio frequency signal; the switch unit is used to control the connection between the pyramidal horn antenna and the up-conversion component according to the control signal; the pyramidal horn antenna is used to transmit or receive the radio frequency signal; the down-conversion component is used to convert the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal.

[0011] A Ka-band TT&C communication method is applied to a Ka-band TT&C communication device. The Ka-band TT&C communication method includes performing signal processing on 4 radio frequency signals respectively received by 4 pyramidal horn antennas of the Ka-band TT&C antenna, and outputting the carrier signal amplitude values of the 4 radio frequency signals after signal processing; setting the pyramidal horn antenna with the largest carrier signal amplitude value among the 4 radio frequency signals as the working antenna, and outputting a control signal to the switch unit; the switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and the up-conversion component to be conducted according to the control signal, and controls the connection between the other pyramidal horn antennas and the up-conversion component to be disconnected.

[0012] A Ka-band TT&C communication method is applied to a Ka-band TT&C communication device. The Ka-band TT&C communication method includes obtaining satellite parameters of a carrier satellite; the satellite parameters include time, position, and attitude data; determining the relative direction of a relay satellite with respect to the carrier satellite according to the pre-obtained orbital elements of the relay satellite and the carrier satellite parameters; determining the side of the Ka-band TT&C antenna facing the relay satellite according to the relative direction, setting the pyramidal horn antenna arranged on the side of the Ka-band TT&C antenna facing the relay satellite as the working antenna, and outputting a control signal to a switch unit; the switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and an up-conversion component to be turned on according to the control signal, and controls the connection between other pyramidal horn antennas and the up-conversion component to be turned off.

[0013] The above Ka-band TT&C antenna adopts a polyhedron antenna form, uses a hollow frustum of a pyramid as a fixed structure, and arranges pyramidal horn antennas on four sides of the frustum of the pyramid respectively. The pyramidal horn antenna includes a hollow rectangular feed waveguide and a hollow horn. The rectangular feed waveguide penetrates through the side of the frustum of the pyramid from the cavity of the frustum of the pyramid and extends outside the cavity of the frustum of the pyramid and expands into a horn. The beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna in the azimuth direction is greater than 90°, and the beam width in the elevation direction is greater than 50°. In the Ka-band TT&C antenna, the beams generated by the pyramidal horn antennas arranged on the four sides of the frustum of the pyramid can cover the space of azimuth 0~360° and elevation 0~50° after combination, which is convenient for realizing communication with medium and high earth orbit relay satellites. Description of the Drawings

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present specification. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0015] Figure 1 Isometric view of the Ka-band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 Front view structural schematic diagram of the Ka-band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 Top view structural schematic diagram of the Ka-band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 Front view structural schematic diagram of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 Isometric view of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 Schematic left view structure of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 Schematic top view structure of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 8 Schematic structure of the antenna signal processing unit in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 9 Schematic structure of the Ka - band TT&C communication device in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 10 Schematic flowchart of the Ka - band TT&C communication method in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 11 Schematic flowchart of the Ka - band TT&C communication method in another embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0016] To facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terms used in the description of the present invention in this specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0018] Figure 1 Isometric view of the Ka - band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 Schematic front view structure of the Ka - band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 Schematic top view structure of the Ka - band TT&C antenna in one embodiment of the present application, where d1 represents the side length of the top surface of the frustum 100, and d2 represents the side length of the bottom surface of the frustum 100. The Ka - band TT&C antenna 10 may include a hollow frustum 100 structure. Pyramidal horn antennas 200 are provided on all four sides of the frustum 100. The pyramidal horn antenna 200 may include a hollow rectangular feed waveguide 210 and a hollow horn 220. Among them, as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the rectangular feed waveguide 210 can penetrate the side surface of the frustum 100 from the inside of the cavity of the frustum 100 and extend to the outside of the cavity of the frustum 100. One end of the horn 220 is fixedly connected to the end of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 extending outside the cavity of the frustum 100.

[0019] By making the beam width of each pyramidal horn antenna 200 in the azimuth direction greater than 90° and the beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna 200 in the elevation direction greater than 50°, the beam combinations generated by the horn antennas deployed on the four side surfaces of the frustum 100 can cover the spatial range of azimuth 0 to 360° and elevation 0 to 50°, facilitating the communication between the low-earth-orbit satellite and the medium-high-earth-orbit relay satellite by using the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10. For applications such as space exploration or satellite communication that require crossing the atmosphere, the high-frequency characteristics of the Ka band (usually referring to 26.5 to 40 GHz) combined with the above antenna design can better adapt to complex propagation environments and provide a stable data transmission rate for space-based communication.

[0020] The above Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 can effectively utilize the three-dimensional space by configuring the pyramidal horn antennas 200 on the four side surfaces of the frustum 100, making the entire antenna structure more compact and suitable for occasions with limited installation space. The four-sided distributed pyramidal horn antennas 200 can provide communication capabilities in different directions, realizing omnidirectional or specific multi-directional signal coverage and being suitable for tasks that need to process signals from multiple directions simultaneously. At the same time, each pyramidal horn antenna 200 on the side surface can be used as an independent directional signal transmitting and receiving unit. The design of the horn 220 helps to form a more concentrated beam, improving the antenna gain and directivity. Each pyramidal horn antenna 200 can minimize the interference between each other by adjusting its beam direction, which helps to improve the clarity of the transmitted signal and the communication quality.

[0021] In addition, compared with an omnidirectional antenna without a turntable, the above Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 using a combination of 4 directional pyramidal horn antennas 200 can have a higher gain; compared with a directional antenna with a turntable, the above Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 does not require an additional turntable structure design, thus having higher reliability and lower cost.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 It is an isometric view of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application, where d3 is the width of the rectangular feed waveguide 210, d4 is the height of the rectangular feed waveguide 210, d5 is the height of the horn 220, and d6 is the width of the horn 220.

[0023] By making the horn 220 precisely match the rectangular feed waveguide 210, it can ensure that the impedance matching of the electromagnetic wave when entering the pyramidal horn antenna 200 is as good as possible, reduce the reflection loss caused by mismatch, help improve the energy transmission efficiency, and ensure that more signal power is effectively transmitted or received by the pyramidal horn antenna 200. Compared with traditional conical or simply shaped horn antennas, the special geometric shape of the horn 220 helps to improve the operating bandwidth of the pyramidal horn antenna 200, enabling the pyramidal horn antenna 200 to maintain good performance within a relatively wide frequency range, which is beneficial for applications in high-frequency scenarios in the Ka band. By controlling parameters such as the angle and length of the horn 220, the radiation pattern of the pyramidal horn antenna 200 can be finely adjusted to meet specific application requirements.

[0024] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 . The range of the bottom side length d2 of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 35 mm to 45 mm, the range of the top side length d1 of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 15 mm to 25 mm, and the range of the angle between the side surface of the frustum of a pyramid 100 and the bottom surface of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 60° to 70°. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom side length d2 of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 40 mm, the top side length d1 of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 20 mm, and the angle between the side surface of the frustum of a pyramid 100 and the bottom surface of the frustum of a pyramid 100 is 65°.

[0025] Using the shape design of the frustum of a pyramid 100 can integrate multiple pyramidal horn antennas 200 in a limited space, and each pyramidal horn antenna 200 is responsible for data transmission or reception tasks in one direction. At the same time, the design with a larger bottom and a smaller top helps to reduce the volume and weight of the entire antenna system, and also ensures that there is enough space inside for installation and wiring. By designing the angle of the frustum of a pyramid 100 to be 65°, the directivity and coverage range of each pyramidal horn antenna 200 on the four side surfaces can be optimized.

[0026] Figure 6 is the left view structural schematic diagram of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 is the top view structural schematic diagram of the pyramidal horn antenna in one embodiment of the present application, where d3 is the width of the rectangular feed waveguide 210, d4 is the height of the rectangular feed waveguide 210, h1 is the length of the rectangular feed waveguide 210, and h2 is the length of the horn 220.

[0027] In one embodiment, the length h1 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 ranges from 9 mm to 11 mm, the height d4 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 ranges from 5 mm to 7 mm, and the width d3 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 ranges from 3 mm to 5 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the width d3 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 is 4 mm, the height d4 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 is 6 mm, and the length h1 of the rectangular feed waveguide 210 is 10 mm; The width d6 of the horn 220 ranges from 15 mm to 17 mm, the height d5 of the horn 220 ranges from 9 mm to 11 mm, and the length h2 of the horn 220 ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the height d5 of the horn 220 is 10 mm, the width d6 of the horn 220 is 16 mm, and the length h2 of the horn 220 is 1 mm.

[0028] In one embodiment, the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 may further include 4 groups of antenna signal processing units 300, and one group of antenna signal processing units 300 is connected to one pyramidal horn antenna 200. One group of antenna signal processing units 300 is used to process the signals received or transmitted by one pyramidal horn antenna 200. In the embodiments of the present application, the processing performed by the antenna signal processing unit 300 on the signals received or transmitted by the pyramidal horn antenna 200 may include, but is not limited to, operations such as amplification, filtering, mixing, signal modulation, analog-to-digital conversion, or digital-to-analog conversion.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the antenna signal processing unit in one embodiment of the present application. In one embodiment, the antenna signal processing unit 300 may include a polarizer 310, a low-noise amplifier 320, and a power amplifier 330. The polarizer 310 may be connected to the pyramidal horn antenna 200, and the low-noise amplifier 320 and the power amplifier 330 may both be connected to the polarizer 310. Devices such as the polarizer 310, the low-noise amplifier 320, and the power amplifier 330 may be disposed inside the cavity of the frustum 100 to shorten the line length and reduce losses. As used hereinafter, the term "unit" or "component" may be a combination of software and / or hardware that can achieve a predetermined function.

[0030] The pyramidal horn antennas 200 deployed on each side of the frustum 100 of the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 may each be correspondingly connected to a polarizer 310. The polarizer 310 may be used to change the polarization state of the electromagnetic wave, the low-noise amplifier 320 may amplify the signals received by the pyramidal horn antenna 200, and the power amplifier 330 may amplify the radio frequency signals. In a preferred implementation manner, the polarizer 310 adopts a circular polarizer to form left- and right-handed circular polarizations. The power supply and control of the 4 power amplifiers 330 and the 4 low-noise amplifiers 320 may be independently implemented by an external baseband unit.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of a Ka-band TT&C communication device in one embodiment of the present application. In one embodiment, the Ka-band TT&C communication device may include a Ka-band TT&C antenna 10, a down-conversion component 20, an up-conversion component 30, a switch unit 40, and a baseband unit 50. The Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 is respectively connected to the down-conversion component 20 and the switch unit 40. The switch unit 40 is connected to the up-conversion component 30. Both the down-conversion component 20 and the up-conversion component 30 are connected to the baseband unit 50.

[0032] The baseband unit 50 can serve as the controller of the Ka-band TT&C communication device, which is used to ensure that the Ka-band TT&C communication device operates in a predetermined manner, and can also be used to manage all underlying communication protocols, including encoding / decoding, encryption / decryption, error detection and correction, etc. The baseband unit 50 can be used to output or receive baseband signals and also output control signals. The up-conversion component 30 can be used to convert the baseband signal output by the baseband unit 50 into a radio frequency signal. The down-conversion component 20 can be used to convert the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal. The Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 can be used to transmit or receive radio frequency signals.

[0033] The switch unit 40 can be used to control the connection between the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 and the up-conversion component 30 according to the control signal. In a specific embodiment, the switch unit 40 may include 1 input terminal and 4 output terminals. The 1 input terminal of the switch unit 40 is connected to the up-conversion component 30, and the 4 output terminals of the switch unit 40 are respectively connected to 4 power amplifiers 330 in the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10. The switch unit 40 can control the conduction or disconnection of the connection between the 4 power amplifiers 330 and the up-conversion component 30 according to the control signal, so that the Ka-band TT&C communication device can select one of the conical horn antennas 200 to achieve communication.

[0034] In a specific embodiment, when the Ka-band TT&C communication device receives a signal, the signals received by the four conical horn antennas 200 in the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 are respectively transmitted to the down-conversion component 20 after low-noise amplification and enter the baseband unit 50 through the down-conversion component 20. When the Ka-band TT&C communication device sends a signal, the intermediate-frequency signal output by the baseband unit 50 can be connected to the input terminal of the switch unit 40 through the up-conversion component 30. Under the control of the control signal output by the baseband unit 50, the switch unit 40 will select an output terminal to be connected to the input terminal to output the signal to the power amplifier for amplification, and then radiate it out through the conical horn antenna 200.

[0035] In one embodiment, the Ka-band TT&C communication device may further include a power supply unit, which can supply the electrical energy required for operation to components such as the down-conversion module 20, the up-conversion module 30, and the baseband unit 50.

[0036] The Ka-band TT&C communication device can be used to realize space-based communication between a low-Earth orbit satellite and a relay satellite in the middle and high Earth orbits. The Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 has a support structure of a quadrangular frustum 100, and a pyramidal horn antenna 200 is installed on each side of the quadrangular frustum 100. The pyramidal horn antenna 200 can be connected to a circular polarizer arranged inside the quadrangular frustum 100 to achieve left- and right-hand circular polarization. The beam width of each pyramidal horn antenna 200 exceeds 90° in the azimuth direction and exceeds 50° in the elevation direction. The four pyramidal horn antennas 200 installed on the four sides can be combined to cover a spatial range of azimuth 0~360° and elevation 0~50°.

[0037] Each pyramidal horn antenna 200 can also be respectively connected to a low-noise amplifier 320 and a power amplifier 330. The 4 low-noise amplifiers 320 and the 4 power amplifiers 330 can also be placed inside the quadrangular frustum 100 to reduce transmission loss. The power supply of the 4 low-noise amplifiers 320 and the 4 power amplifiers 330 can be independently controlled to achieve the effect of only using one of the pyramidal horn antennas 200 during operation. The four pyramidal horn antennas 200 are all connected to independent low-noise amplifiers 320, and the 4 low-noise amplifiers 320 are connected to the baseband unit 50 through the down-conversion module 20. The baseband unit 50 can compare the 4 signals received by the 4 pyramidal horn antennas 200, and further can determine which pyramidal horn antenna 200 to use according to the comparison result.

[0038] The baseband unit 50 can also control the connection direction of the switch unit 40 and the on / off of the power supply switches of the low-noise amplifier 320 and the power amplifier 330 by outputting control instructions, so as to select the pyramidal horn antenna 200 facing the target satellite among the 4 pyramidal horn antennas 200 to work and realize normal communication.

[0039] Based on the description of the above embodiments of the Ka-band TT&C communication device, the present disclosure also provides a Ka-band TT&C communication method. The method can be applied to the Ka-band TT&C communication device described in the embodiments of this specification. Based on the same innovative concept, the methods in one or more embodiments provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are as described in the following embodiments. Since the implementation solutions for the method to solve problems are similar to those of the device, the implementation of the specific method in the embodiments of this specification can refer to the implementation of the foregoing device, and the repeated parts will not be elaborated.

[0040] Figure 10It is a schematic flowchart of the Ka-band TT&C communication method in one embodiment of the present application. The present application also provides a Ka-band TT&C communication method, which can be applied to the Ka-band TT&C communication device described in the above embodiment. The Ka-band TT&C communication method may include the following steps S100 to step S300.

[0041] Step S100: Perform signal processing on the four RF signals respectively received by the four horn antennas of the Ka-band TT&C antenna, and output the carrier signal amplitude values of the four RF signals after signal processing.

[0042] In this embodiment, the Ka-band TT&C communication method may be that the system uses passive selection to achieve communication between low-earth orbit satellites and medium- and high-earth orbit relay satellites. Specifically, the four RF signals received by the four horn antennas 200 of the Ka-band TT&C antenna 10 can be simultaneously transmitted to the baseband unit 50 after passing through their respective corresponding low-noise amplifiers 320 and down-conversion components 20. The baseband unit 50 can perform processing such as carrier recovery and locking on the four RF signals simultaneously. Further, the baseband unit 50 can also output the carrier signal amplitude values of the four RF signals after recovery to the terminal computer.

[0043] Step S200: Set the horn antenna with the largest carrier signal amplitude value among the four RF signals as the working antenna, and output a control signal to the switch unit.

[0044] The terminal computer can select the horn antenna 200 with the largest carrier signal amplitude value corresponding to the four RF signals given by the baseband unit 50 as the current working antenna and generate a corresponding control signal. The baseband unit 50 can send the control signal to the switch unit 40.

[0045] Step S300: The switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and the up-conversion component according to the control signal, and controls the disconnection of the connection between other horn antennas and the up-conversion component.

[0046] Based on the control signal, the switch unit 40 can selectively connect the power amplifier 330 corresponding to the working antenna to the up-conversion component 30.

[0047] In this embodiment, the working process of the Ka-band TT&C communication method is described. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. For a clearer description, assume that the four side faces of the frustum 100 in the Ka-band TT&C communication device are numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Thus, the pyramidal horn antennas 200 respectively arranged on the four side faces, as well as the low-noise amplifiers 320 and power amplifiers 330 correspondingly connected to the pyramidal horn antennas 200, are also numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Additionally, assume that the signal received by the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 1 is the strongest.

[0048] The signals received by the four pyramidal horn antennas 200 are simultaneously sent to the baseband unit 50 after being processed by their respective low-noise amplifiers 320 and down-conversion components 20. The baseband unit 50 simultaneously performs carrier recovery and locking processing on the four received signals, and outputs the amplitude value of the recovered carrier signal to the terminal computer. The terminal computer determines that the signal received by the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 1 is the strongest based on the amplitude values of the four carrier signals given by the baseband, and then sets the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 1 as the working antenna. The terminal computer generates corresponding control signals and sends them to the switch unit 40.

[0049] The switch unit 40 can conduct the connection between its input end and the output end connected to the power amplifier 330 numbered 1 according to the control signal, and close the connections between the input end and the output ends connected to other power amplifiers 330. That is, conduct the antenna transmission path of the baseband unit 50, the up-conversion component 30, the power amplifier 330 numbered 1, the polarizer 310 numbered 1, and the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 1, and disconnect the antenna transmission paths of other pyramidal horn antennas 200. In some other embodiments, the power supply unit can also turn on the power switch of the power amplifier 330 numbered 1 and turn off the power switches of other numbered power amplifiers 330 according to the control signal.

[0050] The terminal computer can command the baseband unit 50 to select to demodulate the signal transmitted by the power amplifier 330 numbered 1. Meanwhile, the output signal of the baseband unit 50 is transmitted to the power amplifier 330 numbered 1 through the up-conversion component 30, the input end and the output end 1 of the switch unit 40 for amplification processing. The amplified signal is radiated to the medium- and high-orbit relay satellites through the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 1, completing the mutual communication between the target satellite and the medium- and high-orbit relay satellites.

[0051] Figure 11It is a schematic flowchart of the Ka-band TT&C communication method in another embodiment of the present application. The present application also provides a Ka-band TT&C communication method, which can be applied to the Ka-band TT&C communication device described in the above embodiment. The Ka-band TT&C communication method may include the following steps S10 to step S40.

[0052] Step S10: Obtain the satellite parameters of the carrier satellite.

[0053] In this embodiment, the satellite parameters may include but are not limited to parameters such as the position and attitude of the carrier satellite.

[0054] Step S20: Determine the relative direction of the relay satellite with respect to the carrier satellite according to the pre-obtained orbital elements of the relay satellite and the carrier satellite parameters.

[0055] The ground operation and control center may pre-upload the orbital elements of the medium and high orbit relay satellites to the computer of the communication terminal to which the Ka-band TT&C communication device belongs. The terminal computer can calculate the relative direction of the relay satellite with respect to the carrier satellite in real time according to the orbital elements of the relay satellite and the carrier satellite parameters.

[0056] Step S30: Determine the side of the Ka-band TT&C antenna facing the relay satellite according to the relative direction, set the pyramidal horn antenna arranged on the side of the Ka-band TT&C antenna facing the relay satellite as the working antenna, and output a control signal to the switch unit.

[0057] According to the relative direction of the relay satellite with respect to the target satellite, determine which side of the quadrangular prism 100 of the Ka-band TT&C communication device is facing the relay satellite, and use the pyramidal horn antenna 200 arranged on the side facing the relay satellite as the current working antenna, and generate a corresponding control signal. The baseband unit 50 can send the control signal to the switch unit 40.

[0058] Step S40: The switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and the up-conversion component to be conducted according to the control signal, and controls the disconnection of the connection between other pyramidal horn antennas and the up-conversion component.

[0059] Based on the control signal, the switch unit 40 can selectively connect the power amplifier 330 corresponding to the working antenna to the up-conversion component 30.

[0060] In this embodiment, the working process of the Ka-band TT&C communication method is described. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. Similarly, for the sake of clearer narration, it is assumed that the four side faces of the frustum 100 in the Ka-band TT&C communication device are numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Thus, the pyramidal horn antennas 200 respectively arranged on the four side faces, as well as the low-noise amplifiers 320 and power amplifiers 330 correspondingly connected to the pyramidal horn antennas 200, are also numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Additionally, it is assumed that the side face where the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 3 is located is in the direction opposite to the relay satellite.

[0061] The terminal computer can calculate the relative direction of the relay satellite with respect to the carrier satellite in real time according to the orbital elements of the relay satellite and the parameters of the carrier satellite. If the terminal computer determines that the side face where the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 3 in the frustum 100 of the Ka-band TT&C communication device is located is facing the relay satellite, the terminal computer takes the pyramidal horn antenna 200 arranged on the side face facing the relay satellite as the current working antenna and generates a corresponding control signal. The baseband unit 50 can send the control signal to the switch unit 40.

[0062] The switch unit 40 can conduct the connection between its input end and the output end connected to the power amplifier 330 numbered 3, and close the connections between the input end and the output ends connected to other power amplifiers 330. That is, conduct the antenna transmission path of the baseband unit 50, the up-conversion component 30, the power amplifier 330 numbered 3, the polarizer 310 numbered 3, and the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 3, and disconnect the antenna transmission paths of other pyramidal horn antennas 200. In some other embodiments, the power supply unit can also turn on the power switch of the power amplifier 330 numbered 1 according to the control signal and turn off the power switches of other numbered power amplifiers 330.

[0063] The terminal computer can command the baseband unit 50 to select to demodulate the signal transmitted by the power amplifier 330 numbered 3. At the same time, the output signal of the baseband unit 50 is transmitted through the up-conversion component 30, the input end and the output end 3 of the switch unit 40 to the power amplifier 330 numbered 3 for amplification processing, and the amplified signal is radiated to the medium- and high-orbit relay satellite through the pyramidal horn antenna 200 numbered 3, completing the mutual communication between the target satellite and the medium- and high-orbit relay satellite.

[0064] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings of the specification are shown sequentially according to the indications of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed sequentially in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear indication in this text, there is no strict order restriction for the execution of these steps, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings of the specification may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or in turn with at least some of the steps or stages in other steps or other steps.

[0065] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner. For the same or similar parts among the embodiments, reference can be made to each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the hardware + program type embodiments, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can refer to the partial description of the method embodiments.

[0066] In the description of this specification, the descriptions referring to terms such as "some embodiments", "other embodiments", "ideal embodiments", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or features described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0067] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0068] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the invention patent should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A Ka-band measurement and control antenna, characterized in that: It comprises a hollow quadrangular pyramid, and pyramidal horn antennas are arranged on the four sides of the quadrangular pyramid. The pyramidal horn antenna comprises a hollow rectangular feeding waveguide and a hollow horn. The rectangular feeding waveguide extends from the cavity of the quadrangular pyramid through the side of the quadrangular pyramid to the outside of the cavity of the quadrangular pyramid and expands into the horn. The beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna in the azimuth direction is greater than 90°, and the beam width of the pyramidal horn antenna in the elevation direction is greater than 50°.

2. The Ka-band measurement and control antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side length of the bottom surface of the quadrangular pyramid ranges from 35 mm to 45 mm, the side length of the top surface of the quadrangular pyramid ranges from 15 mm to 25 mm, and the angle between the side surface of the quadrangular pyramid and the bottom surface of the quadrangular pyramid ranges from 60° to 70°.

3. The Ka-band measurement and control antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length range of the rectangular feeding waveguide is 9mm~11mm, the height range of the rectangular feeding waveguide is 5mm~7mm, and the width range of the rectangular feeding waveguide is 3mm~5mm; the width range of the horn is 15mm~17mm, the height range of the horn is 9mm~11mm, and the length range of the horn is 0.5mm~1.5mm.

4. The Ka-band measurement and control antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Ka-band measurement and control antenna also includes four groups of antenna signal processing units, and one group of the antenna signal processing units is connected to one of the pyramidal horn antennas.

5. The Ka-band measurement and control antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that: The antenna signal processing unit comprises a polarizer, a low noise amplifier and a power amplifier. The polarizer is connected to the pyramidal horn antenna, and the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier are both connected to the polarizer.

6. A Ka-band measurement and control communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises the Ka-band measurement and control antenna, the down-conversion component, the up-conversion component, the switch unit and the baseband unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the Ka-band measurement and control antenna is respectively connected to the down-conversion component and the switch unit, the switch unit is connected to the up-conversion component, and the down-conversion component and the up-conversion component are both connected to the baseband unit. The baseband unit is used to output or receive baseband signals and is also used to output control signals; The up-conversion component is used to convert the baseband signal into a radio frequency signal; The switch unit is used to control the connection between the four pyramid horn antennas of the Ka-band measurement and control antenna and the up-conversion component according to the control signal; The pyramidal horn antenna is used to transmit or receive the radio frequency signal; The down-conversion component is used to convert the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal.

7. A Ka-band measurement and control communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a Ka-band measurement and control communication device, the Ka-band measurement and control communication method comprises: Performing signal processing on four radio frequency signals respectively received by four pyramidal horn antennas of the Ka-band measurement and control antenna, and outputting carrier signal amplitude values ​​of the four radio frequency signals after signal processing; The pyramid horn antenna having the largest carrier signal amplitude value among the four radio frequency signals is set as the working antenna, and a control signal is output to the switch unit; The switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and the up-conversion component according to the control signal, and controls the disconnection between the other pyramid horn antennas and the up-conversion component.

8. A Ka-band measurement and control communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a Ka-band measurement and control communication device, the Ka-band measurement and control communication method comprises: Acquiring satellite parameters of the carrier satellite; the satellite parameters include time, position and attitude data; Determining the relative direction of the relay satellite with respect to the carrier satellite according to the pre-acquired relay satellite orbit elements and the satellite parameters; Determine the side of the Ka-band tracking and control antenna opposite to the relay satellite according to the relative direction, set the pyramidal horn antenna provided on the side of the Ka-band tracking and control antenna opposite to the relay satellite as a working antenna, and output a control signal to a switch unit; The switch unit controls the connection between the working antenna and the up-conversion component according to the control signal, and controls the disconnection between the other pyramid horn antennas and the up-conversion component.

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