A method for the pointing consistency of antenna transceiver beams

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for the pointing consistency of antenna transceiver beams, which is mainly used in the Ku-band VICTS mobile communication antenna system. It is used to solve the problem that in the case where the receiving and transmitting antenna surfaces are separated, the receiving and transmitting antenna beams can be accurately pointed at the satellite, so as to maximize the communication ability of the antenna. Different from the past, this method first uses the receiving antenna to track and align with the satellite in a closed loop, and then uses the self-transmitting and self-receiving characteristics of the antenna to detect the signal level of the transmitted signal transmitted to the receiving antenna through the satellite link, indirectly realizing the closed-loop control of the transmitting antenna beam. In addition, this method adjusts the center of the beam towards the direction of the maximum signal level by means of conical scanning, overcomes the errors of each sensor and actuator, and realizes the pointing consistency of the transceiver beams.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of satellite communication, and particularly relates to a method for the pointing consistency of antenna receiving and transmitting beams. Background Art

[0002] Satellite communication has played an increasingly important role in fields such as fire emergency in recent years. As the ground carrier of satellite communication, whether the beam of the antenna accurately points to the satellite directly affects the communication ability of the system.

[0003] Traditional antenna forms such as reflector and flat panel array antennas achieve coplanarity of receiving and transmitting in structure. As long as the receiving antenna beam is aligned with the satellite through closed-loop tracking, the transmitting antenna beam will definitely be aligned.

[0004] VICTS (Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub Array), as a new type of satellite communication antenna, has gradually been recognized by the market for its low profile, large beam scanning range, and high reliability. However, the receiving and transmitting antenna surfaces of this antenna are separated. In the case where the receiving antenna is aligned with the satellite through closed-loop tracking, the transmitting antenna can only point to the desired beam through open-loop control and cannot achieve complete beam alignment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the above deficiencies in the prior art, the method for the pointing consistency of antenna receiving and transmitting beams provided by the present invention solves the problems that the transmitting antenna beam of the existing VICTS antenna cannot accurately align with the satellite due to open-loop control and cannot fully exert the communication ability of the antenna, and effectively improves the satellite pointing accuracy of the VICTS antenna.

[0006] In order to achieve the above invention purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a method for the pointing consistency of antenna receiving and transmitting beams, including the following steps:

[0007] S1. Control the antenna system to power on and perform device initialization, and drive the receiving and transmitting antennas to mechanically zero;

[0008] S2. Set the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite and communication parameters;

[0009] S3. According to the parameters required for aligning with the satellite, drive the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to preliminarily align with the satellite;

[0010] S4. Based on the set communication parameters, adjust the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam to alternately perform conical scanning, and adjust the axis of the conical scanning according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level during the conical scanning process, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams accurately align with the satellite, and achieve the pointing consistency of the receiving and transmitting beams.

[0011] Further, the antenna system in step S1 is a Ku-band VICTS mobile communication antenna system.

[0012] Further, in the step S2, the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite include the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle; a beam that satisfies the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle is set as the desired beam.

[0013] The communication parameters in the step S2 include the signal frequency, bandwidth, and modulation mode of the communication; at the same time, the satellite signal receiver is set to indicate the intensity of the satellite signal by the level.

[0014] Further, the step S3 is specifically as follows:

[0015] Drive the receiving and transmitting antenna surface of the antenna to rotate, and adjust the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle of the desired beam to achieve preliminary alignment with the satellite.

[0016] Further, the step S4 is specifically as follows:

[0017] S41. Adjust the receiving antenna beam with the pointing of the desired beam as the axis and maintain a set included angle with this axis to perform a conical scan for one cycle, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scan; where one cycle of the conical scan is one period.

[0018] S42. Correct the horizontal installation error of the transmitting antenna.

[0019] S43. After completing the error correction, adjust the receiving antenna beam to perform a conical scan for one cycle.

[0020] S44. Adjust the transmitting antenna beam to point to the axis when the receiving antenna beam performed a conical scan before and perform a conical scan for one cycle, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scan.

[0021] S45. Adjust the axis during the conical scan according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the conical scans of the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam, and alternately execute the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam and the conical scan of the transmitting antenna beam until the maximum value of the satellite signal level value is stable, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams are accurately aligned with the satellite to achieve the consistency of the receiving and transmitting beam pointing.

[0022] Further, the step S42 is specifically as follows:

[0023] Adjust the included angle during the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam to zero, and modify the received intermediate frequency of the transmitting antenna to its own transmitting intermediate frequency, drive the transmitting antenna beam to perform a sine wave scan along the azimuth plane, record the satellite signal level value within one scan cycle, obtain the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value and its deviation from the initial azimuth, and use it as the installation error of the transmitting antenna and correct it.

[0024] Alternatively, the average value of the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum satellite signal level value within several scanning cycles and its deviation from the initial azimuth is obtained as the installation error of the transmitting antenna and corrected.

[0025] Furthermore, in step S43, the method of performing a period of conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam is specifically as follows:

[0026] The angle of the receiving antenna beam during conical scanning is restored, and the beam direction corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the previous conical scanning process of the receiving antenna beam is used as the axis of the current scanning cycle to perform conical scanning for one scanning cycle.

[0027] Furthermore, in step S45, when the receiving antenna beam conical scanning and the transmitting antenna beam conical scanning are performed alternately, the beam pointing direction corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value in each conical scanning process is used as the axis of the next receiving antenna beam conical scanning or transmitting antenna beam conical scanning.

[0028] Furthermore, when performing conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam, the indication frequency of the satellite signal receiver is modified to the transmitting frequency, so as to indicate the real-time level value of the transmitting antenna to be aligned with the satellite signal.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0030] (1) Based on the existing hardware and structural scheme of the VICTS moving antenna, the present invention improves the satellite tracking method in software method, thereby achieving accurate pointing of the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna beam to the satellite, thereby improving the pointing accuracy of the antenna.

[0031] (2) The present invention utilizes the characteristics of the moving antenna that it transmits and receives automatically, and indirectly implements the feedback control mechanism of the VICTS transmitting antenna, so that the transmitting antenna beam is precisely controlled.

[0032] (4) The present invention utilizes the conical scanning of the beam and the extreme value of the signal level to find a beam center point along the direction of increasing level, and continues the cycle until the signal level remains at a stable maximum value. In this way, the automatic correction of the beam pointing is achieved during the process of the antenna beam tracking the satellite signal, thereby fully utilizing the communication capability of the antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A flow chart of the antenna receiving and transmitting beam pointing consistency method provided by the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the VICTS communication-in-motion antenna provided by the present invention.

[0035] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the communication link of the VICTS mobile satellite antenna provided by the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0036] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention to facilitate those skilled in the art of the present technology to understand the present invention. However, it should be clear that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those of ordinary skill in the art of the present technology, as long as various changes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined and determined by the appended claims, these changes are obvious, and all inventions and creations using the concept of the present invention are within the scope of protection.

[0037] Embodiment 1:

[0038] As Figure 1 shown, a method for the consistency of the pointing of the antenna transceiver beam includes the following steps:

[0039] S1. Control the antenna system to power on and perform device initialization, and drive the transceiver antenna to mechanically zero;

[0040] S2. Set the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite and the communication parameters;

[0041] S3. According to the parameters required for aligning with the satellite, drive the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to preliminarily align with the satellite;

[0042] S4. Based on the set communication parameters, adjust the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam to alternately perform conical scanning, and during the conical scanning process, adjust the axis of the conical scanning according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams are accurately aligned with the satellite, realizing the consistency of the pointing of the transceiver beams.

[0043] The antenna system in step S1 of this embodiment is a Ku-band VICTS mobile satellite antenna system. The device initialization operation mainly includes the initialization of the control board clock, interrupt vector, and peripheral interface functions, realizing the subsequent acquisition, processing, and output of control instructions for various feedback information, and controlling the motor enabling of each axis of the transceiver antenna and driving the transceiver antenna surface to find the mechanical zero position.

[0044] In step S2 of this embodiment, the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite include the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle; the beam that satisfies the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle is the desired beam;

[0045] Specifically, according to the satellite used for communication, use the inertial navigation system to obtain the positioning and attitude information of the antenna, and calculate the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle required for the antenna to align with the satellite;

[0046] The communication parameters in step S2 of this embodiment include the signal frequency, bandwidth, and modulation method of communication; at the same time, it is set that the satellite signal receiver indicates the intensity of the satellite signal by the level size, which is used as a measurement standard for whether the receiving antenna is aligned with the satellite.

[0047] Step S3 of this embodiment is specifically as follows:

[0048] Drive the transceiver antenna surface of the antenna to rotate, and adjust the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle of the desired beam to achieve a preliminary alignment with the satellite. Due to the errors of the inertial navigation system and the drive tracking system, the receiving and transmitting antenna beams cannot accurately point to the satellite, and only a rough alignment of the satellite can be achieved here. Subsequently, through the conical scanning and level extreme value tracking of the transceiver antenna, precise alignment is achieved.

[0049] Step S4 of this embodiment is specifically as follows:

[0050] S41. Adjust the receiving antenna beam to rotate in a conical scan with the desired beam pointing as the axis and maintaining a set angle with this axis, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scan; where one cycle of the conical scan is one period;

[0051] S42. Correct the horizontal installation error of the transmitting antenna;

[0052] S43. After completing the error correction, adjust the receiving antenna beam to perform a conical scan for one period;

[0053] S44. Adjust the transmitting antenna beam to point to the axis when the receiving antenna beam performed a conical scan in the previous time and perform a conical scan for one period, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scan;

[0054] S45. Adjust the axis during the conical scan according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the conical scans of the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam, and alternately execute the conical scans of the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam until the maximum value of the satellite signal level value is stable, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams are precisely aligned with the satellite, achieving the consistency of the receiving and transmitting beam pointing.

[0055] The above step S42 is specifically as follows:

[0056] Stop the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam, adjust the angle during the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam to zero, and modify the received intermediate frequency of the transmitting antenna to its own transmitting intermediate frequency. Drive the transmitting antenna beam to perform a sine wave scan along the azimuth plane, record the satellite signal level value within one scan cycle, and obtain the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value and its deviation from the initial azimuth as the installation error of the transmitting antenna and correct it; or obtain the average value of the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value and its deviation from the initial azimuth within several scan cycles as the installation error of the transmitting antenna and correct it.

[0057] During the error correction process, when modifying the received intermediate frequency of the transmitting antenna to its own transmitting intermediate frequency, the VICTS antenna will achieve self-transmission and self-reception of signals through the satellite link; the error obtained from multiple cycles of sine wave scanning is more accurate than that from a single cycle of sine wave scanning.

[0058] For the above step S43, the method for the receiving antenna beam to perform one cycle of conical scanning is specifically as follows:

[0059] Restore the angle during the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam, and use the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the previous conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam as the axis of the current scan cycle to perform one cycle of conical scanning.

[0060] In the above step S45, when alternately performing the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam and the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam, use the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during each conical scanning as the axis of the next conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam or the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam. Further, when performing the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam, modify the indicated frequency of the satellite signal receiver to the transmitting frequency to indicate the real-time level value of the satellite signal to which the transmitting antenna is aligned.

[0061] Embodiment 2:

[0062] In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to the static communication test of the Ku-band VICTS mobile satellite communication antenna. First, a brief introduction to the structure and functions of the VICTS antenna is given, such as Figure 2As shown in the figure, the VICTS antenna system mainly consists of a receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, an inertial navigation, a control and a transmission unit, etc. The inertial navigation can realize the self-positioning and attitude detection of the antenna. The control unit collects information such as inertial navigation information and satellite signal receiver information and outputs control instructions. The transmission unit rotates the antenna surface of the receiving and transmitting antennas to realize the control of the azimuth, elevation and polarization angles of the receiving and transmitting beams. In order to make the receiving and transmitting antenna beams accurately point to the satellite, in the embodiment of the present invention, conical scanning of the beam and signal level extreme value detection are adopted, and the beam pointing is adjusted step by step along the direction of the maximum level value to realize the accurate alignment of the receiving and transmitting beams. The specific steps are as follows:

[0063] S1. Power on the Ku-band VICTS antenna system in motion and perform the initialization operation of the device;

[0064] Among them, the initialization operation mainly includes the initialization of the control board clock, interrupt vector, and peripheral interface functions, to realize the subsequent acquisition, processing of various feedback information and the output of control instructions, and to enable the motors corresponding to each axis of the receiving and transmitting antennas and drive the receiving and transmitting antenna surfaces to find the mechanical zero position.

[0065] S2. Set the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite and the communication parameters;

[0066] The receiving and transmitting links of satellite communication are as Figure 3 shown. The satellite used for communication is Zhongxing 6A. The geostationary orbit of this satellite is 125° east longitude. The gateway station is a fixed station with a 4.5-meter aperture, and the communication terminal is a 0.6-meter aperture Ku-band VICTS antenna. The inertial navigation system is used to obtain the attitude and positioning information of the antenna. Taking Chengdu as an example, the positioning longitude, latitude and altitude are 104.06°, 30.67°, and 500m respectively. According to the above information, calculate the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle and polarization angle required for the antenna to align with the satellite. Specify the signal frequency, bandwidth and modulation method for communication. Here, the VICTS antenna is tested with continuous waves with a receiving and transmitting bandwidth of 1MHz each, and the received intermediate frequency F1 and the transmitted intermediate frequency F2 are defined. The satellite signal receiver is used to indicate the intensity of the F1 signal by the level, as a measure of whether the receiving antenna is aligned with the satellite.

[0067] S3. Drive the receiving and transmitting antenna surfaces of the VICTS antenna to rotate, and adjust the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to the desired azimuth angle, elevation angle and polarization angle.

[0068] S4. Adjust the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam to alternately perform conical scanning. The specific process is as follows:

[0069] Adjust the receiving antenna beam with the desired beam pointing as the axis, and scan in a conical manner at a certain angle to this axis. Here, the angle is selected as 1 / 8 of the antenna beam width, i.e., 0.2°, and one scan cycle is defined as one circle with a period of 3 seconds. At the same time, record the satellite signal level value in real time during this process, and find the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum level value as the new axis for the next conical scan. Repeat this process, and the beam pointing of the receiving antenna can be accurately pointed to the satellite.

[0070] Adjust the beam pointing of the transmitting antenna to the axis of the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam to correct the horizontal installation error and drive tracking error of the transmitting antenna. The correction process is as follows: Set the angle of the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam to zero, that is, the receiving antenna does not perform conical scanning, and modify the receiving intermediate frequency of the antenna to its own transmitting intermediate frequency F2. At this time, the VICTS antenna will realize the self-transmission and self-reception of signals through the satellite link. Drive the transmitting antenna beam to perform a sine wave scan along the azimuth plane, specify the scan amplitude of 5°, and the period of 3 seconds. Record the satellite signal level value in real time within one scan cycle, record the deviation between the azimuth of the beam with the maximum signal value and the initial azimuth, and take the average value of the deviations after scanning 5 cycles as the horizontal installation error of the transmitting antenna and correct this error.

[0071] Restore the angle of the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam, and adjust the receiving frequency to the frequency F1 used for satellite communication. Adjust the beam pointing of the receiving antenna. After one cycle is completed, perform a conical scan of the transmitting antenna beam at the same period. During this process, modify the indicated frequency of the satellite signal receiver to the transmitting frequency F2 to indicate the real-time level value of the transmitting antenna signal. After one scan cycle ends, adjust the axis of the conical scan of the transmitting antenna beam to the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum signal level value, and alternately perform the conical scans of the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam, and the receiving and transmitting antenna beams can be accurately pointed to the satellite.

Claims

1. An antenna transceiver beam pointing consistency method, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. Power on the antenna system and perform device initialization, and drive the transceiver antenna to mechanically zero; S2. Set the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite and the communication parameters; S3. Drive the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to be preliminarily aligned with the satellite according to the parameters required for alignment with the satellite; S4. Based on the set communication parameters, adjust the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam to alternately perform conical scanning, and adjust the axis of the conical scanning according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the conical scanning process, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams are accurately aligned with the satellite, realizing the consistency of the receiving and transmitting beam pointing; The specific content of step S4 is as follows: S41. Adjust the receiving antenna beam to rotate around the expected beam pointing as the axis and perform one cycle of conical scanning at a set angle with this axis, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scanning process; where one cycle of conical scanning is one period; S42. Correct the horizontal installation error of the transmitting antenna; S43. After completing the error correction, adjust the receiving antenna beam to perform one cycle of conical scanning; S44. Adjust the transmitting antenna beam to point to the axis during the conical scanning of the previous receiving antenna beam and perform one cycle of conical scanning, and record the satellite signal level value during the current conical scanning process; S45. Adjust the axis during conical scanning according to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during the conical scanning processes of the receiving antenna beam and the transmitting antenna beam, and alternately execute the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam and the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam until the maximum value of the satellite signal level value is stable, so that the receiving and transmitting antenna beams are accurately aligned with the satellite, realizing the consistency of the receiving and transmitting beam pointing; In step S45, when alternately executing the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam and the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam, use the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value during each conical scanning process as the axis for the next conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam or the conical scanning of the transmitting antenna beam.

2. The method for the consistency of the antenna transceiver beam pointing according to claim 1, wherein The antenna system in step S1 is a Ku-band VICTS mobile satellite communication antenna system.

3. The method for the consistency of the antenna transceiver beam pointing according to claim 1, wherein In step S2, the parameters required for the antenna to align with the satellite include the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle; set the beam that meets the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle as the expected beam; The communication parameters in step S2 include the signal frequency, bandwidth, and modulation method of the communication; at the same time, set the satellite signal receiver to indicate the intensity of the satellite signal according to the level.

4. The method for the consistency of the antenna transceiver beam pointing according to claim 3, wherein The specific content of step S3 is as follows: Drive the transceiver antenna surface of the antenna to rotate, and adjust the receiving and transmitting antenna beams to the beam azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization angle of the expected beam to realize preliminary alignment with the satellite.

5. The method for the consistency of the transmitting and receiving beam directions of the antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that The specific content of step S42 is as follows: Adjust the angle during the conical scanning of the receiving antenna beam to zero, and modify the received intermediate frequency of the transmitting antenna to its own transmitting intermediate frequency, drive the transmitting antenna beam to perform a sine wave scan along the azimuth plane, record the satellite signal level value within one scan period, obtain the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level value and its deviation from the initial azimuth, and use it as the installation error of the transmitting antenna and correct it; Alternatively, obtain the average value of the azimuth of the beam corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level in several scanning periods and its deviation from the initial azimuth as the installation error of the transmitting antenna, and correct it.

6. The method for the consistency of the antenna transceiver beam pointing according to claim 5, wherein For the step S43, the method for the receiving antenna beam to perform a conical scan for one period is specifically as follows: Restore the included angle during the conical scan of the receiving antenna beam, and use the beam pointing corresponding to the maximum value of the satellite signal level in the previous conical scan of the receiving antenna beam as the axis of the current scan period to perform a conical scan for one scan period.

7. The method for the consistency of the antenna transceiver beam pointing according to claim 1, wherein When performing the conical scan of the transmitting antenna beam, modify the indicated frequency of the satellite signal receiver to the transmitting frequency to indicate the real-time level value of the satellite signal to which the transmitting antenna is aligned.

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