Phase adjustable full matched power combining radar level gauge

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge, comprising: a signal generation module having a plurality of ports for generating signals, for generating a plurality of microwave initial signals; a phase adjustment module for adjusting the phases of the plurality of microwave initial signals; a microwave combining structure having a plurality of input ports and an output port, and no isolation port, the plurality of input ports and the output port, and the microwave combining structure having no isolation port; a signal receiving module for receiving the echo signal formed after the microwave transmission signal encounters the surface of the object to be measured after being transmitted; and the signal generation module sharing a voltage-controlled oscillator to make the plurality of microwave initial signals have commonality. The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge of the present disclosure improves the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal by adjusting the phases of the plurality of microwave initial signals and combining the plurality of microwave initial signals.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of microwave technology, and in particular to a phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge. BACKGROUND

[0002] Since the measurement environment or the measured object of the current industrial radar level gauge is complex, the energy requirement of the radar level gauge is often high. Higher energy means stronger measurement capability and more reliable signal output.

[0003] Currently, some radar level gauges have used radar chips with multiple paths for generating and receiving as microwave signal transceiver devices, but most of them only use one path to generate signals and one path to receive signals, or use two paths to generate signals combined with a four-port isolator coupler. However, because the initial angles of the microwave signals generated by the radar chips are difficult to be consistent, these schemes will cause signal mismatching, unreliable measurement, and leakage of more energy from the isolator, resulting in waste of signal energy. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve at least one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge is provided, comprising:

[0006] a signal generating module, the signal generating module having a plurality of signal generating ports for generating a plurality of microwave initial signals;

[0007] a microwave synthesis structure, the microwave synthesis structure having a plurality of input ports and one output port, and the microwave synthesis structure having no isolator port, the microwave synthesis structure receiving the plurality of microwave initial signals and performing power / energy synthesis to generate a microwave signal;

[0008] a signal receiving module, the signal receiving module being configured to receive a return signal formed after a microwave transmission signal encounters a surface of a measured object after being transmitted; wherein the plurality of microwave initial signals have homogeneity.

[0009] According to the phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a voltage-controlled oscillator is further included, the voltage-controlled oscillator being connected to the signal generating module and serving as a signal source to make the plurality of microwave initial signals have homogeneity.

[0010] According to the phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal generating module is a radar chip having a plurality of multi-channel microwave signal generating ports or a plurality of radar chip groups connected in cascade, for generating a plurality of microwave initial signals.

[0011] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure adjusts the phases of the multiple microwave initial signals through the phase adjustment module, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power varies with the phase adjustment of the multiple microwave initial signals.

[0012] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure adjusts the phases of the multiple microwave initial signals through the phase adjustment module, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power varies with the phase adjustment of the multiple microwave initial signals.

[0013] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure adjusts the phases of the multiple microwave initial signals through the phase adjustment module, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power varies with the phase adjustment of the multiple microwave initial signals.

[0014] The phase adjustment module keeps the phases of the microwave initial signals generated by the N ports of the signal generation module unchanged, tests and records the initial energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave combining structure at this time;

[0015] The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal generated by the first port of the signal generation module, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power output by the microwave combining structure is greater than and maximum than the initial energy / power, records the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave combining structure at this time as the first energy / power, and locks the corresponding phase of the microwave initial signal of the first port;

[0016] The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal of the second port of the signal generation module, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power output by the microwave combining structure is greater than and maximum than the first energy / power, records the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave combining structure at this time as the second energy / power, and locks the corresponding phase of the microwave initial signal of the second port;

[0017] The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal of the i-th port, so that the microwave transmission signal energy / power output by the microwave combining structure is greater than and maximum than the (i-1)-th energy / power, records the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave combining structure at this time as the i-th energy / power, and locks the corresponding phase of the microwave initial signal of the i-th port;

[0018] Wherein, i takes values from 3 to N, and N is the total number of ports of the signal generation module generating microwave initial signals.

[0019] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure measures the energy / power of the microwave transmitting signal based on the following steps:

[0020] The microwave transmitting signal generates a return signal after being transmitted to a fixed object;

[0021] A stable return signal is selected from the return signal;

[0022] The amplitude of the stable return signal is taken as the reference of the energy / power of the microwave transmitting signal;

[0023] The stable return signal is the return signal generated by the fixed object.

[0024] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the microwave-combining structure is a power divider or a power combiner, the power divider or the power combiner combines the plurality of microwave initial signals in power / energy, and the power divider or the power combiner is connected to a circuit board.

[0025] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the output port of the microwave-combining structure is composed of a waveguide structure, the plurality of input ports of the microwave-combining structure are composed of an excitation structure, the plurality of microwave initial signals are introduced into the common waveguide structure through the excitation structure to combine the plurality of microwave initial signals in power / energy to form a microwave transmitting signal.

[0026] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further comprises a horn antenna, the first end of the waveguide structure is open and connected to the horn antenna, and the microwave transmitting signal is emitted after being converged by the horn antenna.

[0027] The phase-adjustable full-matching power-combining radar level gauge according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the output port of the microwave-combining structure is composed of a lens antenna structure, the plurality of input ports of the microwave-combining structure are composed of a microstrip antenna structure, the plurality of microwave initial signals are introduced into the common lens antenna structure through the microstrip antenna structure to combine the plurality of microwave initial signals in power / energy to form a microwave transmitting signal and emit from the lens antenna structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description, explain the principles of the present disclosure, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a phase-adjustable full-matched power-combining radar level gauge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure of a power divider / power combiner with two input ports and one output port according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure of a power divider / power combiner with three / four input ports and one output port according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure composed of cascaded power dividers / power combiners according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a microstrip antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for maximizing microwave signal energy / power by adjusting the phase of a microwave initial signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Reference sign list

[0039] 1000 radar level gauge

[0040] 1001 phase adjustment module

[0041] 1002 microwave synthesis structure

[0042] 1003 voltage-controlled oscillator

[0043] 1004 power supply module

[0044] 1005 communication module

[0045] 1006 main controller

[0046] 1007 display module

[0047] 1008 transmit antenna

[0048] 1009 receive antenna

[0049] 1010 signal generation module

[0050] 1011 signal reception module

[0051] 1018 excitation terminal

[0052] 1019 waveguide structure

[0053] 10081 horn antenna

[0054] 10082 lens antenna structure

[0055] 10101 first end portion

[0056] 10102 second end portion

[0057] 10121 microstrip antenna DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The present disclosure will be further described in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely exemplary features of various details and are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be noted that only parts related to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings for the purpose of description.

[0059] It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the present disclosure can be combined with each other without conflict. The technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0060] Unless otherwise specified, the exemplary embodiments shown will be understood as providing exemplary features of various details that can implement the technical concept of the present disclosure in practice. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features of various embodiments can be additionally combined, separated, interchanged and / or rearranged without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

[0061] The use of cross-hatching and / or shading in the drawings is generally used to make the boundaries and regions of adjacent components more clearly distinguishable. As such, unless specifically stated otherwise, the presence of cross-hatching or shading in a drawing is not meant to imply that a particular material, material property, dimension, ratio, etc. is being represented in a specific manner. In addition, the size, relative size, and / or proportions of the components shown in the drawings are intended to provide a general sense of relative spatial relationships between those components. In particular, the size, relative size, and / or proportions of the components shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In some embodiments, the dimensions, ratios, and / or proportions of some or all of the components can be varied, depending on the desired size or scale of the embodiment. Similarly, the same reference numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar components.

[0062] When a component is referred to as being "on" or "over" another component, "connected to" or "coupled to" another component, it can be directly on, connected, or coupled to the other component, or intervening components can be present. However, when a component is referred to as being "directly on", "directly connected to", or "directly coupled to" another component, there are no intervening components present. By the term "connected" is meant to include physical connections, electrical connections, or both, with or without intervening components.

[0063] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "a", "an", "one" or "said" and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and / or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" or "including" as an open transition term without precluding any additional or other elements. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms "substantially", "approximately", and other similar terms are used as synonyms for "about", again preferably meaning within 10% of the value stated, more preferably within 1% of the value stated, and most preferably within 0.1% of the value stated.

[0064] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a phase-adjustable full-matched power-combining radar level gauge 1000 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] As shown in Figure 1 , the radar level gauge 1000 of the present embodiment includes the following components:

[0066] The signal generation module 1010 has multiple signal generation ports to generate multiple microwave initial signals; preferably, the signal generation module 1010 is a radar chip with multiple channel microwave signal generation ports or a group of radar chips connected together.

[0067] The phase adjustment module 1001 is used to adjust the phases of the multiple microwave initial signals.

[0068] The microwave synthesis structure 1002 has multiple input ports and one output port, and the microwave synthesis structure 1002 has no isolation port, receives the multiple microwave initial signals whose phases are adjusted by the phase adjustment module 1001, and performs power / energy synthesis to generate a microwave transmission signal, thereby improving the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal.

[0069] The signal receiving module 1011 receives the echo signal formed by the reflection of the microwave transmission signal after being transmitted and encountering the surface of the measured object.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a common voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 1003, which is connected to the signal generation module 1010 and is shared by the signal generation module 1010 as a signal source, so that the multiple microwave initial signals generated by the signal generation module 1010 have the same source.

[0071] In the present disclosure, the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003 can have different input methods, for example, using a direct current voltage as the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003, then the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003 is a frequency-adjustable signal source; using a sinusoidal voltage as the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003, then the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003 is a frequency-modulated oscillator; using a sawtooth voltage as the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003, then the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003 is a sweep frequency oscillator, and the type and amplitude of the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003 are generated by the main controller 1006, thereby controlling the output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 1003.

[0072] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matching power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a power supply module 1004, which converts the external power supply into the voltage required by the radar level gauge 1000 after receiving the external power supply, and supplies power to the entire radar level gauge 1000.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matched power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a communication module 1005, through which the various modules of the radar level gauge 1000 communicate with each other.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matched power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a display module 1007, which is preferably a liquid crystal screen capable of human-computer interaction, for displaying echo waveform, echo amplitude, level information and other related parameters. At the same time, the radar level gauge 1000 can be debugged and set through the display module 1007 (for example, by inputting a modulation control signal, modifying parameters, etc. through the display module 1007).

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matched power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a main controller 1006, which receives the echo signal transmitted by the signal receiving module 1011, analyzes and processes it, and then transmits it to the display module 1007 through the communication module 1005.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase-adjustable full-matched power synthesis radar level gauge 1000 further comprises a transmitting antenna 1008, through which the microwave transmitting signal is transmitted and then reflected to generate an echo signal when it encounters the surface of the object to be measured. The echo signal is received by the receiving antenna 1009 and transmitted to the signal receiving module 1011. The type of transmitting antenna 1008 includes a lens antenna structure 10082 and a horn antenna 10081.

[0077] In the present disclosure, the microwave synthesis structure 1002 can be a power divider or a power combiner, which combines multiple microwave initial signals in power / energy. The power divider or power combiner is connected to a circuit board.

[0078] Among them, the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is preferably one of the following two structures:

[0079] First, the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is a power divider / power combiner with two input ports and one output port, or a power divider / power combiner with three / four input ports and one output port;

[0080] Second, the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is composed of multiple power dividers / power combiners with two input ports and one output port through cascading, or multiple power dividers / power combiners with three / four input ports and one output port through cascading.

[0081] Figure 2is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure of a power divider / power combiner with two input ports and one output port according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure of a power divider / power combiner with three / four input ports and one output port according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure composed of cascaded power divider / power combiners according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] wherein, Figure 4 the first diagram (left diagram) in FIG. 1 is a microwave synthesis structure 1002 composed of cascaded power divider / power combiners with two input ports and one output port; Figure 4 the second diagram (middle diagram) in FIG. 1 is a microwave synthesis structure 1002 composed of cascaded power divider / power combiners with three input ports and one output port, and two input ports and one output port; Figure 4 the third diagram (right diagram) in FIG. 1 is a microwave synthesis structure 1002 composed of cascaded power divider / power combiners with four input ports and one output port, and three input ports and one output port.

[0085] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the input port can also be more than four, and the microwave synthesis structure 1002 can also be composed in a cascaded manner, which is not described here.

[0086] Referring to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the microwave synthesis structure 1002 can also be composed in the following two combinations:

[0087] First, the output port is composed of a waveguide structure 1019, and the input port is composed of an excitation structure;

[0088] Second, the output port is composed of a lens antenna structure, and the input port is composed of a microstrip antenna structure.

[0089] In the first combination, the output port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is composed of a waveguide structure 1019, and the input port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is composed of an excitation structure.

[0090] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a microwave synthesis structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] The plurality of microwave initial signals generated by the signal generating module 1010 of the present disclosure are transmitted to the excitation structure by the RF circuit board after being adjusted in phase by the phase adjustment module 1001, introduced into the common waveguide structure 1019 by the excitation structure, synthesized in the waveguide structure 1019, and formed into a microwave emission signal. The waveguide structure 1019 is preferably a hollow cavity structure, and in the present embodiment, the waveguide structure 1019 serves as a single output port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002, and the synthesized microwave signal is formed into a microwave emission signal.

[0093] The radar level gauge 1000 of the present embodiment has a horn antenna 10081 as the transmitting antenna 1008, and the first end 10101 of the waveguide structure 1019 is open and connected to the horn antenna 10081. The microwave emission signal synthesized by the waveguide structure 1019 is emitted after being converged by the horn antenna 10081.

[0094] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microwave emission signal is emitted as a microwave signal with a narrow beam angle after being converged by the horn antenna 10081, and the beam angle is less than 3°.

[0095] In the present embodiment, the excitation structure preferably includes a plurality of excitation terminals 1018, at least part of each excitation terminal 1018 is located in the hollow cavity structure of the waveguide structure 1019, each excitation terminal 1018 is at the same distance from the second end 10102 of the waveguide structure 1019, and the second end 10102 of the waveguide structure 1019 is closed and made of metal. Each excitation terminal 1018 receives one microwave initial signal and excites the second end 10102 of the waveguide structure 1019 to form a plurality of excitation signals, and the waveguide structure 1019 synthesizes the plurality of excitation signals into a microwave emission signal. Preferably, the excitation terminal 1018 is a metal wire.

[0096] Those skilled in the art should understand that the number of excitation terminals is a plurality, and is not limited to Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The number and arrangement of excitation terminals shown above can be changed by those skilled in the art, and such changes are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0097] In the second combination mode, the output port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is composed of a lens antenna structure 10082, and the input port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is composed of a microstrip antenna structure, as shown in Figure 7 、 Figure 8 .

[0098] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a microwave synthesis structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0099] Figure 8is a schematic diagram of a microstrip antenna structure of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 The plurality of microwave initial signals generated by the signal generation module 1010 are transmitted to the microstrip antenna structure through the RF traces on the circuit board after being adjusted in phase by the phase adjustment module, introduced into the common lens antenna structure 10082 by the microstrip antenna structure, synthesized and formed into a microwave transmission signal in the lens antenna structure 10082. In this embodiment, the plurality of microwave initial signals are synthesized into the same lens antenna structure 10082 through the microstrip antenna structure, and the lens antenna structure 10082 serves as a single output port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 to form the microwave transmission signal.

[0101] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microwave transmission signal is converged by the lens antenna structure 10082 to form a microwave signal with a narrow beam angle and is emitted, and the beam angle is less than 3°.

[0102] The microstrip antenna structure has a plurality of microstrip antennas 10121, and the plurality of microstrip antennas 10121 are completely covered by the lens antenna structure 10082. The plurality of microstrip antennas 10121 are at the same horizontal height, and the distance from each microstrip antenna 10121 to the lens antenna structure 10082 is the same. Each microstrip antenna 10121 receives one microwave initial signal, and each microwave initial signal is converged by the lens antenna structure 10082 to be synthesized to form a microwave transmission signal and emitted. As shown in Figure 8 The microstrip antenna 10121 has a ground plate 101211, a dielectric substrate 101212, and a microstrip line 101213.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ground plate 101211 is a full-area full-metal conductor, for example, full-area copper.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dielectric substrate 101212 can be the insulating dielectric layer material of the circuit board.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microstrip line 101213 is a conductor sheet, which can be an irregularly shaped area unit, such as a rectangular, circular, or circular ring-shaped conductor sheet, and can also be a narrow and long strip-shaped conductor sheet. The shape of the microstrip line is not limited and can also be other shapes besides the above examples.

[0106] Each microstrip line 101213 is connected to the RF traces on the circuit board. The initial microwave signals generated by the signal generation module 1010 are phase-adjusted by the phase adjustment module and then received by multiple microstrip lines 101213 via the RF traces. These signals then excite the ground plane 101211, forming multiple excitation signals. These excitation signals are converged by the lens antenna structure 10082 to form a microwave transmission signal, which is then transmitted. The multiple initial microwave signals generated by the signal generation module 1010 are phase-adjusted by the phase adjustment module 1001 and then transmitted via the RF traces on the circuit board to the microstrip antenna structure. They are then converged and combined by the common lens antenna structure to form the microwave transmission signal.

[0107] The convergence of the lens antenna structure 10082 enables the synthesized microwave transmission signal to become a narrow beam angle microwave signal, wherein the beam angle of the narrow beam signal can be less than 3°.

[0108] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the microstrip antenna 10121 may be rectangular, square, circular, or elliptical, etc. The shape of the microstrip antenna 10121 is not limited to the shapes listed above, and may be any other arbitrary shape.

[0109] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for maximizing the energy / power of a microwave transmitted signal by adjusting the phase of the initial microwave signal, according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0110] The signal generation module 1010 shares a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 1003. The VCO 1003 acts as a signal source to control the signal generation module 1010 to generate multiple microwave initial signals. That is, multiple microwave initial signals are generated under the control of the same VCO 1003, thereby ensuring that the multiple microwave initial signals have the same origin. The multiple microwave initial signals with the same origin are adjusted by the phase adjustment module to adjust the phase of each microwave initial signal, so that the phase of the generated multiple microwave initial signals is adjustable. By adjusting the phase of the microwave initial signals, the phase of the microwave signals received by each input port of the microwave synthesis structure 1002 is changed, so that the energy / power of the microwave transmitted signal changes with the phase adjustment of the microwave initial signals, thereby adjusting the energy / power of the microwave transmitted signal to maximize the energy / power of the microwave transmitted signal.

[0111] like Figure 9 As shown, method S100, which maximizes the energy / power of microwave transmitted signal by adjusting the phase of the initial microwave signal, includes:

[0112] S102, the phase adjustment module keeps the phase of the microwave initial signal generated by the N ports of the signal generation / reception module unchanged, tests and records the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure at this time, which is the initial energy / power, and the total number of ports of the signal generation module 1010 is N;

[0113] S104, the phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal generated by the first port of the signal generation module 1010, so that the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure is greater and maximum than the initial energy / power, and the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the first energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the microwave initial signal of the first port is locked;

[0114] S106, the phase adjustment module 1001 only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal of the second port of the signal generation module 1010, so that the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure is greater and maximum than the first energy / power, and the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the second energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the microwave initial signal of the second port is locked;

[0115] S108, the phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the microwave initial signal of the i-th port of the signal generation module 1010, so that the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure is greater and maximum than the i-1 energy / power, and the energy / power of the microwave emission signal formed by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the i energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the microwave initial signal of the i-th port is locked;

[0116] Wherein, i takes the value of 3...N, that is, the phases of the microwave initial signals of the remaining ports are adjusted one by one, and the energy / power of the microwave emission signal is maximized.

[0117] Wherein, the energy / power measurement method of the microwave emission signal of one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises:

[0118] The microwave signal generates a return signal after being emitted to the fixed object;

[0119] The stable return signal is selected from the return signal;

[0120] The amplitude of the stable return signal (i.e. the return signal formed by the fixed object) is taken as the reference of the energy / power of the microwave emission signal;

[0121] Wherein, the stable return signal is the return signal generated by the fixed object, and the energy / power of this return signal represents the energy / power of the microwave emission signal output by the output end of the microwave synthesis structure.

[0122] The radar chip with a multi-channel microwave signal generation port or a radar chip set cascaded together is controlled by a same voltage-controlled oscillator, thereby generating a plurality of microwave initial signals with homology, the plurality of microwave initial signals are connected to a microwave synthesis structure through radio frequency wires, and the plurality of microwave initial signals generated by a plurality of microwave signal generation ports are directly synthesized in energy / power by the microwave synthesis structure to an output port without an isolation end, and the energy / power of the output microwave transmission signal is improved.

[0123] In addition, the radar level gauge of the present disclosure has a microwave signal phase adjustable function, by adjusting the phases of the plurality of microwave initial signals, the energy / power of the synthesized microwave transmission signal is optimized, so that the energy / power reaches the maximum, thereby increasing the measurement capability of the radar level gauge and improving the reliability of the output signal.

[0124] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment / way", "some embodiments / ways", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment / way or example are included in at least one embodiment / way or example of the present disclosure. In the present specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms are not necessarily the same embodiment / way or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments / ways or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, the person skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments / ways or examples described in the present specification and the features of the different embodiments / ways or examples without contradiction.

[0125] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0126] The person skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments are only for clearly illustrating the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other changes or modifications can be made on the basis of the above disclosure, and these changes or modifications are still within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A phase-adjustable, fully matched power synthesis radar level gauge, characterized in that, include: A signal generation module having multiple signal generation ports for generating multiple microwave initial signals; A phase adjustment module, which is used to adjust the phase of multiple microwave initial signals; as well as A microwave synthesis structure has multiple input ports and one output port, and the microwave synthesis structure has no isolation port. The microwave synthesis structure receives multiple initial microwave signals adjusted by the phase adjustment module and performs power / energy synthesis to generate a microwave transmission signal. The signal receiving module is used to receive the echo signal formed after the microwave transmitted signal is transmitted and encounters the surface of the object under test; Among them, multiple microwave initial signals have the same origin; The radar level gauge includes a common voltage-controlled oscillator, which is connected to the signal generation module and serves as a signal source to make the multiple microwave initial signals have the same origin. Specifically, the phase adjustment module adjusts the phase of the multiple initial microwave signals, thereby changing the phase of the microwave signals received at each input port of the microwave synthesis structure, to maximize the energy / power of the transmitted microwave signal, including: The phase adjustment module keeps the phase of the initial microwave signal generated by the N ports of the signal generation module unchanged, and tests and records the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure at this time as the initial energy / power. The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the initial microwave signal generated by the first port of the signal generation module, so that when the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure is greater than the initial energy / power and is at its maximum, the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the first energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the initial microwave signal of the first port is locked. The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the initial microwave signal at the second port of the signal generation module, so that when the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure is greater than the first energy / power and reaches its maximum, the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the second energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the initial microwave signal at the second port is locked; and The phase adjustment module only adjusts the phase of the initial microwave signal at the i-th port, so that when the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure is greater than and at its maximum value than the (i-1)-th energy / power, the energy / power of the microwave transmission signal output by the microwave synthesis structure at this time is recorded as the i-th energy / power, and the phase corresponding to the initial microwave signal at the i-th port is locked. Where i takes values ​​from 3 to N, and N is the total number of ports in the signal generation module that generate the initial microwave signal.

2. The phase-adjustable fully matched power synthesizing radar level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal generation module is a radar chip with multiple microwave signal generation ports or a group of multiple cascaded radar chips, used to generate multiple initial microwave signals.

3. The phase-adjustable fully matched power synthesis radar level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The energy / power of the microwave transmitted signal is measured based on the following steps: The microwave transmission signal is transmitted toward a fixed object and then generates an echo signal. Select a stable echo signal from the echo signals; and The amplitude of the stable echo signal is used as a reference for the energy / power of the microwave transmitted signal; The stable echo signal is the echo signal generated by the fixed object.

4. The phase-adjustable fully matched power synthesizing radar level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microwave combining structure is a power divider or a power combiner, which combines the power / energy of multiple microwave initial signals and is connected to a circuit board.

5. The phase-adjustable fully matched power synthesizing radar level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output port of the microwave synthesis structure is composed of a waveguide structure, and the multiple input ports of the microwave synthesis structure are composed of excitation structures. The multiple initial microwave signals are introduced into a common waveguide structure through the excitation structure to synthesize the multiple initial microwave signals into a microwave transmission signal.

6. The phase-adjustable fully matched power synthesizing radar level gauge according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a horn antenna, with the first end of the waveguide structure open and connected to the horn antenna, and the microwave transmission signal is focused by the horn antenna and then emitted.

7. The phase-adjustable fully matched power combining radar level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output port of the microwave synthesis structure is composed of a lens antenna structure, and the multiple input ports of the microwave synthesis structure are composed of microstrip antenna structures. The multiple initial microwave signals are introduced into a common lens antenna structure through the microstrip antenna structure to combine the power / energy of the multiple initial microwave signals to form a microwave transmission signal, which is then emitted from the lens antenna structure.

Images