A method for detecting consistency of channel phases of a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system

CN117054758BActive Publication Date: 2026-09-0810TH RES INST OF CETC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310767002.2
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-06-27
Publication Date
2026-09-08
Estimated Expiration
2043-06-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

这种外部闭环的方式需要预先围绕球面阵天线在天线外一周的预定位置架设标校天线,并且需要预先精确标定各个标校天线的精确位置,还需要使用开关矩阵对各个标校天线进行切换,因此在使用上非常繁琐

Benefits of technology

1、本发明提供的一种数字多波束球面相控阵系统通道相位一致性检测方法,利用数字波束天线内部各个波束的上行链路与下行链路,并在各级数字波束形成单元中利用FPGA芯片内部的数字电路完成内部闭环,通过分级对比的方式并行完成各级数字波束形成单元的通道相位一致性检测,最终完成对数字多波束球面相控阵天线的通道相位一致性的检测,保证数字多波束球面相控阵天线的各个通道相位一致性满足设计需求,解决了数字多波束球面相控阵系统设计中的一个关键问题。

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Abstract

The application discloses a kind of digital multi-beam spherical phased array system channel phase consistency detection methods, it is related to multi-beam antenna technical field.The application according to the channel phase consistency design index of digital multi-beam spherical phased array system, allocates the channel phase consistency index of each level digital beam forming unit;According to tree structure, the channel phase of all digital beam forming units is detected gradually and in parallel, and the maximum value of the channel phase in each level digital beam forming unit is obtained by comparison method;The maximum value of the channel phase of each level digital beam forming unit is compared with the corresponding channel phase consistency index, and the channel phase consistency detection of entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system is completed.The application is simple, reliable and easy to implement, and can meet the detection needs of digital multi-beam spherical phased array antenna channel phase consistency in engineering practice.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of multi-beam antenna technology, and in particular to a method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. Background Technology

[0002] Digital multi-beam spherical phased array systems have gained increasing attention in recent years as a hot research area in the field of novel antennas due to their multi-beam operation and full-space coverage capabilities, enabling simultaneous tracking and control of multiple space targets.

[0003] A key technical challenge in the design of digital multi-beam spherical phased array antennas is achieving digital beamforming. A prerequisite for digital beamforming in a digital multi-beam phased array antenna is ensuring phase consistency across all channels. To address this, a common engineering solution is to use external calibration antennas to form an external closed loop, employing channel phase calibration to verify and compensate for phase inconsistencies between channels. This external closed-loop approach requires pre-installing calibration antennas at predetermined positions around the spherical array antenna, accurately calibrating the positions of each antenna, and using a switching matrix to switch between them, making it very cumbersome in practice. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for detecting the phase consistency of channels in a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. This method utilizes the uplink and downlink of each beam within the digital beamforming antenna, and completes internal closed-loop detection using digital circuits within an FPGA chip at each level of the digital beamforming unit. Phase consistency of each channel of the spherical phased array antenna is detected through a hierarchical comparison. This method is simple, reliable, and easy to implement, requiring no external equipment and not affecting adjacent link channels during operation. It facilitates problem identification and troubleshooting during engineering implementation, and allows for the design of digital multi-beam spherical phased array systems that meet performance requirements in engineering practice.

[0005] The specific technical solution is as follows: This invention is a method for detecting the phase consistency of channels in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system. The digital multibeamforming function of the digital multibeam spherical phased array system is realized through multi-level digital beamforming units, and the multi-level digital beamforming units are arranged in a tree structure. Based on the channel phase consistency design specifications of the digital multibeam spherical phased array system, the channel phase consistency specifications of each level of digital beamforming unit are allocated. Following a tree-like structure, the channel phase detection of all digital beamforming units is completed in parallel at each level, and the maximum channel phase value in each level of digital beamforming unit is obtained by comparison. The maximum channel phase value of each level of digital beamforming unit is compared with the corresponding channel phase consistency index to complete the channel phase consistency detection of the entire digital multibeam spherical phased array system.

[0006] Furthermore, the digital multi-beam spherical phased array system is divided into uplink and downlink, including: array element antenna, duplexer, T / R module and multi-level digital beamforming unit. The multi-level digital beamforming unit is arranged in a tree structure, and the multi-level digital beamforming unit constitutes a digital beamforming subsystem. The array element antenna, duplexer and T / R module are connected in sequence. The T / R module is connected to the first level digital beamforming unit. The nth level digital beamforming unit is connected to the back-end application. The layout from the nth level digital beamforming unit to the T / R module is a tree structure.

[0007] Furthermore, the structure from the nth level digital beamforming unit to the T / R components is tree-like. There is only one nth level digital beamforming unit, which is the root of the tree structure. There are L1 connected n-1 level digital beamforming units. Each n-1 level digital beamforming unit is connected to L2 n-2 level digital beamforming units, and so on. The number of digital beamforming units at each level is as follows. The top of the digital beamforming subsystem is the first level digital beamforming unit. Each first level digital beamforming unit is connected to Ln T / R components.

[0008] Furthermore, the allocation of channel phase consistency indicators for each level of digital beamforming unit based on the channel phase consistency design indicators of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array system specifically includes: Channel phase consistency index of digital multibeam spherical phased array system Distributed to digital beamforming units at each level, where: The channel phase consistency index from the nth-level digital beamforming unit to the (n-1)th-level digital beamforming unit is: ; The channel phase consistency index from the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit is: ; Each subsequent stage can be deduced similarly until the channel phase consistency index of the first-stage digital beamforming unit and the T / R module is: .

[0009] Furthermore, between the various levels of digital beamforming units, a channel phase test module is set in the FPGA of the upper-level digital beamforming unit, and an uplink beamforming module and a downlink beamforming module are set in the FPGA of the lower-level digital beamforming unit, with uplink and downlink switches respectively set. The uplink switch points to the uplink beamforming module, which means that the uplink digital beam signal is sent to the uplink beamforming module for processing; The downlink switch points to the downlink beamforming module, which means that the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module is sent to the subsequent processing stage through the downlink; If the uplink switch and the downlink switch are connected to each other, the digital beam signal of the uplink will loop back directly into the downlink through the connected uplink and downlink switches, forming a closed loop.

[0010] Furthermore, the channel phase detection of all digital beamforming units is performed in parallel, level by level, according to a tree-like structure. Specifically: The previous-level digital beamforming unit is tested through the channel phase test module. In the next-level digital beamforming unit, the uplink digital beam signal is directly looped back into the downlink through the uplink and downlink switches to form a closed loop. The previous-level digital beamforming unit performs channel phase testing on the closed loop link through the channel phase test module to obtain the channel phase values ​​between each level of digital beamforming unit.

[0011] Furthermore, channel phase detection for the previous-level digital beamforming unit needs to be obtained from the next-level digital beamforming unit connected to it. The channel phase detection process for the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is as follows: For the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit connected to it sets two working states of the switch through the uplink switch and the downlink switch, respectively forming normal operation and inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration. During normal operation, the uplink switch sends the uplink digital beam signal to the uplink beamforming module for processing, and the downlink switch sends the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module to the subsequent processing stage through the downlink link. During the inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration, the uplink digital beam signal loop returns to the downlink to form a closed loop. The channel phase test module in the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit can measure the channel phase of the closed-loop link through the aforementioned closed-loop link. The above operation is performed sequentially on all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The above operation is performed on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. By analogy, the phase values ​​of all channels in each level of digital beamforming unit are obtained.

[0012] Furthermore, the maximum channel phase value of each level of digital beamforming unit is compared with the corresponding channel phase consistency index to complete the channel phase consistency detection of the entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. Specifically, the channel phase consistency detection process for the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is as follows: Select a digital beamforming unit of level n-1, and select one of the connected digital beamforming units of level n-2 for channel phase detection, measure its channel phase value, and record it as follows. Where n-1 represents the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, m1 represents the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, and m2 represents the m2th level digital beamforming unit connected to the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The process involves performing channel phase detection on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units, recording all channel phase values, and calculating the maximum value. Distinguish Does it meet the system design specifications? The specific judgment process is as follows:

[0013] Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is satisfied;

[0014] Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is not satisfied; Perform the above steps on each level of digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase consistency test of each level of digital beamforming unit, that is, complete the channel phase consistency test of the entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system.

[0015] Furthermore, the method for completing channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units and recording all channel phase values ​​is as follows: For the selected (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, determine whether the channel phase detection of all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to it has been completed. If not, select the next (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit connected to it and repeat the above detection process. If completed, determine whether the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system has been completed. If not, select the next (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit and repeat the above channel phase detection process. This completes the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system, and records all channel phase values.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention provides a method for detecting the channel phase consistency of a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. It utilizes the uplink and downlink of each beam within the digital beamforming antenna and completes internal closed-loop operation using digital circuits within an FPGA chip at each level of the digital beamforming unit. Through a hierarchical comparison method, the method performs parallel channel phase consistency detection for each level of the digital beamforming unit, ultimately ensuring that the phase consistency of each channel of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array antenna meets design requirements. This solves a key problem in the design of digital multi-beam spherical phased array systems.

[0017] 2. This invention provides a method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. It is simple to implement, requires fewer resources, and reduces system design costs. This invention does not require complex circuitry, and the implementation method is relatively simple. This invention utilizes only the existing equipment of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array antenna, without adding any additional equipment. The multi-level channel phase consistency detection function of the system can be implemented through software algorithms, facilitating automated operation and reducing system design costs.

[0018] 3. The present invention provides a method for detecting the channel phase consistency of a digital multibeam spherical phased array system. It is simple and quick to operate and convenient for system design. It can quantify the channel phase consistency index of the digital multibeam spherical phased array system to each level of processing unit, that is, each level of digital beamforming unit, and perform channel phase consistency detection on each level of processing unit in a hierarchical comparison manner. This facilitates problem location and troubleshooting in the design of digital multibeam spherical phased array systems. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of a digital multibeam spherical phased array system; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the tree structure connection of multi-level digital beamforming units; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the phase consistency detection of the inner closed-loop channel from the nth level digital beamforming unit to the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit; Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the phase consistency detection of the inner closed-loop channel from the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the phase consistency detection of the inner closed-loop channel from the first-level digital beamforming unit to the T / R module; Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the channel phase consistency detection method for the nth level digital beamforming unit; Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the channel phase consistency detection method for the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit; Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the channel phase consistency detection method for the first-stage digital beamforming unit. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention; that is, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0021] It should be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0022] Example 1 This embodiment provides a method for detecting the phase consistency of channels in a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the uplink and downlink of a digital multi-beam spherical phased array system mainly consist of array element antennas, duplexers, T / R modules, and a digital beamforming subsystem. The digital beamforming subsystem is further divided into multiple levels of digital beamforming units based on the antenna size. The array element antennas, duplexers, and T / R modules are connected sequentially. The T / R modules connect to the first-level digital beamforming unit, and the nth-level digital beamforming unit connects to the back-end application. The structure from the nth-level digital beamforming unit to the T / R modules is a tree-like layout. Figure 2As shown, the structure from the nth level digital beamforming unit to the T / R components is a tree structure. There is only one nth level digital beamforming unit, which is the root of the tree structure. There are L1 connected n-1 level digital beamforming units. Each n-1 level digital beamforming unit is connected to L2 n-2 level digital beamforming units, and so on. The number of digital beamforming units at each level is as follows. The top of the digital beamforming subsystem is the first level digital beamforming unit. Each first level digital beamforming unit is connected to Ln T / R components. The allocation of channel phase consistency indicators for each level of digital beamforming unit, based on the channel phase consistency design indicators of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array system, is specifically as follows: The channel phase consistency index given by the digital multibeam spherical phased array system Distributed to digital beamforming units at each level, where: The channel phase consistency index from the nth-level digital beamforming unit to the (n-1)th-level digital beamforming unit is: ; The channel phase consistency index from the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit is: ; Each subsequent stage can be deduced similarly until the channel phase consistency index of the first-stage digital beamforming unit and the T / R module is: .

[0023] See Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the tree-structured digital multibeam spherical phased array system of the present invention, the digital beamforming units at each level are tested by the channel phase test module of the upper level digital beamforming unit, while in the lower level digital beamforming unit, the uplink digital beam signal is directly looped back into the downlink through the uplink and downlink switches to form a closed loop. The upper level digital beamforming unit performs channel phase testing on the closed loop link through the channel phase test module to obtain the channel phase value between the digital beamforming units at each level.

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, the channel phase detection process of the nth-level digital beamforming unit is as follows: In the FPGA of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit connected to it, uplink and downlink switches are configured, with two operating states: normal operation and inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration. During normal operation, the uplink switch points to point ①, meaning it sends the uplink digital beam signal to the uplink beamforming module for processing. The downlink switch points to point ②, meaning it sends the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module to the subsequent processing stage via the downlink. During inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration, both the uplink and downlink switches point to point ③. In this case, the uplink digital beam signal directly returns to the downlink beam link through point ③ to form a closed loop. The channel phase test module in the nth level digital beamforming unit can measure the channel phase of this loop through the above closed loop. This operation is performed sequentially on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units connected to the nth level digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase detection of the nth level digital beamforming unit.

[0025] like Figure 4 As shown, the channel phase detection process of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is as follows: In the FPGA of the (n-2)th stage digital beamforming unit, uplink and downlink switches are configured, with two operating states: normal operation and inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration. During normal operation, the uplink switch points to point ①, meaning it sends the uplink digital beam signal to the uplink beamforming module for processing. The downlink switch points to point ②, meaning it sends the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module to the subsequent processing stage via the downlink link. During inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration, both the uplink and downlink switches point to point ③. In this case, the uplink digital beam signal directly loops back to the downlink beam link through point ③, forming a closed loop. The channel phase test module in the (n-1)th stage digital beamforming unit can measure the channel phase of this loop through the above closed loop. The above operation is performed sequentially on all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The above operation is performed on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit.

[0026] The above steps are performed on each level of the digital beamforming unit to measure the channel phase value of each level of the digital beamforming unit.

[0027] like Figure 5 As shown, the channel phase detection process for the first-stage digital beamforming unit is as follows: In the FPGA of the connected T / R component, uplink and downlink switches are configured, with two operating states: normal operation and inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration. During normal operation, the uplink switch points to point ①, meaning it sends the uplink digital beam signal to the uplink beamforming module for processing. The downlink switch points to point ②, meaning it sends the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module to the subsequent processing stage via the downlink link. During inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration, both the uplink and downlink switches point to point ③. In this case, the uplink digital beam signal directly loops back to the downlink beam link through point ③, forming a closed loop. The channel phase test module in the first-stage digital beamforming unit can measure the channel phase of the loop through this closed loop. This operation is performed sequentially on all T / R components connected to this first-stage digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th stage digital beamforming unit. This operation is repeated for all first-stage digital beamforming units to complete the channel phase detection of the first-stage digital beamforming unit.

[0028] like Figure 6 As shown, the channel phase consistency of the nth-level digital beamforming unit is tested: one of the connected (n-1)th-level digital beamforming units is selected, and the uplink and downlink switches in this (n-1)th-level digital beamforming unit are simultaneously pointed to point ③. A closed loop is formed between the uplink and downlink signals of the channel phase test module of the nth-level digital beamforming unit. The channel phase of the closed loop is measured using the channel phase test module of this nth-level digital beamforming unit and recorded as follows. Where n represents the nth level digital beamforming unit, and k represents the kth level digital beamforming unit connected to the nth level digital beamforming unit. For the nth level digital beamforming unit, it is determined whether the channel phase detection of all connected (n-1)th level digital beamforming units has been completed. If not, the next (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is selected and the above process is repeated. After completing the channel phase detection of the nth level digital beamforming unit, all channel phase values ​​are recorded, and the maximum value is calculated. Distinguish Does it meet the channel phase consistency index? The specific judgment process is as follows:

[0029] Then the channel phase consistency index of the nth level digital beamforming unit is satisfied;

[0030] Then the channel phase consistency index of the nth level digital beamforming unit is not met.

[0031] like Figure 7As shown, the channel phase consistency test is performed on the next level, namely the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. First, a (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is selected, and then one of the connected (n-2)th level digital beamforming units is selected for testing. The uplink and downlink switches in the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit are simultaneously pointed to point ③, forming a closed loop between the uplink and downlink signals of the channel phase test module of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The channel phase of the closed loop is measured using the channel phase test module of the selected (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit and recorded as follows. Here, n-1 represents the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, m1 represents the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, and m2 represents the m2th level digital beamforming unit connected to the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. For the selected (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, it is determined whether the channel phase detection of all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to it has been completed. If not, the next connected (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit is selected and the above detection process is repeated. If completed, it is determined whether the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system has been completed. If the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system has not been completed, the next (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is selected and the above channel phase detection process is repeated. After completing the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system, all channel phase values ​​are recorded, and the maximum value is calculated. Distinguish Does it meet the channel phase consistency index? The specific judgment process is as follows:

[0032] Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is satisfied;

[0033] Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is not satisfied; Perform the above steps on each level of digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase consistency detection of each level of digital beamforming unit.

[0034] The channel phase consistency test for the first-stage digital beamforming unit is as follows: like Figure 8As shown, the channel phase consistency test of the first-stage digital beamforming unit is performed as follows: First, a first-stage digital beamforming unit is selected, and one of the connected T / R components is chosen for testing. The uplink and downlink switches in the T / R component are simultaneously set to point ③, forming a closed loop between the uplink and downlink signals of the channel phase test module of the first-stage digital beamforming unit. The channel phase of the closed loop is measured using the selected first-stage digital beamforming unit's channel phase test module and recorded as follows. Here, 1 represents the first-level digital beamforming unit, m1 represents the m1th first-level digital beamforming unit, and m2 represents the m2th T / R module connected to the m1th first-level digital beamforming unit. For the selected first-level digital beamforming unit, it is determined whether channel phase detection of all connected T / R modules has been completed. If not, the next connected T / R module is selected, and the above detection process is repeated. If completed, it is determined whether channel phase detection of all first-level digital beamforming units in the system has been completed. If channel phase detection of all first-level digital beamforming units in the system has not been completed, the next first-level digital beamforming unit is selected, and the above detection process is repeated. Once channel phase detection of all first-level digital beamforming units in the system is completed, all channel phase values ​​are recorded, and the maximum value is calculated. Distinguish Does it meet the channel phase consistency index? The specific judgment process is as follows:

[0035] This satisfies the channel phase consistency index of the first-level digital beamforming unit;

[0036] This does not meet the channel phase consistency index of the first-level digital beamforming unit.

[0037] Perform the above steps on each level of digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase consistency test of each level of digital beamforming unit, that is, complete the channel phase consistency test of the entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system.

[0038] The above analysis shows that during channel phase detection, the processing of each level of digital beamforming unit is independent and does not affect each other. Therefore, a parallel processing method can be adopted to shorten the detection time and improve work efficiency. Throughout the entire multi-level comparison channel phase detection process, channels that do not meet the system design specifications can be accurately located, and problem troubleshooting can be carried out immediately.

[0039] Traditionally, digital multi-beam phased array antennas typically employ an externally mounted calibration antenna to form an external closed loop, using channel phase calibration to verify and compensate for phase inconsistencies between channels. This external closed-loop approach requires pre-installing calibration antennas at predetermined positions around the spherical array antenna, accurately calibrating the positions of each antenna, and using a switching matrix to switch between them, making it very cumbersome. This invention, based on the technical characteristics of digital beamforming in digital multi-beam spherical phased array antennas, proposes a method for detecting channel phase consistency in digital multi-beam spherical phased array systems. This method is simple, reliable, and easy to implement, meeting the requirements for detecting channel phase consistency in digital multi-beam spherical phased array antennas in engineering practice. Using this method, digital multi-beam spherical phased array systems that meet performance requirements can be designed in engineering practice.

[0040] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention without creative effort should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the phase consistency of channels in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system, characterized in that: The digital multi-beamforming function of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array system is realized through multi-level digital beamforming units, and the multi-level digital beamforming units are arranged in a tree structure. Based on the channel phase consistency design specifications of the digital multibeam spherical phased array system, the channel phase consistency specifications of each level of digital beamforming unit are allocated. Following a tree-like structure, the channel phase detection of all digital beamforming units is completed in parallel at each level, and the maximum channel phase value in each level of digital beamforming unit is obtained by comparison. Between each level of digital beamforming unit, a channel phase test module is set in the FPGA of the upper level digital beamforming unit, and an uplink beamforming module and a downlink beamforming module are set in the FPGA of the lower level digital beamforming unit, with uplink and downlink switches set respectively; The uplink switch points to the uplink beamforming module, which means that the uplink digital beam signal is sent to the uplink beamforming module for processing; The downlink switch points to the downlink beamforming module, which means that the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module is sent to the subsequent processing stage through the downlink; If the uplink switch and the downlink switch are connected to each other, the digital beam signal of the uplink will loop back directly into the downlink through the connected uplink and downlink switches, forming a closed loop. Between each level of digital beamforming unit, the upper level digital beamforming unit is tested through the channel phase test module, while in the lower level digital beamforming unit, the uplink digital beam signal is directly looped back into the downlink through the uplink and downlink switches to form a closed loop. The upper level digital beamforming unit performs channel phase test on the closed loop link through the channel phase test module to obtain the channel phase value between each level of digital beamforming unit. The maximum channel phase value of each level of digital beamforming unit is compared with the corresponding channel phase consistency index to complete the channel phase consistency detection of the entire digital multibeam spherical phased array system.

2. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital multi-beam spherical phased array system is divided into uplink and downlink, including: array element antenna, duplexer, T / R module and multi-level digital beamforming unit. The multi-level digital beamforming unit is arranged in a tree structure and forms a digital beamforming subsystem. The array element antenna, duplexer and T / R module are connected in sequence. The T / R module is connected to the first level digital beamforming unit. The nth level digital beamforming unit is connected to the back-end application. The layout from the nth level digital beamforming unit to the T / R module is a tree structure.

3. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The structure from the nth-level digital beamforming unit to the T / R components is tree-like. There is only one nth-level digital beamforming unit, which is the root of the tree structure. There are L1 connected n-1th-level digital beamforming units. Each n-1th-level digital beamforming unit is connected to L2 n-2th-level digital beamforming units, and so on. The number of digital beamforming units at each level is as follows. The top of the digital beamforming subsystem is the first-level digital beamforming unit. Each first-level digital beamforming unit is connected to Ln T / R components.

4. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The allocation of channel phase consistency indicators for each level of digital beamforming unit, based on the channel phase consistency design indicators of the digital multi-beam spherical phased array system, is specifically as follows: Channel phase consistency index of digital multibeam spherical phased array system Distributed to digital beamforming units at each level, where: The channel phase consistency index from the nth-level digital beamforming unit to the (n-1)th-level digital beamforming unit is: ; The channel phase consistency index from the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit is: ; Each subsequent stage can be deduced similarly until the channel phase consistency index of the first-stage digital beamforming unit and the T / R module is: .

5. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Channel phase detection for the previous-level digital beamforming unit requires the input from the next-level digital beamforming unit connected to it. The channel phase detection process for the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is as follows: For the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, the (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit connected to it sets two working states of the switch through the uplink switch and the downlink switch, respectively forming normal operation and inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration. During normal operation, the uplink switch sends the uplink digital beam signal to the uplink beamforming module for processing, and the downlink switch sends the beam signal processed by the downlink beamforming module to the subsequent processing stage through the downlink link. During the inner closed-loop channel phase consistency calibration, the uplink digital beam signal loop returns to the downlink to form a closed loop. The channel phase test module in the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit can measure the channel phase of the closed-loop link through the aforementioned closed-loop link. The above operation is performed sequentially on all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The above operation is performed on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units to complete the channel phase detection of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. By analogy, the phase values ​​of all channels in each level of digital beamforming unit are obtained.

6. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The process of comparing the maximum channel phase value of each level of digital beamforming unit with the corresponding channel phase consistency index completes the channel phase consistency detection of the entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system. Specifically, the channel phase consistency detection process for the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is as follows: Select a digital beamforming unit of level n-1, and select one of the connected digital beamforming units of level n-2 for channel phase detection, measure its channel phase value, and record it as follows. Where n-1 represents the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, m1 represents the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, and m2 represents the m2th level digital beamforming unit connected to the m1th (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit. The process involves performing channel phase detection on all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units, recording all channel phase values, and calculating the maximum value. Distinguish Does it meet the system design specifications? The specific judgment process is as follows: Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is satisfied; Then the channel phase consistency index of the (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit is not satisfied; Perform the above steps on each level of digital beamforming unit to complete the channel phase consistency test of each level of digital beamforming unit, that is, complete the channel phase consistency test of the entire digital multi-beam spherical phased array system.

7. The method for detecting channel phase consistency in a digital multibeam spherical phased array system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The process involves completing channel phase detection for all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units and recording all channel phase values. The specific method is as follows: For the selected (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit, determine whether the channel phase detection of all (n-2)th level digital beamforming units connected to it has been completed. If not, select the next (n-2)th level digital beamforming unit connected to it and repeat the above detection process. If completed, determine whether the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system has been completed. If not, select the next (n-1)th level digital beamforming unit and repeat the above channel phase detection process. This completes the channel phase detection of all (n-1)th level digital beamforming units in the system, and records all channel phase values.

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